Alfajores –the Uruguayan Twinkie

If you have read anything at all about Uruguay, or know our family from the States, you’ve heard of Dulce de Leche. Uruguayos love, I mean really love, this stuff. It is basically sweetened condensed milk that has been boiled until it caramelizes. It is in almost everything that aspires to sweetness.

The ice cream stores have no less than 3, and sometimes up to 8 variations on the theme. The bakeries have bizcochos, masa finas, and tortas all filled with it. Candy comes in dulce de leche flavor. You can buy ice-cream cones dipped in chocolate and then filled with it. Its aisle (yes, a whole aisle) in the grocery store is rivaled in selection only by the Yerba Mate aisle. BUT, dulce de leche reaches its true potential when it is sandwiched into an alfajor, and not just any brand, but the Punta Ballena brand, the Negro (Black) variety. I could go on and on about the perfection of this carb-packed plum of a treat.

The best way to truly get across the idea is to remember what a Twinkie tasted like when you were a kid. Not the way they taste now, to your grown-up sensibilities, but how sweet, and creamy and wonderful they tasted when you were little and got one for a treat. That is how I describe the sensation of eating one. Now, I am a complete food snob, and wouldn't be caught dead eating a Twinkie (though I loved them as a kid), but I proudly proclaim the merits of his alfajor to anyone.

The best part is that they come in two sizes, so you can get all of the loveliness in a very little package, and for only 5 pesos—or 10 if you are splurging on the big ones.There are lots of brands and varieties--90% of them taste like chalk. (The Uruguayans have an affinity for dry, crumbly baked goods, so don't ask for their advice on the matter.) Our family is loyal to the Punta Ballena brand. Aaron and I get the Negro (dark chocolate) variety, and the kids love the Surprise edition. The reason I am waxing eloquent about the alfajor is to laud its place as a motivational tool. Not as a bribe, but as an occasional reward for the little kiddies. For example "Hey guys, if your piano lessons go well, and you do your best, here is 10 pesos for some alfajores on the way home."

Hey, it works! Candy bars are not a big thing here, alfajores are. When in Uruguay, do as the Uruguayans.

When Aaron went back to the States in May, the only thing he brought from Uruguay to share with the family was a suitcase full of alfajores. I heard that they were pretty well received.

Well, this was just a little side-note about the pleasures of living in Uruguay…Which is your favorite?

A very long list of what to bring to bring to Uruguay if you are traveling with kids

What a family needs in Uruguay

Our family has been living in Uruguay since December of last year. Before we moved down, we didn’t know any other families with children down here, so we did the best we could to figure out what we would need. As we talk to other families who are making the move, we often get asked what they should bring.

I love making lists, they make me feel so organized. This is a list of what we tell people to bring if they have children. Bear in mind that our experience is with girls, aged 10, 8 and 6, and boys aged 3 and 1.

