Yo amo Buenos Aires

[DuncanMitchel]

Dear expats,

When I was 25 years old I immigrated to Buenos Aires,
just because an amercain lady on my former job informed me
about a job on Monsterboard as an ICT-er.
Well I just applied to that job for the fun, just to see if I could get it..
I got the job and started the immigration process and when I was in Argentina I realized what I had done!!!!! I'm a impusive guy, and do things just because I feel like it Well it has changed my life for the better, it made me the men that I'm now, and I thank Argentina for that!!
When I started to go to my job in the morning I could see people on 9 de julio sleeping on the streets and that bothered me, so I wrote a song:
Yo amo Buenos Aires!!!
This is the song, hope you enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QknBI_EdKXk

What I would like to know is this: What did Argentina do for you?
It doesn't nessaceraly need to be a big thing, but just tell me what has changed in your life, and if you could do it all over again would you change what you have done? Or are you forever greatfull for being a part of the society in Argentina?

Let me know in this thread!
Love you all the same, be blessed!
Duncan Mitchel (former citizen of The Netherlands)
VIVA Argentina!!!!!!!!

 

[studiodio]

my husband and I got together late in life due to a common interest in art...he was schooled as a sculptor and I as a painter, and we both continued to make art, but we did other things to make a living in the USA...... we came to Buenos Aires 8 years ago, and art was dripping everywhere! from sculpture in Recoletta cemetery to graffiti on the streets...we then quit our jobs sold our possessions/cars/farm in the US and now are residents of Buenos Aires....it has been a grande cambio positivo for us....we have not regretted our move from a place where job and money are first priority to a place where friends/family/ enjoyment of life is first priority.....

 

[fifs2]

Argentina has taught us all so much so Im sure this will be an interesting thread...one clear change invoked in me was learning to not be so wasteful. Living in Europe or US even more so I truly wouldnt have thought twice about binning an old toaster because I wanted a new shinier model...now I appreciate the fine line between need and materialism is crossed when you value looks over functionality. Just wish recycling was more ingrained here in general...but it makes me happy to see so many ferias and other means of sharing our unwanted items with others in need.

 

[Postmodernchild]

this is really good guys...keep pouring...it is very insightful

 

[rrptownley]

I missed my Uni finals to live in a hut on the beach in Morocco, after 2 weeks I realised my mistakes but was taken hostage after straying over the border into Mauritania. Another two weeks later I found myself released into an oasis somewhere in Algeria after my captors got tired of the way my belly reacts to goat meat.

After wandering aimlessly up a never-ending sand dune I met Jim Morrison, in full technicolour, and a naked Indian. They told me that I had to start a music festival; that it was my fate. I said that I was not the man, but Mr Morrison put his hallowed mitt on my shoulder, looked me in the eyes and said, "The man you may be not, but the dude you maybe." I realised then what my fate was to be.

I flew to California and immediately bought a 1 bedroom condo. The perfect base of operations to start the festival to end all popular music. I bought a nice rug, and a mauve dressing gown. I became a fan of White Russians and asked my friends to start referring to me as, 'The Dude'. Even to my face, in the 3rd person.

To cut a long story short. Someone peed on my rug, my friend had a heart attack, some chick lost a digit and I now get freaked out by bowling shoes.

I went to live in an Amish community, to escape the horror that my life had become. You can never escape somethings. I ended up loosing the fingers on my right hand in an unfortunate betting accident. I learnt to milk cows and then discovered a talent.

I had moved to Jamaica, where I met a man who could run like the wind. Unfortunately there was a mishap at the Olympic sprint qualifying and he didn't make the cut. Instead, after a drunken night involving a bath tub and much island rum we started a bobsleigh team. They all laughed at us but we showed them at the Calgary games.

There I started a book tour. Detailing my life until then. On one unfortunate day I had just finished the Uruguayan leg of my tour and flew to Chile to continue my book readings. Over the Andes we crashed. Luckily we were with a bunch of Rugby players who were meaty and disliked Cumbia. It got cold.

After finding my way across the Andes I found succor in the Argentine Patagonia. They toom me in and fed me. I help solved some medical issues with my limited medical knowledge (I never finished Medical school- like that guy Valentine in that film about world war two bombers) and earnt some money. Enough to buy an anitique bike and start a journey around Argentina with my charming, but idiotic friend. So here we are.

 

[windy]

I love Argentina Yet it also drive me Fxxking mad at times. It employs hundreds of thousands of paper pushings idiots just for the sake of it. And most of them are doing work that is counter productive to other departments.
IE Expat want to become a citizen. He is subjected to to a paper chase that goes on endlessly for years. By the time (if ever) he gets accepted he is already fully entrenched in the black economy and dose not really want or give a shxt about being legal. What a result.

 

[SaraSara]

Those in power know that zillions of paper-pushing idiots mean an equal number of votes come election time. That's why government offices employ eight morons to do the work that a one-armed normal person can do.

Ahhh, Argentina....!

 

[DuncanMitchel]

WOW thank you all so much for sharing your story's, hope more expats could follow you all with a story.

"Everything is possible, if you want everything, you will get everything, but everything can also be nothing, its just a matter of "what" everything means to you. I'm a simple men,who loves the little things but with big dreams that will come true, untill then "everything" will come in time". Love Duncan Mitchel