Uruguay

Greetings

Man greeting Man- Men shake hands when greeting one another and maintain direct eye contact. A firm handshake is a sign of strength and honesty. At a first meeting a handshake will suffice and is sometimes combined with slight touches on the arms and/or elbows. Good friends and family will engage in a hearty hug or abrazo which is sometimes combined with a few firm slaps on the back.

Woman greeting Woman - At a first meeting, a light handshake will suffice, sometimes usually accompanied by a slight nod and warm smile. Friends generally kiss each other once on the cheek.

Greetings between Men & Women - At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Friends, family and long-time acquaintances will share a light kiss on the cheek which consists of touching cheeks a making a slight kissing noise. This is usually accompanied with a touch on the arm and shoulder and in some cases a light hug.

Personal Space & Touch

• Uruguayans tend to stand close to one another while talking. One to two feet is normal. It can be considered rude to back away from someone while they are speaking.

• There is a fair amount of touching between men and men, men and women and women and women while conversing. This includes hand on shoulders, hand on arms, and hand on hands. This is more the case between friends and less so between work colleagues.

• Men kisses each other, maybe not on first meeting, but they do. Work mates, friends, etc.

Eye Contact

• Uruguayans favor direct eye contact over indirect. Maintaining eye contact is viewed as sense of respect and interest in the person who is speaking.
• During conversations sustained eye contact is commonplace rather than intermittent.

• You must speak and look into the other persons eyes, if not it seems as if you're not being honest. Also, you must look into the eyes of the speaker to let him/her know you're paying attention.

Gestures

• People beckon one another by extending an arm and making a scratching motion with their fingers.

• A thumbs up sign can mean OK, cool, good-luck, thanks, I agree, etc.. Thumbs down means the opposite.

• The chin flick; flicking your fingers under your chin signifies not knowing or not caring.

• Pointing out people is considered to be rude. You generally point at someone else by moving your head slightly in his/her direction.

Views of Time

• Uruguayans tend to place more emphasis on people and relationships than to the strict adherence of set schedules.
• While the bus, train, and plane schedules will be adhered to for the most part, showing up late to a party or social function is quite common.
• In social situations you don't expect people to arrive on time; it will be surprising if they do. Invite friends over for some drinks at 9 o clock generally means at 9.30 or 10. if someone arrives

Gender Roles

• Work opportunities for women are varied and available depending on social class.
• Women are still expected to do most of the cooking, cleaning, and child rearing.
• It’s not acceptable for a man to hit a woman but a woman can slap a man in his face if she’s very angry, for example if he cheated on her.

Taboos

• The inverted American “OK” sign is an obscene gesture.

• Avoid putting your feet up on a chair, desk or table.

• It tends to be considered rude to use a toothpick in public.

• It is disgusting if a man spits in the street, but it is more disgusting if a woman does it.

• It’s rude to burp not only in a meal but all the time. It’s rude to fart in public.

Law & Order

• The drinking and smoking age is 18 years old. When younger, its not a crime if you smoke or drink but it is a crime to sell alcohol or cigarettes to minors. You must pay a big fine for this or your store may be shut down for some time.

• Being in possession of small quantities of drugs will be subject to fines and/or alternative penalties such as community service or possibly deportation. However, a foreigner could be deported or sent to jail depending on the situation. If you are caught trying to take drugs in or out of the country, the penalties are more severe.

Dress

• Uruguayans respect and appreciate those who dress well. When in doubt, stay conservative and formal, yet stylish.
• For Men: conservative, blue, grey and/or brown colored suits with white or light blue shirts and conservative ties.
• For Women: Business suits or dresses that are elegant and feminine with good quality accessories. Most women choose heels over flats.

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are very important and it is best to address people directly by using their professional title only. If they do not have professional titles like, Doctor, Lawyer, etc, they should be addressed as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, plus their surnames.
• There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving and receiving of business cards, but be prepared to present business cards to everyone in a meeting.
• It is advisable to have one side of your business card translated into Spanish. Present your business card with the Spanish side facing the recipient.

Meetings

• It is best to arrive on time even though you may be kept waiting. One usually has to wait longer depending on the seniority of the person they are meeting.
• Beginning with small talk helps establish a base for the relationship, after which discussion of business matters can begin. Allow your host to initiate the business conversation.

Negotiations

• Avoid hard selling and any sort of conflict or confrontation. Uruguayans respond much better to the soft sell.
• The issue of saving face is important in Uruguay, so don’t be surprised if it appears that your counterpart seems to agree to everything you say, but no contract is signed.
• Final decisions are usually made by the highest ranking officers, so it is best to have them in the meeting if possible.

Gift Giving

• Make sure that gifts are nicely wrapped and expect that they may be opened right a
• If invited to an Uruguayan home, it is appropriate to bring flowers, wine, good quality liquor, or chocolates.
• It is not necessary to bring a gift to an initial business meeting.

In the Classroom

• The school year at most universities starts in March and ends in June and then starts in August and ends in December. Everything is measured by 2 semesters per calendar year. You have holidays in January and if you're a good student you have holidays in February as well. If not, in February you must take exams. Also in July you have exams as well as in the beginning of December.

• When it comes to dress on campus, almost nothing is considered unacceptable. Students go to university wearing jeans or shorts or even flip flops if it’s hot. Girls can go wearing short skirts if it's hot. If you work and study, you can go to university wearing your suit and tie you use at work.

• At most universities the most common form of teaching is lecture and group work, depending on the subject taught.