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Exchange Report: Universidad ORT,Montevideo, Uruguay

August – December 2006Written by: Andrea Selene Stupino

January 31st, 2007

Universidad ORT, Montevideo, Uruguay Page 1 of 23

Congratulations! If you are reading this, it’s because you are considering

breaking the exchange trend of going to Europe and are curious about what

this little country called Uruguay has to offer. It’s a sad fact that most people

you will talk to have no idea that this country is sandwiched between the

giants Argentina and Brazil in South America. Nevertheless, if you choose

Uruguay, you will not be disappointed with the experiences you will have

while on exchange there. Hopefully this report will shed some light as to

why I have absolutely no regrets for having picked Uruguay as my choice

for exchange.

Why Montevideo?Why Montevideo?Why Montevideo?Why Montevideo?

The idea of venturing off into a country that is not very well-known seems to deter most students

from even considering Uruguay as an exchange option. Perhaps if students knew that the capital

city, Montevideo, is literally on coast of the Rio de la Plata, or the River Plate which means it

has various sandy beaches it would change their minds. If the prospect of studying in the sand

doesn’t appeal you, perhaps the beautiful weather during the months of exchange that allow for

you to put away the winter jacket and avoid part of the Canadian winter does. How about the fact

that you can do almost everything for a fraction of equivalent Toronto cost? The proximity to the

neighbouring capital Buenos Aires for travelling purposes? Or perhaps on a historical level, it

was the city where the very first World Cup of Soccer was played.

Montevideo presents advantages for its visitors in other ways as well. For one, as an exchange

student in an overwhelmingly different environment, navigating a super large city such as Paris,

Buenos Aires or Tokyo is a tremendous challenge. Nevertheless, Montevideo being the largest

city in the country has many sites to visit and things to do; therefore you will not be bored. It is a

compromise between the overly large industrial cities and the rural villages or suburbia with very

little to offer in terms of entertainment. The distances in Montevideo are a lot smaller than

Toronto. So another perk is that your travel time will be greatly reduced and therefore less time

is wasted on the commutes that would be typical at York.


The reasons you have for going on exchange may be infinite. However, if you are willing to rise

to the challenge of living in a primarily Spanish environment, navigating a new, beautiful city

along the beach with very friendly, sociable people, then you should definitely consider la

Universidad ORT in Montevideo, Uruguay as a possibility.

Courses and Teaching StyleCourses and Teaching StyleCourses and Teaching StyleCourses and Teaching Style

When it came to drafting an initial study plan, I relied on the pamphlets and handbooks that are

in the exchange folder. When it came time to hand in a final study plan, I contacted the area

coordinator of the faculty of Gerencia y Administración for undergraduates: Sr. Enrique Kramer.

He sent me a document with all of the courses that were available with respective course

descriptions and how many hours per week each course was. Enrolment was done a couple of

weeks before the start of the term via email. One of the courses I had picked was only offered in

the other term, but I was easily able to change it through email communication with Mr. Kramer.

My final courses were:Operaciones y LogísticaRecursos HumanosEconomía y Sociedad UruguayaEstrategia y Competencia

Aside from a handful of foreign language courses, the language of instruction at ORT is Spanish.

Therefore you should have a fairly high proficiency in the language. However, the university

offers optional Spanish courses for those who wish to get extra practice (see note below). The

first couple of lectures were tough, however, the professors had no problem slowing down or

repeating parts of the lecture if an exchange student did not understand. In fact, most were

willing to stay a couple of minutes after class or arrange a time to meet in the event that I needed

further clarification on a subject. It was refreshing to see that some of the handouts for my

Operations class were in English! On top of that, the Uruguayan students at ORT are obligated to

write an English exam in order to be accepted and therefore most can speak an advanced level of

the language.

Once in Uruguay, you have to confirm your final inscriptions in courses with the undergraduate

administrator, Ricardo Hartmann. In this meeting, you will also have to confirm your


information such as address in Uruguay. Mr. Hartmann is the one who will introduce you to the

computer system and give you a student number.

The level of intensity of the courses at ORT varies depending on the year level of the course. I

found that most of the courses had the same amount of reading as Schulich courses, but were

taught at a slightly slower pace. An advantage of ORT was the class size; the number of students

per class was capped at 35. The professors also made valiant efforts to learn your name and make

you feel welcome in their class.

The mark breakdown for most of the courses at ORT has two parts – one which has to do with

work in class and the second part is the final exam. For the regular Uruguayan students, they

must get a mark of at least 70% to be able to write the final exams (which are usually written in

January and February). However since foreign exchange students have to write the exams right

after classes end in the first weeks of December, the final mark is dependent entirely on the final

exam and a pass is still 70%. The class mark is usually made up of participation and attendance,

a series of quizzes and an Obligatorio.

