Why Do I Choose Ba

[Neal]

Heeey,

At first I want to remind you of myself.
http://baexpats.org/...-needed-please/

When I saw the replies at that topic, I kept Argentina as a plan C, I looked again into some other places like USA, Canada, Europe (England, Spain, Italy), Australia there were all demanding some special things to have in order to obtain my visa (like: big amounts of money OR 3-5 years of work experience) and i wont be able to get the nationality till i reside there for 4-5 years.

Right now (after 2 weeks exactly to graduate ) I have no place to stay because I cant go back to Syria the situation there is so bad, I cant handle anymore bad behaviors against me here in Saudi Arabia.

My father wants me to take go and pursue a master degree and he suggested USA I looked into various schools in USA, but I ran into two problems: 1- my gpa is below 3/4 (2.75) so it is hard to get admitted into a master program especially that i dont have any recommendation from any employers because if i do so it will make it easier to be accepted. 2- my father is a 64 years old man and he still working but i know that sometime around this year he will stop. In a way i checked his bank account to see how much he got it was around 50,000$ so I said to myself i must forget about USA because the master degree is very expensive and i wont leave any money for my parents to live.

I looked into universities in BA, and i found that there are some universitites that offers good master programs. while am doing that I met a guy who lived in BA for a long time and he is now working here in Saudi Arabia, so we met and he helped me a lot and he explained to me how do things work there and he is doing his best to help me and show me how BA is not the perfect place to live and work.

Now, what i want to ask you is this:

1- All what i hear and see here in this forum is that Argentina is not a good place to live in, is that true?! put in mind that i am coming from a place(Saudi Arabia) where you cant practice your rights freely (eg. I had a long hair and a police checkpoint stopped me and made me cut it, the problem is that they dont do that for Saudi citizens, they only do that with other nationalities).

2- The only thing that i understood very well from living in Saudi Arabia is that Money Cant Buy You Happines. I have no intrest in making a lot of money, but i also dont want to ask people for money. So I want a decent life to live, SMILE and have fun. Do you think that i will be able to do that given the above information?


3- I know that the geverment in Argentina is a mess, but come on I came from the middle east :S at least you can talk about how bad is the goverment freely


I know that BA is a hard city but after what I told you do you think that the place i am in right now is better that BA????

I always had a feeling for Italy, Spain and Argentina. Argentina have them all together ))

I really want to thank you for your help and for reading my story.

So, What do you think now BA Expats ??

 

[Jaredberryman]

I just would like to point out that it is fairly easy to get citizenship or residency here. However, you need to please be aware that this city and country is extremely volatile. Anything can happen. I think that it is less volatile than the Middle East--however--it is still pretty volatile financially. As far as living here--I think this is still one of the wealthier countries in South America. Despite the fact that this government has laundered millions of dollars outside of the country--Argentina still continues to produce and many people are still making a lot of money. This is a country that if it got its act together could be the next Switzerland. Unfortunately, corruption is the rule rather than the exception, and that likely won't change in the near future.

Also, it's good to know that here the crime rate is better than in some other big Latin American cities (I'm talking about BA) but it is hardly safe. The crime rate has been going up over the past few years, so you really have to be careful about petty theft and violent crime, and you need to do some research on what areas are safest. It's hard for foreigners to find jobs here, and I really think that now is a really bad time to start up a business, although that could change quickly in the near future. I think the most stable business here right now would be a business whose clients are foreign clientele.

Bureaucracy is mind numbing in BA and worse in other cities. Every place in Latin America is extremely bureaucratic.

Good luck to you.

 

[Inferno.]

1- All what i hear and see here in this forum is that Argentina is not a good place to live in, is that true?! put in mind that i am coming from a place(Saudi Arabia) where you cant practice your rights freely (eg. I had a long hair and a police checkpoint stopped me and made me cut it, the problem is that they dont do that for Saudi citizens, they only do that with other nationalities).

