Image by Jimmy Baikovicius
We lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina from January to June 2013. And no, we’re not usually adventurous people.
Why did you go to Argentina?
Because we were inspired. Because we wanted to try living abroad for a while. And because we realized we could, and that there’s no guarantee we could do it later. At the time, my husband’s business was virtual. We homeschool. We don’t own a home. If our job situation had changed in a few years, it would have been a lot harder to try this adventure. So we’re seized the day. We’re blessed and thankful to have had the chance.
Image by Robert Ostmann
Why did you choose Buenos Aires?
I lived abroad there for nearly a year in college, and formed a lot of connections. We considered other Spanish-language countries (oh, Barcelona, you’re so beautiful…but I don’t speak Catalán), but since we thought a move might be hard on our kids, we wanted to be somewhere where we weren’t complete strangers. Plus, I was dying to meet all my friends’ babies.
Knowing the city, the slang, and something of the way of life also made the move a lot less daunting for us.
Image by Montecruz Foto
Why five months?
Well, a year sounded long, while two months sounded like a glorified vacation. Then we found out that officially, tourist visas in Argentina only last six months (at least on paper). What with plane schedules and pricing, we stayed a bit over five months.
Were there lots of monkeys and banana leaves?
Not so much. 🙂 Buenos Aires has about the same climate as Houston–not exactly tropical. And it’s more like Manhattan than Rio de Janeiro. It’s a gorgeous, huge city of 12 million people, with subways, trains, high-rises, and amazing culture. It’s also a really kid-friendly place–childrens’ museums, parks, and amazing ice cream.
Is the food there super-spicy?
Hardly. Porteño food is heavily influenced by immigrants from Italy and Spain, so tortillas are quiches, not taco wraps. (And tacos are high heels, but that’s another story). Pizza comes with an olive in the middle, and a “complete” hamburger boasts a fried egg and ham. The beef is fantastic, of course, and the city is increasingly known for its embrace of ethnic food. You can find sushi, Thai, and Mexican if you look. But they don’t like it spicy.
What language do Argentines speak?
Spanish.
And how is your Spanish?
I’d say I’m moderately fluent. I am fluent. Which means I understand mostly everything unless you talk fast or use a lot of slang or have an accent from an unfamiliar place, or are on the phone, or you mumble, or….
The rest of the family was in various stages of learning.