The infamous Obligatorio is a group project which is usually done in groups no bigger than three

students. Each one of these projects has a respective Defensa. As the name implies, a Defensa is

a tool that professors use to prove that you, in fact, did the work in the project. Sometimes they

are done orally or written. These projects usually represent 70% of the final grade. Before

handing in an Obligatorio, the student must ensure that they have registered one week before it is

due via the computers stationed in the university hallways, through the ORT intranet. It will print

out two copies of a receipt, one of which you hand in with the project. My group members

showed me what I had to do and the whole receipt process seemed somewhat tedious.

The most challenging course by far was Estrategia y Competencia, my replacement for

INTL4400, which consisted purely of case study analysis of different firms in different

industries. It was twice a week and students were expected to prepare for a discussion on the

cases, which sometimes were 30 pages in length. Although I felt that I learned a tremendous

amount from the professor (who seemed to know almost everything!), it felt overwhelming at


times, and I realized that reading in Spanish took me three times longer than reading in English.

The course had no final exam, but the mark breakdown was dependent on class participation, 4

pop quizzes, and two Obligatorios.

My favourite class had to be Human Resources. The professor was extremely witty, entertaining

and insisted that we didn’t use the formal subject usted but rather keep a level of informality by

using tú or vos as is commonly used in the Spanish of Uruguay and Argentina. If you decide to

take this course, and are lucky enough to get Eduardo López de Leo as your prof, watch out

when you go out on a Thursday or Friday night, because he is usually there! He created a

friendly class environment where we would set up our desks in a circle and he would sit amongst

the students. At times he would demand that they offer him a sip of mate (explained in next

section).

The teaching style at ORT is dependant on the course being taught and the professor. As noted

above, there were classes based purely on the interactive discussion of cases, where the professor

played the role of a moderator. Meanwhile, my Economics class was a traditional lecture.

However, it should be noted that the degree of formality between the students and the professors

was a lot less than I had expected. I felt that this was a positive aspect of the teaching style

because the professor treated students as equals and encouraged everyone to participate in

classes. It also made it easier to approach them with any questions or concerns.

I felt that the quality of teaching at ORT was extremely high. All of my professors had extensive

experience in their fields in different parts of the world. My prof for Estrategia y Competencia

even had to miss two weeks of class because he was invited to teach at a university in Germany.

My Operations prof was a chemical engineer who had worked as an analyst of Operations

Management for various firms in Uruguay. My Human Resources professor not only dedicated

his time to teaching, but had his own consulting firm and held a management position in a not-

for-profit organization that dealt with adolescents living in dire economic conditions, by

providing them with training to acquire applicable skills for the workplace. Lastly, my

Economics professor was formerly an economist for the National Bank of Uruguay.


In essence, I was very impressed with the professors and the courses at ORT. It was a challenge

that helped improve my oral and written Spanish tremendously. As long as you demonstrate that

you are committed to trying your best, the professors are considerate when evaluating your

efforts in the classroom.

Cultural DifferencesCultural DifferencesCultural DifferencesCultural Differences

In terms of differences in culture, there are few very pronounced differences between Canada

and Uruguay. However, the most obvious one that shocks most students at first, is greeting

friends or new acquaintances by giving one kiss on the cheek. The handshake is seldom used,

and is reserved for more formal relationships.

Another aspect of Uruguayan culture is the herbal drink known as mate. Mate is like the

equivalent to a Tim Horton’s coffee in Uruguay. It is a tea drink that is prepared in a cup that

looks very much like a coconut and sipped through a metal straw known as the bombilla. You

will notice that students are carrying around a case that contains the coconut cup and a thermos –

this is their mate kit. The herbs used in the drink are called yerba. In the grocery stores, you will

notice the multitude of yerba brands – some are a lot stronger, bitterer than others, some even

claim to make you lose weight. Some people like to add sugar to it to make it less bitter. It is not

strange for Uruguayans to pass around the mate, and share it in a social setting. If you are ever

offered a drink and you are willing to try it, just be careful to sip slowly in case the water is

really hot! As the yerba contains caffeine, I used it as a coffee substitute and brought back my

own mate to Toronto. You can purchase yerba here in various Latin American specialty stores.

Just make sure that you get a Uruguayan who knows how, to cure your mate first.

Uruguayans are also known to be very relaxed when it comes to punctuality (as is typical of

Latin American countries). My 8 o’clock class at times would start at 8:10 and sometimes my 10

o’clock class would start at 10:20. If you were to show up even five minutes early, you would

wonder if the class was cancelled because no one shows up to class early. It is all dependent on

the strictness of the professor (and his own tardiness!). As is expected however, classes always

ended on time!


OrientationOrientationOrientationOrientation

Upon arrival to el Aeropuerto Carrasco, you have various travel options to get into the city such

as bus or taxi. I would certainly recommend contacting the ORT international relations

coordinator with your travel information so that a pick up via remise can be arranged (the guys

that hold up the sign with your name!). Just make sure that you confirm with the coordinator at

least two weeks before your arrival. This expense is paid for by the university.

