Pros and cons of living in a Latin American country
For me, Argentina is Lionel Messi and pregnant Russian women. But they will not be discussed. After Europe turned away from compatriots, and in friendly countries it became crowded with Russians, the citizens of the Russian Federation went to conquer South America. Preference was given to visa-free Buenos Aires. What is the difference between our pensioners and Argentinean ones, why local employers are not happy with Russians and what makes life far from their homeland attractive? 2023/05/22/18/articles/detailPicture/3a/d1/22/b5/224d7a068da43988a8d97f12a2928bf7.jpg» class=»article__picture-image» alt=»Pros and cons of living in a Latin American country» /> Poverty is a problem in every country. There are plenty of poor people in Argentina too. Photo: t.me@pustota1058
I was prompted to write a text about Russians in Argentina by the complaint of the Russian ambassador to Argentina about Russophobia and acts of direct violence on the part of the local population. In April, the ambassador told how one of the Russian consuls “unexpectedly got hit in the neck” at the exit from the temple. The blow was accompanied by insulting cries addressed to Russia. Another Russophobic attack was the refusal of the authorities of Buenos Aires to hold the annual Mother Rus' festival. According to the ambassador, Russian speech on the street could allegedly be a reason for checking documents, which has already happened with the embassy staff.
It is surprising to hear such a thing about a country that is considered one of the most democratic in the world. I turned to the Russians who I found in Argentine chats for comments.
“What was listed by the ambassador took place,” agreed lawyer Oleg Shcherbakov, who lives in Buenos Aires. — There are sick people who do not know how to control emotions. But I would not talk about Russophobic sentiments in the country. Rather, there is some kind of political decision to create a media background that there is Russophobia in Argentina, it’s bad there, don’t go there, boys and girls. This request could have come from both Russia and Argentina. You and I won't know.»
Maria has been living in Argentina for 9 months, working in real estate. The girl claims that her family has never encountered such aggression: “It’s the embassy employees themselves who are not happy with the flow of Russians and the large amount of work. You can anonymously, otherwise I need to go to them for documents.
“When the locals find out that I am Russian, they take a liking to me,” another young man denied the version of Russophobia. — Recently, I was unable to pay for a ticket to the museum with a bank card, so they let me in for free. The shop assistants smile when they hear that I am from Russia. Some even pronounce certain words in Russian. The police never stopped me for speaking my native language. Perhaps such attacks were only against the embassy staff. After all, they arrange all sorts of events near the embassy, after which Ukrainians rally there. The Argentines themselves perceive the conflict with Ukraine with indifference: something is happening somewhere, somehow it affects us, well, okay.”
25-year-old IT specialist Mikhail runs a telegram channel where he talks about Argentina. The young man and his wife moved to the country 5 months ago. No children, no plans in the near future. Mikhail was also surprised by the question about Russophobia: “I have never even crossed paths with Ukrainians here, what can we talk about?”
We started talking. Word for word, the result is a story about the life of Russians in Argentina.
Before that, we stayed in Georgia. But they didn’t see prospects for themselves there, and my wife wanted to live in Argentina for a long time, — Mikhail admits. — