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 Matt |
August 07 2006
-Where were you born?
New Zealand
-In which country and city are you living now?
Buenos Aires, Argentina
-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my girlfriend
-How long have you been living there?
18 months
-What is your age?
29
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Argentina?
I first came to Argentina with the idea of spending six months to learn Spanish, and then another six months traveling around South America. I decided to live in Argentina to be with my girlfriend.
-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
With the help of an immigration advisor it wasn't too hard. A few months of paperwork, lots of paperwork translated, translations certified etc. It probably cost me around US$700.
-How do you make your living in Argentina? Do you have any type of income generated?
At first I taught English in two of the many English institutes in BsAs. That job was easy to find, and the language institutes are almost always looking for native teachers. However, the pay of US$5 per hour was impossible for me to live off. Very few foreign English teachers would be able to live off that, no matter how hard they scrimp and save (and I sure scrimped).
In the last eight months I've been trying to start my own tourist transport business with a minibus, but I still haven't done a single trip. The bureaucracy here has got to be as bad as in India, and that has made life very difficult.
-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I'd studied the basics of Spanish before I arrived and then took a few courses once I got here. The rest I picked up conversing with my girlfriend. Regarding learning the local language, it depends on what the person wants to do. Many expats learn only the basics of Spanish and spend their days here hanging out with other expats or with Argentines who speak English. That wasn't for me, so I distanced myself from that crowd and hung out with locals who didn't speak English.
Local customs are another thing altogether, and I'm still learning. Yesterday a local told me that I should ask permission before I sit in the available seat in front of someone's desk. That was a new one for me.
-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes I do. My only method for combating homesickness is to keep in contact with my friends and family by e-mail or MSN Messenger.
-Do you have other plans for the future?
Hopefully my business will get going in the next month. But I've been saying that for the last six months, so who knows!
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We're renting so my finger's not on the housing market pulse, but I think it costs about US$80,000 to buy a two-bedroom apartment in a nice suburb of Buenos Aires. The expat influx of the last couple of years has pushed prices up in said suburbs quite a lot.
-What is the cost of living in Argentina?
It depends on your standards. I would say around US$1000 per month, to live as one would in his or her home country. If you want to live like a broke university student, you could scrape by on US$500.
-What do you think about the Argentine people?
They're neither welcoming nor negative towards foreigners. Mostly indifferent.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Argentina?
Tobacco, alcohol and red meat are really cheap. If you're a night-owl, dinner is eaten really late here so you'll fit in. Football (soccer) is the national religion. These may be positive aspects for some.
Negatives... well the list is pretty long. Customer service is dire; companies will make you jump through hoops to be their customer. Bureaucracy is everywhere. There's a lot of crime. People let their dogs poo in the street when they walk them. Littering is common. People pride themselves on ripping each other off. Considering I don't smoke, I'm not a night-owl and I don't watch football, I don't know why I'm still here.
-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Argentina?
Suitcase on wheels is my blog on my life since I arrived in Argentina, in January 2005. Check out the Archives.
Bloggers in Argentina has links to all the known expat bloggers in Argentina.
Chematuco is a negatively written blog run by an expat who debunks many of the myths of BA. I like it.
Not a Blog is a funny blog written by an expat who lives in Salta, in the north of Argentina.
hello matt. im from
hello matt. im from argentina and im very hurted of the things you write about my country. you have not found a single positive thing. you have said that argentines men are machos, that girls are not that pretty, that the wine it is suposed to be good , the burocracy, that san telmo has a"certain" charm , that the food is cheap but you dont say it is tasty , that it is dificult to make friends and a lot of more.
could it be that we are so wrong in this part of the world and that you are so right in new zeland? have you ever thought that it could be that you are not an easy person?, that you are too complicated? that you have not planned how to get your bussines running the right way?
usually i read that there are good and bad things in all countries , but you have found that in my country that I LOVE , everything is wrong.
i live in sweden and i miss argentina, the food , the people, the magic of buenos aires the scenaries . and i have discovered that there is nothing like thirdworld or firstworld.
i have not been in new zeland but argentina is more beautiful, im a fan of the allblacks and john kirwan and rococo. you will see that your girlfriend i soon going to get bored there and she will want to return to buenos aires
kiwis needing some advice
Hi Matt
Myself and husband & 2 kids in tow have been travelling the americas for the past 5 months!!
