I'm a repat, and new to forums. When I started posting here I was taken aback by the hostility of some responses. One one occasion I apologized for being wrong, and my apology was ridiculed by someone apparently unused to honesty. I’m sorry to admit that after that incident I allowed myself to respond in kind. Now I know better, and just ignore angry posters.
My only other forum experience has been with one in Uruguay, a much smaller forum which gradually mutated into a sort of extended family. It is a friendly place where people can ask the dumbest questions without fear of ridicule, and be sure of getting help, be it with electric generators or difficult bureaucrats.
When I posted a story about my daughter's pack being stolen in BA, five perfect strangers offered to bring replacements from the US. They brought me binoculars, night-vision goggles, an IPod, and a camera - paid for them, too. When they arrived in Uruguay they stayed with me in Colonia, and we became friends.
I posted about missing Marmite, and three members who travel regularly to the US now keep me supplied with it. In turn, I keep them supplied with Argentine wine. My home was burglarized, and a forum neighbor offered to come stay for a while, if I was afraid of being alone.
We grew used to helping each other out. US members relocating to Uruguay offered free space in their containers, and brought many things for other members. I, in turn, smuggled things people can’t find in Uruguay, like good coffee, spices, and small electronics - even a folding attic ladder for someone building a house.
I thought this forum would be like that, but it is different - more contentious. Still, it is interesting.