2- The only thing that i understood very well from living in Saudi Arabia is that Money Cant Buy You Happines. I have no intrest in making a lot of money, but i also dont want to ask people for money. So I want a decent life to live, SMILE and have fun. Do you think that i will be able to do that given the above information?


3- I know that the geverment in Argentina is a mess, but come on I came from the middle east :S at least you can talk about how bad is the goverment freely

1. Is not a bad place to live, but that really depends on the type of life you want. If you like to party till late, do orgies, go out with your gay friends, etc, you can do it without thinking a mob will try to kill you. Do you want to go out as dress as a gothic? Live a very religious life? Go ahead, no problem. The government is not pursuing the people. You can talk trash about this and no one will try to kill you for it. So, having long hair will not be a problem. The situation comes that insecurity is raising (but depends on the neighborhood, is not that bad), that the government is stealing a lot due to corruption and the economy is not doing very well. The country could be a lot better, but is not like you need to escape because you will live in poverty, get killed by a gang or the military will burn your house down.

2. Depends on your income and the type of life you want to have. Are you willing to share your home with others (many do that because living alone may be expensive)? I think your biggest problem is going to be the language. I work in IT.. and if you don't know spanish, you are going to have a problem getting a job here. Chances are your boss and your coworkers are not going to be fluent in english. Even the people from HR that will interview you will need to do the meeting in spanish. Your lack of work experience is going to increase the difficulty on job hunting.

3. Spoke a little on item 1. It is bad, but not middle east level. Argentina has the resources to be from the first world, but none of the governments that we had did anything to make this happen, instead, they kind of push the country down (high inflation for years, the local currency is depreciating in value, etc). Other than that, is not a bad place to be, but there ae of course better places. Any job will gave you private health and it is really good, universities are not near the prices of US or Europe, etc. Of course, if you have money, you are going to be happier and things will go more smoothly.

I think you should come here for a few months and try to check the place before buying

 

[Peony54]

Sorry I posted this originally in the wrong discussion ...

If you were considering getting your Masters in the US or Canada, you could go this route in another country as well where the tuition is less... there's always the option to get school loans (though I admit it's scary to put yourself in debt before you even start working, but many people in the States are forced to do this and are able to make it work). If you cannot return to your home country and do not want to stay where you are though it might be a necessary sacrifice, and through this you could get internships and hopefully when you graduate that would lead to a job.

 

[Ceviche]

Their are lot of cheap places to do master's programs in the world. Sky is the limit. Just do some research.

Coming to Argentina without money, no language skills, and no contacts will make you a liability. Mind you, even students who are born in argentina are struggling right now.

You should go to a place where you can get a good degree and at same time , not end up being a liability in the country.

If you are coming here looking for girls/boys/partying/ etc, this is not the right time in your life to do it. Establish your life first, get a proper degree, proper job, save money and then come here.

You can have fun only one time in your life. Either in your 20's or you work hard in your 20's and have fun for rest of yr life. Just some advise from a experienced world traveler.

 

[Nounou]

Neal, I have to say after reading your original post, I now understand your reasons for a new home. My advice, and it will not earn me brownie points here, if Argentina is what you want......go there. I can imagine the sort of treatment you have to put up with in Saudi, and it's not worth it! I am in touch with Syrian friends, presently in Amman, and I know the situation on the home front is dire and getting worse! I admire your determination to do well for yourself, and it would also seem that you have the good sense to realise that it will take some time, maybe years to get yourself to level 1 in any new country.....its the classic migrants tale. So don't give up! I am only sorry that countries like Australia make it so darn hard for bright, intelligent and hardworking people like you.

I can only wish you good luck in your endeavours.....and congratulations in advance on your graduation

Edited to add, having visited the Middle East on many occasions, and having a long association with the people and culture, I know when things kick off there its serious business!

 

[2GuysInPM]

Neal, save some money to live here for 3 or 4 months, and come with a return ticket and a Plan B if things don't work out. That should be enough time to check AR out and decide for yourself. Argentina might not be the best place to relocate to right now, but it is certainly no Saudi Arabia nor Syria. So, go for it!