steveinbsas
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BKK to BA said:
Well, that's certainly not the look I get...
Perhaps the way they look at you is base on how you look to them.
Long-termers, how do you deal with being homesick?
- Thread starter citygirl
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Well, that's certainly not the look I get...
Perhaps the way they look at you is base on how you look to them.
I feel for the poster and enjoy many of the empathetic responses posted. Having first left home to travel alone at age 13 and balwed my eyes out for days I recall my mother`s wise words: It`s your choice. if you want to leave tonight you can. Many Argentineans would love to have the opportunity you have been given.
Try remembering that this is not a prison sentence but an adventure and you can pack that bag and pretty much be gone in 24 hours if you so choose...I find that helps me stay grounded and realistic even in the dark days I have after being here 6 years. Failing that a brown paper bag over the nose keeps the panic attacks at bay!
Try remembering that this is not a prison sentence but an adventure and you can pack that bag and pretty much be gone in 24 hours if you so choose...I find that helps me stay grounded and realistic even in the dark days I have after being here 6 years. Failing that a brown paper bag over the nose keeps the panic attacks at bay!
ssr said:
I said there were things that made life in Argentina bearable and even good. First and foremost are close family ties and a safety net of old friendships - everything flows from there. Obviously, they are not unique to Argentina.
As for specifics, perhaps I don't understand your question - I thought the list was specific enough.
SaraSara said:
Well, yes, your list was certainly specific and I guess we're really just in agreement that having a network of family and friends to help you out, anywhere, is a good thing.
And, for travelers, "expats" and immigrants everywhere, it's always easiest, at least at first, to establish a network of friends who happen to be foreigners themselves (hence, sites like BAExpats.org), particularly when they come from the same place you do. And there's nothing wrong with that. People have been doing exactly that for as long as there have been people.
And things can definitely get weird when someone tries to a bit too hard to go native. The worst I've seen was a Canadian kid I met in Florianopolis who seemed to be convinced that he was actually Brazilian and just happened to have been born in Canada accidentally. He made a fool of himself constantly. He was so desperate to be accepted by Brazilians as one of their own that it was painful to watch sometimes. He was ridiculous.
So, anyway, it's fine for foreigners to not have a network of Argentine friends just because they happen to be in Argentina. Back in my hometown, NYC, there are lots of Russians hanging out with other Russians and Chinese folks hanging out with other Chinese folks and so on with people from every corner of the globe. And it's no biggie. And, of course, if they're immigrants and have American children, those kids are all going to get mixed up and not have any problems whatsoever with assimilation or integration or whatever.
My point: nobody should waste too much energy trying to force themselves on locals anywhere. If they want to be left alone, leave them alone. Maybe, over time, you will form solid relationships with some locals organically but, until that happens, just go have a good time with some other foreigners.
To that I'll add: here's an Argentinian repat trying to do the reverse: make some foreign friends.
Want to trade? I'll give you three uncles and a slightly feeble-minded niece in exchange for a smart woman friend who has shared some of my experiences.
Want to trade? I'll give you three uncles and a slightly feeble-minded niece in exchange for a smart woman friend who has shared some of my experiences.
SaraSara said:
I'll take the niece. I have enough crazy uncles!
I find that most of the time the locals that one meets & has most in common with are the ones who themselves have traveled. People who travel tend to have a lot in common anyway. They sort of "get" what the other has been through or is going through & even the "why on earth would you leave x? it's the best place on earth." mentality.
SSR makes a great point "trying to hard". It can really come across very disingenuous. I've met more than my fair share of "more local than local" foreigners.
