Today was the first real ‘work’ day that we’ve had in Montevideo. If every workspace is like this one, the workspaces alone will be a huge high point of the Remote Year adventure. This month, we’re at Sinergia Co-work. This place is truly the whole package when it comes to coworking — a team of strong women at the helm, an amazing physical space, an active community of participants, great programs and amenities; and every person there is out to change the world.
The space itself has RFID access, the usual office amenities like printers and copiers, an expansive self-service drink and snack selection, Skype booths, two meeting rooms, a basement with a kitchenette and lounge space, as well as a chef with a large repertoire of options you can order in advance. There are chalk boards everywhere, and they even divide the space into a quiet area with large white-noise-generating fan as well as another area for more conversation. Another example of how much thought & detail goes into the space — they have headphone signals: two in means don’t disturb, one in means idle chatter but working, and none means you want to be approached (and you will be!).
It doesn’t hurt that the space itself is gorgeous and so obviously a labor of love (find me in the left-hand side):
We had an initial orientation today, covering everything from safety to remote year staff to upcoming events. The team seems genuinely excited about the year, and I get the feeling that the company itself has big plans for marketing, business development, and is constantly trying to improve how they run the program.
After that, we met the Sinergia Cowork staff. I can’t recommend them enough; they communicated a clear expectation about treating the space like our home, invited us to their events, and told us about various procedures for getting access and using the spaces they have. They were so excited to have us join them in Uruguay that they even gave us a crash course on how to prepare mate:
At the end of the day, we had a mixer with members of Sinergia and Remote Year on their rooftop terrace (like the basement with living room furniture & kitchen, this space is available to us daily). It included music, some empanadas and drinks, as well as a foosball table; the regular members of Sinergia are gods at foosball and ping pong.
And I got a ton of actual work done today too. First day down, 364 more to go.