We're considering starting up an accommodation type business here in Buenos Aires, have you made any progress with your business getting it up and running or still fighting the red tape issues?
We would appreciate any advice you could offer! A big concern for us too, is the residency visa part...theres so many conflicting reports re "foreign investment in argentina" etc - not sure where to start really!
Cheers
Kim
Estudio Castellano y Vivir en Buenos Aires... Pero, no me gusta
I want to reply to this, just because I have to agree with a lot of what Matt had to say and I can understand his point of view.
Not everyone wants the same things and to stay here for a girl or to look for a girl, like it seems he may have, I wouldn't recommend. You need to fall in love with the city itself, with all of it's characteristics good and bad.
I am here from Vancouver BC, Canada, which is an extremely clean city and people are fined thousands of dollars for littering or letting their dogs go to the washroom on the street, here it is common. Street and air polution feels high here, not sure how it falls worldwide, but it definitely feels dirty to me. I've been sick twice for extended periods of time within 3 months of living here, previously I hadn't been sick in years.
If you don't speak Spanish, it is not uncommon to be treated poorly unless you only go to touristy areas and pay twice as much for everything. Expect to be taken advantage of at least a few times by Taxi drivers until you get to know the City. I walked around for a couple of weeks looking for an apartment to rent and it was the best way to know the city. It is large, but to get to the most common areas, you can walk within an hour or two.
I have found that it is split on whether Argentines (in Buenos Aires specifically) are accepting to foreigners. Some are very happy and excited and others actually seem very unhappy that we are here, even while shopping in their family owned stores or taking their taxis and so on. I have not had experience outside of the city though.
I highly recommend to anyone coming here to have at least a base knowledge of the Spanish language. I came with none as it was a last minute decision to come down here. I had thought it would be a good idea to immerse myself into the culture in order to learn the language, but I am wishing that I had taken at least some sort of intensive few week course or something before arriving.
My other suggestions would be to immediately get involved with some sort of group activities, whether it's group Spanish lessons at UBA or some other language school, or volunteering. If you're single or a young couple, live in a shared house with locals. It is by far the best way to improve your Spanish, aside from dating a non English speaking local, and it also immerses you in the culture and allows you to meet new people.
Ok, so the things I do like.
They cook certain foods really well. Any meat off of a Parilla is amazing. Empanadas, Choripan, Icecream, Coffee and pastries are also very good. Do not expect anything with strong flavours or spices though. It is even difficult to find spices in the grocery store, black pepper is in the import aisle.
Certain things are less expensive than Canada or Europe such as Alcohol, Cigarettes, Steak and Wine... ha, I know, that more could you need right?
If you find the right places to eat, you can almost dine out for every meal for about the same price as doing groceries and cooking for yourself.
The nightlife here is great, there is always something to do on any night. Obviously if you're into Tango, this is also the place to come.
The people on average are very attractive. I'm inclined to only really notice that the girls, but the women here seem to think that their men are really attractive too. There is not really a shortage of available women in town either, so again, I know what more could you want?
Anyways... do not come here looking for a beach of any sort, a slower pace of life, to get away from commercialism or for warmer winters. The winters are still cold 2 degrees and humid yesterday, basically feels in the negatives.
If you like nature you don't want to get stuck in the city, although the country here has much to offer and is a nature lovers country but be sure to come in the right season. I'm not a hiker or nature lover per se, but I come from a beautiful country full of nature and this country is very similar in those aspects.
Looking for beaches, warm weather and a slower pace of life? Not the city for you... I'm off to Colombia and Panama, maybe I'll find it there.
P.S
I'm only 30 and this city wasn't right for me. I've lived in cities with several million people before and loved them, this one was a little different.
Different strokes for different folks!
It's worth checking it out, but don't rush on a decision to move here without staying for an extended period of time first. My story is not unique, but most people don't take the time to write negatives on the travel blogs. If you look through this site you won't find many negative reviews on any country or city... it's not a realistic evaluation if you only hear stories from the people that love it.
Chauuuuuuuu
haha
I just want to leave another comment saying you're blog is great... keep it up. And to buddy saying he has never been to New Zealand, but Argentina is way more beautiful... how would he know if he's never been there. You have been here to B.A so you have the right to give your opinion.
To anyone else reading this, click on the link to his blog, it's got good honest opinions on the every day things that happen in B.A