It had become a fashion for a while to settle in Uruguay and talk about going all the way to the other side of the world, to South America.. We do not know who seriously thought about this, who only translated the deer, especially after Mujica, but there will be a reason in the end, the focus of these sentences was always Uruguay.. That being the case, when we went there, we were very eager to find a Turkish citizen who settled here, but we were very eager to find out what the truth of the matter is, but we could not establish such a connection.. We even wrote an article from the information we gathered on the subject, but we stayed with that, we always felt as if we could learn more.. Then, by chance, when we saw a comment made by dear Şahin to OitheBlog, we screamed for joy at home, because she is a Turkish citizen who has been living in Uruguay for about a year! Even though we didn’t know Şahin personally, we were very impressed with his narration and what he said, so much so that we thought if it would make the readability difficult and if we should shorten the article a little bit, we were not officially lost.. Let’s also thank him here and let’s get back to the topic: Our interview on Settling in Uruguay and the System awaits you below, have a good read!
A phrase we have heard from dozens of people around us lately “Brother, everything There is actually leaving it behind and settling in Uruguay…”. Some use it as an alternative phrase of rebellion after living in Turkey, some say it with admiration for Uruguay’s system and order.. As a result, we haven’t met, we haven’t met, until now, someone who has advanced the business as much as you and actually moved to Uruguay.. How did you come to this decision?
Before I decided to try my luck in Uruguay, I was one of the many people who suffered from increasingly difficult living conditions in Turkey.. In other words, he was dizzy from the political agenda; I was an ordinary person who started the day with zero motivation with news about violence, terrorism, war, conflict, explosions, demonstrations, coups, police violence, arbitrary arrests, detentions, unfair trials, rape, harassment, corruption, nature massacre and many more.. Running away was always in the back of my mind as well as everyone else, but you also had a life in which you tried to get to a good place with your family, friends, even though the conditions were difficult, and you couldn’t just turn around and walk away.. There was always hope, that things will get better one day, all this will end, I was saying that I would live happily and peacefully for the rest of my life.. In this process, I have never consented to those who were grateful for me.. I’ve always made an effort to change things or keep good things from disappearing.. I protested both rape and corruption, I also defended animal rights, I said no to nature massacre, to concrete.. There are some things in life, you are 100% sure of their correctness and inside you feel the need to defend them.. Not doing or not being able to do something wears you out. I have lived in such a mood for years in Turkey.. It can be said that this mood started to form an infrastructure for me to make this decision.
Like most of us, you started to discover that things might not turn out the way we hoped…
I was psychologically worn out in Turkey. I could never focus on my own life, my order. I have never experienced the feeling of confidence in achieving something in Turkey.. Whenever we raise our voices for something, we have always been ostracized, despised, marginalized, so-called intellectuals, looters, foreign powers’ toys, traitors.. Our peaceful actions have always been met with violence before they even started.. In addition to polarizing and divisive verbal violence, we were exposed to the violence of grocers and shopkeepers with sticks and doner knives, with the mainstream media distorting the events and misdirecting the society. There are still thousands of people who are exposed, lost their lives, crippled, and seek justice for years.. That’s why people in Turkey are divided into fifty, not two.. No one loves anyone or there is absolutely no one that everyone loves in that country.. In other words, Turkish is no longer Kurdish nationalism; Right now, in Turkey, he is a member of this party, from this community, from that city, from that religion, from that viewpoint, he is a putschist, communitarian, marginal, intellectual, marauder, spy of that country, supporter of that country’s leader, participant of that action, separatist, fascist, communist, There are dozens of so-called enemies such as atheists, anarchists, etc.. There are internal and external enemies that everyone believes exist.. You can feel this hostility even while chatting with our friends.. Just the place where you were born can cause you to be described as the other by your friends or someone you chat with.. This creates distrust and creates a lack of trust in your closest friends, neighbors or coworkers.. I have experienced all of these in Turkey.. There were times in my life when I felt I could only trust my family.. There were many times when I felt alone and helpless.. Social pressure comes to such a point that even you doubt the things you are sure of, and you become questioning yourself.. You come to the point of questioning and even accepting many things that you think are wrong but the majority accepts as true.. This situation is actually much more dangerous than it seems.
Long story short, in a people who are tired of internal conflicts, one side is cherished, the other side is crushed, intimidated and fragmented, every day there is a war or I worry about it. I came with a psychology.
How long have you been in Uruguay? Where do you live?
-I have been in Uruguay since January 2016. I live in Montevideo, the capital city.
How did your move go? For example, have you had a chance to see Uruguay before, did you go on purpose? It’s not like moving to Germany, friend.. While even that is a big enough development, when it comes to Uruguay, we are talking about a strange distance and a completely different culture.. Quite a dare indeed!
