May 20, 2012 Regular expat meeting and Uruguay Info Exchange: Come joins all your old friends and make new ones...
May 13, 2012 Mother's day update: Fellini's make special arrangements to accommodate our group on Mother's Day, the busiest restaurant day in Uruguay. Everything was normal, except we left a little early, by 2pm to allow for the holiday crowed. In exchange we were surprised with free champaign and plants for the mothers. We would like to extend our thanks to Fellini's for making space for our group on that special day and the gifts!
Come join our expat family at Fellini's where Total Uruguay representative "Sonia" runs a beautiful "family" luncheon that people have attended for years.
You can see photos of Fellini's and the relaxing meal that people continue to attend, after reading about them on our well-viewed website, which is one of the most important (and one of the original) expat websites.
Like the Total Uruguay website, the luncheons have been successful because our luncheons at Fellini's have no larger agenda and our website sponsors them as a service to our readers and viewers.
We welcome all to join our family and become immediate friends! We want to be friendly to everybody and have always pursued our relationships this way.
In fact, we encourage and have supported other "expat meetings" (unfortunately a couple of times others have started meetings top be held at the same time and we cannot support that behavior). If you want to start a meeting that meets at a different time, day and/or place, well, we’ll be glad to help! You can even participate on Total Uruguay and reach an enormous flow of new expats coming... we get hundreds of thousands of views every year.
We want EVERYONE to have an exciting and comfortable time in Montevideo and around Uruguay.
Our meeting have helped the expat community in Montevideo for years. People have gained, business and social contacts as well as received emotional support when feeling lost or alone in a new and foreign place. Other expat meetings also have flowed out of it, for example, the Friday night Language Exchange and Atlantida meetings.
The idea has been to help people with their vacations or adjustment as expats. Some people need more emotional and social support than others. Some are seeking information and some have lots of information to share. Like a big family, there are a variety of opinions, goals and objectives but regardless of differences everyone offers friendship and support.
The Sunday lunch, like the Thursday dinner meeting (see main schedule) is part of this process. Making contacts, becoming a family - all this is facilitated by meal-taking in a private/public form that is a bit like having a family dinner together.
Our meetings are designed for our members. No one is more important than another. The emotional support part is important. Some expats feel really alone and lost and are immediately welcomed into the group (family) without question. Just come as you are. No need to register, RSVP or worry. You'll immediately feel welcome by a hot meal and good friends. Try not to get lost in the conversation and put your order in early. Also, remember, what "waiter" means, especially in Uruguay.... they will "wait" until you are ready. The Uruguayan restaurant culture is not to interrupt your conversation to take your order...
The Sunday Expat lunch organized by TotalUruguay.com has been taking place every Sunday without exception since November 20, 2005. If you are reading this web page, you can be sure the meeting is still taking place and you don't need to email and ask.
So... The Sunday Expat meeting is at Fellini's still. Come by for some great Italian food, drinks and desserts... and socializing with other English speaking expats (usually from several different countries) and Uruguayans.
Fellini's is located in the corner of Benito Blanco and Jose Marti in Pocitos. See the map below. No reservations needed
An Informal gathering!
This is an informal gathering for English speakers to exchange information and ideas about Uruguay and most any other topic that might come up. Think of it more like a big family meal than a "meeting". There are usually between 20 and 30 people, sometimes as many as 50, and the atmosphere is one of lunch and conversation with a large family. People who attend usually represent several different countries, including some English speaking Uruguayans. Don't be shy, stop by and say hi.
If you are not living in Uruguay but just visiting as a tourist or checking out retirement in Uruguay, feel welcome to stop by too.
The founding principles** of this expat meeting werebased on a concept of clarity and simplicity:
Always the same place.
Always the same time.
Always someone there rain or shine.
Expat Info Exchange / Conference
Imagine, instead of spending lots of money to attend a boring conference with a bunch of speakers all trying to sell you something, for just the price of lunch you can socialize with other expats that are in various stages of doing what your thinking about, and compare notes with others on the same path as you. You can be interactive and share information, not just pay and listen. It's a unique experience and you can repeat it anytime you want, and gain new perspectives because there will be different people there.
Have something to sell?
The Sunday meetings are intended to be an informal social gathering and not a forum to promote your products or services. Of course you are welcome to bring business cards and discuss what you do at the meetings. However, it is not a forum where you can stand up to address the group.
Total Uruguay offers free advertising on our website for those with a business message. The website reaches are large number of people living in, moving to, visiting and dreaming about Uruguay.