• Clothes: Good quality clothes are available here, comparable to the GAP, but at outrageous prices. They can be found at boutique stores and some mall stores. Mid-quality brands, like Target or Old Navy are available at stores in the mall, and some of the ferrias (open-air market), but it is hit and miss with the quality. Low-quality clothes, like K-mart or others are available everywhere, and are not as inexpensive as you would think. The ferrias are the main distributors for these kinds of clothes, and there isn’t much variety, and I have found them to be quite flimsy and cheaply made. Mending clothes is very inexpensive here, but it hardly makes sense to mend a poor-quality t-shirt when the seams pull out, if you could just get something of slightly better craftsmanship. However, there are lots of stands selling “home-made” clothes. Some of these can be very high quality. We bought some fleece pull-overs from the kids that were made here in Uruguay, and were very pleased with them. It is harder to care for clothes in Uruguay, as the water isn’t softened, and the cleaning products that you are used to aren’t available here. Bring your favorite stain-remover. You will need it! Clothes dryers are not common, and most people dry their clothes on a line. That reduces some of the wear and tear, but you also end up smelling like soot in the winter. (from all of the wood-burning fireplaces spewing ash into the air) Good jeans are hard to come by and rather expensive. My recommendation: Bring all the good quality jeans, socks (which are not-great here), shirts and exercise clothing you can manage. T-shirts are fine to buy here, as are most skirts, blouses, and shorts and pants.
• Shoes: Bring whatever you think you will need, and the next larger sizes that you anticipate. They have lots of different shoes for sale here, and uncountable shoe-repair shops, but their shoes for children are not of good quality, unless you pay astronomical sums for imports like NIKE. We have gone though dozens of pairs of shoes here. The quality is just poor, even as you get into the more expensive lines. Flip-flops and summer shoes are readily available and very inexpensive, so don’t bring those.
• Toys: The kinds of toys that you are used to in North America (NA) are available here, but again, at astronomical sums. There are lots and lots and lots of cheap plastic toys here, but they fall apart quickly, and are more trouble then they are worth. You can find nicely made artisan wood toys at some of the ferrias, and they aren’t too badly priced. Barbies, matchbox cars, etc, are available, but for almost double the US price.
• Books: If you have room, bring some, as there is a healthy exchange system for books in the ex-pat community, but there are also some shops in Pocitos that deal in second-hand kid’s fiction in English for very reasonable prices.
• Medicine: Ibuprofen and Tylenol (under a different name) are available, but there isn’t nearly the variety for decongestants and other cough suppressants. Bring whatever you think you might need. The nice thing about medicines here is that you don’t need a prescription for most drugs. You can explain to the pharmacist what you need and she will hand it over!
• Sheets: Sheets are very expensive here, and the quality is not good. If you can fit any in your suitcase, bring them! A standard twin sized bed in NA is also the standard here. Their king and queen size are smaller than the NA versions, but they still work.
• Any technology games (for kids or adults) that you are used to in NA will be harder to come by. If they are available that will be VERY VERY expensive. We have Leap Pads for our kids and have never seen anything like them here.
• Supplements, vitamins, special foods: Bring whatever you need! There just isn’t any comparison. We have a friend with a celiac child, and as we looked around, we could find some of the special flours and some pasta, but not much else like is available in NA. Having it shipped down here after you arrive will subject you to the 60% tariff. (no fun!)
• Comfort items: Peanut butter, the way you are used to, isn’t available. There is a German brand that some stores carry that doesn’t taste right to an American palate and it is about $6 US for about 4 oz. There is an Uruguayan version that isn’t what you’ll want, either. If you like PB, bring your own, or wait to get it when you cross the river to Buenos Aires. Protein bars, one of my staples, aren’t available here, much to my dismay. If you like them, bring a lot, you won’t find them here.
• Records: Make a copy of all your child’s medical records and bring it with you, especially with the vaccination record. They are pretty serious about that. Also bring an original birth certificate (you can order an extra one, if you are still keeping a home base in NA) and make several color copies. Also make color copies of their passports to show teachers, sport clubs, etc. While you are at it, do all of this for yourself and spouse. We scanned in all of this into the computer and stored a copy in our gmail account, and with our parents in the States.
• Toiletries: Shampoo, soap and basic lotions are all available here, but our family uses a few that aren’t, like Cetaphil, Oil of Olay, and Neutrogena body wash. We ask people to bring them down, or try to find them in Buenos Aires. Diapers are readily available, don’t waste room packing more than you’ll need for the trip down and maybe enough for a few days to get settled. (When we came, I brought hundreds, which was totally unnecessary, and took up space I wish I would have used for shoes and peanut butter!) If you want girlie accessories, you don’t need to bring any, you are entering girlie-heaven and they have more hair accessories and jewelry here than I have ever seen anywhere in my life.
• Art supplies/Games: They don’t have Crayola readily available here, stock up and bring them down with you. They do have lots of the cheap, waxy crayons, which aren’t any good. Paper, colored pencils, glue and scissors are easily available, but if your child’s interests go beyond that, bring the supplies with you. Board and card games are available, but are pricey. Regular face cards are cheap and readily available.