The Orientation program at ORT was held the week before the term started on a Thursday

afternoon. The tour was held at the Pocitos campus with a picada: cheese, crackers and cold cuts.

The majority of the coordinators and heads of departments attend this Orientation to introduce

themselves. Also, some upper year students attend and give out their contact information, some

advice on the courses you’re taking and offer general tips about the city itself.

After introductions and some time to chat with the others, they take you on a tour of the city

along with some historical commentary. The tour lasted approximately an hour and they made

sure that everyone saw the ORT buildings. It was a nice taste of Montevideo, however I was

feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the new sites, and information that I was taking in. The

whole orientation lasted about five hours and it’s a great opportunity to ask all of your

unanswered questions.

Language CoursesLanguage CoursesLanguage CoursesLanguage Courses

The language of instruction at ORT is strictly Spanish. However, the professors were very open

in terms of answering any questions or clarifying points that were not understood in class.

The university offers supplementary Spanish classes for those students who wish to get extra

practice. I would recommend these classes for anyone who is not familiar with the Rioplatense

Spanish, that is, the Spanish of Uruguay and Argentina. During my term, the classes were held

twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14:00 – 15:30 and they started right at the

beginning of the term.


Other language courses offered through the faculty of Business Admin are English, Portuguese,

French and on an introductory level, Mandarin and Japanese as well.

Outside of the university, there are certain language institutes which offer Spanish courses. I

would definitely recommend the Berlitz institute as they offer flexible hours through private

classes with a focus on conversational Spanish skills. On top of that, the institute is only a 15

minute walk from the Pocitos ORT campus.

This is the contact information for the Language Instructor Supervisor:Almary BengoecheaBulevar Artigas 1263 (one block North of Avenida Brasil)� 403-0121� [email protected]

Campus FacilitiesCampus FacilitiesCampus FacilitiesCampus Facilities

La Universidad ORT has two campuses: one located downtown (aka Centro) and one in the

neighbourhood (barrio) known as Pocitos. Unless you take courses outside of the Business

Administration faculty, all of your classes will be at the Pocitos Campus.

The most notable difference between York and ORT is the size of the campus. Let’s just say that

you will not be walking 15 minutes to get from one class to another. The Pocitos campus had a

total of five computer labs. You are able to book computer time in four of the labs and the last

one is just on a drop-in basis. You can make the reservations either by entering the ORT system

at gestion.ort.edu.uy or at the actual campus on the computer stations they have in the hallways.

There are also a couple of computers in the cafeteria which are mainly there for the purpose of

checking email or reading an e-newspaper. Initially, each student is given 300 free printing

pages. Each additional page needed could be purchased for 1 peso per page.

There are some classrooms known as salas de trabajo. These are just rooms where students can

use to study on their own, get together for group projects, or just plug in their laptop and surf the

net. The ORT buildings all have access to wireless internet. In the event that you have issues

with the computers or your own laptop, there are lab helpers who can usually fix the problem.


The best place for quiet study at ORT is the library. Unlike some libraries (which shall remain

nameless), the staff members are very friendly and helpful. In the event that you choose not to

buy textbooks, you can take them out from the library. As it is common for most Uruguayan

students not to buy their textbooks, there are usually many copies floating around. The library is

open from 8:00 – 21:45 from Monday to Thursday and 8:00 – 17:00 on Fridays. The whole

campus is closed on weekends.

The surrounding areas of the Pocitos campus feel safe, as it is one of the safest neighbourhoods

in Montevideo. On top of that, there are security guards stationed at the entrances of the campus.

There were times that I left my laptop and books unattended in the salas de trabajo and nothing

happened.

In terms of laptop use, I never used it during lectures because no one else does, and I did not feel

that the professors would be welcome to the idea of students using laptops in class. On top of

that, even though Pocitos is a safe area, a laptop bag makes you a more obvious target. Therefore

I always took the precaution of taking a cab to and from school when I had the laptop with me.

International ServicesInternational ServicesInternational ServicesInternational Services

There is an international relations office located at the Centro campus. I maintained contact with

the exchange coordinator when it came to any inquiries pre-arrival and during my stay. She was

very helpful and quick in answering my questions via email. She was also the one who organized

the Orientation for the exchange students.

Magdalena GutierrezCuareim 1451 (ORT Centro)� 902 1505 ext 270� [email protected]

Housing FacilitiesHousing FacilitiesHousing FacilitiesHousing Facilities

Choosing your barrio


As a student of the Business and Administration faculty, most, if not all of your classes will be at

the ORT Pocitos building. For that reason, I would highly recommend finding a place to stay in

the Pocitos area. Since the distances in Montevideo are nowhere near as large as they are in

Toronto, getting to school will most likely take you a fraction of the time. (I was about a ten

minute walk away from the school). I learned to appreciate the three extra hours of my day that

were not spent commuting. More importantly however, Pocitos is known to be a more upscale,

safer neighbourhood and essentially, you will find everything you need there; in Pocitos there is

a higher level of concentration of businesses. The laundry mat, the dry cleaners, the money

exchange place, the pharmacy, the mini-market for groceries, cybercafés, the bakery, the

pizzeria, the papelería and the hair dressers/beauty parlours are all literally within walking

distance. Not to mention that the two malls are an easy ten minute bus ride away from Pocitos,

and there are a lot more buses that actually travel through Pocitos than other barrios.