I sold everything that could be sold in the palm of my hand during the moving process, bought my backpack and came here. When you say that it can be sold, the house, car etc.. I’m not talking about. I had a guitar and a motorbike and I sold them, after I bought the ticket I had 600-odd dollars left.. I had never seen Uruguay before, of course.. But the reason my path crossed with Uruguay was because of my girlfriend. he is from here. We met him in Istanbul in the summer of 2014. The only thing I knew about Uruguay before I met was Mujica and its practices, which I learned while being mentioned in Ekşi Sözlük.. Of course, when I met someone from Uruguay, I asked a lot of questions about Mujica and the country, and I talked about the dreams of many people from Turkey to escape there.. He also told me that some of the information about Uruguay is not entirely correct.. While I was showing him around Istanbul, I also talked about the conditions in Turkey.. Later, when he returned to his country, we continued to talk.. Every time a bomb exploded or when he heard a news about Turkey on TV, he would always write to me and ask me about my status.. After going on like this for about a year, he came back to Turkey and for two months we traveled all over the Mediterranean by hitchhiking, Couchsurfing or camping.. We got to know each other better in this process.. I was going to visit him for a few months as soon as I finished school when he came back to his country.. But my conditions got so heavy that as I said, I sold everything in my hand, I did not settle for Uruguay, but I gave up to go for 6 months to try my luck.. I dropped out of school, said goodbye to my friends and family. Of course, there were those who said “don’t go, what are you going to do” in the first place, but I didn’t listen and came here.. My friends and family always tell me that I’m glad you left, don’t come back.
How is the process of a foreigner to settle in Uruguay, get a residence permit or citizenship? What documents did you need to provide? Are processes slow like ours? Did you face any difficulties?
It’s easy to settle in Uruguay. I brought only two documents before I came. Birth certificate and criminal record. Of course, I would have both documents translated into Spanish, notarized, and apostille from the district governor’s office.
After I came to Uruguay, I made an appointment with the immigration office.. It’s the first step. After that, it feels like a sock rip.. If you have someone with you who speaks Spanish, you know what to do and when to do it.. All that remains is to wait patiently. I say patience because things move so slowly sometimes. A lot of questions are asked about the residence permit. After you make your first application to the immigration office, you will receive your Cedula, your approved identity for a two-year residence permit, by just taking a photo and giving fingerprints, with the document you will receive a month later from the Immigration Office, within a week. In other words, you need to fulfill some conditions for a permanent residence permit.. Income display appears at this stage.. You must show a monthly income of 1500 USD from abroad or show a 3-month payroll after working in any insured job for at least three months, or start your own business. I found a job after being unemployed for 4 months and after working for three months, I applied for a permanent residence permit a month or two ago with my birth certificate, criminal record and 3-month payroll.. They said they would call after 3 months and let me know the result.. I am waiting. If it is approved, they say that it will be approved very easily after they have done all the procedures completely and as they wished, I can apply for citizenship after living here for 3-5 years.. Of course, these conditions may vary according to marital status.. The only difficulty I had was that when applying for a permanent residence permit, they said that the criminal record had to be separately approved by a local translator, namely from Uruguay.. I think there is such a law.. With the help of a few translator friends I know due to my job, I completed those transactions in a week.. We also have a situation like this; I almost did not even open my mouth during this process because I have a girlfriend who speaks Spanish with me.. Once, when I went to handle it alone, he told me to bring someone who speaks Spanish with me and I could not take any action.. I mean, not many people speak English in official offices, so it is imperative to have someone with you.. This is how we learned it.
One of the most curious subjects is the process of finding a job.. Before going there, did you research what sector you can work in or have you contacted someone beforehand? For example, don’t you have a panic like “what if I can’t find a job”? What job are you doing now?
When I came here, I had in mind that I would do anything. I knew that it was very difficult to find a job in the textile industry, which is my branch.. I have never seen any advertisements about textile.. The country’s population is 3.5 million, the largest of which is 1.5 million, about half of which live in the capital city Montevideo.. It is quite difficult to find a job, although the most job opportunities are here.. It’s more difficult for foreigners like me who don’t speak Spanish and only speak English, much more difficult for those who don’t speak either Spanish or English. Not impossible, very difficult. Here, a Turkish friend who does not speak English sometimes works in two jobs.. Since this is a small place, things are handled by word of mouth or acquaintance.. That’s why the environment is so important. In my opinion, it is much more advantageous to meet new people every day and say that you are looking for a job, rather than looking for a job on the internet . Of course, you need to gain the trust of people enough to vouch for you.. This takes time and patience.. What if I couldn’t find a job, my panic was always there until the day I was accepted to the job.. I bought my return ticket 6 months later, just in case.. If I couldn’t find a job in my fourth month, I could be in Turkey right now.. I think I’m really lucky in business, that is, here, not in Turkey.. When I was looking at job postings, I was looking for job postings looking for someone who only speaks English and I was only applying to them.. My girlfriend’s friend told me one day that a company was looking for someone who spoke Turkish and sent a link.. The company was a mobile phone game company that was very popular in Turkey and they were looking for someone who could answer emails from Turkish users and translate into Turkish.. The day after I applied, I was called for a job interview and I did a lot of testing and translation in order to get the job, although they admitted that they would wait for months when they wrote the advertisment.. I waited weeks for results and a month later they announced that I was hired.. I’ve been working at Etermax, which has been making Trivia Crack for about 6 months.
