I wasn't trying to discourage you (or anyone else) from coming here. But I've also seen how much fluff is available on the internet that talks about what a paradise Argentina is without talking about anything else. I was trying to make sure that there was some offset in expectation, that's all. Over the last 9 years that I've lived here permanently (and the last 6 years that I've been a member on this forum) I can't count the number of people who have come down from the States intending to teach English as means to live, thinking that because it's Argentina they will simply have a great time and not have to worry about anything. I've seen a large percentage of them pick up and leave.
But I'm still here. Obviously, I bitch about things, but I bitched about things in the States too. I try to be realistic wherever I am. I'm certainly not bitter, though - I just don't try to tell everyone "oh, you'll love it, everything is so perfect, there's no place better" without some reality to mix in.
My most important point in all of what I wrote was - don't make a permanent move until you are comfortable with it. Come down with the intention of staying a year or so and find out how things are. Just make sure you have some cash to get back or move to somewhere else, just in case. I could regale you all with the story of an acquaintance of mine who found himself begging for the overstay visa money in the airport itself (I'm not exaggerating!) because he'd spent his very last dime in the world on his ticket back home and the taxi ride out to the airport (actually, he borrowed that from a friend of mine)...he was so desperate to leave.
I didn't even consider your race as an issue - in that, I agree completely, no reservations, with TwentyThousandRoads (maybe I should start using TTR to shorten your name
) and others who have made similar comments, that you shouldn't worry about being black as a reason not to come here.
Regards racism, and I saw the other thread too - Camberiu made some very good points, as well as a comment that EJLarson made. Racism is easy to say, but it's not always racism here but rather some xenophobia mixed with elitism and containing a healthy dose of low self esteem as a country and trying to make up for it too much sometimes.
I was surprised at what Camberiu said about black folk - most women I know here like black men, at least from the States - they find them exotic. I'd never thought about black men from Africa though, maybe there is a difference. I've never heard Ceviche talk about having problems dating Argentine women, either, but maybe he simply doesn't talk about it or I've missed it. I have a couple of black friends who come down often from the States and have enjoyed their visits immensely. One of them got fairly serious with one of my wife's cousins, in fact (although, OK, she is Paraguayan - they're the best in the world anyway
), but he couldn't stay and she wasn't interested in a long-distance relationship. They still keep in touch, in fact, as friends. Maybe it is indeed because my friends are American and that does often trump all (definitely more of an advantage, but I've had some run-ins simply because I was American as well, though I can count the number of times on both hands, which ain't bad for 9 years). It could also well be that Argentine men feel differently about black women than Argentine women feel about black men, I could see that.
I wonder if Camberiu's experience as a mixed race male may have something to do with being Brasilian as well, though - I know many, many Argentinos who have very little good to say about Brasilians, particularly because Brasil has become (or at least was!) a regional powerhouse who was eclipsing Argentina in economic terms, which wouldn't settle well with many Argentinos. Also, some Brasilians here stick out when they speak, like some Americans do - often loud and boisterous.
A few months ago I met one of our oldest's friends who is going to UADE. She's from the States, black, about 20, and doesn't seem to have any problems getting along here with Argentine males. Don't anyone take that wrong, she seems like a nice young lady - they were getting ready to go dancing and I couldn't help but overhear some comparisons while they were styling their hair and putting on makeup.
Indeed, our girls are from Paraguay and they have encountered all kinds of xenophobia here. Some of it is certainly kidding around, but some of it is some of the most mean-spirited crap I've ever heard. My wife has encountered some pretty crappy stuff as well. It hasn't stopped them (our girls, not my wife!) from enjoying themselves here with people of all nationalities, Argentinos included. Although they often prefer guys from other countries, most notably the US and Europe, because they find them to be more gentlemanly, at least at first (I mean come on, all guys, no matter where they're from, want pretty much the same thing!). Their biggest complaint about Argentine guys seems to be that they all expect to leave the bar within a short time after they've met and go hop in the sack, and that's not what our girls are after.
As far as one of the poster's (TTR was it?) comments about Paraguay being the same in terms of service and such as here - you're right, but you're missing a large part of the point (which I may not have explained in my post
I'm lazy sometimes and didn't bother to go back read what I wrote to see how detailed I was). I can move to Paraguay, open a bank account, get money wired to my bank account (as I've experienced, having a bank account in Paraguay), pull USD out of ATMs, the exchange rate is not a crazy thing with a number of different rates (although hopefully that will change here soon) and I can live for about 1/3 to 1/2 the price as I live here, in as good housing as I have here or better, and I can rent a house with nothing more than a deposit and first month's rent, long term, without a property guarantee. It wasn't a case of the grass being greener, but rather a knowledge of the difference, as I've spent a lot of time in Paraguay. It may be there are even better places in South America, I'm just talking about my experience.
The biggest reason we haven't done that is that my wife grew up very poor in Paraguay and lived in hell in relation to the rich people there, many of whom treat the poor as slaves every chance they get (in some cases not so different than some experiences we've had here with some rich folk). Then there is school for our three young ladies (my wife's younger sisters), which, as much as I think poorly of Argentine schools, many (most?) of the Paraguayan schools are worse - at least where they're from. And our oldest is studying international business here and there is no comparable university there that has as good a program as where she studies here. Of course, there isn't nearly as big an American/European/Australian presence there either which does mean something to me (though not the most important of things, to be sure) - I'm not interested in completely giving up my native culture and I share many more things in common with that group than I do with Paraguayans or Argentinos, although I have good friends from both countries.
