Tips For An Expat's Life

[nlaruccia]

What tips do you have for living a "successful" expat life in Argentina?

What do you consider "successful"? Not everyone has the same definition. For some it's just learning Spanish, becoming engrossed in the culture and leading a simple life and for others it means renting an expensive apartment in Puerto Madero and living at a higher economic level than they could in their country of origin.

 

[stevec]

You are kidding, right? Please say you are kidding.
Firstly, As a non-permanent resident, I wonder what form of shelter AR is providing me that I have not paid for (and usually at a premium because I don't qualify for many permanent resident age or residency discounts on travel or admissions). I pay for the infrastructure by payment of my ABL each month for municipal services and increased tariffs in various venues. Living where I do I get no subsidy on my utility bills which help underwrite the subsidies given to those locals who live in less upscale neighborhoods.

The right to enjoy a night, social and cultural life is again paid for with my hard earned money - nothing is free for me. If anything I pay more. And it's silly to regard such things as a privilege of some kind to which expats are somehow fortunate to be permitted to have available.

But most amusing of all is your sanctimonious nonsense about not making fun of a country, any country, on a public forum. You must really be one insecure and or embarrassed Argentino to say that. Or a misguided expat. Free speech in Argentina for all is still a right, the free exercise to which everyone is entitled. That includes making fun of a lying demagogue like Ms. Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In which PMacher provides a useful overview of how not to have a successful experience in a foreign country.

Mock your host country on Anglophone public forums; that way you will be invited to local people’s homes where you can get a really in-depth feel for a different culture’s way of life.

View cultural and entertainment activities—already cheap by Western standards—through a mercantile prism. Don’t amortize your costs as that would reveal you have contributed almost nothing to the country compared to people who've paid taxes for decades; instead insist that you’re paying for everything so it better live up to expectations!

Dress your public criticism up as free speech to obscure your lack of good manners and demonstrate your ignorance of how colonialism works. Insult the expats who appear happy in the host country and tell them how they’re doing it all wrong.

Rinse and repeat.

 

[Crema Americana]

Go with the flow and let certain things go.
Change your expectations and don't let the little things get you down.
Embrace the culture and the people.
Be open to different ways of doing things.
Learn the language and become involved in something you enjoy.
Don't focus on what you're missing, but rather what you have.
Have patience and realize that you are not alone.

An escape back home or a vacation here and there helps, too.

 

[Parvati]

You are kidding, right? Please say you are kidding.
Firstly, As a non-permanent resident, I wonder what form of shelter AR is providing me that I have not paid for (and usually at a premium because I don't qualify for many permanent resident age or residency discounts on travel or admissions). I pay for the infrastructure by payment of my ABL each month for municipal services and increased tariffs in various venues. Living where I do I get no subsidy on my utility bills which help underwrite the subsidies given to those locals who live in less upscale neighborhoods.

The right to enjoy a night, social and cultural life is again paid for with my hard earned money - nothing is free for me. If anything I pay more. And it's silly to regard such things as a privilege of some kind to which expats are somehow fortunate to be permitted to have available.

But most amusing of all is your sanctimonious nonsense about not making fun of a country, any country, on a public forum. You must really be one insecure and or embarrassed Argentino to say that. Or a misguided expat. Free speech in Argentina for all is still a right, the free exercise to which everyone is entitled. That includes making fun of a lying demagogue like Ms. Kentucky Fried Chicken.

And this is exactly the culture shock process Jaredberryman is talking about... we all go through it.

 

[pmacher]

Once you have accepted the way things are, you won't be so stressed by it.

[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]
[/background]
[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."[/background]
[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]George Bernard Shaw. Irish playwright and 1925 Nobel prize winner for literature[/background]

 

[shoush]

[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)][/background]
[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."[/background]
[background=rgb(249, 249, 249)]George Bernard Shaw. Irish playwright and 1925 Nobel prize winner for literature[/background]

Deep thoughts by pmacher

 

[cbonanni]

Nice posts and interesting comments. My father was born in Italy , and I spent many summers there growing up. I still own our home that has been in the family for 130 years. I have lived there for extended periods. I speak Italian very well. I am quite exposed to the culture , laws , and the way things are done there.

Since coming to Buenos AIres in 2005 , meeting my future wife , and spending a lot of time here , I feel as if my culture shock was minimal , due to my exposure to Italian culture. I could only imagine coming here without that experience. For an North American , with little or no help , I would imagine the culture shock to be significant.

I have everything I need here. A great wife with lots of friends. My own friends. I speak the language well enough. Travel back to the States often , and therefore able to bring things back. I get all the tips I need from family and friends. Keep an open mind , and do not be surprised. If one was not critical of this government , what would there be to talk about ? The weather ? After all , as humans , to complain is part of our nature. WIll it ruin my life. No way will I let it.

 

[pmacher]

In which PMacher provides a useful overview of how not to have a successful experience in a foreign country.

Mock your host country on Anglophone public forums; that way you will be invited to local people’s homes where you can get a really in-depth feel for a different culture’s way of life.

View cultural and entertainment activities—already cheap by Western standards—through a mercantile prism. Don’t amortize your costs as that would reveal you have contributed almost nothing to the country compared to people who've paid taxes for decades; instead insist that you’re paying for everything so it better live up to expectations!

Dress your public criticism up as free speech to obscure your lack of good manners and demonstrate your ignorance of how colonialism works. Insult the expats who appear happy in the host country and tell them how they’re doing it all wrong.

Rinse and repeat.

