Are Expats Leaving?

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

A lot of younger Argentine people left for more stable shores after the 2001 crisis. My wife left after a kidknapping and in store hold up at gunpoint, if you think the security is bad now, you should have seen it then she tells me.

Anyway, as economies contract more are coming home. some of those are coming home with extra baggage in the form of wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends. Ireland itself developed a little Argentine community in and around Dublin in the 2000s, a few hundred are still there but I have the feeling that not as many as previously and not as many are arriving. Spain has much less opportunities, many headed that direction with the benefit of language skills and are now turning back, Ireland was a casino full of other people's money for a while (ah it was great fun for a good few years!) and that attracted a small crowd of English speaking Argentine immigrants. Not sure about Italy, I guess some might have went there through family ties.

Anyway, my point is that some who went are now returning due to crises in their adopted countries and that some come back with OH's in tow.

 

[legilber]

We've joined a group of Argentines who live here in Indianapolis. There are about 100 in the group and we get together for asados, guitarreadas (or however you spell it), playing futbol, etc. When I asked if anyone would move back, there was a resounding NO.

 

[fifs2]

There are always expats leaving, and always new ones coming.
Since its not dirt cheap anymore, the bottom feeders of the mid 2000's are going somewhere else now- not sure where?
This is a constant flow, down towards the drain- Prague was big for a while, Berlin was cheap and empty in the 80's, Bali, or the beach towns in Thailand, Goa, the destination du jour for couch surfers and professional partiers changes every few months.
No big loss there.

As a 2003/4 arrival to set up a company and pay taxes as a whiter than white company (now more greyishhh) let me take umbrage at the term bottom feeder - also associated with leech etc? Seizing a financial opportunity isn't always the same thing as being cheap especially if it means providing stable employment in a then dessimated job market and a fair working environment in any market. I'm presuming you mean the lomo eating, Malbec drinking only bottom feeders right?

 

[Ceviche]

I can count the problems I have had with NY taxi drivers on my one hand and I lived there for 32 years. When you have to get a taxi in the rain with a baby, a baby carriage and baby things and then you see five free cabs that do not stop because they do not want a carriage in their cab, you will understand.

I have lived in NY only for 4 years but I was using almost 4-5 cabs on a daily basis in NY 5 days a week. I am pretty sure NY cabbies are the lowest peace of s&^t on earth. And yes, if it rains...they never stop or if they see u with a kid or a old person, they never stop. or if one of you is in the taxi and the next person is till sitting in it..they will start driving..or they will refuse to take the route u suggest and yes, they will abuse u if u do not give them a 18% tip.

You are one of those expats, who can see nuthing good here and have only complaints and more complaints and more complaints about this city. I am quite sure, you will be happiest in NY.

 

[Ries]

As a 2003/4 arrival to set up a company and pay taxes as a whiter than white company (now more greyishhh) let me take umbrage at the term bottom feeder - also associated with leech etc? Seizing a financial opportunity isn't always the same thing as being cheap especially if it means providing stable employment in a then dessimated job market and a fair working environment in any market. I'm presuming you mean the lomo eating, Malbec drinking only bottom feeders right?

no, not at all- I am talking about people who dont work, and who are generally backpacked and dreadlocked, who flit from the cheapest new hip spot to the cheapest new hip spot- I would think that mentioning things like Goa and Bali and the Thai coast would make that pretty obvious.

I started coming to BsAs in 2007, and, at that time, you would run into a lot of these people. They didnt really take any time to learn about argentina, or its culture, they just wanted cheap. Particularly cheap alcohol and rent, so they could slack and drink.

If you started a business, you are already in a totally different category.

But, as I said, as prices have returned more to historical normals (as opposed to economic crash giveaway's) most of them have left.

 

[fifs2]

no, not at all- I am talking about people who dont work, and who are generally backpacked and dreadlocked, who flit from the cheapest new hip spot to the cheapest new hip spot- I would think that mentioning things like Goa and Bali and the Thai coast would make that pretty obvious.

