What does living in Argentina says about you

There are 9 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 1,307 times. The latest Post (May 4, 2023 at 11:25 AM) was by FScott.

    People from the first world move to Argentina for a variety of reasons: some for love/family, some for the convenience (low cost of living or studying). I feel that my family, who has never visited, looks at my living in Argentina like a reflection of my values. I perceive a little bit of prejudice, as in people living in a certain country are attracted to certain things. Living in Sweden means you like stability, transparency, welfare and high taxes. Living in Argentina means you are a slack and like to avoid rules. Is this the same for you? What do your family and friends back home think about your choice to live in Argentina?

    I definitely appreciate any chance to break the rules and lets face it, there are plenty of grey areas to take advantage of.

    But I wouldn't describe myself as a slacker. A bit lazy yes, but many writers are.

    On the other hand, living in Argentina has sharpened my wits about how to make money and I now do several jobs (self-employed) to make ends meet because I only earn in pesos.

    My family now see it as a permanent situation, being aware of why I moved here in the first place.

    Also, I often ask myself if I would have had the same opportunities in Spain (where I moved from) or the UK if I hadn't moved here.

    The answer is always no.

    No hay mal que por bien no venga.

    serafina , on what do your family members seem to base their opinions? Long-held stereotypes? International news? Or have they been to Argentina?

    Our family and our friends knew very little about Argentina except for its ongoing economic problems. They are always pleasantly surprised to learn of the abundance of cultural opportunities more readily available and more affordable than in many countries, including the USA. The priorities a country has about how it spends its money go a long way toward defining the country, don’t you think?

    I agree with Splinter 's questions and I get to the same answers. If I try to imagine doing what I am doing, work-wise, the only country that would bring-in some added value would be the US. And if you've known me for a while, you'd know I have always been fascinated by the US, although I have visited only limited part of it. And when I was in the US, after some time I always felt out of place. Too much diversity that didn't allowed me to ever actually blend in.

    Coming from a small European country (most European countries ARE small compared to the US, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil), I was pretty much sure of what my life could have been had we stayed in Italy (regardless of the location). and I like that in larger and new world countries, the options are endless, even if then we tend to stick to a similar kind of living as we did in our home country (i.e. urban/urban & rural/rural). I don't know many people who were successful finance brokers and who are now raising berries in Patagonia... Actually, I know none.

    Rice , my family & friends' comments/feelings definitely come from a point of ignorance, like every pre-judice is formed. I suppose the news on Argentina that are reported in the first world aren't exactly on the cultural offer of Buenos Aires. At most, about its natural wonders.

    Bad news always stick like glue, instead! And Argentina has had a lot of (well deserved) bad press for their misfits in the last decades, between a military dictatorship, desaparecidos, poor football-obsessed people, low literacy rate, crumbling economy and a reversal of their emigration trend. Seeing Argentinians everywhere in my home country, even my mom realized that there must be a reason why so many people leave. So what the heck am I doing here, she wonders... and as @Bombonera said, I do also wonder it myself, but I can't explain my attraction to Argentina. Surely, I am not a digital nomad type of person: I want to have the comfort of my home and of my things, I like living a quiet existence, I don't care much about fashion or digital gadgets. We can discuss how much is because of Argentina, though.

    While I get the same question a lot - "why Argentina"?, I also get rapid praise and ‘I am coming to visit you".

    My situation is different from many here, it seems, I am mostly retired (still own half of an active business and retain some responsibilities but only a few hours a week). So my ready answer is "time to begin my bucket list" (from the Nicholson movie "the bucket list). I have been wanting to live in Argentina since I was a teen and read about it.

    I have a group of YouTube vids and pics of my apartment, etc, that I text to friends and family and the response I get is overwhelmingly positive. For thinking people, there is a terrible sense of upheaval and conflict in the USA right now. Many people are overwhelmed by the rapidity of the move to the left and the change to ‘identity politics’. Many are fleeing my old home of Chicago, the County of Cook and the State of Illinois. I tell them, "why stop there, keep going, outside the country..vote with your feet and find a new place in the big world to live and explore".

    Nordstrom Closing San Francisco Stores, Citing "Deteriorating Situation" Amid Crime Crisis | ZeroHedge

    Quote from Bombonera

    I come here because I feel it in my boots and in my heart. A spiritual home if you like, where if I don't visit for years I will love it just the same when I go back.

    My husband and I have this same bone-deep feeling for Argentina, its people, the way of life, the funny little old-world touches. Every time we touch down at EZE, we feel that familiar thrill of coming home. I hope we never lose that.

    Quote from FScott

    I have been wanting to live in Argentina since I was a teen and read about it.

    As an born and raised Argentinean, I welcome you. We need civilized people, with experience and good will. In any doubt, ask Rice. This lady comes regularly to Argentina and she and her husband appreciate the city and the country. Unfortunatley we are not in our best economical shape, but there are certain good things still existing

    I was several times in the USA and the Americans always treated me very well, no discrimination at all. Therefore I am obliged to return the good treatment to any USA citizen who likes to share with us the life in this country.

    FScott , we share a great appreciation for Argentina, despite the fact that you and I seem to come from different worlds, though both in the US. The people I know who are looking for a better life outside the US are doing so because there’s not much left of what used to be conservatism. Moderate conservatives seem to have leapt straight into full-throated acceptance of conspiracy theories and trumpism, leaving the Republican party with just a few stragglers who still espouse actual conservative values. Ten years ago, conservatives would have turned their backs on Putin-supporting politicians and media. Ten years ago, Republican leaders would not have been so afraid of not being elected that they would pretend January 6 was an ‘ordinary tourist day’ in the Capitol. Ten years ago, all but the very furthest right wing would have turned their backs on white supremacy and authoritarianism.

    The people who see democracy hanging by a tenuous thread in the US are also asking themselves “Where is a democratic country that offers hope?”

    serafina , you are so right about the news filtering out of Argentina into other countries. Surely there must be a government agency charged with external affairs, tourism, etc, that could present a more positive picture of the country? Perhaps we should volunteer to help!

    Thank you Carlos for the welcome and Rice for your kind comments. I have resolved to ‘be less political’ with my move to AR. It is one of the factors that brought me to my decision to go. Specifically, the ‘Republican/Democrat’ discussion. Although I a have a lot of behind the scenes knowledge of these things as I have run over a dozen political campaigns (for BOTH party’s candidates) from a Presidential candidate down to local Alderman and know personally, many politicians and elected officials, I prefer to speak of VALUES - as @sarafina began this thread.

    Just as a single example, I will point to the new phenomenon in the USA of ‘cancel culture’. I do not value this type of thinking. Here is an example from this morning’s news here about YouTube censoring a discussion about “the Enlightenment’.

    Woke cancel culture’s new low: Chicago native Glenn Loury’s podcast banned by YouTube as ‘hate speech’ – Wirepoints | Wirepoints
    Even a discussion about central principles of The Enlightenment -- reason, logic, evidence and tolerance of competing ideas -- gets censored by the thought…
    wirepoints.org

    How can we have a thinking, growing society when open thoughtful discussion is banned?!

    Sorry, after posting this, I went back to reading the news. I couldn’t resist posting this second example;

    The FBI's Catholicism Memo Is No Laughing Matter | Opinion - NewsBreak
    A government looking to quell violent extremism should be studying the few remaining ties that bind us—instead of trying to sever...
    share.newsbreak.com