I hope this helps anyone who is considering moving here. We love living in Uruguay, and are excited to see other families with young kids traveling. It isn’t as hard as you think, and the benefits are worth any inconvenience. If you have any questions, you can email me at emilyfcampbell@gmail.com

Sick in (but not of) Uruguay

Being sick in Uruguay;

Sprained ankle—Emily

Fell off a cliff—Victoria

Cut open Head—Emma

Cut off very end of thumb—Madelena

Cut open chin—Elijah

Pneumonia—Aaron

Various and sundry viruses and colds—Everyone

I only list the major injuries above to prove my knowledge in caring for a family of seven in Uruguay.

So, having a family this big, I expect that illness will be a visitor in our house, but really, it seems like such a much bigger deal when I’m not familiar with the medical system. As a mother of 5 kids, I can pretty much always count on somebody being sick, or someone gearing up to get sick. When we moved down here, we got inoculated against yellow fever, got all of our Hepatitis vaccines, purchased anti-malarial medicine, and thought we were prepared for the big stuff. Well, I guess no one has gotten yellow fever or hepatitis, or malaria, so we're good on that front...

Living in Utah, we were pretty well inoculated for the common viruses going around. Having kids in school guaranteed that we were exposed, and developed immunities to all the bugs floating around. Moving to a foreign country puts you up against a host of new viruses and germs that your body is unprepared for. We've had sniffles and colds for a good part of our time here. I've talked to several doctors, and they all say the same thing: Having all of these little colds and sniffles and viruses is part of the package with moving to a foreign country. Bummer.

Within a month of moving here I fell and sprained my ankle, and we rushed over to the Hospital Brittanico. After an emergency room visit and x-ray, I was pronounced to be just fine, just to rest a lot—this is much easier with a maid, I must admit. I was happy with the short wait in the ER, and didn’t mind paying cash for the service, about $120 US. Basically, it was a good experience.

Later this same month, January, our family went to Buenos Aires for a little vacation. At the Children’s Museum (which we highly recommend) Emma fell into the metal shelves in the grocery store exhibit and cut open her forehead. After cleaning up the copious amounts of blood, it turned out to be a very small cut, but we went to the public hospital, thinking that she might need stitches. We walked in and were seen almost immediately by a pediatrician, who prescribed an antibiotic and made a homemade butterfly bandage using scissors and medical tape. The Dr. was very unconcerned about any scarring, but Emma did end up with a noticeable scar. It seemed like the general thought was that if you are getting free health care, you don’t complain about minor details like a scar. We went to the front desk afterwards to pay for our bill, but surprise! Argentina has free health care and there was no charge.

After returning from Argentina, Aaron took the kids rock climbing and Victoria fell about 10 meters when the cord that was anchoring the line severed. She miraculously twisted in mid-fall so she fell feet first, and Aaron was able to catch her body, even though her heels hit the ground with full force. We had several people watching us, so they called two ambulances to the scene. There was a minor dispute between the ambulance drivers as to who got to be the one to transport her, but after a mere 30 minutes of arguing, we were off to the children’s public hospital. She was taken into the emergency room right away, but they only allowed one person in with her at a time. That was a real problem, I thought. Tori wanted both her mom and dad with her. Tori was speaking English, and one of the nurses went into a diatribe –in Spanish—about all of the stupid gringos who come to Uruguay, and what did they think would happen??? I looked over to her and explained that even though we were from the US, I still spoke Spanish, and that I understood her. Her face blanched, and she quickly left, but when she came back she was much more solicitous about Tori’s care. Tori had x-rays taken and was thoroughly examined. The doctors couldn’t believe that she had escaped the fall with only a few scratches and sore heels. That same day, in the newspaper, there was a story about two construction workers who had fallen from a lesser height, and suffered major injuries. To be sure that all was well, the next week Aaron took her to the Hospital Brittanico (private hospital) for another check, and again, she was just fine. Her heels hurt for a while, but she recovered quickly. The ambulance and care at the public hospital was free, but her checkup with a pediatric bone doctor was about $140.

