Argentine, more than 26 years in Seattle, returned and semi-retired

[Xavito]

Hi everyone!

I'm Argentine, and after living in Seattle for more than 26 years, I've recently returned to Argentina and am now semi-retired.

Before moving to the United States in the late 1990s, I lived in Bariloche, where I worked as a tour guide. For more than 18 years, I worked as a medical interpreter and translator at a hospital in Seattle.

I'm originally from Argentina, but after so many years, a lot has changed, and I'm rediscovering what it's like to live here.

I'd love to connect with people who have gone through a similar experience and might be willing to share advice, suggestions, practical tips, or useful tricks for settling into life in Argentina. I'm particularly interested in the everyday challenges, bureaucracy, banking, housing, and all those little things you only learn through experience.

I'm also looking forward to meeting new people, exchanging experiences, and making connections. I'd be especially interested in joining some of the group's meetups or gatherings to chat face-to-face, share experiences, and get to know people in person.

Looking forward to connecting with some of you!

 

[LuckyLuke]

Welcome Xavito,

My wife was in the US for 12 years as a medical/court interpreter before returning to Argentina. Plenty of resources here if you need any.

 

[Ries]

I have been here part time since 2007.
In most categories, things are better and easier.
Banking, assuming you have a DNI, is much much simpler and you can do it all on your phone. I cant tell you how much better that is than before Covid. I havent had to physically enter a bank and deal with tellers in years.
Housing- I have only ever owned an apartment, which is much simpler in many ways than renting.
Buying is also much easier than it used to be, but its absolutely essential to have a good escribano.

Most government services are easier to use now, with much fewer tramites and endless waits in a room full of waiting people gathering dust.
I can pay my ABL tax online easily, send emails to migraciones that actually get answered, and, although the laws change constantly, and many public servants have been fired, the remaining govt employees I have had to deal with are actually quite nice.
Its also great that you can tranferencia or auto pay your utilities, which used to require going in person to a private business and pay in cash..

Mercado Libre is both better and worse than Amazon, but you can get pretty much anything delivered now, and usually at lower prices than the corner stores.
Most every restaurant and grocery store will deliver.
So if you are phone savvy, a lot of things are actually more convenient than in Seattle, and cheaper.

I dont own a car here, and love it. No repair costs, no insurance fees, no parking expenses. I take the colectivos all the time, safe, fast, and convenenient. NO comparison to Seattle public transit- in 19 years and thousands of rides, I have seen ONE drunk on a bus, and he began singing tangos so well that the entire bus applauded. zero public use of buses or subways as restrooms.
Sure, there are pickpockets, but no gunfights in public places, like the recent shootouts in Seattle, like the one at the Seattle Center.

my best advice is Buy Local.
Anything imported is still expensive.
skip fancy international brand names when you can, local clothing, shoes, tools, furniture, kitchen equipment and much more is all quite good,
I have always bought argentine made appliances like stoves, which are repairable, no computers, and a third the price of LG or Samsung that have no parts availability anyway.
Shopping here is all about relationships. You get to know your carniceria, your verduleria, your chino, your panaderia, and so on. Many times, you can get them to make sure they have the bero or melon you prefer, will cut the meat the way you want, and round down prices if you dont have change.

things are not great economically, prices are always rising and inflation is still a thing, and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs under milei- but argentines will still joke, eat out at cheaper places, and have fun today.
I have friends who grew up under intense inflation during the seventies, and so, for many, its nothing new.
You live today, and worry about tommorow tommorow.