Boring expats

[citygirl]

I'm a little confused - do you think that going out every night means you are experiencing the real Argentina? I'm not being snarky but I'm trying to understand what you're getting at.

If I understand correctly, you're saying that people shouldn't be complacent and take BsAs for granted. And I agree with that. There are lots of great options to do here. However, the priorities that other people have won't be the same as you. Maybe a homebody loves nothing more than having friends over for a great asado once ever two weeks. That's great and yes, this hypothetical person is enjoying Argentina just as much as someone who goes out every night to a different restaurant.

 

[qwerty]

I'm a little confused - do you think that going out every night means you are experiencing the real Argentina? I'm not being snarky but I'm trying to understand what you're getting at.

No, I never said that

 

[citygirl]

This is what confused me "Either way from the list of San Pedro, Lujan, Taimaiken, Tigre, Palermo Zoo, Renting a bike in PM/strolling around the costanera, spending a sunday at the Palermo Bosque, going to the feria in San Telmo/going a day to La Plata. I would think that most expats have maybe done 1 or 2 and they have been here more then 3 years. I would say if that's the case you have a very limited view of what's Argentina."

I would bet most long-termers have done all of those things at least once but don't have a lot of interest in doing them over & over again. And even if you do those regularly, you still haven't experienced Argentina - just some of the things in Cap Fed and its suburbs. It's like living in NYC - you do those type of things once or twice with friends but in a regular life, you're probably going to be pretty neighborhood centric.

One of my favorite things is going to my friend's quinta out near Moreno - we usually spend the weekend hanging out and eating and just chilling out with the horses and the dogs and usually going to a horse show. I don't know that it would qualify as exciting but I think it's pretty authentic.

 

[qwerty]

I never asked them but I would think that most of my expat friends haven't done most of those things.

I for example that no nobody of my expat friends has done a day La Plata and I think it's a pretty nice place to go. And it's maybe 15 peso with the bus on a return ticket

I even think think that most of my expat friends have never been outside of capital, not counting Uruguay or a getaway with family(like your Moreno outing)

 

[SaraSara]

I never asked them but I would think that most of my expat friends haven't done most of those things.

I for example that no nobody of my expat friends has done a day La Plata and I think it's a pretty nice place to go. And it's maybe 15 peso with the bus on a return ticket

I even think that most of my expat friends have never been outside of capital, not counting Uruguay or a getaway with family(like your Moreno outing)

Sounds like you need a new set of friends.

Personally, I'd choose the Moreno-type outing over La Plata. Specially if it comes complete with horses.

 

[steveinbsas]

I'm sorry my quinta is so far from CF. I would be happy to host weekend gatherings.

Nonetheless, any expats who travel south are welcome. There's plenty of room for camping and one of the outbuildings has a full bathroom with tub and shower....

 

[starlucia]

Being in BA and in a relationship, I go out about as frequently as I did when I was single and in NYC. Lifestyle and interests change over time, regardless of where you live... in my early 20s, I liked to party and sleep late. Now, a few years later, I'm just not interested in that scene. I go to the movies less than 5 years ago because the cinema offerings are far less than in NY, where there was ALWAYS a decent indie movie playing. And I used to love going out to dinner and trying new restaurants, but my enthusiasm has waned because so many of the restaurants here are just so terrible. 8 times out of 10, I'm disappointed by the food's low quality, limited ingredients, and lack of flavor, then add the resentment of coughing up an 8-peso cover charge for some crappy stale white roll, plus the 20-peso cab ride back from Palermo. When we find a truly excellent restaurant (Miranda or Artemisia, for example), we return over and over, but beyond that, it can be far more enjoyable to cook a nice meal and open a bottle of wine at home.

Also, many ex-pats work full-time; they're not here on some endless vacation. When you work every day, time and energy are naturally more limited -- when you get home in the evening, there's still cleaning to be done, errands to be run, the gym to get to, e-mails to be returned. Some Saturday nights, I can't wait around until 2am for the bars to kick into gear, because I have to wake up on Sunday and be productive. But I believe you will find that pattern amongst working professionals in any city, not just here.

 

[TexanPaul]

I guess I'm somewhat boring, but I'm happy to live in a neighborhood where i'm the only yanqui for miles. I don't get into the big city much simply because it's so darn far to travel (I live in Villa Adelina--near Martinez, Unicenter, etc.). On weekends however, we go have mate at parks by the river, have a run or a walk at Dardo Rocha on Sunday mornings, get out to Tigre from time to time, etc. Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't enjoy noisy bars anymore. I love getting creative in the kitchen, and the Argentine wifey of almost 8 years now loves it, so we don't get out much either.

I lived in the microcentro during the crisis, and we lived in Mendoza for a couple years. I work out of the house (big surprise), but this is a recent choice.

Saludos,

Paul

http://confidecoaching.wordpress.com

 

[AlexfromLA]

I'm sorry but this is one of the dumbest most pointless threads i've ever read on here. Someone is basically trying to pass judgement on a whole sector of individuals they don't even know. What's more it's become a circle jerk of endless " you're not cool, unless you do what I think is fun etc " or " you're boring unless you go out all the time doing things I find interesting ". WTF ???

I could do the same but I'd rather let you tell it.

:|

 

[Hop]

Yup, I'm a boring expat, but I was boring in the US too!