Aaron had been sick in May, and really pushed himself too hard and developed pneumonia. We joined an emergency healthcare group called Emergencia Uno, that has a clinic and also a mobile Doctor’s unit that makes house calls. Aaron went into the clinic and was told that it might be pneumonia, but that we would need X-rays to be sure. I called our friend, Suki to watch the kids, and I took him to Hospital Brittanico for the x-rays. We figured we’d be gone from home for an hour, max, but once the x-rays were examined, the Dr. determined that he had quite a serious case, and needed to be admitted. As we were not members of the Hospital, the cost for care required a deposit of 50,000 pesos (approximately $2100 US) We had only brought enough to cover x-rays, and weren’t expecting this cost, so Aaron asked to be transferred to the public hospital. It took a long time, and lots of work to convince the Dr. to transfer him, but Aaron succeeded and early the next morning, when an ambulance was available, he was moved to Maciel, a hospital in Ciudad Vieja. The hospital there was past capacity, as there were a lot of people with the same problem. Aaron was then transferred to a private hospital, Impasa, which we were very pleased with. He stayed for 4 days, and received oxygen and breathing treatments and more x-rays. Aaron was nervous about coming home, but has seemed to slowly improve ever since. Several follow-up visits have confirmed his recovery. The hospital was free, and Hospital Brittanico waived their fee (we’re still not sure why), but the check up visit to the pulmonologist was about $40.

Elijah’s injury was a result of 3 year old energy vs. marble stairs in the entryway. He cut open the bottom of his chin, and was given little more than a band-aid when the Dr. came to check on him. Several days later, when we needed a new bandage, we went to the clinic, and were appalled at the lack of knowledge displayed by the nurse when he tried to create a bandage for our boy. He tried to use too-little tape and too-much gauze to cover the wound. He must not have had very much experience patching up small boys. I took off the dressing and created a better covering myself. I also insisted on an antibiotic cream. In this instance, the medical care was very frustrating. It was like I had to insist on what I knew was the right treatment course. Cost covered by our monthly fee for Emergency Uno

Madelena cut open her thumb as she was trying to cut an orange to make orange juice. I could have used a hearing test after the high-pitched wailing, but it turned out to be unnecessary. A sympathetic doctor and lots of gauze healed that situation. Cost covered by our monthly fee for Emergencia Uno.

As for the various and sundry viruses we’ve fought, we’ve had mixed results. There seems to be a general trend for the doctors to prescribe ibuprofen and rest. Lots of times I have felt that we weren’t getting great care. Satisfactory would be a better word. They are filled with lots of sage advice, which sounds distressingly like the stuff of old wives’ tales. Over half of the Doctors that visit blame the weather for our troubles. Sometimes, the doctor doesn’t even bring an otoscope, to check the kids’ ears. We’ve gone though liters of amoxicillin, which is the next most-prescribed drug. I’ve talked to lots of Doctors about it, and there is a consensus that moving to a foreign county, the immune system gets overtaxed, as it is constantly fighting viruses to which it hasn’t built up a resistance. 3 girls in school and 2 boys in preschool equals the introduction of a host of viruses. As you read this, though, you have to realize that I’m in the middle of a virus with a killer headache as the trademark symptom, so I’m not particularly optimistic.

The quality of care has been disappointing, and in spite of all of the complaints I’ve heard recently about the American medical system, I’m all for it. The free system here and quality of care from basic pay-as-you-go doesn’t shine so brightly after one becomes accustomed to American medical care. But, as we’re all alive, despite the odds, it rates a solid “satisfactory” mark.

Plaza Sesamo

When we lived in the States, our kids had very limited boundaries for their roaming. In West Virginia, they pretty much were only able to walk down the street to Sissah Bookah's, and in Utah, their range was widened to about 2 blocks away from the house. Several times our oldest daughter, V, asked to walk to Target, which was about 4 blocks away and didn't require the crossing of any major streets. The answer was always a firm "NO." Here in Montevideo Uruguay, the story is much different.

