Noemi, 41
Born in Montevideo, Uruguay
Came to Australia in June 2005
How did we meet?
Noemi and I were colleagues at Employment Hero, an HR software startup company.
What is your occupation?
I am the head of Payroll and Implementations at Employment Innovations. I’ve always been involved in either accounting, payroll or systems.
I have a Masters of Law and Social Sciences from the Law University of Uruguay, so technically I’m a lawyer but I’ve never practised here.
Why did you come to Australia?
When I finished my degree in Uruguay, I was invited to come and visit Australia by some of my mum’s and dad’s friends who immigrated here in the 1970s.
I met my future husband, who was the one who showed me the landscapes, culture and nightlife of Australia. I remember him taking me to Port Macquarie and swimming with dolphins. I fell in love with him and ended up moving here!
I went back to Uruguay in February 2005 and three months later, I was already living here on a partner visa.
Having a university degree and English proficiency made it easy for me to get my visa.
What do you like about Sydney?
The main thing for me is security - I can walk the streets at night without feeling unsafe.
This is something I appreciate not only in Sydney but across Australia.
My kids have more opportunities here compared to other countries. There are more opportunities for finding a reasonable-paying job. This is something to be grateful for especially considering the global economic uncertainty.
I know people in Uruguay who have been stood down or been made redundant but I don’t know anyone here who has suffered that same fate. While other countries’ unemployment rates are near 15% at the moment, ours is 6.8% as of August 2020.
There are so many beautiful places to see and enjoy, like national parks and beaches. Even though you’re in the city, it doesn’t have a ‘concrete jungle’ vibe to it because there’s a lot of greenery around.
What don’t you like about Sydney?
I know it’s a first-world problem, but the commute to places takes forever here. If you want to travel interstate, you will need to fly or drive for hours on end.
That for me is a shock as an Uruguayan because you can literally drive from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 6 hours or Porto Alegre, Brazil in 10 hours.
I don’t like that the shopping centres close so early here. For people that finish work past 5 pm, it’s really hard to do shopping.
What would you like to say to Sydneysiders?
Don’t take things for granted. Stop complaining so much and start enjoying life as it is.
I’ve noticed that people in Sydney really like to complain. You’re complaining that your train is a few minutes late or doesn’t have proper air conditioning when many countries don’t even have functioning public transport.
What languages do you speak?
Spanish (native), English
Uruguayan Spanish is also called Castellano and is heavily influenced by Italian. Many Uruguayans have European ancestry, so this is reflected in our language.
In addition to English, I learnt Italian and French in high school, the latter two of which I have forgotten most.
Teach us one word/phrase from your native language.
Ni muy muy, ni tan tan
This phrase is used when something isn’t so great, but isn’t so bad, which can be the Uruguayans take on most things.
When someone asks if you want to go outside, and you don’t care either way.
It’s like “I don’t care. You choose for me.”
What is one thing you want us to know about your native country?
Everyone probably knows this but soccer is truly a religion for us. A fun trivia fact is Uruguay won 2 of the first 4 World Cups.
When Uruguay plays at Copa America or the World Cup, the country stops. There are no buses, no taxis, everything stops. It’s like a ghost town - everyone is watching the game.
They bring TVs to classrooms for kids to watch. The kids stop learning and they watch the game. I think it’s hard for you guys to understand how fanatical we are.
Uruguayan barbeques are all about getting together, eating and drinking.
We put every part of the cow, like intestines in the Uruguayan barbeque, which is called parillada. You cannot forget the dancing and music at the parillada. Obviously, you have salsa, meringue and reggaeton but we dance to any genre really.
We’ll start cooking at 9 pm and start eating at 10 pm by the way. You might have picadillo (finger food) like cheese and bread beforehand but this is how we do it.
Who is the most famous person in your native country?
Óscar Washington Tabárez, known in Uruguay as El Maestro (The Teacher).
He is the coach of the national football team and used to be a teacher. We were previously known for being quite rough and not playing fairly and when he came, he changed the mentality of our team. He kind of started a revolution of how to train the footballers, prioritising teamwork over individuality and respecting your rivals.
It’s going to be a very sad day when he’s gone. We’ll have days of mourning, if not weeks or months.
What is the best dish in your native country?
Choripan
It is a sandwich with chorizo. Make sure you put South American chorizos and chimichurri in the sandwich, not your Australian sausages.
Others worth mentioning are:
- Dulce de leche, which is like caramel-flavoured cream. It is like the Uruguayan Nutella. We put it on everything, such as toast and sweets.
- Maté, which is a caffeine-infused drink. We carry it everywhere and share it with our friends.
Disclaimer: All posts are personal opinions and perspectives of the interviewees and are not a perfect representation of the whole country/experience.
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