There is also a movida, or the constant movement of people at night. There are many fine

restaurants and little bars in this area. (See further down for the note of social life) Plus you can

get almost anything delivered to your home if you live in a more populated neighbourhood. I

used the delivery service for things as minimal as aspirin from the pharmacy, when I was not

feeling well, because all the employees have to do is walk a couple of blocks and there is no

surcharge for such a service, aside from the tip that you give to the delivery person.

That being said, ORT does not own a residence for its students exclusively. However, it does

have agreements with private student residences. The International Relations coordinator acts as

a liaison between students and the residence administrators, a couple of months before the start

of the term. Since most of these residences are located downtown, they are more designed for the

students who go to the Centro campus. Therefore, ORT will provide the number of the

appropriate Real Estate Agencies in the event that students are interested in renting out an

apartment in other places, such as Pocitos.

Some of my exchange friends opted to rent an apartment with each other in Pocitos which were

already furnished and equipped with a microwave, a fridge, TV (with cable!), music equipment

and a balcony. It was pretty nice and had a good view.


Others opted to stay in the Kolping Residence, which is not in Pocitos, but was still adequate in

terms of the services it offered:

http://www.casaskolping.net/montevideo/index.html

Most hotels offer a special monthly rate for students which must be negotiated with the hotel

management beforehand. I believe the Schulich student who went to Uruguay before me opted

for this route and stayed the hotel Punta Trouville.

Another option is living with a Uruguayan family. If this is something you want to consider, I

would suggest contacting the International Relations coordinator right away so they can start

searching for a host family. One of my exchange friends arranged his accommodation this way

and was paying the family $200 a month which included the purchase of extra food that the

family had to make.

Costs/ExpensesCosts/ExpensesCosts/ExpensesCosts/Expenses

One of the major advantages of living in Uruguay is the relatively cheaper cost of living. Of

course, a Uruguayan will not agree with you, but because of the exchange rate and the higher

wage rates in Canada, you will be very much surprised with how far your money will go.

Accommodation:

In general, the rental of a furnished apartment in Montevideo is found in the $200 to $250 per

month range. The student residences for example were $200 for a shared room and $250 for a

single room. The stay in a hotel is a bit more expensive where the price can reach up to $350 per

month in a decent hotel.

Textbooks and Printing Services:

Even though the majority of the students do not purchase their textbooks, I opted for this route

and I paid less than $200 for brand new textbooks for ALL of my classes. Now because ORT

does not have its own bookstore, you will have to get your books at bookshops downtown. I

personally was able to get the majority of my books at:


Editorial Técnica s.r.l.Eduardo Acevedo 1466� 401 3746

Any books that I was not able to find, I just borrowed from the ORT library. Sometimes the

course material has been photocopied by the professor and has been left in folders at la

Fotocopiadora – those who are in charge of the printing services at ORT. This is a little office

not directly linked through the ORT building but is just one house down from the back entrance

of the university. You just have to tell the employees which class material you need and they will

let you sift through the texts and choose which ones to photocopy. There are also copies of

previous final exams and their respective solutions for most courses. I believe I spent $10 on

photocopying for all of the readings for my economics class.

This is also the place to go if you need to buy extra printing pages for the computers at ORT.

Within one block of the university, there is also a place, somewhat akin to a Kinko’s, which offer

printing services and binding for any papers you need to hand in. These services are all offered at

a substantially lower cost than in North America.

Local Transportation:

The transportation services in Montevideo are described in more detail below, however between

the busing and taxi rides, I probably spent approximately $200 on my transportation during my

whole exchange term. This calculation was based on taking the bus at least ten times a week over

20 weeks plus the occasional taxi ride.

Food/Groceries:

The price of groceries is also substantially cheaper than that in Toronto. On average, I was

spending about $150 a month on groceries and toiletries. There are many small convenient stores

and produce markets where you can get these necessities at very low prices. Bakeries also offer

delicious and affordable food. The first time I walked into a bakery, I ordered like 10 different

things to try and it only cost me 8 pesos. I had to ask the cashier to repeat himself to make sure

that I was only paying less than 50 cents for all of what I had just bought.


