What do your argentine friends say when you tell them that you're an economic migrant who has come from a land of significant opportunities to try and make it in one that, by almost every measurable indicator, has fewer?
I don´t "tell" them this like it's how I'd introduce myself at a party or AA: "Hi, I'm Lauren, I'm from the United States, and I'm an economic migrant" (that'd be a little awkward, wouldn't it?). Rather, the people who I know well and here and have known long enough are aware of the circumstances that initially brought me here. And it's actually not that big a deal, the fact is, the current crisis has affected everyone on the globe, I really don't find a single country has escaped completely unscathed.
After suffering unemployment for more than a year, my first country as an expat was South Korea, NOT Argentina. Because of their current president's policy from a few years back, the time is NOW to teach English, additionally fueled by the fact that he had mandated that by 2014, ALL teachers, Korean or foreign, MUST speak English to teach in schools. I had done thorough research regarding employers before taking a huge risk to leave everything for a country I had only read about half way across the world.
For once, I felt like things were going to start turning around, until 2 days before Christmas 2008, my supervisor told me out of the blue that our particular company had overexpanded in haste in response to what seemed like a booming market that would only grow in demand. I had 30 days to find a new company for a work visa there or I'd be illegal. I had been residing and working there about 4 months by that point out of a 12 month contract.
My point? Anyone is fair game right now. My friends in Argentina know that, at least from what I experienced, it wasn´t just the United States which took a major hit, but even a fairly stable country like South Korea where teaching English is a given!
If anything, the Argentines who I know and who know me well can empathize better than anyone that life is unpredictable and you do what you have to do. They know that "
cuando tenés hambre, no hay pan duro," and if you find an opportunity, even in the most unlikely of places, take it and run or you are a total boludo. These people, many of whom as you know lost their standard of living and nest eggs overnight in Dec. 2001 or somewhere along the way get it. It's saddening for them, because while they seem to have some kind of shell shock tolerance, what I can personally testify to is a sobering sign of the times.
The people know are my friends here, or at least people I trust and respect and vice versa and don't start trying to give me a wake up call scare tactic by throwing prices at me in pesos about the horrors of childcare because I evidently must be that naive know better than that! If anything, they "get it" and can empathize better than people (locals or expats alike) who are only capable of seeing me me as a Yanqui, like it's my only identity, and presume that I'm in for a nasty shock one day because I evidently am enjoying a privileged lifestyle here that means I've been living here more than 4 years and haven't taken notice that Argentina in 2009 doesn't resemble Argentina in 2013.
I'm not exactly proudly toting the title of "economic migrant," rather I'm grateful that this is a country where I have been in the right place in the right time for many circumstances, but it at least a part of it was hard earned with my specific training, experience, and passion for my field. I tote the title of teacher anywhere, because I am a teacher (on my CV and off), and despite a universally compromised salary it's one of the very few decisions that I've made that, at least at this point, I have not a shred of remorse for.
I think I've experienced enough personally out of the ordinary adversities (for reasons including but not limited to work), so I know that I am damn fortunate to be where I am, and I don´t take that for granted here. I'm proud of that. Better epitaph: Grateful.