My lack of good manners? Duh? Insulting expats who appear to be happy? What the heck are you talking about? If I was insulting anyone, it was the person who posted that one way to increase the chances of having a successful expat life is to refrain from criticizing the Argentine government.
I thought this was an expat forum, not one for locals. Not that i have anything against locals, just that I don't anticipate having to cater to their (over)sensibilities or wounded pride here. Nor would I be in the least bit interested in getting an invite to the home of a local who felt it was inappropriate for me to criticize the Argentine government if done intelligently or, at least, cogently. That kind of dullard is of absolutely no interest to me. You and those who share that sheepish mindset can put that in your pipe and smoke it. (p.s. Not that it matters, but I have family residing here for 4 generations and am on excellent, even loving terms).

You really want to talk taxes? Besides the yellow card given to Pinocchio CFK for lying about inflation (see veja.abril.com.br/blog/ricardo-setti/files/2013/03/Economia-Argentina.jpg) one of the principle complaints of the IMF is that the Arg government is totally inept at collecting taxes and badly needs to reform tax collection. I don't know the actual percent of Argentines who cheat on their taxes, but wouldn't you agree that a large number work in the "negro" and that they constitute a major part of the economy.

Be that as it may, your spiel about amortizing the cost of social and cultural facilities over the long haul is just more vacuous nonsense aimed at assuaging a bruised ego more than justifying why I should be eternally grateful to the locals who, through payment of their taxes, have underwritten the cost of my use of such facilities. I have not been here over the long haul and my pay-as-I-go costs fairly reward local enterprises that provide such social, cultural and entertainment facilities (some of which are not that cheap if it weren't for a black market for US$). I venture to say the providers of such social facilites are very happy to have me here helping them to keep their collective heads above water.(Do I note an element of bitterness at the fact that such a black market exists for those with foreign currencies?)

I have been around long enough to adjust my expecations when it comes to adjusting to living in BA (and I have lived abroad a total of 10 years). Very seldom have I met Argentines who were reluctant to criticize their government, a characteristic which I consider praiseworthy. Gee whiz, the BA cabbies are more political than a lot of Yanks who are supposedly highly more educated. That's a good thing. And I see no reason why, in order to live here successfully, an expat should refrain from doing what everyone else does with great gusto.

 

[pmacher]

Deep thoughts by pmacher

Do you really want to have a battle of wits with George Bernard Shaw?

 

[stevec]

My lack of good manners? Duh? Insulting expats who appear to be happy? What the heck are you talking about? If I was insulting anyone, it was the person who posted that one way to increase the chances of having a successful expat life is to refrain from criticizing the Argentine government.
I thought this was an expat forum, not one for locals. Not that i have anything against locals, just that I don't anticipate having to cater to their (over)sensibilities or wounded pride here. Nor would I be in the least bit interested in getting an invite to the home of a local who felt it was inappropriate for me to criticize the Argentine government if done intelligently or, at least, cogently. That kind of dullard is of absolutely no interest to me. You and those who share that sheepish mindset can put that in your pipe and smoke it. (p.s. Not that it matters, but I have family residing here for 4 generations and am on excellent, even loving terms).

You really want to talk taxes? Besides the yellow card given to Pinocchio CFK for lying about inflation (see veja.abril.com.br/blog/ricardo-setti/files/2013/03/Economia-Argentina.jpg) one of the principle complaints of the IMF is that the Arg government is totally inept at collecting taxes and badly needs to reform tax collection. I don't know the actual percent of Argentines who cheat on their taxes, but wouldn't you agree that a large number work in the "negro" and that they constitute a major part of the economy.

Be that as it may, your spiel about amortizing the cost of social and cultural facilities over the long haul is just more vacuous nonsense aimed at assuaging a bruised ego more than justifying why I should be eternally grateful to the locals who, through payment of their taxes, have underwritten the cost of my use of such facilities. I have not been here over the long haul and my pay-as-I-go costs fairly reward local enterprises that provide such social, cultural and entertainment facilities (some of which are not that cheap if it weren't for a black market for US$). I venture to say the providers of such social facilites are very happy to have me here helping them to keep their collective heads above water.(Do I note an element of bitterness at the fact that such a black market exists for those with foreign currencies?)

I have been around long enough to adjust my expecations when it comes to adjusting to living in BA (and I have lived abroad a total of 10 years). Very seldom have I met Argentines who were reluctant to criticize their government, a characteristic which I consider praiseworthy. Gee whiz, the BA cabbies are more political than a lot of Yanks who are supposedly highly more educated. That's a good thing. And I see no reason why, in order to live here successfully, an expat should refrain from doing what everyone else does with great gusto.

Your vocabulary seems reasonable, Macher; your thinking, substandard.

Reconcile these two statements for me:

"But most amusing of all is your sanctimonious nonsense about not making fun of a country, any country, on a public forum. You must really be one insecure and or embarrassed Argentino to say that. Or a misguided expat."

"My lack of good manners? Duh? Insulting expats who appear to be happy? What the heck are you talking about?"

To add to that, you conflate government with country: Cerviche says "Respect the country you live in...Do not make fun of it on public forums..."

Your take on it: "If I was insulting anyone, it was the person who posted that one way to increase the chances of having a successful expat life is to refrain from criticizing the Argentine government."

Never happened, pal. Your reading is partial and flawed. But keep beating that straw man.

Then I read:

"your spiel about amortizing the cost of social and cultural facilities over the long haul is just more vacuous nonsense"

That's not an argument, just an insult.

I don't expect much of the North Americans, but is this really the standard of graduates from minor US colleges these days?