Speak a little English, maybe some Spanish too!
This is a completely informal and social meeting. There is no boring "business" to attend to. There are not any boring presentations or sales pitches to listen to. When you arrive you can just take a seat, or walk around and introduce yourself to everyone. It's no problem if you arrive early or late (early is better of course!)
Everyone is welcome.
Come and join other expats and English speakers in Uruguay. People of many nationalities have attended the meetings: Australians, Dutch, Canadians, Danish, Bolivian, Vietnamese, Norwegian, Brazilian, Serbian, Cuban, Finnish, French, Nigerian, Turkish, Germans, Argentinians, South African, Swedish, Indian, Venezuelan, Filipino, British, Belgian, Irish, Russian, El Salvadorian, Colombian, New Zealanders, Ukrainian and more. Everyone is welcome too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdcVGeSQQ3k
If you have any questions, please ask them in our forum: Forum thread about the Expat Meeting. However, the only question should be when are you coming?
There are ATM machines close by (within a few blocks): Blvd Espana and L. Gadea, and Benito Blanco and Blvd Espana. There is also a currency exchange (open on Sunday) on the corner of Benito Blanco and Blvd Espana.
A note about Google maps and Uruguay. It seems they don't put the map pointer in the correct place for most street addresses. The map point on this map was manually set to the correct location!
Meeting History
**We would like to express our appreciation for the restaurants have hosted our meetings over the years:
We started meeting on Nov 20, 2005 at Old Maz restaurant, a nice family run place that ultimately closed so their property could be developed into condominiums.
In Sept 2009 we starting going to Fellini's Ristobarreto. Fellini's is a small Italian restaurant with great food and atmosphere. They have a great lunch special on weekdays. If you stop by once you'll be sure to become a regular.
In January 2011 we started going to Parrillada Trouville, a traditional Uruguayan Parrilla. Great meat, chicken, fish, some pasta and salads too.
In May 2011 we started going to Feligreta as we got left behind on Mothers day.
On June 19, 2011 we returned to Fellini's Ristobarreto.
Stay tuned for photos and the Expat Sunday Meeting and Happy Hour coming soon to other location(s) in South America.
Full disclosure: It has been traditional for the restaurant we meet at to provide a meal to the Total Uruguay representative at no cost. All attendees order from the restaurants regular menu and pay the standard prices. Total Uruguay is not associated with any meeting taking place at "De Picos Pardos" and this page is the only place for official information about the Total Uruguay Sunday Expat Meetings.
The Sunday Expat Meeting has always taken place in the Pocitos neighborhood, which offers a pleasant environment and other activities, especially on Sundays. After the meetings, people may chose to walk to a near by ice cream place, one of the shopping malls, a take a stroll down Pocitos beach, or to a near by park and enjoy continued conversation. Unlike Cordon, Centro and Cuidad Vieja, many businesses are open on Sunday and it is a nice residential area to enjoy.
If you are living in or near Atlantida, or have an interest, check out the Thursday Expat Meeting in Atlantida. 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
A few thoughts from those who have attended. Feel free to forward any additional comments to glen [ at ] totaluruguay.com
Sunday lunch with the Montevideo American expats is a great way to meet new friends and acquaintances. Whether you're just passing by or are already familiar with the city, you will find the expats group is a place where you'll feel instantly welcome and at home. The atmosphere is very much relaxed and informal. People of all ages, creeds and walks of life, mingle easily and are basically out to have an enjoyable meal in the company of others. You'll be surprised how fast time goes by when you're immersed in multiple fun and dynamic conversations that develop naturally and with ease. - Daniel
I've been in Montevideo most of the time for the last 17 years. I just started attending the English Speaking Expats meeting on Sundays a few weeks ago. What a blast. This week there were more folks than chairs and we had to scrounge more seating. So many different individuals, couples, and families and each with a unique story to tell. Some of the folks come every week, some come often, and others are only in town for a week or two. Great mix and good conversations. - Rodger
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For the nonspellers: Urugauy and Monte Video is Montevideo (monte-vid-day-o), real estate agents are "Inmobiliaria", and of course Uruguay is not spelled Uraguay. 969926573
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<a href="http://meetings.totaluruguay.com">Uruguay Expat and Travel</a>
<a href="http://meetings.totaluruguay.com/montevideo">Expat Group Meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay (Ex pats); Expatriates Club. Sunday Expats</a>
Expat Group Meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay (Ex pats); Expatriates Club. Sunday Expats
