What are the cultural aspects that make you stay in Argentina?

[Stevied]

I like this thread - finally a positive thread about Argentina. I don’t live in BA but my wife is Argentine and we travel there frequently. I love how close people are - the idea the previous poster mentioned about everything being personal. A little less emphasis on imparting value to “things” in favor of imparting value to relationships or experiences. People genuinely interested in how you are. Of course people are worried about the economy and politics - but (and sometimes contrary to the posts on this board), most people I know in BA are happy with their lives because they have relationships that don’t change with each government. I don’t see the polarization of political attitudes as much - we know Kirchneristas, Peronistas, Macristas, all - and the discussions never devolve to ad hominem attacks or hate like they do here in the US. Frequently a discussion ends like this - “Ahh, we are disasters at running a country…but never mind, let’s go have a coffee and enjoy the afternoon”. There are many things easier here in the US - but having and maintaining deep relationships isn’t one of them. For those people (you know who you are) who are always complaining about Argentina and threatening to leave for cheaper countries, etc - add the value of the relationships, people, and lifestyle to the other side of your ledger and you might just change your mind about Argentina.

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Think you’ve got to be able to speak the language to enjoy the place to it’s fullest.
I’d hazard a guess that those who only speak English are the first to want to up and leave.

 

[Ries]

We got to all kinds of museums, cultural centers, and art galleries all the time. We go see a lot of live music, at a wide variety of venues. We have friends who are industrial designers, fashion designers, artists, writers, graphic designers, chefs, architects, and even a guy who restores and maintains old merry go rounds. There are so many things to do and see and experience everyday.

 

[Quilombo]

I think the city is pretty as others have said. I live near 9 de Julio which some may see as a curse given the noise and chaos, but I like it because I'm only a minute or two away from the Jacaranda turning everything purple in the spring, and Silk Floss trees teeming with flowers in the summer and fall. The later also provides food and shelter for Monk Parakeets (the loud little green guys) that eat the seed pods, and they build their massive communal, multifamily "apartments" in sturdy branches, something unique to them. I also love the AySA HQ and Correo Central and random buildings in San Nicolas. Puerto Madero is very pretty, and even Hospital Rivadavia is set within a massive garden.

Outside of CABA there is of course so much natural beauty too. Patagonia is my favorite, so everything from Puerto Madryn and the Caribbean like beaches nearby in Puerto Pirámides, to Bariloche and the mountains and lakes, to Calafate and Chelten and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, and even the windswept Patagonian Steppe between everything is just beautiful in a quiet and empty kind of way. Up North there's Iguazu and the ruins of the Incan Empire in Jujuy and Salta, wineries in Mendoza out west, and while not my kind of beaches, people love the Costa Atlantica. Even in the middle of the country there's interesting sights to see such as Talampaya or Villa Carlos Paz.

We get a good mix of Latino and American/European artists coming to preform, so you can catch a concert from both Coldplay and Luis Miguel, and of course there are more soccer games featuring kids who will be leading the national and foreign teams of tomorrow than one can count. We have several museums, universal tertiary education (still for now at least), and the city tries it's best to organize cultural events even if it's not stuff that really interests me. Protests, while polarizing, are a form of culture too, and I've seen them covering almost every imaginable issue domestic and foreign, and I find it interesting people watching, like the pancho/bars Rappi drivers hang around that are 24/7, or the fact that almost every major intersection has not just newspaper, magazine, and kids' toys vendors, but many also sell houseplants too, something I haven't noticed elsewhere too.

I'm here because I married in to being Argentine, and while sometimes I get overwhelmed and frustrated with how things don't work/la viveza criolla, this is my home in the world, and there many things I like about living here, such as the weather.

 

[Ange]

The way of the campo. Escaping the city and within a short time being able to take your horse for a day ride with friends through the quaint pueblos of the provincia.
Old train stations and pulperías, crossing endless fields, dirt roads and waterways in between, mate and asados.
The yearly parades of the gauchos in San Antonio and just about every tiny place around it from entre ríos to Santa Fe provincias, the long trips and overnights getting there. The polo season, Cruze of the Andes to honor San Martín, the stories and strong Argentinian traditions.

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

I’m just here for the sándwich de miga.

 

[on the brink]

And I'm here for the choripan

 

[chris]

I came to live in this glorious city for the tango because it was my destiny. The cultural offerings are outstanding and likely unmatched by any city in the world. Free concerts are on my agenda every week.

I wouldn't be able to live on social security in Chicago, but I can in Buenos Aires.

I had a friend in Chicago who was very low income. He lived in really good subsidized housing only a few blocks from Water Tower Place. He paid a modest fraction of his low Social Security. He also received meals-on-wheels and other social services. Medicaid paid all his medical bills. He got heavily discounted senior tickets to the Chicago Symphony, half price public transport and other perks. I think there are ways the elderly on low incomes can live in a decent way in the US. I am not doubting that you are well off in BA but I have met others who are doing well in the US on very low retirement incomes. It's more possible than a lot of people think.

 

[QuilmesSlo]

I had a friend in Chicago who was very low income. He lived in really good subsidized housing only a few blocks from Water Tower Place. He paid a modest fraction of his low Social Security. He also received meals-on-wheels and other social services. Medicaid paid all his medical bills. He got heavily discounted senior tickets to the Chicago Symphony, half price public transport and other perks. I think there are ways the elderly on low incomes can live in a decent way in the US. I am not doubting that you are well off in BA but I have met others who are doing well in the US on very low retirement incomes. It's more possible than a lot of people think.

For every person like this, there are 50 struggling.... Most subsidized housing is terrible, and people get marooned unable to afford transportation.

More importantly, it takes a certain type of person to enjoy meals-on-wheels, as opposed to taking breakfast at their local cafe, paying with their own money.

 

[chris]

For every person like this, there are 50 struggling.... Most subsidized housing is terrible, and people get marooned unable to afford transportation.

More importantly, it takes a certain type of person to enjoy meals-on-wheels, as opposed to taking breakfast at their local cafe, paying with their own money.

Actually in this case, the friend went out frequently to Dave and Busters where he had lunch and a glass or two of wine. He had enough Social Security money to have a simple meal. In his final couple of years this was an important part of his quality of life. He had kind neighbors who took him out in his wheel chair and came back for him. When he died a friend called the restaurant to inform them of his death. The receptionist cried. I am sure there are people struggling but there is help available and some of it in urban areas. I know another person who lives in very good subsidized housing in another city where public transport is free for seniors. The situation is not hopeless. I think part of the problem is that some people in bad economic situations don't have an advocate to help them find a solution to their problems.