Welcome to my country, Expats!!

[nikad]

I too am getting sick of all the snippy comments on this forum - its boring.
I hope Ernie doesn't go away, his enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air.
That 'realba' guy went away - he wrote some interesting opinion and that is all it is *opinion*
Moderator could we have a new topic for those who want to be snippy.
And leave the rest for positive people - it seems like every thread is being abused.
And it is excellent information that is being shared here.

Maybe some people would rather get all the possitive advice ghetto and others give away everyday... sometimes deleting posts with bad words is easier than actually reading and getting to understand who is who and what they are doing.V

 

[realba]

i'm still here just a bit busy at the mo and also bored witless by the constant sniping and personal attacks by supposedly sane and mature adults. it really is tedious and is driving people away from the site who might otherwise have something intelligent to say.

 

[perry]

I like to wish you all the best for the festive season It was great to meet you all at roses loft and had a great time .
Lets remember to treat each other with respect

 

[Ernie]

Dear all,
I returned to the site this morning, on account of having previously committed myself to assisting several members on a number of matters. I had given my word, and I intend to keep it.
I was very happy to see that some people feel the same way I do. I believe that origins, traditions, heritage, religions and culture are things to be celebrated, rather than questioned. I was taught to NEVER make a rude remark to others on anything pertaining to these matters. If I did, I would be insulting their origins, their families, their religion, their political beliefs. In short, everything about them. Sounds like a wonderful way to start a war. And we all should have had enough of it by now. Killing one's opponent does not eliminate him from the picture, it just proves his neighbours and friends that he had every reason to distrust you.
Observers will have noted that, after I mentioned my Scottish-German ancestry, and my own nationality, I proceeded to sign the posting using my own name, rather than a nickname. That was meant to be a statement: This is who I am, where I come from, I'm proud of it, and I am willing to celebrate your own origins and identity WITH YOU ALL. How that can be an issue, escapes me. I have made friends with people of the most diverse origins you can think of. I am proud of that, because it is a difficult thing to do, when you are sincere.
Anyway, the warm welcome and humble offer of assistance still stands, if anyone will take it for what it really is: one human being welcoming another, and helping him adapt to his small corner of the world.
Sincerely
Ernie

 

[JG]

I see argentines all day and deal with them face to face all day. But i dont get to speak, chat, querry things with expats very often. The conversation is limited at Gibraltor Bar for happy hour, hehehe.
An expat message board is helpful, to ask questions or even say, hey dont you think its strange when this happens, or dont you find this or that. where do i find this or that?
i think its just important we tell the truth. i always have on this site. I dont report everything that happens to me, just some things that can be of interest or not.
Ive noticed a tendency towards delusion though, believing something as true, that, well, isnt. I also find as nice as my argentine friends are (i spend a lot of times with argentines, some of you probably didnt guess that), they just dont get some things. My argentine friends are constantly learning new things from me about stuff in their country they didnt know.
The pedestrian crosswalks really are dangerous here, many stuff really does have formaldehyde in it, im treated horribly (rudely) as a customer all the time, no one seems to have change and the government appears to be doing nothing about either that or the fake money, the low quality of clothes, the low quality in general of the food (those "chocolate" chip cookies i bought this week were perhaps the worst ive had in my life) etc. All this is true. some of the stuff sounds trivial, the small things build up though. the big things like being shook out of bed 6am by busses with ear piercing screams is a big thing, an avoidable things, and in my opinion a shameful thing.
Just tell the truth here and lets tolerate different opinions and realize that because of different income levels, where someone lives, whether they have family or live alone, etc, that we all have different experiences here in this meeting "room" for expats without the happy hour.
Merry Christmas to all......................................
(USA citizen, living in BA 5 years)

 

[Jessica]

As a child, if you were bullied, or spoken meanly to by a peer, didn't your mom tell you to just ignore them? Responding only fuels the flames, so if people are being negative, ignore their comments, and move on. Don't provide more fuel! If there is no reaction, then the naysayer has nothing more to say! I myself have been trapped in the fury, and its never ending!
Someone mentioned shutting down the site for a while... I would miss reading other people's perceptions of the whole experience.
In response to JG, and his truths... my experiences so far, (going on a month) have been quite contrary. I haven't been to the center of the city, and my experience on this trip so far have been in Canning, and Flores, and I do keep those drastic differences in mind; but from my perspective, I get awesome service because I keep returning, and people think I have this funny accent. Traffic isn't the same as in the states, but since the last time I visited (about 2 years ago) the cars are much better, the drivers are better, and the streets are maintained better. The people drive like nuts, but I still think that too has changed for the better over time. Change, yeah, an issue, but in the states, no one carries/uses cash, so who knows how it would go if they did, but more and more, people are accepting credit cards, and people will inevitably begin to leave the cash at home, and use their bank cards for everything. Thinking back on the states 10 years ago, no one had a cell phone, and you could't use a credit card at the gas station without going in, now you can use it at the McDonald's there, and you must be homeless there if you have no cell phone. Two years ago, my father in law had a cell phone, and no one else, now every member of the family has one.
My point is not to critique by any means, or to negate your comments, it's just interesting how perceptions can be so different when we live in the same city (realizing Canning is not exactly the city)!

Jessica

 

[chris]

I'd like to apologize to Ernie for some of the inconsiderate comments that have been posted in this thread. Ernie has extended a helping hand to expats for which he should be thanked.