I started coming to BsAs in 2007, and, at that time, you would run into a lot of these people. They didnt really take any time to learn about argentina, or its culture, they just wanted cheap. Particularly cheap alcohol and rent, so they could slack and drink.

If you started a business, you are already in a totally different category.

But, as I said, as prices have returned more to historical normals (as opposed to economic crash giveaway's) most of them have left.

I was teasing a little Ries...I've been called many things in my life but I may consider adding bottom feeder to the list to embellish my story a little. I'm a career expat who believes in giving as much, if not more back to the country of residence so my book of credits and liabilities is weighted for the former and increases my chance of a Wonka golden ticket to the next life.

 

[jeff1234]

I have lived in NY only for 4 years but I was using almost 4-5 cabs on a daily basis in NY 5 days a week. I am pretty sure NY cabbies are the lowest peace of s&^t on earth. And yes, if it rains...they never stop or if they see u with a kid or a old person, they never stop. or if one of you is in the taxi and the next person is till sitting in it..they will start driving..or they will refuse to take the route u suggest and yes, they will abuse u if u do not give them a 18% tip.

You are one of those expats, who can see nuthing good here and have only complaints and more complaints and more complaints about this city. I am quite sure, you will be happiest in NY.

First let me say that I share everyone's dislike for NYC taxi drivers. They add immeasurable stress and annoyance to the simple task of getting to a meeting or even getting home. But theres a back story here, one that shows that Argentina isnt the only place with a corrupt government that screws its citizens.

When I was a kid in NY one of my friends father was a typical taxi owner/driver. He was a middle class suburbanite who had a reliable income due to his professionalism and hard work. Since it was his 'office' and 'store' he kept it spotless and always in good running condition.

That system functioned pretty well until it was corrupted. NYC began to artificially limit the number of taxi licenses, aka 'medallions' and turned them into scarce commodities that investors and financial types trade. Recently they sold for $700,000 each. At that price you can immediately see that the taxi system of NYC is geared to increasing the value of the medallions rather than providing comfortable transportation to the residents.

The medallion owners offer their taxis to licensed drivers who pay about $100 per 8 hour shift, plus gas, to use the car. This attracts a certain type of desperate individual who has few other ways to earn a living in NYC. Often they are just arrived immigrants who come from a place where the norm is to constantly honk the horns, rarely bathe, and english and manners are rarely used.

London cabbies spend years learning the streets before they can drive taxis, in NYC drivers are put behind the wheel with little knowledge of streets or traffic laws.

By the time you meet the driver, he's laid out maybe $125 of his own money for an 8 hour shift and has been spending his time trying to find his way around a strange city while dealing with prickly New Yorkers. It may be a hot day but he can't afford to run the air conditioning. And he will have to share the fares with the owners before he can recoup his expenses. He's desperate to somehow end his shift with a profit not a loss. So he may pass up someone who looks headed to an airport, or someone who looks like a poor tipper.


I've spent many a trip hanging out of the window to avoid the smell and blasting Pakistani music. Understanding that it was the City's fault for not requiring the taxis to give better service never made me feel better. But I thought the story might interest a few of you.

 

[citygirl]

Doesn´t it come out of your salary? I have OSDE 310 which is deducted from my salary, albeit at corporate rates.

Trenod - our company paid for the employee's health care (albeit 210). If they wanted a higher option, then they would pay the difference but otherwise they didn't pay anything. Most employers that I know pay for their employee's costs.

 

[arlean]

I laugh at the GREAT sense of humor I find here. PhilipDT is so right in my opinion. When it comes to messing herself up, Argentina can do a good job of that all by herself, thank you! But I still have to stand with JPinBA. I suspect that Argentina gets help whether or not she needs or wants it.

 

[trennod]

Trenod - our company paid for the employee's health care (albeit 210). If they wanted a higher option, then they would pay the difference but otherwise they didn't pay anything. Most employers that I know pay for their employee's costs.

Thanks for the info, I have 310 and pay I think they deduct about 320 pesos a month for me and my girlfriend. Perhaps the cheaper plans they cover I am going to find out!