Looking for expat advice and knowledge

[titian red]

Hi all. I am considering, quite strongly, on moving to Argentina. I have done a lot of research these past few years and it seems that Argentina is a land that has everything I could possibly hope for in a country, in a people and a culture. I have thought about Canada, where I have relatives and France, where I don't but I love wine and cheese and speak some French, but for me, I think Argentina suits me best of all.
With that said, I joined this expat group to begin a dialogue, get some much needed advice and hopefully, make some new friends and connections prior to making my big move. I haven't picked a date yet, but could conceivably go at a moments notice. I would like to learn more about finding employment, even though I freelance and am an entrepreneur, and also, and perhaps most importantly, what advice I can get on doing this solo, as a single woman.
I am an old fashioned country girl for the most part, but do love city things on occasion. I am a trained dancer and always dreamt of becoming a great tango artist. I garden organically and practice permaculture and I love the great outdoors, jiking, camping, fishing, etc. I live a pretty quiet life, as a writer, I spend hours a day writing, reading and just thinking.
I have 2 adult children here in the States and I suppose I still feel they "need' me, even though it is clear that they don't.
I guess I am also looking for someone, or several someone's to talk me into this big adventure before it is too late. Well thanks so much for reading my post and I hope I hear from all of you soon.
Ciao,
Jacqueline

 

[nledec]

With all due respect and absolutely no sarcasm intended, you can't have done that much research about the current situation in Argentina and particularly in the city of Buenos Aires. You need to spend some time reading about what is going on right now in politics and economics in Argentina. Come with rose colored glasses at your peril. I'd say that now is not the time...a few years ago perhaps or hopefully several years in the future, but right now I think it would be a very rude awakening for you.

 

[titian red]

Oh dear, I'm sure you're right. I was thinking more of the Argentinian countryside, not BA in particular. I just wanted to get some insider viewpoints on life in Argentina in general and if the politics are inflamed currently, I'm not surprised, but am saddened. I believe that is the case globally. You are correct, the one thing I haven't been following closely is the current political and economic situation. I suppose I am in love with the idea of Argentina more than anything. It is so painfully bad here in the US.
Thanks for replying.

 

[sleslie23]

Welcome to the forum. Everything you ask about has been discussed ad nauseum in several threads. I won't repeat what has already been discussed in numerous threads, but I'll address a few of the specific things you mention. Don't come unless you can bring your job with you. You said you work freelance. That's great. Find a gig in the US that doesn't mind you working from Argentina. IF, and that is a big IF, you can find a job in Argentina, you won't like that salary. And even worse, being paid in pesos sucks (I speak from experience). You won't find much of the "Tango lifestyle" outside of the city of Buenos Aires. It's a tough decision that only you can make, but I wouldn't recommend coming here now UNLESS you have a pretty secure way of making a living OUTSIDE of ARGENTINA.

 

[anjuna11]

Quite a negative sentiment re: expats in Argentina right now. Best thread for you to look at would probably be one called 'Buenos Aires In/Out' from a few days back. Most of the things in there would apply country-wide.

Among the biggest issues are inflation, government clamping down on exchanging pesos into foreign currency (thereby encouraging flight of money out of Argentina through any means possible and worsening the inflation problem), and restrictions on imports which leads to lack of availability or low-quality goods in some sectors (e.g. toric contact lenses and clothing, to name two examples).

I haven't been here long and am leaving soon, but from what I hear things have changed a lot since Cristina Kirchner's reelection last year. And the outlook isn't getting better.

 

[prunes61]

Go to Vancouver. Forget about Argentina for a while.

 

[steveinbsas]

Hi Jacqueline,

I came to Argentina six years ago after living in Mexico for five years. I came to BA to see if it could serve as an alternative to Paris. I wanted to move to Paris, but immigrating to France is very difficult and Paris is very expensive (though I love it). I did not research BA prior to my arrival as I made the decision to fly to BA five days before my trip (based on the advice of a woman from BA living in Mexico). After two months I applied for residency in Argentina (knowing I would never move to France) and after six months I bought an apartment in Recoleta. Three years later I moved to Nunez, but I had begun to tire of city life and began a web search for a country home in Argentina. Exactly one year after moving to Nunez (which really wasn't equal to Recoleta in many ways), I moved to my present home in the country, two kilometers from the Atlantic coast.

Just today I was thinking about advertising for someone to share my house for up to six months at a time, possibly year round. I really only use my bedroom and the kitchen and spend less than 15 minutes in the bathroom per day. That leaves the living room (between my bedroom and the kitchen) and a three room suite in the front of the house (two bedrooms and an escritoria) that I would have available to share (total about 80 meters 2). When I thought about the type of person who might like to sample the country life here I imagined someone who either liked to write or paint and also like to have a garden (I have 10000 sq meters of rich, fertile land.).

I live one kilometer from a "village" of about 1500 residents. There are a number of shops that sell groceries and basic supplies, but no cafes or restaurants. I've been here for two years and I love it far more than the other "exoctic" places I've lived: BA, Park City, Utah, or Sayulita, Mexico. The nearest town of 75,000 is ten kilometers from my house and the nearest city of 300,000 is 25 kilometers (there's tango there as well as all the services I could ever need). The people here are wonderful and I don't worry about crime.


If you are interested in know more and seeing photos of the house I will send you the link to my facebook profile as soon as the admin enables your private message feature.

All the best,

Steve

 

[Iznogud]

On a lighter note, welcome. We'll do our best to help you.


It would be so much wiser to come visit first for a month or so and a get a first hand opinion.
Since summer is approaching better come already employed or with a steady source of income. Hardly any professional hiring while hot weather lasts.

 

[Timmie]

Hello,
My name is Timmie. I am a female who will be traveling solo to Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata in December. I am trying to meet people and make friends to hang out with while I am there. Can you suggest meetup groups or ways to go about that? Thank you.

 

[Crema Americana]

I'm curious about what draws you to Argentina. Have you come to visit?

There's a few expats that have found happiness here, especially outside of the city. I don't want to speak for them, but it is possible to live here and be content especially if you don't care about material possessions at all. And by material possessions - I mean pretty much everything from cars to hair dryers. You can certainly find most of what you need, but expect it to be a hunt and expensive. If you have high standards, you will be disappointed - it certainly doesn't compare to Canada or France especially when it comes to food or craftsmanship. If you enjoy the outdoors, you might not like all the filth and dirty water (around BA... the provinces are nicer the farther away you are from people.)

The economic situation is not better here than in the US. Argentina has a lot of poverty both in the city and the provinces and finding a good paying job is difficult. Just getting permission to work as a foreigner is difficult if you're not from a mercosur country.

In my opinion, there are better places to live, especially at this time. Life here is not as romantic as it seems.