How Can Arbound Escape Argentina And Return To Canada?

[Bajo_cero2]

I actually work en blanco, but I'm planning at the moment to try working and saving whatever I can in the meantime. Though the odds of the being successful decrease everyday, I try my part to think of this as an invaluable lesson. I got the change I wanted, but I got more than I bargained for.

I'm ok if it takes 2-3 years to save up the money needed (again, this could change thanks to K-ristina, BNA, SCOTUS, etc) but right now my contract with my employer gets us an almost 20% raise every 6 months so even if inflation hits 30% I'll manage (albeit not glamorously) because it is an international company who is paid in EUR.

It's a mix of learning when it's worth the fight and learning when to accept and live with the choices I've made. I'm an adult, a young one, but I need to realize I can't go in to everything and back out when things get tough. That's not how real life is...

You mentioned that you rent an apartment. If you give it up and move to a pensión you can save money faster plus, if you sell your things, you can pay your friend back faster.

 

[argsteve]

sent you a PM

 

[Reneige]

Where in Canada are you from AR? I grew up in Calgary (ughh) then lived in Montreal 9 years before leaving for Europe.

 

[Gaucho_ec]

You like futbol? For 3 years I had a gig of covering real time stats of local games for 30 to 50 EUR, but you have to pay your way into the stadium by yourself (I had it for free as I'm a Sports Journalist but still not that much compared to the income)
www.sportsdata.ag
or runningball.co.uk (think they got bought and changed their site now though)

 

[ajoknoblauch]

You like futbol? For 3 years I had a gig of covering real time stats of local games for 30 to 50 EUR, but you have to pay your way into the stadium by yourself (I had it for free as I'm a Sports Journalist but still not that much compared to the income)
www.sportsdata.ag
or runningball.co.uk (think they got bought and changed their site now though)

My nephews keep threatening to take me to a soccer game, but so far I've managed to avoid it. Still, keeping stats for 0-0 ties can't be that demanding.

 

[germano]

I actually work en blanco, but I'm planning at the moment to try working and saving whatever I can in the meantime. Though the odds of the being successful decrease everyday, I try my part to think of this as an invaluable lesson. I got the change I wanted, but I got more than I bargained for.

I'm ok if it takes 2-3 years to save up the money needed (again, this could change thanks to K-ristina, BNA, SCOTUS, etc) but right now my contract with my employer gets us an almost 20% raise every 6 months so even if inflation hits 30% I'll manage (albeit not glamorously) because it is an international company who is paid in EUR.

It's a mix of learning when it's worth the fight and learning when to accept and live with the choices I've made. I'm an adult, a young one, but I need to realize I can't go in to everything and back out when things get tough. That's not how real life is...

Have you considered neighboring countries? Chile is culturally and economically much more influenced by North America and things are more organized there than in Argentina. Maybe that might be an option? And the move would not be that costly/difficult and you could continue your adventure in South America.

 

[syngirl]

Don't want to live in Canada? Well fine but look, there's literally hundreds of thousands of people who do and are waiting desparately to get in. So take advantage of the one thing you've got that a lot of people in your position would desire -- your passport. You have the right to live in one of the better economies in the world these days. I know you want to pay your friend back, so make that priority no. 1 before you go -- your pesos are worthless outside the country so just start paying him back as quickly as possible, especially since he's now thinking thanks, those pesos you're giving me today are worth 20% less than when I gave them to you. So 50 pesos here, 100 pesos there get those pesos into his hands as quickly as possible. But the real favor you could do for your friend? Go back to Canada, get a job and wire him the money via Exchange4All etc and he'll get a better rate. I can ask my boss how he's sending money to our Argentine designer these days.

Once in Canada take a job, any job. You can always quit a few weeks after when you find something better. Once you have a balance of 4 or 5 thousand dollars in your account you can apply for a working holiday visa to the UK, Australia, or NZ, or any of the Commonwealth countries on the list (assuming you're 29 and under or whatever the cutoff age is these days). When I did it it was a 2 year visa but now I think it is only 1. Australia or NZ would be a good choice since if you like it, and assuming you have a university degree, you can probably pass the requirements to get a Permanent Residency on your own afterwards.

But before a working holiday visa (which you need a few thousand in the bank to apply for) you need to get back to Canada, earn a decent cushion in dollars and then consider your options. Just because you don't like you're family doesn't mean you can't go back to your country of origin -- there's a tonne of other places to live. Saving up for a ticket from here is going to take a long time, so if you have a credit card I'd buy one for a few months out from now (I saw 1000 bucks taxes incl on LAN to YVR for April). Vancouver wouldn't necessarily be my city of choice as living is so expensive, but it could be an entry -- live in the hostel out by Jericho beach and get yourself a waitering job or something until you can figure out your next step.

Frankly if you're that miserable sign up for tree planting this summer in Canada. It's backbreaking work but if you're good you can make a lot of money in a short time and get out of there -- it would mean staying in Canada, up north in mosquito country from May - September. Take whatever cash you make from that, head back to Vancouver, apply for a working holiday visa abroad and go. Basically going to any one of the Commonwealth countries that we are allowed to get a working holiday visa for would be better than spending the next 2-3 years in Argentina if you don't have any family here.

You do have it easier than a lot of us in that you don't have family ties. Frankly I have days when I wish we could just get out of here, but I've got a husband and kid (though he now has residency in Canada and my kid is a citizen, it shouldn't be that hard, it's just that finicky matter of convincing my husband we'd be better off committing financial suicide in Canada than here!).

Argentina is not somewhere you want to hang around i if you're already penniless and unhappy. When you're in a bad place it's hard to see a way out but you're an individual, you don't have kids, spouse, dog, apartment etc to deal with. You have you, your luggage, and that's about it. That makes it a lot easier than you think.

One of the other suggestions was move into a pension -- you could do that, but what about a hostel? Check out some hostels and see if you couldn't move in and get a position working the desk on your off hours, maybe it won't be for pay, but at least in exchange for a room.