Expat Interview - British Writer/Actor Makes Uruguay Home

Where are you from? Salisbury, Wiltshire, England (near Stonehenge)

 Approximate age? 54

 Household makeup? Married to Beatriz, a Uruguayan vet.  One daughter studying Art and French at Canterbury in the UK, the other studying textile design in Uruguay.

 Do you stay in Uruguay part time or full time? Full 

 How long have you lived or spent time in Uruguay? Been coming here since 1984, lived here 1984 to 1986 and now since 2004.

 Are you retired or still working? Both!  Used to be in European Commission, now write, teach, translate and act.

 What made you choose Uruguay? The people.  Also the cost, the calm, the climate and the carne.

What city or community in Uruguay do you stay in? Montevideo; Punta del Este in the summer.

Do you have any favorite restaurants or nightspots? The Estrecho in Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja (Sarandi and Misiones, weekday lunchtimes only): great French food cooked as you watch. 

Who do you socialize with in Uruguay? Uruguayan friends and relatives and members of the British and French societies.

What do you like most about Uruguay? 1) Uruguayans. 2) Sunsets. 3) Massini cream cakes by Carrera.  See ex-President Lacalle reading 'Uruguay' at www.jclamb.com.

Do you have any funny, interesting, or memorable experiences about Uruguay that you would like to share? As a student of Castilian Spanish the first time I ever heard the 'strange' River Plate accent being spoken was at Selfridges department store in London.  A Uruguayan lady's husband had wandered off and she was asking about him in Lost Property.

What differences between your former home and Uruguay do you find most noticeable? You can breathe the air, drive at more than walking speed on the streets, families still matter and there aren't 20% of the world's CCTV cameras watching your every move (see http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23391081-george-orwell-big-brother-is-watching-your-house.do )

What do you miss about your former home? English beer, TV and summers

What do you find most frustrating or difficult about Uruguay? Contentment with mediocrity.  But if it were Switzerland a beer would cost ten dollars.

Did you already speak Spanish when you came to Uruguay? Yes

If you are learning Spanish, what courses or materials have you found helpful? The wife.

Are you a Uruguayan resident? Yes

If you are a resident, do you have any tips for other English speakers seeking residency? Get a good lawyer like Mark Teuten of Teuten Abogados.

Do you have any advice for other English speakers considering a move to Uruguay? Just do it. But rent before you buy, and learn the language.

Samples of Jonathan’s CD of poem’s titiled Lamb Couplets can be heard at his website www.jclamb.com - Read by actors like Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers), Robert Hardy and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter), as well as Uruguay’s ex-President Luis Alberto Lacalle who reads Jonathan’s poem “Uruguay” in Excellent English.

A very sweet Uruguayan TV commercial in which Jonathan does the voice over