Entertainment:

Since you will not be spending as much money on rent, books, or transportation, you can spend

extra on entertainment, which is also relatively cheap compared to Toronto. Since when can you

walk into one of the finest restaurants in a city and pay less than $20 for a meal? In Montevideo,

you certainly can! For a good meal in an average restaurant, you don’t have to pay more than

$10 for yourself. In fact, a big steak at the most expensive casino in Punta del Este (the

Hamptons of South America) was only $16. Assuming that you won’t be eating a fine steak

everyday, you will find that eating out is not only cheaper, but sometimes just more convenient

than preparing food yourself. When it came to nightclubs, the cover charge was no more than

seven dollars and drinks usually were in the $3-4 range.

Student Health ServicesStudent Health ServicesStudent Health ServicesStudent Health Services

Uruguay has a two-tier health care system comprised of public hospitals and private clinics. The

university requires that all international students come with their own travel insurance policy that

in turn, have specific arrangements with certain clinics down there. However, in the event that

something does happen to you on campus, ORT has what they call a Mobile Emergency

Insurance (Emergencia Móvil) for all of their students. In the event that an emergency arises at

school, they will send an ambulance or doctor right away either to send you to the proper clinic

or treat your condition on the spot. This emergency coverage is free. Luckily, I never had to go

to an actual clinic however I was told that the best ones to go to are either the Hospital Británico

or la Asociación Española.

Social Events and NightlifeSocial Events and NightlifeSocial Events and NightlifeSocial Events and Nightlife

Uruguayans always make time for their social lives. I found that most students at school were

friendly, and there was a group of people who were in two of my classes that took me out to the

clubs and restaurants. I also was good friends with many of the exchange students who were also

eager to get to know the nightlife of the city. One thing that you will most likely have to get

accustomed to is the time that events start. Dinner is usually between the hours of 10 and 11 and

don’t be too shocked when a friend says: “Ok, let’s meet at 1:30 AM”.


The hot place to be on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night is la Ciudad Vieja. It is an area

downtown full of restaurants, bars and clubs where much of the city goes to have a night out

(general term for these places in Uruguay: boliches). It will be somewhat strange to see that

some clubs are still empty at 1:00 AM, but they get full by the time 3:00 AM rolls around. Most

of them don’t even open until midnight, and the music usually stops around 6:00 AM. The

mainstream music that one will find is either the Spanish music – cumbia(!), plena and some

reggaetón – or music in English – what they refer to as música Electrónica, rock and Top 40.

Some good boliches are El Pony Pisador, Oila City, La Rinko, Santos y Pecadores. Most of

these places have no cover charge before 1:00 AM, and afterwards it usually oscillates between

3-7 dollars depending on where you go, and the day.

There are some other clubs in other parts of the city away from the concentration of la Ciudad

Vieja as well; one that is nice along the beach is W. Lounge. But avoid Siete Lunas like the

plague; the crowd is not a friendly one.

If you are looking for good restaurants, you will find many in Pocitos. Most notably, places like

Zarzamora, Don Pepperone, El Bar 10, Costa Azul and Pizzeria Trouville are good eateries, and

are all within walking distance of each other.

Getting around in MontevideoGetting around in MontevideoGetting around in MontevideoGetting around in Montevideo

The second you have free time, get yourself to a book store, magazine place, or papelería and

purchase the Pocket Guía de Montevideo called “Eureka” for 99 pesos. For just under five

Canadian dollars you will have purchased your bible to public transportation. Next: purchase a

map of Montevideo, preferably one that has the names of the barrios on it. Might I suggest going

to an ANCAP gas station and purchasing the collection of three maps. Once again, for 100 pesos

you will get a comprehensive map of all of the little streets in Montevideo, and as a bonus, you

get the map of all of Uruguay with respective highways (rutas), and one of the capital cities of

each department outside of the capital (el interior). Now that you are equipped with your maps,

you are able to venture off onto the streets of Montevideo!


A somewhat important note: Three main streets that have undergone official name changes, but

no one in the city actually uses their new names because they are just too long!

Bvar. José Batlle y Ordóñez is still called “Propios”Avenida Mcal. Francisco Solano López is still called “Comercio”Hipólito Yrigoyen is still called “Veracierto”

Public Transportation

If there is one thing that I got very much acquainted to during my stay, it was the public

transportation system of Montevideo. First of all, since for the most part there is more than one

bus that goes by each stop, you will have to flag down the one you want. When you see it

approaching, stick out your arm towards the street and the driver will stop.

When going to pay fare, there are two possible scenarios. Sometimes the bus driver is the one

charging the fare; this is usually true for less traveled routes, or on Sundays. However in most

cases you have the bus driver’s helper, known as el guarda, who charges the fare with his own

seat at the front of the bus.

During my stay, the common fare was 16, 17 and then it dropped to 15 pesos, about 75 cents.

There are no outlets to buy “tickets” for the bus unless you are a student of a school that has an

agreement with the bus companies. Unfortunately, ORT did not have such an agreement when I

was there. Nevertheless, since I am accustomed to paying over $100 for a monthly pass, I gladly

paid the 75 cent fare in Montevideo.

