Post: #1

So recently I have been getting over London (cool city but the weather kills me) and starting to plan my next move. I only just recently discovered that there is a new agreement where I can get a 12 month work/holiday visa in Argentina so it has got me thinking about a move to BA.

Now there hasn't been much on BA lately but we all know it has been pillaged on this board in the past (just read through nearly every BA thread) but mostly by guys just passing through for a short time. Just wondering are there any guys out there with expereince going there for the long haul and setting themselves up properly? Talking in terms of finding a job, apartment, social circle, cost of living etc?

I have a few work contacts I could fish around to hopefully get my foot in the door. Spanish level is conversational but nowhere near fluent.

Of course the Chica situation is a concern as well seeing as everyone goes on and on about how difficult Argie girls are. I'm hoping though, being a big international city, there is always the fall back of tourists, foreign students, Europeans and other Latin Americans working and living there etc?

I should mention I have been there before for about a week a few years ago. I stayed at the awful Milhouse hostel and was still sick from Bolivia so didnt have a great time. Saw potential though.

Cheers in advance!

Post: #2

Glad I'm not the only person who thought Milhouse was horrible, everyone ranted and raved about it and everyone staying there loved it except me, it was like a really tragic school disco at nights in there. Were you staying in the old or new one?

Argentinian girls are difficult. Was quite a disappointment after Brazil.

Post: #3

(09-12-2012 06:47 AM)Nudge Wrote:  So recently I have been getting over London (cool city but the weather kills me) and starting to plan my next move. I only just recently discovered that there is a new agreement where I can get a 12 month work/holiday visa in Argentina so it has got me thinking about a move to BA.

Now there hasn't been much on BA lately but we all know it has been pillaged on this board in the past (just read through nearly every BA thread) but mostly by guys just passing through for a short time. Just wondering are there any guys out there with expereince going there for the long haul and setting themselves up properly? Talking in terms of finding a job, apartment, social circle, cost of living etc?

I have a few work contacts I could fish around to hopefully get my foot in the door. Spanish level is conversational but nowhere near fluent.

Of course the Chica situation is a concern as well seeing as everyone goes on and on about how difficult Argie girls are. I'm hoping though, being a big international city, there is always the fall back of tourists, foreign students, Europeans and other Latin Americans working and living there etc?

I should mention I have been there before for about a week a few years ago. I stayed at the awful Milhouse hostel and was still sick from Bolivia so didnt have a great time. Saw potential though.

Cheers in advance!

Go for the tourist girls once you have your nice pad. Register for couchsurfing and let girls stay at your place. Go for the foreign students when the school year starts. Find women who just arrived to live in Buenos Aires from abroad or the provinces. Living in Buenos Aires has a lot of possiblities if you do things right.
But just like Americanization, girls who stay awhile in Buenos Aires start becoming like the typical porteña girls. When I was there, met 2 peruvian girls who had been there for a year and their attitudes where indistinguishable from the native girls. Also, try to get into a cool social circle if you can. Wish you the best. Let us know how it goes.

Post: #4

Iain: Yeah I stayed in the old one but went over to the new one a few times for their amazing nightly parties! Pfft yeah it sucked. Before I went this English dude warned me not to stay in downtown and get my ass to Palermo where its way more chilled. Didn't listen and paid for it with that rubbish hostel which was so cock heavy it was laughable.

Choche: Yeah definitely will be getting into couch surfing, that should be easy pickings.

I know everyone says Argie girls are hard (I didnt even try when I was there, was way to feeble) when your just passing through as a tourist but what if your properly set up there? Anyone know if this makes it a bit easier?

Post: #5

Aren't they cold from the start? A girl doesn't know your situation when you approach. Don't see how it would change much unless you're going for girlfriend material.

Post: #6

I thought the issue was more their flakiness and just disappearing on you at random times?

Post: #7

(09-12-2012 06:01 PM)Nudge Wrote:  I thought the issue was more their flakiness and just disappearing on you at random times?

