Arriving In '14 - Already With ~2 Questions . . . For Now .

[EricLovesBA]

In the library near Congreso I remember being very shocked that you couldn't actually walk around in the stacks and look at the books. From what I was told I gathered that this is the rule here rather than the exception? Would be interesting to know more on this subject.

When I realized I had to ask for the books at the desk, I was kind of swept away to the memory of that lovely feeling of wandering through the library, the scent of the books, the quiet peaceful atmosphere of people studying and respecting the silence, talking quietly, but most of all, that moment when you home in to the dewy decimal number you were looking for and another book catches your eye on a nearby shelf, and turns out to be five times more interesting. Honestly, thinking about a whole country of people growing up without that experience was one of the saddest moments I ever had here.

 

[Thuraya]

It's true that the libraries here might work for research, but definitely not for pleasure reading or taking books home. As a huge reader, I think the best way to read here is to bring a kindle. My home library in the US has a kindle book borrowing program, where I can digitally check out books for a couple weeks. You can also buy on amazon, of course. But it's still usually cheaper than buying a book here. The equivalent to the library browsing experience would be the bookstore browsing experience, I guess..the used books on avenida corrientes, books in english at Walrus or Kel, and book fairs in parks like Parque Rivadavia.

 

[rpkerston]

Wow - you folks are absolutely fantastic: Thank you - these are helpful links, useful tips, thought-out replies... and very much appreciated. I cannot wait to be among you.

Ah, the architecture... yes, as someone who was in Montreal every week - sometimes just for hours but sometimes for several days, and over a dozen years - I well recall a generally much more interesting architecture, there, than tends to be the case in Vancouver - most of the time. I actually quite fondly recall Buenos Aires architecture from my several past visits. It's a great part of what I enjoy there. One thing I haven't yet had the chance for is such a view as is described from the upper floors of 'la Biblioteca Nacional' - I've been only at ground level except for a hotel room along 9 de julio, one night. I'm not sure I had that library pointed out to me, either, so I'll be looking for it, in Recoleta, when I arrive.

I've been working on this project (of going there) now, for about six months and, gradually, all is becoming very clear and is getting nicely planned. I'm glad I know a community such as you folks whom I can turn to for thoughts and advice. The calculations and money advice are, of course, especially useful.

Again, many thanks to you all!

 

[studiodio]

I read maybe 2 or three books a week...when i was living in BA i would buy second hand books at the book cellar, or other second hand book stores , then sell them back for more. I finally bought a kindle and my husband bought a nook....cant beat them.....We thought about moving to Tigre when we were ready for a quieter life style, but the amount of mosquitos and my paranoid fear of dengue made us go for La Falda, in Cordoba .

 

[ElQueso]

My sisters-in-law have had occasion to visit the national library here. There is no lending policy, at least in their experience. You cannot take a book out (unless there is some kind of system that allows you to gain that privilege that we don't know about) - and I don't blame them for their policy. I guarantee you would have a high rate of lost books.

Copyright seems to be no issue here whatsoever. They do copy books for you, but it is very expensive. That's the only way you're going to get books out of the library taht I know of.

As for local libraries - I'm not saying they don't exist, but I've never seen one. I used to live out a bit farther than Tigre and a bit to the west, in Garin. Garin is a nice little town and I knew quite a bit of it, but never saw any kind of municipal library. Same goes with Pilar, Tortuguitas and a few other small towns out further north that I'm familiar with.

As far as reading everything you can - the forums are indeed the best place for your information. Particularly economic, because things changes so fast here. I remember a year or so ago someone on the forum talking about how they had read a book from 2006 and were expecting lower prices and such and were completely shocked about how nothing in the book matched their experience.

Even accurate books about culture and society won't give you the true feel for what it really means to be here. Neither does the forum, really, because each experience is so personal but there is a happy medium int here somewhere.

Tigre is an interesting choice. I didn't see if you mentioned speaking Spanish or not. You'll need it a bit more out there than in the city. But to me, it's a much nicer place than the city (but I'm a country boy anyway - the city gets to the point where it chokes me sometimes and I've lived here for four years now, after the open-air suburbs in Garin!), just not usual for a novitiate to start so far away from where other expats usually at least start (and sometimes stay).

 

[steveinbsas]

Greetings from somewhat cool (temperature) Vancouver, Canada... where the Greenpeace ship just happens to be in town for awhile... and they're already busy making headlines...

I plan to travel to Buenos Aires next year. I intend to stay awhile: It won't be just a short tourist visit!

I THINK I've done good research, to date, so I hope my questions (below) don't seem terrifically naive... If I've somehow accidentally posted these in an improper location, please so advise. Thanks!l

Hi Paul,

You have posted your questions in the "proper" location!

Tigre is beautiful and an ideal place to live,but only if ROWING is your passion or you already have a lover or family there..

Otherwise, I suggest you come to BA and live in the city first (the book store Atena is on Aveneda Santa Fe in Recoleta).

And, to be honest, I would rather live in "el campo" in Argentina with access to the internet over access to libraries and bookstores in Buenos Aires (the future zone of chaos). ;-)

 

[rpkerston]

Interesting comments about Tigre, I must say. I had originally planned on staying in the usual places in the big city but I do have an absent friend that has an apartment in Tigre, hence that idea really just emerged almost out of nowhere. I had been trying to do research about floods, there (which I found enough about through the Columbia University report I've mentioned) and the mosquitoes, there (which I haven't found any info about) but really, I just assumed that in that climate, and right by the delta, there would be some there. I know about Dengue and guess I'll just not be out on the rivers much? I took all the usual precautions when I lived in Vietnam, but that was entirely about malaria (for which I discovered I was the only person the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Clinic had ever seen who actually took the entire Lariam script for the entire year I was there... apparently, most people cannot tolerate it) and the typical permethrin-soaked netting I had in a highly-air-conditioned bedroom, there... I understand the Dengue concern (no prophylaxis)...The Spanish language will be (I think) only mildly problematic for me because I was raised in California and have lived in Mexico (visiting 27 of its 31 states by trains and buses - back when there were trains - and staying and working in 2 different neighbourhoods of the capital city, there - not just doing a typical tourist visit to a couple of resort towns, there, like most folks) and I've been to Spain and travelled there... but unfortunately, of course, that means that I very clearly don't have the dialect of Argentina at all (the different second-person conjugation and the different second person usage - of which I'm quite aware but must become acclimatized, I admit). Otherwise, I should be fine... save the typical local slang one finds in any place?