Some express buses or interdepartmental buses are more depending on your destination. The

guarda likes it when you give him (or her) exact change, but if it’s not possible, try not to give

him any bills that are bigger than 100 pesos. A guarda will never accept a 500 or 1000-peso bill.

Once you have paid your fare, he will give you a little ticket. Do not throw out this ticket until

you are off the bus, as there are times where an inspector will walk on the bus and ask you for

this ticket. However these tickets are not like transfers and cannot be used to board another bus.


When your stop is next, you can choose to exit the rear door, where there is a little button above

the door that you press. You can opt to go out the front door, in which case, you just stand beside

it, so that the bus driver can see you and knows to stop.

Taxis

In the event that you are in a hurry or if it’s really late at night, taxis in Montevideo are your best

bet and are substantially cheaper than Toronto. In the busier parts of town, it is easily to hail a

cab. Other times, it is best you call for a cab: you tell them your phone number, and in most

cases they will already have your address on the system.

Here is a list of the most common numbers:� 1771� 141� 1919

The cab fare usually starts off with a base rate of 20 pesos and a variable rate, known as fichas,

which increases based on distance and time. The rates are slightly higher on Sundays and at night

after 22:00. A cab ride from downtown to Pocitos is usually around 100 pesos (five Canadian

dollars). Sometimes if you are with a group of people, it’s cheaper to take a cab than the bus.

Shopping in MontevideoShopping in MontevideoShopping in MontevideoShopping in Montevideo

If you are looking for places to shop, Montevideo has three malls. The two which I considered to

be the nicest with the most variety were Montevideo Shopping and Punta Carretas. Both of these

malls are a short bus ride from the university. The third mall, Portones, is rather small, and

although it is nicely maintained, it does not have nearly half the amount of stores as the other two

have.

Walking around downtown along 18 de Julio has a large variety of shops in between Plaza

Independencia and Ejido street. Around Plaza Independencia, there are many tourist shops were

one will find a slew of souvenirs.

If you are interested in a different shopping experience that one is accustomed to in North

America, I suggest you visit the ferias. A feria is essentially a flea market where one can find


booth of almost everything, from fake designer clothes, to pirated DVDs. South America is

known to have the largest black market or pirated market in the world, which may be terrible for

business, but it seems to be generally accepted in society. From Tuesday to Sunday there is a

feria in different parts of the city:

Tuesday – Villa Biarritz Park – Ellaurí and 21 de septiembre, in PocitosWednesday – Carrasco – Avenida Arocena and Eduardo Couture, in CarrascoThursday – El PradoFriday – Buceo – Propios and RiveraSaturday – Villa Biarritz Park again, except much bigger than Tuesday’sSunday – Parque Rodó

The biggest ones happen on Saturdays and Sundays, and this will also be a good place to find

souvenirs.

As a Canadian AbroadAs a Canadian AbroadAs a Canadian AbroadAs a Canadian Abroad

Your Visa

As a normal tourist, Canadians have a 90 day visa for Uruguay, and you do not need to apply for

it from home. When it comes time to extend this visa, you will have to go downtown, to la

Ciudad Vieja, to el Departamento de Trámite de la Dirección Nacional de Migración. Here is

the address and contact info:

Misiones 1513 (Misiones on the corner of Cerrito)Open: Monday to Friday 11:15-16:30� 916 0471� 916 0970� 916 1094

I went one week before its expiry date without an appointment or anything, you just show up and

take a number. Be sure to bring your passport, and the white form that they give you upon

entering the country, known as the carta de turista. I was not even asked to explain why I was in

the country, nor why I wanted to stay longer, they just asked me to pay 215 pesos and then they

gave me a new form. Don’t lose that form! You will need it when you exit the country.

The Canadian Embassy


Registering with the Canadian Embassy can be done either online or in person downtown. I

opted to go in person to see what the embassy looked like. Needless to say, it’s not as large as I

had imagined when you compare it to the Russian, Spanish and Italian Embassies that are all

within walking distance of ORT Pocitos. The Canadian Embassy is located in Plaza

Independencia, where the flag can be seen from the second storey of the building.

Plaza Independencia 749Office 102� 902-2030

Exchaning your Foreign Money

The currency in Uruguay is the Uruguayan Peso. In Pocitos and in the shopping malls, there are

various places to make a currency exchange. Although you will most likely get a better price on

American dollars, most exchange places accepted my Canadian dollars as long as they were in

bills. When it came to withdrawing money, I was able to use my debit card at various banks that

had the Cirrus network. The ATMs give you the option to withdraw pesos or dollars.

