1970-01-01 02:00:00
They are not digital nomads nor were they attracted to the exchange rate. On the contrary, they migrated despite the economic disorder that Argentina has been experiencing for several years and suffer, like the Argentines, with the constant increase in prices – a inflation that exceeds 140% per year.
Foreigners who choose to live in Argentina despite its problems number three million, according to the latest data from the National Personnel Registry. That’s 6.5% of the country’s population of 46 million. This does not include immigrants who do not have residence in Argentina, a number that must be much higher.
“Argentina is delicious in many ways,” says American Paige Nichols, 36, who arrived in Buenos Aires from Washington 15 years ago. For her, Argentina is a country that can “drive you crazy”, but that does not eliminate the advantages of living in a “dynamic and creative” society.
“Argentina is recognized for having the best education in Latin America”, says Brazilian Isla Montalieraged 29, who in 2013 traveled from Sergipe to Buenos Aires to study medicine.
More than 87% of immigrants come from South American countries, as is the case with Isla.
Although they closely follow the country’s political dynamics, foreigners in Argentina cannot vote in presidential elections this Sundayin which locals will decide between Economy Minister Sergio Massa and self-described libertarian Javier Milei.
“We all know the situation in the country. What’s happening hits me. But since I arrived I’ve never thought about going anywhere else,” says Larry Montes, a 33-year-old architect who, before leaving Venezuela in 2017, evaluated the possibility of settle in Santiago de Chile.
The feeling of community, hospitality towards migrants, vibrant energy, universities and nightlife are some of the reasons why many foreigners choose to stay in Argentina.
BBC Mundo spoke to some of them about the reasons that led them to choose Argentina.
Larry Montes (Venezuela)
The day I arrived in Buenos Aires, at 5 am, I felt that this was my place in the world. Argentina is a very welcoming country for migrants.
In many other Latin American countries, Venezuelans are victims of xenophobia. In the case of Argentina, we are a respected community, Argentines make us feel part of the country.
To give an example, in my first job I met someone at the house of some acquaintances and the following week we were already having a barbecue at his house.
I am an architect and from the beginning I found work in the construction sector. Argentine professionals have always treated me with respect in my workplace, they have always made me feel integrated.
I think this has to do with the migratory past of many Argentine families, which makes Argentina a welcoming place for foreigners. Most people open the doors of their homes to you, welcome you, invite you to eat.
We all know the situation the country is going through. What happens hits me. But since I arrived in 2017 I never thought about going anywhere else. I can feel nothing but gratitude for this beautiful country that welcomed me with so much love.
Paige Nichols (EUA)
Sometimes I jokingly say that I stay in Argentina because I like to suffer.
Argentina has a seductive chaos. I want to say that there is room for change, transformation, creativity.
But I’m not romanticizing the chaos. Sometimes this country drives me crazy. For example, if I have to go to the bank, the supermarket and the post office, it could take three days: you go to the bank and there is no system; you go to the supermarket and don’t find half the products you want to take; you arrive at the post office and they are on strike.
So the question that many ask me arises: Why did you leave the United States, a first world country, to live here? That’s what a lot of people can’t understand.
Well, because Argentina is delicious in many ways. This country has given me everything in the 15 years I have been here: a job, a community of friends, a chosen family, love, it has opened its doors and my eyes.
I like the contrasts between Argentines: the desire to break the rules but respect for certain social conventions that force us to always be attentive. Of course this has a negative side, it’s a country that demands a lot of you, you can’t relax, because you don’t know what you’re going to find.
But I like the vibe, the curiosity of people, the pace. In Argentina we do more with much less, which forces usa to be creative and dynamic. And I feel like ultimately that’s a positive.
Oriane Flechaire (France)
I was born in Pernes-les-Fontaines, in the south of France. After finishing university there, I decided I wanted to live abroad, but I didn’t start in Argentina.
Before arriving here I lived in California, United States. In Los Angeles (LA) I realized that everyone focuses on their own life without looking too much at each other and, for me, the way people relate to each other is important.
In LA, for example, there is no custom to going to a cafe during the day. The absence of this type of dynamic greatly affects the way people relate to each other.
In 2011, when I arrived in Argentina, I realized that the French and Argentines had a lot in common. It seems like a small thing, but we share a taste for good food. And when I say this I mean that we sit together at the table: a good meal, with good conversations.
Both the French and Argentines value the idea of community more than the idea of individual success and failure. This feeling is present in every corner of the country, it can be seen in education and public health, in the way people take to the streets, walk at night, and meet each other. All of this says a lot about a society.
In Argentina we walk together. And this is very good.
Montalier Island (Brazil)
Since I was little, I always wanted to be a doctor.
But studying medicine in Brazil is very expensive. Education in Brazil is elitist. It is very rare to see someone who is not white, from the middle or upper middle class, among the doctors who graduate in my country.
At public universities, if you didn’t attend private schools, it’s very difficult for you to pass the entrance exam. At private universities, the monthly fee is three times higher than at paid universities in Argentina.
That’s why many Brazilians come to study here. In my case, I graduated from a private university.
In this sense, we see with some concern – and I believe I can speak for a large part of the Brazilian community in the country – the debate about the future of public education in Argentina, especially for children who are studying.
Argentina is recognized for having the best education in Latin America. I wonder what would happen in this country, which has 50% poor people, if they didn’t have access to public education. I think they would be in a much more complicated position.
I’m not thinking about leaving the country. I realized this one day in 2014, walking with my mother along Rua Florida, when she told me that she needed to think about what she would do when she returned to Brazil. I replied: “I don’t want to go back to Brazil. I love the life I have in Argentina.”
Mauricio Flórez (Colombia)
In Argentina I discovered a country where everything happens at all times.
I left Medellín (Colombia) and went to Quito (Ecuador), when I was 19 years old. The city seemed very small to me, very conservative, more like Colombia, where after a while you get into the monotony of routine.
On the contrary, Buenos Aires is a fun and very creative place.
In Argentina I started dedicating myself to gastronomy in the world of wines a few years ago. Thanks to a partnership we opened a wine bar. Despite Argentina’s problems, things have always been good for me.
I don’t know if there are as many cities as Buenos Aires in Latin America. This is a place with people from all over the world, fun, with an intense nightlife, which many other cities in Latin America don’t have.
I think it has to do with the fact that Argentina is safer than Colombia. Even now that we see an increase in insecurity, in Medellín it would be impossible to be on the street at 2 am.
If I were to give advice to anyone who wants to go to Argentina, I would say to visit other cities: Córdoba, Mendoza, Bariloche, not just Buenos Aires. There are many opportunities in other provinces.
This text was originally published here
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