Did things really turn out as you expected? In other words, is Uruguay really a “utopian”, egalitarian, fair, safe country as it is described and reflected? Did you find what you were looking for? Good thing you can say I moved to Uruguay?
Things definitely didn’t go as I expected, it got better every day for me.. I am quite satisfied with my life and I do not intend to return. I did not expect much from Uruguay anyway.. Apart from the cost of living, I found the peace and life I wanted and sought more than. If you have a full stomach, you have nothing to worry about here.. If it is art, you can find art, entertainment if it is entertainment, and friendship if it is friendship.. No one here is judging you based on the city you were born in, your religious belief, your favorite team, party or politician you support.. It probably doesn’t even cross their minds. When we say Turkey, they start counting the names of Turkish TV series broadcast here or the football players playing in the 2002 World Cup Turkey national team.. When they hear a Turkish word, they try to repeat it over and over.. They help you learn Spanish, when you ask the meaning of a word, they tell you the whole story, everything from its origin, and in what situation they used it.. They’re always laughing, talking about football or funny things. I’ve never heard it talked about politics. All they care about is football. they love football. Once a week, I play a football match with my colleagues.. We go to the chief’s house to watch the match, he does his best for our comfort, he serves our food and drinks.. no ego. The chief and the manager are the same.. We can all go to the bar and have fun until the morning.. People are natural here, no one is pretending. like everyone else. Nobody’s getting paid for the job. At my workplace, many people work only 6 hours a day voluntarily.. Nobody says I should work 3 more hours and earn more money.. No greed for money, no greed to win. Sometimes it even goes to laziness. Sometimes I wonder if they don’t want to work. If he earns as much as he needs, he knows how to make do with it.. Most tradesmen open their shops late and close early.. On the weekend young people go to have fun. Women can have fun with their friends and go home whenever they want.. No bullying, no harassment, respect for the other’s decision and life.
It will be an ironic question, but what do you think are the main differences between Turkey and Uruguay? It can be culturally or systemically…
The system is definitely better, more libertarian, more just and more egalitarian.. The media is completely free. You can easily write and draw whatever you want.. no censorship. No broadcast ban. people are more free. I can say that it is much more advanced in terms of employee rights.. Compared to Turkey, women are much more prominent in business life.. There is also a female taxi driver, a female bus driver, and a female municipal cleaning worker.. All of them are very hardworking and do their job meticulously.. Of course, as in every country, there are homeless people, slums and people living in very harsh conditions.. I know that there are not enough teachers and not enough classrooms in education.
Although many people think that Uruguay is a cheap country, we hear a lot that it is not, frankly, our personal experience was in this direction.. Do you think it’s an expensive country? Of course, we will not ask how much salary you receive, but if you give a summary? ☺
Uruguay is definitely not a cheap country. Although the minimum wage is the same as in Turkey, life is much more expensive. In my opinion, there are two things that are cheaper here than in Turkey; meat and wine. Since the production in the country is not so much, most things are exported from abroad.. Since the taxes are also quite high, the price is 2-3 times until it reaches the consumer.. Is it possible to live in these conditions? Of course it’s livable.. If you cook your own meals at home, give up nightlife and some luxuries, you will live very well.. I make my own bread, pizza or dinner at home.
How are human relations? In other words, can it be said that they are generally friendly? Did you adapt easily or do you think there is a language barrier between you?
People are very friendly and sincere. You can get along very quickly and get along.. Most of the people I met spoke English, so I could get along easily.. very helpful people. Whenever you don’t understand a Spanish word or ask a question about Spanish, they tell you at length.. I’m speaking Spanish with them now, if there’s something I can’t explain, I switch to English. We meet a few times a month, either at home or in one of our favorite places, we spend time together and have fun.. morale is always high. I’ve never seen anyone obsessed or wandering sad.. So they are happy. They care about their social life as much as their work.. They don’t lock themselves in the house.
Are there things that you can criticize about Uruguay’s system and order, and say, “I think this is not what it seems from the outside”?
Of course, there are aspects that I criticize.. I have a hard time understanding some of its rules. For example, it is forbidden to use a phone in a bank.. You can smoke marijuana on your doorstep right next to the police, but you can’t use a phone inside. Interesting indeed. I thought they were exaggerating security when I first came, for example, but gradually my mind started to change.. Of course, I can say that my bike was stolen within half an hour when I left it unlocked in the garden, and a thief broke into my friend’s house, which you can normally reach through 3 doors, in an hour and stole all his electronics and savings.. I think the police are incapable of preventing crime. Police seem to concentrate only on touristic areas. I rarely see them anywhere else.. I think this probably encourages criminals to commit crimes.. I think that adequate precautions are not taken or taken in terms of security.
Finally, a tourist question, can you give a few local tips that you can say that you should not come back without trying/seeing/eating while you’ve come this far? ☺
While you’re here, don’t leave without eating an asado, chivito, milanesa or, I don’t know, a gramajo. There is no juicy food culture here. Pizza and similar foods, meat and jamon, that is, pork-based foods are generally consumed.. I also recommend you to try some desserts with Dulce de Leche.. You can even taste Dulce de Leche directly.
