steveinbsas said:
I wonder what the whining you refer to is all about. I also wonder if it's all whining.
Was Davidglenn whining when he told us the story about having his business shut down (illegally) just before Xmas or was he relating his experience so that others might think twice before starting a business here?
Was I whining when I told the story of the airport vet extorting $100 USD to "allow" me to bring my dog into the country or just relating my experience so others would know how to avoid what happened to me? (Same goes for all who had to pay bribes at customs to get their household goods into Argentina "duty free" while living here as temporary residents.)
Was anyone who ever related stories of being robbed, ripped off by a dishonest landlord, or dating an Argentine whining or just trying to help others who might fall victim to these predators?
The longer you live here the more you know about the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of BA and the more you have to share with as well as warn fellow and wannabe expats about.
I do agree that BA is vastly preferable to London. I spent a total of four years in BA and only a week in London. It took four years for BA to lose it's charm (for me), even though it is still full of beautiful women who are beautifully dressed and have lovely accents when they speak English...
What bothers me is the lack of balance. And the weird importance people put on trivial things. I've spent a month or two a year here for the last 13 years and have been here permanently for the last 18 months. I still love the people, seem to manage to reconcile problems pretty quickly and if I can't, I send my taxi driver who normally can! Sure there is crime, but a lot less than many cities in the UK, US and forget Africa or some of the more exotic locations you might fancy. But the trivial themes keep coming up;
Food. Yes, restaurants have a limited reportoire, but because food distribution is not very sophisticated the ingredients you buy are normally fresh, delicious and ready for the pan. You only need to be able to cook to eat fantastically here. Since when was it a right to eat in a restaurant every night?
Peanut butter - who cares?
Dog shit. Evidence that there are lots of dogs here. I like dogs.
People. I can't remember anyone being rude to me here...ever! Service may be a bit slow but it is never a problem to hurry it up. Hold the waitresses hand while you explain why you are in a hurry and I guarantee she will do her upmost to get you out of there ASAP!
Bribery. You don't get stopped by the cops here any more often than in the UK. What do you prefer to do? Pay the fine or contribute a percentage to the "pension fund"?
Weather. Apart from January, perfect, especially at 2.00 a.m.
Opening hours. Ideal. you can enjoy a coffee and the weather at 2.00 a.m with no risk of having to hurry.
Taxi drivers. Lots of them, efficient and predominantly honest and friendly. The odd fake 50 is obviously just designed to remind you you need to cut down on your drinking. Difficult when the weather is so delightful and you fancy another scotch with your coffee at 2.00 a.m.
Traffic. You can still get across BA at 5 times the speed of London and at least twice the speed of NY. And the drivers all know where they are going.
Property. A quarter of the price of London.
Casual Violence. An enormous theme in the UK where people get drunk and like to fight. Happens very rarely here and when it does they are laughably bad at the actual fighting bit, normally because it takes a lot of drink to make them agressive.
Driving. Scary but not boring.
Shopping - who cares. No one even expects you to shave before a business meeting let alone to dress up. Your smart new jacket may fall apart more rapidly but then you don't have to wear it often.
Horses - excellent
Pavements - shit if you are handicapped, intimidating if you have to wear high heels but hell, this is the 3rd world.
To sum up, living in a country and refusing to play the game is like smacking your head against a wall. If you have a business, you are going to have to pay bribes if you want to avoid hassle. The question is how do you ensure that they don't escalate and that other people don't muscle in. If you don't accept this, become a citizen and go into politics. I'm sure a credible anti corruption campaign would garner a lot of votes! Who's got the balls?
And just to be clear, the one part of government that really works here is the ministry of culture. I've never been anywhere where there is so much to do, the quality of the events is so high, the events are so inclusive (mainly free) and cover such a wide range of activities.
Does it for me!
I write this solely in the interest of balance as, if I wasn't already here, many of the comments on this site would give me a very unrealistic and depressing idea of this great city.
. When I moved here, I didn't speak a word and it certainly played a huge factor in making it hard to be here. Things that are difficult even if you're fluent (sorting out bills, trying to arrange appts and doing tramites) became almost impossible. And it was depressing. And yes, my brain HURT when I came home. I still have trouble when I'm in a large group of Argentines that are all speaking super quickly and shouting over one another (so in other words, at every asado