END of the ROAD

[French jurist]

Good return gsi

 

[Stafford]

To me the 'value' of living in BA comes not through economics, but in the life I've made for myself here.

My Argentine partner of four years, his wonderful loving family where asados last for 10+ hours with laughter, drama and tears (usually the good kind)...

The amazing friends we've met, both Argentine and Expats...

The brothers who own the little market on my corner, which may be more expensive than Coto - but I know they have my back whether I'm feeling shitty and they cheer me up, I'm late to a meeting and need to break a 100 for a taxi, or if I left my wallet in my apartment and they say "manana, manana". And always thow some extra meat in the bag after they've weighed it....

The old lady in my building who taught me how to make the best chimichurri (LOADS of garlic, pour a couple tablespoons of boiling water over the spices to let them loose a bit, mostly oil and just a bit of vinegar) and always asks me what I'm cooking for dinner tonight...

Heading down to San Telmo on a Sunday at noon on Libertador, passing the 152 loaded with people sticking their heads out the windows and chanting on their way down to a Boca game...

And so much more...

Maybe I'm too optimistic. Or maybe I've had a lot more luck than most. But at the risk of sounding like I'm on a high horse (and cliche), I'll say I believe life is all about attitude and how you approach things.

When I went to summer camp as a kid my mom said to me, "Your experience depends on your attitude. You can love it or hate it. You can chose to surround yourself with people who complain, or people who are positive. You'll have a much better time if you don't listen to the complainers"

I think this forum is made up primarily by two groups of people. People who focus on the negative and people who focus on the positive. If you're finding life in Argentina to be tough, feel free to vent, but don't spend all your time bitching and moaning. Life's too short.

 

[Stafford]

And to GSI - good luck to you back in the US. Please don't interpret my above comment to be any kind of attack against you. It was more just my general thoughts about approaching things and the general kinds of comments I've seen on this forum.

I'm sure you did everything you could to make the most out of your time in Argentina. Hopefully it was worth it. No matter what it was an experience you'll have for the rest of your life.

 

[Lucas]

I think this forum is made up primarily by two groups of people. People who focus on the negative and people who focus on the positive. If you're finding life in Argentina to be tough, feel free to vent, but don't spend all your time bitching and moaning. Life's too short.

Wise words, for those who want to listen...

Gloomers, doomers as haters are always gonna to hate. Optimistic attitude is what this country needs and is receiving after a long time of listening these gloomy, doomsday preachers.

Now yo pienso...and I won't be so polite as Stafford

Lets see..hummm...hopefully it will be gone forever and not come back, but sooner or later, unfortunately for this country is going to come back and then all we will say again...

Welcome back to Buenos Aires, gsi

gsi: The problem, any problem, is not anywhere. It's in Buenos Aires, which is in Argentina, which is where I spent two degenerate years as an expatriate. You know how rough that is? The gangs there don't use guns. They insert the bullets manually.

Ah! another thing, now that you are going to Miami check what you will require before trying to open a small business over there.
Good Luck!

Starting A Small Business In The U.S. – Short Animation

Just about everyone knows that government, at every level, is requiring more and more Americans to get a government issued license before they can earn an honest living. In the 1950s only about 1 in 20 Americans needed the government blessing to do their job. Today, that number is more than 1 in 3. And government puts all kinds of requirements on would be entrepreneurs making it harder for these entrepreneurs to start and grow small businesses.

 

[Damiancho]

Can you buy dollars in any of them there museos ? Sorry, couldn't resist.

I think maybe in the museum of the Argentine Republic Central Bank (BCRA)
but i'm afraid this timr is not part of the show.

maybe is the only (legal) place you can see a dollar...in a museum

 

[marksoc]

I think maybe in the museum of the Argentine Republic Central Bank (BCRA)

No, but you can see a gargantuan emerald that the UK gave to Rivadavia (the first president) to open the legs of the country to foreign (aka British) "investment". Or was it a Sapphire? It was big, very big.

 

[Stafford]

Thanks, Lucas. Although I should stipulate that my comments didn't have any political connotations. But yes, maybe the same pos attitude about a country could be a good thing politically.

 

[sergio]

Each person has his / her reasons for being in Argentina. In some cases it is because of a personal relationship that the expat wants to sustain. I've met couples iwhere the Argentine did not want to move abroad due to family considerations and others who couldn't because of visa issues. In the latter cases staying in Argentina can be a great challenge when the expat grows weary of the situation. For the rest, there are few compelling reasons for staying on if unhappy. A few expats may have good jobs in Argentina but I have met very few in this situation. Most are able to work anywhere or have independent means that allows them to live abroad. The rest are struggling For the ones who find life difficult in Argentina but have no great commitment to the country the solution is quite simple: leave. Times are getting worse, not better. Anyone who has studied Argentine history knows how the country goes through cycles. Despite high commodity prices that have led to the sort of impressive economic growth that economists like to point to, the reality is that life for most people is not better. For the poor things are temporarily better but the government has not really addressed issues of job training and education that are essential to long term prosperity. Living on subsidies, dependent on state welfare, is not genuine means to social inclusion and justice. For the middle classes things are unstable. Inflation is out of control, desperate measures like the recent currency controls are one more intrusion into personal freedom and a sign that the government does not have a credible economic plan. The challenges of living in Argentina change however they are always there, sometimes worse than others. For expats used to the stability of countries like the US (and despite the current crisis there is quite a bit of stability overall), life in Argentina is an enormous challenge. As I said earlier, if you can survive here you can survive just about anywhere and the experience in Argentina will make you all the stronger for it. The question for each person is: just how much can I take? To me it increasingly looks as though more and more have reached the breaking point.

 

[cruizes]

To the original poster.......... Wait til you get back here to the States. The economy is in the dumper and unemployment is thru the roof! I think you're gonna experience a real eye opener. I hope you saved your nickles. I wish you luck!

Sounds like a true Argentine!

 

[Gringoboy]

or 'No son tan buenos tus aires'