Life in Buenos Aires and first impressions advice

[danitheclown]

So, I’m from Czech Republic and my significant other is Argentinian. He got an incredible job offer back home in Buenos Aires and I’m worried about moving there and being so far away from my family.
I’m worried I won’t be able to live there and be happy.
Can you tell me more about your experience when moving to Buenos Aires and/or if it’s been hard for you? How can I make my life there more similar to the one I had in Europe?

 

[Daniel82]

Just out of curiosity- What do you consider an “incredible job offer back home in Buenos Aires”?
The reason I ask is that Argentina right now is plagued with massive inflation- I believe it’s the country with the third or fourth highest in the world right now, and unless negotiated correctly, a salary that seems great now might not be so great in a few months.
If the salary has your partner earning in a currency other than argentine pesos that’s a different story.
Your first impressions and general life in Buenos Aires will generally be based largely on the factor of how much you are able to spend and whilst it’s not as expensive as Europe and you can get some “nicer” things such as dining out, household help, etc, for much cheaper, other things will be expensive.

 

[danitheclown]

It’s an offer in US$ and his family is quite well off in general. To me that’s not important though. I’m pretty aware of the political and economical issues that are there.
Ive also been to BA multiple times but going on holidays and living there I think are two completely different things. It’s more about social life and “being happy,” etc.

 

[Daniel82]

If the salary is in USD and it’s lucrative then I would say go for it. I would make sure though that as part of his conditions, even if it’s in USD, he negotiates raises based on the country’s inflation because, unfortunately, it seems the the inflation always catches up with the dollar somehow sooner rather than later. Being as your significant other is Argentinean and family, you should be able to rent a “normal” flat in pesos rather than the “tourist” ones which charge in dollars which will save you quite a bit... Not the same when you have to pay the rent in dollars versus pesos.

 

[garryl]

If you are aware of the economical and financial mess in Argentina and he has dollar income, I think you can do well in Argentina.
BsAs has a more things to do than Prague, which is dead in winter and after 10pm any season. Two cities have great deal of similarities, and your partner is local, you will be just fine. Find a nice neighborhood to settle down, it will make things easier.
Whether you can be happy or not, totally depend on you. You can be miserable in Europe and happy in an Argentina prison (love jail ).

 

[sts7049]

one thing you will have to accept, to an extent, is just that you won't find everything or have everything the same way you are using to having at home. whether it be certain foods, ways of life, etc. eventually you will adapt to some things, and occasionally you might come across some food or something that you can get back home. some say this is a chance to dive in and embrace something new. i'm fine with that in some ways but i still like or miss certain things from the states.

for example, having a clothes dryer that is worth a damn. most people here it seems don't even have a clothes dryer. that was a must for me, i'm not hang drying clothes

also, i had a car in the states and here i don't. required a lot of adjustment for me to get used to that.

 

[anainsh]

Living in another culture needs a period of adjustment. I think your sentence " how can I my life there more similar to the one I had in Europe?" isn't a good starting point. You won't, Argentina is in Latin America and far from everything. In spite of it, I found some similarities between Argentine and Hungary.
As an Argentinian living abroad for many years the process of adapting to a new environment was what I found more interesting of the expat experience. Are you flexible enough? Are you stress tolerant? How well do you speak Spanish? Most people won't be able to communicate in another language. Argentinians are curious and personal boundaries (physical and others) are different to those you're use to.
As it happens in most part of the world, Argentinians also find their country a good place to live and dislike when foreigners criticise their country (although they are the first ones in criticising theirs).
Whenever I go to BA I find lots of things irritating: long queues everywhere, inefficient management of time, lack of environmental concerns, lots of empty discussions. I still like and enjoy my country over many others places I have visited or lived including Europe and North America.
My European kids are living in Argentina for three months now for the first time and they really enjoy it: you don't need to go far to join cultural activities or sport. Besides I'm glad I can sponsor their time there right now as it is very affordable when your income is in a foreign currency.
Finally, I would like to say that living abroad is a trip to your inner self, you will understand more about yourself and your country when you are out of your comfort zone.