I arrived in Argentina on February 10th of this year (2020). After living my entire life in Venezuela I made the choice to come to the country and study. This is a story of what has happened after my arrival, the things I’ve experienced, and the shocks I’ve had along the way.
Farewells in Venezuela are not uncommon. The socio-economic crisis created an exodus almost as massive as the one in Syria. So saying goodbye to my friends and family, although it was difficult, I had prepared for that. I said goodbye to my parents, who accompanied me all the way, and I crossed the boarding gate without looking back.
I stayed with some friends who live in Buenos Aires for a week. Here’s the first thing I learned: sightseeing and exploring a city by yourself is actually pretty fun! Going to tourist spots, visiting friends, taking the subway, etc, you manage your own time, agenda, and you have the opportunity to internalize what you’re seeing. It’s a different way to experience a city.
Of course, you need to be extra aware of your surroundings, especially on the subway. The flock of people that leave a station is perfect for pickpocketing. But even then, I’d do it all over again.
Living in Argentina is a curious experience. Looking from afar, you think the country is cold all the time, and Argentinians only care about Football and Mate, but you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s a country with a huge history, a lot of figures that one way or another have shaped the nation to make it the behemoth it is today.
What I’ve liked about Argentina
People
Most Argentinians are really straightforward. They get to the point and are unfiltered. I actually love that! In a world where people need to be cautious of their words, they exert their freedom anytime.
Knowing their culture and all the things about Lunfardo is difficult though, and even more when you’re in the middle of a pandemic and you need to work remotely, but It’s a challenge I happily embrace! Argentinians, with all their issues, can still give you a smile and have a chat.
Once, I was at a bank waiting to enter when a man starts talking to me. He immediately acknowledges my “weird” accent, and I tell him I’m Venezuelan. The usual modus operandi after that is that he will feign sympathy towards my country’s situation and talk in a condescending manner (at least that’s what my friends and sister have said to me).
To my surprise, we actually started talking about life in Argentina, how the country is steadily getting economically worse, and the similarities of both Venezuela and Argentina. At the end of the conversation, he asks me some nice places to visit in Venezuela (I recommended Margarita Island) and departs from the bank.
I’ve come to learn that Argentinians will never fail to impress you, and even if they’re not as effervescent as a caribbean, you’ll still want to make friends with them.
Architecture
Argentina, being a country with contrasting temperatures, needs you to have an A/C unit and a heater for each different season. Of course, that equipment is expensive, but there’s a water heater on almost every house and apartment.
Apart from that, they love preserving their past. In most Argentinian cities you’ll find a mix of colonial and modern architecture. I live in a 15-year-old apartment with more modern and open concepts, but you can still find buildings that are older than anyone you know! Buildings that surpass a certain age are protected by the government. You can only redesign the inside of it, but the colonial vibes always remain.
Food
If there’s something I’ve come to simply ADORE of Argentina is their food. Lomitos, Asado, homemade pasta. Their pizza game? The best!
I’d have to say that my favorite food is a good milanesa (it’s breaded meat or chicken). Making one is harder than it looks, but you know a good milanesa when you eat it.
In the sweets department, facturas (bakery sweets) are my favorite thing in the world. You have dulce de leche (milky candy), membrillo (quince. It’s a cousin of guavas), and cream, who are my personal favorite. A runner-up in the sweets department: alfajores!
Sadly, I don’t have pictures of facturas. I’m currently on a pseudo sugar rehab.
Quality of life
Argentina doesn’t have a top-notch medic system, probably in the biggest cities like Rosario, Córdoba, and Buenos Aires, but most cities have standard hospitals. However, using obras sociales (health insurance systems) is really easy, and on some companies, their benefits go farther than just health.
However, as an immigrant, you need some luck to get to this point. Obras sociales can be costly if you decide to pay that on your own, that’s why most businesses have partnerships with them help with the paperwork and such.
To get to the point of a company paying for those services you need to be signed up for the company in the AFIP (the national entity that keeps track of income) and oh boy, finding a company that hires an immigrant on that status can be difficult. I was really lucky to have a background in tech and getting a job at Moka where even if we don’t have a history of hiring foreign (I’m the first one), we’re willing to learn all about it.
Most immigrants don’t have a Moka in their life, though. I can’t be more grateful for being a part of this company.
With that sort of bittersweet paragraph, it’s time to move to the cultural shocks and things I don’t like about Argentina.
Cultural shocks
The little things
On my first 12 hours in Argentina, I came across this: the power outlets were different! More than being a nuisance, it was a shock knowing that we used another set of cables than Argentinians, (and also that I didn’t research for that, but shh). It was a lifesaver knowing that you could use European cables though. That was good for my phone, but it was a different story with my laptop. However, adaptors are cheap and most extension sockets are compatible with American, European, and other outlets.
Siestas
In Venezuela (and most countries) we have all-day shifts. You know, your usual 9-to-5, however, in most Argentinian cities and towns this is not the case. Businesses have the habit of taking a break (or naps) from 2 pm to 4:30/5 pm. Just think about it: naps are state-wide accepted! I had some issues with that in the beginning, you don’t expect supermarkets so be closed at 2 pm, but you get used to it.
Trust in the customer
One time in Venezuela I was taking a look at a store near my house when a commotion began in the store due to a shoplifter that went on the run. I was perplexed at the situation and the employees started accusing me of being part of the robbery. I showed them my empty bag and made myself out. This is usual in Venezuela, but who can blame them? It’s one of the countries with the highest crime rates (I couldn’t find an online source in English for this, but we can talk if you need fact-checking).
In Argentina, however, things are different. There are times where you think “okay, so someone could just not present an item to the cashier and she wouldn’t even notice that it’s in the bag”. I once asked the cashier if she needed to check my bag, but she said and I quote: “no, that’s okay, I trust you”. Me, a complete newbie in Argentinian customs, just got slapped in the face with trust. It was really shocking, but I loved it.
The bad part
Argentina is far from being a fringe destination for Venezuelans. It’s estimated that some 700.000 foreigners were given IDs last year. 40% of those were Venezuelans. We’re a huge community, mainly based in Buenos Aires, Rosario, or Córdoba (Argentina’s main cities). This high demand makes the process of legality a difficult feat.
For the past couple of months I’ve been struggling to open a bank account. I’ve tried in ~6 different banks, and even after that introduction I gave you above, bankers still don’t know how to proceed to open a bank account for a foreigner.
I’ve come across two banks who know what to do, but I have a problem with an ID that’s crucial for me to do most of these adult-ish things. These issues made me realize how difficult it can be changing countries. And this problem I’ve had is just the tip of the iceberg. There are people who have to travel for hours for the nearest migration office just to be turned down and asked to come another day. People who live on the streets and live on a day-by-day, struggling just to get by.
But in the end
Even after this issue, I still think I’m one of the luckiest people alive. It’s a difficult situation to leave your home country, but I feel blessed to have my sister behind my back and the whole Moka team.
This was a super-compressed version of my experience so far in Argentina. I feel like there’s still so much to learn. So many places to visit, people to meet, different facturas to taste (who knows, maybe I’ll learn to make them), and mates to brew.