Living in Uruguay means shopping differently, every day Uruguayans make their daily rounds to the almacen, panaderia , fruteria and carneceria . Our apartment had a small fridge and negligible storage space, so every day, we too, made the rounds. The elevator was slow, and I was always forgetting something, so we started sending the girls to get our supplies. Our portero would watch from ground level, and I would watch from the balcony as the girls would cross our single-lane, one-way street to go to the almacen, fruteria, or panaderia that was on our block.

The girls loved the freedom of running out for bananas or milk and paying for the items themselves, which they never got to do in the States. This also really developed their Spanish abilities. Pocitos is filled with people who have the same routines every day, and there is a familiarity and friendliness to seeing the same people. We got to know all of the workers in the stores, all of the dog walkers, and all of the porteros, if not by name, then by sight and habit. We quickly were adopted into the rhythm of the barrio, and I knew that we were known to all, being easily recognized as the gringo family with five light-haired kids, and cared about by many. If any one of the girls didn't happen to follow the usual routine, we'd hear about it.
The girls rapidly became more confident and farther-reaching in their travels. When they started summer camp at Club Bigua (pronounced cloobeegWAH) I walked with them the first few weeks, but they were soon able to do it on their own. V is a real mamasita (little mother) and ensures that they stick together, hold hands while crossing the street and get wherever they are going on time. When school started in March, it was a natural transition, as their school was only 3 blocks further down the road from Bigua. I walked them in the beginning, but they were just fine.

Moving 7 blocks away to a house in June had me a little worried that we'd miss our "regulars" from the other barrio, but we have become a part of a wonderful neighborhood. We have a real grocery store (Disco), an awesome bakery (Cassis), a ferreteria , cambio , farmacia, bookstore, gas station, and other little shops. We're greeted every day by the guy who works at the Cerrajeria and the kid who carries our groceries home from the store. The guard at Disco will give me instructions for home remedies for grippe if he hasn't seen one of the kids in a while. My kids get a free cookie every time we go to Cassis. I love that my kids can walk half of a block to the papeleria to get a snack, knowing that everyone around is watching out for them. We've become part of the rhythm of this neighborhood, and I love it. People care about each other. The other day I was in a hurry as I was taking my boys to preschool, and in my rush dropped I's backpack. Hours later, when a shop-keeper noticed that I had returned home, he came over to drop it off. I had never seen him before, but he knew our family, and cared enough to help us.

I love this sense of community. We've always built our communities with people who shared similar interests, beliefs, attended the same work or school; but this is different, and so fulfilling. We feel like we've got our own personal "Sesame Street" filled with people who live and work together. I feel confident with my girls walking a half of a block to the papeleria for a snack, knowing the checkout girl has a relationship with my daughters that the checkout girls at Target never had.

3 Run-ins with the law in Uruguay

1st Run in:
Aaron and I went to the Barrio de los Judios today to go to some wholesale shops. One store that we went in had the funniest collection of low-quality goods from China. There was a whole shelf of knock-off perfumes that we had a good laugh about, with names like BOOS (a take-off of Hugo Boss) and something that looked like it was trying to be a Gaultier clone. Aaron had the camera and took some pictures of it, to show some friends, but was accosted by the management of the store who demanded that he give her the film from the camera. He tried to explain that it was digital, and he could erase the pictures, but there was no film to hand over. The woman, in typical Uruguayan fashion, had to repeat the problem and her solution at least 5 times. Aaron asked what the problem was, and she said that it was "Bad" and she should call the police, there was a law! Aaron asked what the law was, but she just kept repeating herself, and said she didn't know why it was a law, but it just was! After deleting the pictures to the manager's satisfaction, we were free to go.

