| For Deby, moving from the USA to Buenos Aires, Argentina, was like coming home. In this city, she's free to dance the tango as often as she wants to, own her dream place, and lead a simpler life. She might find some men's attitudes toward women quite exasperating, but overall, she thinks the local people are warm and outgoing, and she has made many friends among them. |
 Deby Novitz |
August 07 2006
-Where were you born?
Detroit, Michigan, USA
-In which country and city are you living now?
Buenos Aires, Argentina
-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my dog Roxie. We are las dos americanas juntas.
-How long have you been living in Argentina?
I first came to Buenos Aires in 2000. Between 2000 and 2004 I came 18 times. In 2004 I settled here permanently.
-What is your age?
Hmmm, 53
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Argentina?
Around 1999–2000, I had decided that I wanted to have the experience of living outside the US. My choices were at first either Mexico or Paris. After I came to Buenos Aires in 2000, I decided that this was the place for me.
I was tired of the rat race in the US. I felt like I was working 70 hours a week, and for what? To buy more things? Have a bigger house? A more expensive car? It just seemed senseless. I wanted to enjoy life and living in the US, it seemed like that was not going to happen.
When I came to Buenos Aires I felt so complete. I found people here living their lives in addition to working. Besides that I am a night person, I love to argue, and I am very affectionate. I felt like I finally found a country of people just like me.
It was Argentine Tango that brought me to Buenos Aires. I had just started to dance it. This was another factor in my decision. I could dance every day and all night if I wanted to.
-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
I was lucky. In 2004 the President issued a "decreto" to allow all people living in the country without papers a residency visa. Mine is temporary for two years and then becomes permanent. I can legally work here and receive all benefits as a resident.
-How do you make your living in Argentina? Do you have any type of income generated?
I do lots of things here. I have always been an entrepreneur. I work with people who come here to dance tango. I rent two rooms in my apartment (not necessarily to tango dancers, but usually). I can provide lots of information, create tours, and help them with the local culture. I teach tango with a well-regarded maestro. I will dance professionally with him next year. I also teach English and do translations. I have been able to support myself completely on the pesos I earn here.
-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I think it is very important to come here with a strong base in Spanish. I am amazed at the people who come here not speaking a word of the language. Some are naïve enough to believe that with a three-month immersion class they will be fluent. These people do not speak any other language besides English.
I worked in Mexico for five years and had many friends who speak Spanish. I was close to fluent. When I came here I understood very little. The Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires is completely different, not only the accent, but the words and grammar as well. It was like learning a completely new language.
If you do not speak the language or speak it well, you miss out on a lot. You have to find all the other people who speak English to have any type of social life. What is the point?
The other thing I think expats do not realize is that this place is not like the US. There is no "press 1 for English, press 2 for Spanish." Everything is in Spanish. Translators are not provided. If you go to the doctor, call a utility service, everything will be in Spanish. Small, mundane tasks become monumental when you cannot understand or be understood. It can be exhausting and for some, depressing.
I think it is very important to learn the local customs. You are living in another country. Whether you are here for the long term or just passing through, you need to respect the culture, whether you identify with it or not. I see this as a big problem with many expats who come here. They want things to be like where they came from. They complain all the time. They start every sentence with how the Argentines need to change.
-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I never miss the US. My home is here. Sure, there are some people I miss, but most of them come here to visit. At first I missed the variety of ethnic food, but now even that is not a big deal. And shopping is way better in the US; Target, Costco, Home Depot, and The Gap don’t exist here. There are so many little things that you can buy in the US to make life easier. Overall, the selection of products is much greater and with electronics cheaper. But in the grand scheme of things, they have ceased to become important (although Roxie will debate that, since pig ears are impossible for her to find here).
-Do you have other plans for the future?
Not really. I do plan to travel. I want to go back to Europe. I want to see more of South America. While I have had people offer me investment money to buy and run a small hotel, I do not want to get back into a rat-race life. I have the opportunity to dance professionally. We have been invited to dance next year in Bordeaux, France.
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I bought an apartment in Palermo Viejo about a year ago (June 2005). It is my dream place. I have a spectacular view and I love this barrio. I got a good price on my apartment as it was in very bad condition and the owner was desperate to sell. I remodeled the entire place myself without an architect. (Now that was a story!) I know the value has gone way up on my place, but I really don’t care. I have no plans to sell so it is not important to me.
-What is the cost of living in Argentina?
This depends on how you want to live. One thing's for sure, prices are going up, up, up. Every month my expenses rise. I pay about $300USD a month in homeowners' fees, utilities, and taxes. This is $100USD more than I paid six months ago.
I can live on $600-$700USD a month. I take public transportation most of the time and taxis at night. I eat out quite a bit. I love to cook, but eating out is so cheap here and the food is so good, sometimes it doesn’t pay to cook. I can have a quarter of a chicken and salad for around $2.00 USD delivered to my apartment.
Clothes, food, entertainment are all cheap compared to the US and Europe. Other things are more expensive, like computers, telephones, digital cameras. There is not the same selection you can get in the US. In many cases you pay more for older models.
I know many expats come here with their US dollars and want to live this life they never had in the US. To me, they seem to only be exchanging one currency for another. My life is much simpler now and I prefer to keep it that way. There are expats who spend more to live here than they did in the US. I am not sure how they do this. I think it is because they still want to live the life they had in the US and more. I don't know. I just know that I do not even come close to what I used to spend.
-What do you think about the Argentine people?
I love the Argentine people. They are very warm and outgoing. When people ask you how you are, they really want to know the answer. I have found the people here to be very helpful and kind. My experiences have been very positive. I think you can find unfriendly people anywhere, but overall at least to me, the people have been great.
As to how they treat foreigners; there are always people who do not like foreigners regardless of what country you are in. Those people exist here as well. Overall however, I have been treated well.
I have to say though, that as friends the Argentine men are wonderful, but in relationships they are a nightmare. I came here from the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most liberal places in the US. Women are equals there. Here they are property. Many men believe women are lower beings in every way. The amount of deceit and disrespect is mind blowing. Sometimes I feel like I am playing the same games as when I was 15.
In hardware stores, computer stores, the men ignore me or want to argue with me about what I want to buy. The fact that I know more is lost on them. I usually have to bring a male friend with me when I want to buy something. My male friend usually knows less than I do, but at least they give him the attention.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Argentina?
The positive for me is that I have a great life here. I am more relaxed. I am surrounded by people who love me and care about me. I never have to be alone if I do not want to be. There is always something to do. There are really no negatives for me.
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Argentina?
I am amazed at all the people who decide to change their lives, sell everything to move to a place they have never been to, or have been to only a couple of times. Most of the expats I meet here do not stay permanently. After a couple of years they move back.
My advice is that you move to a place because you really want to live there. Not because it is cheap or because you like a few things about it. A vacation is not an introduction to living somewhere. That is why I took so much time in making my decision. I knew my move here would be permanent. I have found that the expats who did what I did plan to stay here permanently.
The other thing is to learn the language and become a part of the community. I am one of the few expats I know whose friends are almost all Argentines. I do have some expat friends but I don't see them much.
-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Argentina?
My own Web site is http://www.lavidacondeby.com. It has all the information on my bed and breakfast.
My blog is TangoSpam: La Vida Con Deby. It goes into detail about my life as an expat and also as a tango dancer. You can access other blogs from here as well.