Telephones/Cell phonesTelephones/Cell phonesTelephones/Cell phonesTelephones/Cell phones

Uruguay is one of the countries with the highest amount of cell phones per capita. For

emergency and communication purposes in general with friends, I would highly recommend a

cell phone. There are three cell phone providers in Uruguay (ANCEL, Movistar and CTI). I

found that most students had either ANCEL or Movistar. I brought down my Motorola V555,

which had to go through an “unblocking” process done by the phone company, and then I was

able to buy a chip on a pay as you go basis. The whole ordeal cost me around $35 Canadian

which had 500 prepaid pesos to begin with. Most students like to use text messaging since it only

costs 1 peso to send. Receiving text messages and phone calls are free. It is possible that the

company will not be able to unblock your phone, in which case, they offer relatively cheap (but

rudimentary) phones which can be purchased.

If family members want to contact you in Uruguay at a landline number in Montevideo this

would be the way to dial:


� 011 598 2 ### #### (the # represent the local seven digit number in Montevideo)

598 is Uruguay’s country code, and 2 is the Montevideo code.

When it came to making international phone calls, I chose to go to cybercafés as they offered the

most competitive rates. In the Pocitos area, there are several cybercafés and printing places with

very affordable rates for internet use. I visited one and only paid $1 for an hour of internet.

Sports/RecreationSports/RecreationSports/RecreationSports/Recreation

Going to see a soccer game in Uruguay is a must. The Estadio Centenario, is where the very first

World Cup was played in 1930. They also have a museum open to visitors during the day.

(Random fact for those who did not know: Uruguay won the World Cup in 1930 and in 1950!) I

went to what they call el clásico, the game between the two rival teams in the league, Peñarol

and Nacional. Peñarol dominated Nacional in a 4 to 1 rout. If you get a chance to see a clásico or

Peñarol vs. Danubio, don’t miss out, trust me – it’s an experience you will never forget. The

most expensive seats for the games at el Estadio are usually 150 pesos, $7.50 and the cheapest

can be bought at 50 pesos. Most of the teams have their own stadiums as well, which are smaller,

and the games can cost as little as 50 pesos. The best teams out there are Peñarol and River

Plate.

Fans of basketball will also be surprised to learn that there is a Uruguayan basketball league, and

it only costs 60 pesos to get in, (only 40 if you are a woman!) Yes, that is less than three dollars

to go see a game. If you decide to live in Pocitos, you have two teams that you can go see

nearby: Trouville or Biguá. I became a fan of Aguada, the team with the most popular support.

For more information about sports teams in Uruguay visit:www.futbol.com.uywww.urubasket.com

In terms of decent gyms in the ORT Pocitos area, there are quite a few. I joined el Club Banco de

la República as it seemed to be the most modern, and had a nice view of the beach. You have to

get a medical check done before they will accept you as a member, which can be done at el

SEMM. If you go and speak to someone at the gym, they will give you a pamphlet with the rates,

and the address of where to go to get this medical test done. Be sure to bring your immunization


record that shows that you have had your tetanus shot, and appropriate boosters. Here is a link to

their website: http://www.cbr.com.uy/

In terms of general exercise without having to go to a gym, many people walk or run along the

beach. Especially in the warmer months, it’s an excellent way to work on your tan.

If you are interested in joining a sports team at ORT, during the orientation, they will give you

the contact number of the person who is in charge of running intramurals.

Study Tours/Field TripsStudy Tours/Field TripsStudy Tours/Field TripsStudy Tours/Field Trips

Since I was fortunate to have Thursdays and Fridays off, I was able to do a lot of travelling

within Uruguay itself. It was mainly up to the exchange students to organize themselves if they

wanted to get together and travel.

The typical tourist cities of Uruguay are Colonia and Punta del Este. Punta del Este’s peak

season is during the Uruguayan summer during the months of January through March. Colonia

however, is more of a round-the-year colonial city, as its name implies. It was once owned by the

Portuguese and Spanish in the 1700s. Some of the structures from that time are still preserved, so

it feels like you are stepping back in time.

Most of the exchange students are eager to discover the surrounding countries of South America

while in Uruguay as Argentina and Brazil are seemingly close. The easiest trip to make outside

of the country is to Buenos Aires, Argentina. You can travel by ferry out of the Port of

Montevideo and can get there in less than 45 minutes on the “fast” ride. If you are looking for

something a bit less expensive, you can opt to take a three hour bus ride to Colonia and then take

a ferry from there. Arrangements to Buenos Aires can easily be made at Buquebus which you

can find either downtown or at Punta Carretas Shopping Mall. At Buquebus, you can also book a

hotel and group excursions.

Another popular place to visit is Iguazu Falls, in between the Argentinean and Brazilian border.

This trip costs between $150 and $200 (American) dollars and is usually done by bus.


The only “field trip” I went on with ORT was for my Operations and Logistics class; we went to

observe and analyze the Operations of McDonald’s! It was actually quite neat; they had us put on

these white garments so that we wouldn’t contaminate the area and we learned about their

quality control procedures and other logistical considerations. The only cost of this trip was the

75 cent bus fare.

Aside from the class field trip, the other excursions were not mandatory; however I felt that they

were worthwhile. If you are able to get a group of students together, travel! Many Uruguayan

students were jealous of the travelling I was able to do, as they claimed that I knew more about

their country than they did.

