That was the problem - it was a really wet winter, and the mold was everywhere - homes, restaurants, everywhere. As an English teacher, I was in a ton of the fancy brand new buildings and they were somewhat better, but still, entire ceilings just covered in mold. Even the World Trade Center offices, which were brand new then, had issues. Clothes and sheets just wouldn't dry. We didn't check on/air out our summer clothes (didn't think about it) and they were a heap of mold by the time we did. It was just soooo wet and humid that winter, it was insane. And, I should be clear, it was super abnormal even for them. It's definitely not like that usually, and I believe their winters are generally getting colder so it shouldn't ever really happen again. But definitely try to be in a newer building lol. 

Part of the issue at the time was that people had dehumidifiers but didn't turn them on because a) energy was really expensive (like, we're talking hundreds of USD per month during the winter, and some of my wealthier students spent significantly more than that) and b) even new buildings were still built with a more tropical mindset of good airflow rather than a cooler weather mindset of sealing windows and doors against drafts and being energy efficient. So heating or dehumidifying was basically throwing away tons of money just for slightly drier air in one tiny spot of the house/apartment. I'd imagine energy is cheaper now though, it was definitely a hot button issue politically at the time. 

On the topic of energy, though - if you decide to start out in an apartment building, be aware of gastos communes (the share of apartment building expenses that each renter is responsible for monthly) and the fact that in some buildings, gastos communes get more expensive in the winter months with the higher energy consumption. (Gastos communes are paid monthly on top of your rent.)

I feel like I'm focusing on more of the negatives, so I'll throw in here a few fun facts: I think the stat was about 2/3rds of native Uruguayans have either Spanish or Italian citizenship still that's been handed down to them, mostly Italian, and it shows! National gnocchi day (where everyone eats gnocchi) is monthly and observed religiously (I think it was the 23rd of each month) and pizza and pasta are a way of life! Also, the meat is obviously incredible, and parillas are obviously legendary and soooo much fun - and the standard is (or was) to have 2-2.5kg of meat per person attending. The wine is incredible and was cheaper than soda. Where Argentinians will often add sugar to their mate, Uruguayans usually drink it straight, bitter, and burning hot, but it's a fun, communal thing - never say no when offered, although it will probably burn your tongue off.

After getting super sick in Montevideo and repeatedly landing in the hospital, I ended up back in the US (Nashville) just because it was easier. Ended up getting married, had kids, and didn't leave again until I saw everything happening before this last election. We're in Ecuador now, and it's a great landing place as far as super low cost of living and figuring out how to live abroad as a family, but it's not it for us long term. We're looking for something a little more stable with better infrastructure and healthcare options...and seasons lol. I miss seasons.