What happens when three intelligent people (one from Uruguay and two from the United States) are interested in learning about cultural, societal, and political differences between the two countries?

Nicolas, my Mom, and I had a fascinating conversation (half in Spanish and half in English) comparing the cost of living for a family of two in Montevideo and in San Antonio, Texas. We even started crunching numbers and discussing political systems in place in both countries for people below the poverty line. At some points we had to convert kilometers into miles or liters into gallons. It was one of the most interesting bilingual conversations I have had in a long time.

Uruguay is on the left and the US is on the right I love how Nicolas wrote in Spanish and Mom in English. This has pretty much been my world for the past few months.

The result: Both countries have problems, but living in Uruguay under the poverty level is nearly impossible. Minimum monthly wage in Uruguay is 500 USD. As you can see, the numbers are shocking on both sides. Especially since a months worth of food in Uruguay is about 900 USD. United States health insurance is the big problem for people who have to pay for their own.

SIDE NOTE: Two of the people in this are conservatives and one is liberal. That makes things a little more interesting when we got into the parts about what governments should and should not subsidize.

I still cannot believe I am dating an Uruguayan Republican.