What to BringWhat to BringWhat to BringWhat to Bring

With the limited amount of luggage space permitted by most airlines, making effective use of the

limited space available is essential. Here is a list of important things you should consider

bringing:

1. A photocopy of your passport: Instead of carrying around the real thing with you at all times,

photocopy your passport and put it in your wallet. In Uruguay, sometimes when making

purchases on credit, they will ask you for your cédula. This is essentially the ID card that every

Uruguayan citizen has. Wherever it says cédula or documento on a form you have to fill out,

write down your passport number. I only brought my actual passport with me when I had to

extend my visa. In all other circumstances, I was never asked for the “real thing”.

2. Clothes for a mild winter, but more importantly, summer clothes!: Uruguayan winter does

not officially end until September 21st, however I should warn you that, despite the fact that the

temperature hovers around 5-10 degrees in winter, you will feel the cold. Some houses, since

they are made of concrete, are not as well insulated as our Canadian ones, which can withstand

our harsh winters. Usually apartment buildings have some sort of central heating and therefore

are nice and toasty. However, once winter is over, get ready for some nice weather! I was able to

start tanning the first weekend of October. The weather overall was excellent; comfortable

during the day, and at night it got substantially cooler, so be sure to bring at least a light jacket

when going out at night.


3. A bathing suit: Montevideo is a city along a coast, with beaches. This is pretty much self-

explanatory.

4. Sunscreen: It is a lot easier to get a burn in Montevideo as it’s a city along a sea the breeze can

sometimes make it feel like you are not getting burnt.

5. Walking shoes: Without the luxury of a car, you will have to take public transit and you will

have to do a lot of walking. Plus, because of the weather, you will want to walk outside, whether

it be on along the coast or downtown.

6. A USB stick: I found this little thing to be a must-have when transferring documents from my

laptop to the school computers to print assignments.

7. A camera: I bought a camera for this experience and I came back with 5 gigabytes of pictures.

8. Transformers and plug adapters: You can purchase plug adapters in any grocery store for

cheap, however, if you are bringing electronics which may need some sort of transformer you are

better off getting it here; in Uruguay they use two-prong plugs with 220V outlets.

9. Your appetite for sweets: If you enjoy sweets of any kind, Uruguay will not fail to impress your

taste buds. The infamous Uruguayan alfajor: think of like a sandwich of two cookies with dulce

de leche (somewhat like caramel) in between. There are SO many different kinds of alfajores out

there; I was inclined to try almost all of them. Even Cadbury makes alfajores. There is a well-

known catering place in Punta Carretas Shopping called Carrera. Any of the pastries they make

are mouth-watering, particularly the Massini and the Merengue. If for one reason or another, you

need to get a cake for an occasion, get it from the caterer “Cakes”; they make an awesome torta.

This section could go on and on…so I’m going to cut myself short before this becomes a report

on Dessert options in Uruguay.

10. Street smarts: Montevideo is a large city with a population of 1.5 million. Many people

consider South America to be unsafe in general, however it should be noted that Uruguay is one

of the safest countries on that continent and Montevideo is said to be one of the safest capitals in

the world. Nevertheless, I can offer you a couple of tips that will ensure that you are doing all

you can to avoid being the target of petty crime. Pick pocketing on buses can be avoided if you

ensure that your valuables and wallet are in inside jacket pockets or in ones with zippers.

Walking alone at night should be avoided in unknown areas, even though I will admit that I have

done this and nothing happened. Do not carry large amounts of cash with you, even for

emergency purposes; you will not need anymore than 200 pesos for a cab ride in the city. If you


are sure to be aware of your surroundings and practice a bit of common sense, you have nothing

to worry about on the streets of Montevideo. Also, be aware that the concept of pedestrians

having the right of way is non-existent in Uruguay. Just be sure to look in four directions when

crossing the street.

General ImpressionsGeneral ImpressionsGeneral ImpressionsGeneral Impressions

Looking back on my five months in Uruguay, I am overwhelmed with wonderful experiences in

a great, challenging city. There is the initial struggle of feeling lost, having to take in a lot of new

information and just a bit uncomfortable in a country that is not your own. With time, I learned

to get around with a much improved oral (and written) Spanish, use a new bus system and by the

end of it, I was giving my Uruguayan friends directions on how to get to places in Montevideo! I

was extremely sad that I was not able to stay another term and I felt that the time went by way

too quickly.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all about Uruguay!

Andrea Stupino� 416-473-3597� [email protected]


Pictures (many more available upon request!)Pictures (many more available upon request!)Pictures (many more available upon request!)Pictures (many more available upon request!)

The ORT Pocitos Campus, and the huge tree in front of it.

Montevideo from the Plane.

Bulevar Artigas and looking Eastbound on the coast line and a sunset in Punta del Este

exchange report: universidad ort, montevideo, … report: universidad ort, montevideo, uruguay...

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