what's better?

After working 6 days in a row, today is my first descanzo. It's been an interesting week. Everyday, I started my shift by going to the three supermarkets within walking distance from us only to realize that not one of them has ice or limes. This is something I've learned is very typical of South America, because too bad if you need tomatoes for a pasta sauce or want cucumbers in your salad. You've got to work with what is fresh, what the market was able to get and what they decided to sell that day.

Some other highlights include my co-workers and I rounding up tourists and taking them out to party until 6am, watching Face/Off in the living room when there was absolutely nothing to do and meeting these crazy Irish whom I watched in amazement down more than a dozen 32oz bottles of beer that I let them sneak in as contraband under the condition that I could keep the bottles. Last night, as I was walking home (looking like a hobo laden with Budweiser bottles), simultaneously trying to keep the circulation going in my hands and adding up all the money they were going to make me, I got a text from Martin telling me to bring my passport on Tuesday.

I had been waiting for this as I haven't yet done anything remotely official in regards to this job. I was totally fine being under the radar as I'm only planning to be there for 2 months and I obviously prefer to be paid in cash, but apparently, they have other plans for me. And these other plans include, wait for it... health insurance! This absolutely blew my mind. In the states, I know bartenders who have worked for the same company for years and years and health insurance is something that will never be on the table and here I am, a tourist in Uruguay who may only be making $1.50/hour, but is covered. And on top of that, I earn a one and a half paid vacation days a month.

In reality, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. No that's not true. I am happy for all the Uruguayans who can work any type of job and receive benefits right away. But at this point, in which I'm totally excited to find half a peso on the floor of the supermarket, my poor ass would rather have the extra cash.