Buenos Aires is Beautiful

[iStar]

In regards to Toronto I believe it to be an attractive city and have to this day a aunt who lives in Missasauga on the outskirts of Toronto ( hope the spelling is right)

To compare this city with Buenos Aires is interesting as they are completely different with a cultural history distinct one being anglo saxon and then the other spanish italian .

Toronto has many barrios completely foreign in language and culture ie greek, portugese, indian, chinese, etc etc. I know from my experience from the Greek community in Canada like the Greek community in Australia they live in a time warp of values that they inherited from their village life . My opinion is that people should adapt to a society that they inherit and learn the language and create relationships within the home country . In Buenos Aires today you do not see these barrios of completely different languages that overshadow the predominant culture. To me this is a very positive aspect of Argentinidad which has moulded many many distinct cultures into a national identity .
You will find people welcoming here if you try a little to speak the language and identify with the values that are important to this society.

It's Mississauga

Just for the record, I am not the one who brought up Toronto in the first place but since Toronto has been my home for more than 30 years I felt it right to set somethings right.

Toronto prides itself as a very multicultural city. Yes we have China Town, Bollywood Village, we have Greek Town, Little Italy and Little Portugal too, to name a few. In fact the UN has called Toronto the worlds most multicultural city. We respect each others culture and embrace our diversity as we understand that's what make us unique.

Having said that... I don't know what cultural time warp you are talking about but that doesn't stop garbage collection, that doesn't effect sidewalk repairs and we certainly have a strict bylaw about picking up after your pets! Because that is what we are talking about.

 

[ElQueso]

Thanks for the clarification, but I also hope threads like this serve as a (possibly) small wake up call to those who decide to "move" to BA without ever having visited.

It isn't necessarily the "smartest" thing to do, is it?

100% agreed. In fact, I have a friend who lived here. He moved very rapidly here, with no planning, basically on advice from someone he'd met in New York who had visited here a number of times. He thought what they told him about BA sounded "cool." He lasted almost two years, but by the time he left here, he was so happy to make it back to the states that he was literally giddy when he left.

Living as an expat IS NOT for everyone, and it can make a difference from one country to another as well.

 

[perry]

The questions about garbage collection are clear . They collect 6 times a week . Remember there are over 4 million people living in Capital Federal and with 1000s of cartoneros the streets are bound to get dirty .

Regarding Multiculturalism and Canada, Australia, England and many other societies where its practised it does not work due to one factor and that is that people are taught to keep their own culture and then they are taught to live within that culture never venturing out to the other side. This is the reality in many barrios in Sydney, Toronto , Vancouver and a myriad of culture that practice multiculturalism..

When you make a commitment to live in a society you do this with good will and you abide by the laws and also learn the predominant language .Saying that you respect your own language and culture but the country you live in is now your home and deserves that its inherent values are acknowledged.

 

[iStar]

To enjoy a city for some features and to post about it does not imply that there is an ulterior motive for the positive post.

You certainly are not referring to people who have a product or a service to sell such as a Real Estate agent who would like nothing more than to paint a rosy picture for potential foreign buyers. **WINK**WINK**

Wouldn't that be considered "an ulterior motive for the positive post' ?

 

[perry]

You certainly are not referring to people who have a product or a service to sell such as a Real Estate agent who would like nothing more than to paint a rosy picture for potential foreign buyers. **WINK**WINK**

Wouldn't that be considered "an ulterior motive for the positive post' ?

If anyone read my posts they would see just as many reasons not to buy real estate as buy . Your implying that a positive remark from someone who works here ie real estate agent, restaurant owner, tour guide , travel agent, etc etc should not be valid due to their work in Buenos Aires.

I am a open book and say it as I feel . If you do not like my opinions its fine move on to another target.

 

[citygirl]

There are moments that Buenos Aires takes my breath away because I turn the corner and find some beautiful building or the jacaranda trees in bloom or the fireworks in a beautiful summer sky.

There are times Buenos Aires takes my breath away because of the overpowering stench of dog feces covering the sidewalk or garbage strewn on the streets or because I've tripped and almost killed myself on some broken chunk of sidewalk.

Buenos Aires - if nothing else, its taught me to be more observant, be it because I don't want to miss some beautiful architecture or because I don't want to step in something unfortunate in the street

 

[iStar]

If anyone read my posts they would see just as many reasons not to buy real estate as buy . I am a open book and say it as I feel . If you do not like my opinions its fine move on to another target.

The question I presented required a simple YES or NO answer.

I'll take that as a YES.

BTW, I don't think you are qualified to say multiculturalism does not work.

 

[ElQueso]

I agree with your post to a certain degree Elqueso but also you have the other side that tries very hard to critisize everything positive about Buenos Aires and Argentina.

To enjoy a city for some features and to post about it does not imply that there is an ulterior motive for the positive post.
This is also unfair and is common as well with some people who frequent forums. What do you do then ?

I understand about the first part of what you are saying (but not really the second, as far as ulterior motive for positive post). There are people who will never post anything positive, or that will argue an opposite point no matter what. I think these people are best ignored.

Really, though, I haven't noticed too many people like that here. I've seen both steveinbsas and iStar criticized for negative comments, but I don't really think that they are overly critical.

Some might say that I am critical of BA, but I am a realist. I enjoy BA, I've said so many times, but there are things here that people who read forums like these should know about BA that don't come out when people are always saying how great it is. There is a very gritty, dirty side to things here, particularly encountered when you live here for awhile. It's therefore, in my opinion, a good balancing act to have people presenting the other side to prospective immigrants/long term visitors.

People who make strong negative statements about things that are not backed up by any kind of explanation or rationale don't serve anyone. As I mentioned, ignore them. They are really few and far between, as far as I've noticed.

People who make strong negative statements about a place but have a reasonably thought out rationale and can back up their statements with examples, have a very valuable place in a forum like this. Just because most of their posts are of this caliber doesn't mean they should be shunned in my opinion.

 

[orwellian]

...or because I've tripped and almost killed myself on some broken chunk of sidewalk.

How did you manage to almost kill yourself by tripping on the sidewalk?

 

[citygirl]

Well, I did succumb to a bit of hyperbole. However, having tripped more than once and managed to injure myself doing so, I felt a bit of poetic license was allowed.

Of course I am partially to blame, I won't give up my stilettos - broken sidewalks be damned.