How many of you want to leave Bs As?

[citygirl]

Personally, I'm not leaving. I have a good life here but am the first to admit, I live in a bit of a bubble. I also was very aware of what I was getting into when I came which eliminated a lot (although certainly not all!) of the culture shock I think.

 

[mini]

I have been in 2008 and overall still love living there (although I am in Venezuela for 6 weeks for work).

I don't find the people as bad as many others seem to, and all my friends are Argentine and are all great people. One thing I do like about the people here as opposed to my own country and others I have visited is the level of, shall we say 'intellectual culture'. Here I can have a chat with nearly anyone about 'big ideas'. By that I mean politics, philosophy, literature etc. Portenos especially are a well read bunch of people on the whole, and don't look down on people who want to discuss this.

Plus, I think if you are bored here, you must be trying to be bored. So much to do. Culturally, or just plain ol' heading out for some drinks. Plus much of it is free. Plus the public transport is pretty good, and damn cheap.

What can I say. I like the place. So no, to answer the original post in a slightly long winded way (sorry), I don't plan on leaving.

I completely agree with you on the above. I don't think the people as bad as some say and I love what you love that you can have some pretty substantial conversations with people of all types. The best conversations I have are with the guy who delivers my oxygen tanks. He's talks high level stuff that guy! And he's happy with his lot in life. He's a delivery guy in his late 50s. That's what he does. No pretensions there.

Anyway, the fact that I don't love it here is not related to being bored. I'm not bored, far from it.

 

[cruizes]

Maybe if you had actually met an American or been to the states, you would open your mind a little.

Thank you!

 

[Quaho]

well most of u guys live in the middle of the 'big city', were the ppl is most rude in every country.
and dont forget from what country you guys come, top 1 in the world, so pretty much everything going to be subpar here.

anyway, im from here but i still can feel 'you pain'.

 

[arlean]

I don't plan to live in BA forever. I am here to be near interests across the river. I prefer a smaller town and hope to make that move eventually. People often hold doors for me here and rise to give me their seat on the bus or subte (I'm a bit older than you guys). I am generally happy with the local people in my neighborhood of Palermo. I also spent quite a bit of time in Uruguay. I will say that Uruguay is a lot more honest. In BA I have a lot of people trying to cheat me, as in restaurants, etc. But I think the key to being at home is having many friends. Good friends are what makes it "home."

With all the news I am getting from back in the states, I think I'd prefer to watch the next coupld of years on my TV from afar instead of up close and personal. When I came to Argentina 6 years ago these things were not an issue. Or if so, I didn't know about them. It is constant across my desktop now.

 

[Quinn]

There would be a lot more robberies without security guards at the door, they just do some extra checking while they are still guarding the entrance

Door=fine. But it's simple economics: if you are removing all bags upon entry, then it means the only robberies would be done by people putting things in their jackets. It's a failed cost analysis since paying for the 12 security people in the back will cost more than the losses the business will incur of things hidden in a jacket an stolen since remember, there are security employees in the front to deter larger items.

 

[texxaslonghorn]

I'm in a situation opposite from the first question -- My Portena wife and I lived there for a whil in 06-08 or so and moved back to the States.

I loved every minute of my time there, but perhaps that is because I lived in Acasusso and not CF (but I did have a 1.5 hour commute into the microcenter each way everyday for work!!!). I also enjoyed 7 brothers/sisters-in law who are all about my age.

Living where I did, people must be a little nicer than in CF. Neighbors are friends and it felt a helluva lot safer than CF. I cannot wait to get back (as long as we can afford to send my little girl to La Lincoln School or somewhere similar).

I've enjoyed being able to save a good amount of money since our return to the States (Texas to be exact, the land of our future President -- uggggghhhhhhh, I hope I'm wrong). So if any of y'all who are leaving have a job that I might be able to step into, please let me know. I mentioned the saved money so that y'all know the job does not have to pay a ton -- as if that is possible anyway.

Every country has its pros and cons. Austin, Texas, where I live now is one heck of a clean city -- BA is not. But that is someting I can handle. I love living in a city where you have anything you need within walking distance (that's BA, not Austin).

Anyway, back to the point. I cannot wait to return. I just need some kind of steady income--which, as mentioned above, does not have to be a very high income.

Citygirl, don't you own a business. Do you need a lawyer who doesn't mind working in a non-legal field? Or maybe you need a lawyer to handle legal matters (mostly in English)?

Speaking of English, it seems like so many people there speak English and want to practice it with me. Thus, I found it hard to switch my understanding of Spanish from what we learn in growing up in Texas (Mexican Spanish) to Castellano.

 

[Quinn]

I read some of these comments about the Portenos being rude, self-centered, etc. but to be honest, I think that's the case anywhere a person goes. There will always be idiots and morons in every country. I think it might be be better if the original post asked people what they like about BA. BTW, the United States is, in all likelyhood, still the best place on earth for an "average" joe to live and work. Yes, the US of A is expensive but at least I know that if I get tossed in jail I stand a good chance of getting out! Peace to all!

I think the points many here are trying to make are in regards to the overall feel of the people, the majority. Of course there will always be pricks in every country. But in civilized countries, it's the minority of people, it's not the "way of life".

 

[Quinn]

After reading many posts here, I can only say that I feel sorry for lots of you. Obviously, some of you thought that this was a great place to live after partying almost everyday and spending peanuts back in the 2002 till perhaps 2006.
Apart from that, I think it'd be very mature if people accepted that it was more like a wrong perception on their side than pointing out at the argentine culture as a very bad one.
Every society has great things and extremely bad ones, but hey, if you can chose where you live and you made a wrong decision when coming here, why don't you just accept it instead of making a list of the drawbacks of a place where you're an alien?

Why? Because this is a city crated by immigrants, by "aliens", who make up the majority of the lineage of the city. And it's us same "aliens" who are here, many of whom will be here for decades to come, to voice our opinions and help facilitate change. Not everyone in the world needs to take your stance of tucking their tail between their legs and accepting all that is wrong. It is the civil responsibility of a cities residents to do everything they can to make it a better place for everyone now and in the future. Your sentiment is exactly why many of the problems exist here. And if Argentina and BsAs want to evolve into a civilized society, it takes actual effort...and effort starts with the individual.

 

[Quinn]

The thing is almost nobody gets tossed in jail in Argentina! Most of the criminals are on the street! In addition to lax police, laws are very liberal and punishments - when imposed at all - are light. If you doubt me, ask any competent criminal lawyer.

Right on. I moved her to volunteer my time doing animal rescue. Specifically, to help work on passing laws to require dog owners to have to register their dogs (requiring proof of sterility for a $30-$50 annual renewal, much higher price for no-sterility, ie, breeders), tougher leash and "clean-up" laws. But the first point made to me with the rescuistas and other groups was that very point you made: that laws don't matter here...people can be fined but they just don't ever pay fines for anything because there is no infrastructure to track and penalize people.

Meanwhile, get a parking ticket in Stutgart, Germany and live in Canada, and they'll still hound you to pay that ticket