2nd Run in
So as Aaron and I are driving through the centro in our funny-smelling rental car today, I asked him about Uruguayan driving laws. Yesterday as I was driving around, I had a hard time figuring out some of the driving customs here, I hadn't driven a car since November, so this was the first time I was paying attention to the idiosyncrasies of Uruguayan road rules. (It should be noted that even that I am terrible about noticing these details, and have always been somewhat oblivious about directions) Right after we discussed Uruguay's "no turning right on red-light" rule and the "no turning left at any intersections with a traffic light" rule, we heard a siren behind us and little van pulled in front of us and cut us off.

"How rude!" was my first thought, and "why is there a policeman signaling us to pull over?" was my second. Indeed, a policeman waved us over and came to talk to us about...turning right on a red light! He launched into a tirade about how in EVERY country in the world it is illegal to turn right on a red light. We very politely pointed out that, in fact, it is legal in the United States, and after examining my US credentials, and the rental car papers, he decided that it was probably more trouble than it was worth to pursue the matter. He did tell us very many times: Rojo--NO, Verde--SI! What a nice man. The sad fact is that Aaron did turn right on a red light into a clear intersection, right after we discussed how that was not allowed here. When something is second nature like that, you barely even notice it.

When we lived in Minnesota, I remember seeing several Latino and Hmong people trying to get their driver's licenses at the DMV, and failing the test and being frustrated that they couldn't get a license. At the time, I thought it ridiculous that a person who wasn't fluent in the country's language would expect to get a driver's license, but of course now my sentiments are a bit more sympathetic.

3rd run in:
When Aaron returned to the states for a week in May, my friend Kris sent a package of Super-food (an algae, barley etc etc powder for vitamins and energy) to his parent's house so he could bring it back to Uruguay for me. The box got delivered on time to the Campbell's house, but went un-noticed and Aaron didn't bring it home. I was crushed, as I had been looking forward to trying it for a long time. Aaron's mother sent it out a week and a half ago, and today we got the message that it had arrived at the post office downtown. We made our way there, and I bounced into the Correo station to claim my box. I was giddy happy and chatting with the guy behind the desk. He told me that my box had been chosen for an aduana (customs) inspection. "No problem!" I responded, "Open the box, whatever you need!" (all in my happiest Spanish) Well, it wasn't so happy from there out. Aaron's mom sent the box in it's original state, and that happened to include the packing slip with the receipt showing Kris' purchase. After much explaining about how the herb was going to help my husband recover from pneumonia give me more energy, the aduana agent reluctantly agreed to let me keep the product, which apparently was a generous decision on her part as she could have confiscated it because it was an herbal product, and those aren't allowed into the country without a big song and dance number. The next hurdle was that I now needed to pay a 60% impuesto (tax) on the value of the item. I kept trying to explain that it was a gift, that I didn't purchase it, but she would not accept that, because the receipt was still in the box, and it wasn't what she would consider a gift. After going rounds, I told her I needed back-up, so I went to get Aaron out of the waiting car on the street and have him do battle on my behalf. He got no further with the agent, and after 20 minutes of negotiations ended up having to pay the impuesto. The agent also insisted that we pay the 60% on the total cost of getting that bag of herbal supplement to Uruguay, which included the cost of the item, the cost of the rush-order that Kris added, AND the cost that my mother-in-law incurred to send the box here to Uruguay. It is a good thing Aaron was handling that part, because I definitely would have gone berserk. We had to drive 5 minutes down to the port aduana station, pay the impuesto, and then drive our receipt back to the Correo station to pick up the box. When I got to the counter (I was the only customer in the building both times), they had misplaced the the paperwork, and had to fiddle around for a while before they could give me the darn package. I was frustrated with the ridiculous bureaucracy, the very high tax on my goods, and the hoops I had to jump through to obtain it. I sure showed them! I signed my name very largely on the 3 forms presented to me before I could touch my package. I got a little lecture about that, but it was symbolic for me. As extranjeros, we don't pay too much into the system, so I guess I can just count the impuesto as my fair share.

We did manage to get home without any further complications. :)