Are you crazy? do you really want to go to a country that is turning in a hell hole? please be careful, argentina is becoming more backwards each year that passes by...

Post: #8

(09-12-2012 06:56 PM)Scarecr0w Wrote:  

(09-12-2012 06:01 PM)Nudge Wrote:  I thought the issue was more their flakiness and just disappearing on you at random times?

Are you crazy? do you really want to go to a country that is turning in a hell hole? please be careful, argentina is becoming more backwards each year that passes by...

Friend, this is happening all over the world.

Part of the reason chicks are so slutty is because of social phenomenon like feminism that are literally destroying the fabric of human society around the world.

So, enjoy the poon bounty while you can. I know I am. But there is the very real chance the whole thing is going to go to hell sooner than you think. Perhaps not as quickly as Argentina, but certainly in your lifetime.

Post: #9

(09-12-2012 08:28 PM)Don_Johnson Wrote:  

(09-12-2012 06:56 PM)Scarecr0w Wrote:  Are you crazy? do you really want to go to a country that is turning in a hell hole? please be careful, argentina is becoming more backwards each year that passes by...

Friend, this is happening all over the world.

Part of the reason chicks are so slutty is because of social phenomenon like feminism that are literally destroying the fabric of human society around the world.

Might be wrong, but I don't think that's what he's warning about. The country is sliding into chavez-style protectionism & socialism, and the economy is entering a recession, possibly another crisis. Re: feminism, most female Argentines I've met are openly critical of Western feminism and repulsed by self-described feminists in Argentina.

OP is talking about trying to work/start a real life in Argentina. It's a really bad idea. If you can find location-independent work that pays you in GBP, USD, or some other hard currency, Argentina is an awesome place to live and we're in for a wild ride the next few years. If not, unless you have *real* connections (not just trying to get your foot in the door somewhere), I'd forget it.

Post: #10

Also, re: couch surfing, if you're moving to Argentina for the girls, why would you focus on tourist girls?
Not hating, but in my experience girls on couchsurfing are less attractive than the general population you'll find in bars, coffeeshops, clubs, upscale malls, art galleries, etc. Maybe in the US this is reversed due to the obesity epidemic.

Post: #11

I lived there for two years. PM me for more details.

Post: #12

(09-12-2012 09:36 PM)portofmanteau Wrote:  Also, re: couch surfing, if you're moving to Argentina for the girls, why would you focus on tourist girls?
Not hating, but in my experience girls on couchsurfing are less attractive than the general population you'll find in bars, coffeeshops, clubs, upscale malls, art galleries, etc. Maybe in the US this is reversed due to the obesity epidemic.

My friend we want all the options on the table. So that is why I also suggested to get into a decent social circle in Buenos Aires. But dont expect to be banging porteñas on the regular, so have all the other options open. But hey if you can crack the code there, than forget about the foreign women. But very few have.

Post: #13

Well I do have real connections, I work in travel and have been working with our local partner companies, tour operators, hotels etc for years sending clients to Argentina. I know the country is a bit backwards, but interest in travelling there is at an all time high especially for Aussies. The good thing about travel in South America as well is that everything is done in USD, I think including pay for employees (not sure about this though).

As for the couchsurfing this would just be a backup plan incase, like many men before me, I fail to crack the Portena code. I wouldnt be moving there just for the girls anyway. Also for the lifestyle, the clubbing, food, culture blah blah. I was moving somewhere just for girls I would move to second tier Colombia, EE or maybe Thailand.

Also not hating and I appreciate the advice but you guys that are fear mongering have you or someone you know tried to go and set up down there?

Chakri: PM sent

Post: #14

i'm the same nudge can't move somewhere just for girls..need balance-second tier cities can get boring real quick

Post: #15

(09-13-2012 04:10 AM)Nudge Wrote:  Well I do have real connections, I work in travel and have been working with our local partner companies, tour operators, hotels etc for years sending clients to Argentina. I know the country is a bit backwards, but interest in travelling there is at an all time high especially for Aussies. The good thing about travel in South America as well is that everything is done in USD, I think including pay for employees (not sure about this though).
Also not hating and I appreciate the advice but you guys that are fear mongering have you or someone you know tried to go and set up down there?

Argentina is awesome. I love it there. But the dudes who are "fear mongering" are the ones who are realistic and probably actually live there. I've been based in Buenos Aires for the better part of a decade. It's a great place if you have money already or a steady income stream from OUTSIDE Argentina in hard currency.

Things are moving very quickly there in terms of the economy and new laws. Anyone who lived there more than a year ago frankly isn't going to know what they're talking about. Real estate transactions are done in physical USD, other than that, it's pesos. If you have physical dollars you're getting externally, you can get a good rate on the black market. There's a lot to learn and it sounds like your intel is bad.

Check out the threads on http://baexpats.org/, they will give you much more info on how to get setup. Don't start a thread there until you've searched and read through stuff, there's a ton of info.

Post: #16

(09-12-2012 06:01 PM)Nudge Wrote:  I thought the issue was more their flakiness and just disappearing on you at random times?

Coldness and bad attitudes more than anything. I struggled to even get conversations out of most of them.

(09-13-2012 04:10 AM)Nudge Wrote:  I wouldnt be moving there just for the girls anyway. Also for the lifestyle, the clubbing, food, culture blah blah. I was moving somewhere just for girls I would move to second tier Colombia, EE or maybe Thailand.

The only problem is, most of those things aren't that good in Aregentina IMO. The food is very limited (meat, meat and more meat). The nightlife is repetitive and starts really late (2-3am) rather than being really special. The culture did nothing for me.

Post: #17

I've been living in BA on and off for the last 5 years. The key is to have a steady income source from abroad. BA can be a pain in the ass in terms of renting a long term apartment, as you need to know somehow who is willing to put up their property as collateral just to sign the contract...or else you have to pay extremely inflated tourist prices.

Porteñas, I like to think of them as girls from Long Island transplanted in South America. If you are from the New York area you'll get my analogy. I prefer the girls from the province and the colombian students as they are a little less complicated than porteñas. Every porteña is hit on around 100x a day since they've been 15 so they all tend to think they are god's gift to mankind.

The best way to crack porteñas in my opinion is by acquiring some type of social status. Being foreign and/or rich won't do it. I have a business here that deals with fashion, so once I tell girls what I do it opens doors/vaginas. You have to do your best to crack social circles here too, which isn't always easy. If you get into social circles and have some type of social status you'll have luck. Being alpha is also essential, but not a "cocky asshole."

Post: #18

Portof: Cheers for the link, lots of reading and research to do.

Post: #19

This is a huge decision in your life.

I would speak to friends, family, co-workers. Don't rely completely on the advice you get on an open internet forum.

Post: #20

No I know, am definitely going to talk to as many people as possible. Just wanted to see if anyone here has done it recently.

Its only as big as you make it though. Worst case scenario, I head over for a few months and try set myself up. Fail miserably, drop a couple k and have to head back to London or Aus. No biggie.

Its like the old saying: Its always better to regret something you did rather than something you could have done.

Post: #21

Why are you so set on Argentina?

Post: #22

^^ Pretty much because of the work/holiday visa Aussies can get now and my work ties/contacts. The chance to live in South America legally while somewhat maintaining or even advancing my career. If I just wanted to have a mini-retirement and focus on banging bitches I would def not go to Argentina!

Post: #23

If you have all the legal and work contacts, and will be making money in dollars, euros I say go for it.

Some people are disappointed when they live here, because before they arrive they hear its the "Paris of the south" filled with beautiful women, cheap wine, and steaks. I'm happy here, but the reality is crime is real problem, inflation is rampant, public transport frequently goes on strikes, and the women aren't easily impressed. That being said, it can be a great time and interesting experience.

Post: #24

Crime seemed to be a major issue, I spent 2 weeks in BA and though I got into no trouble I met so many people who had been robbed.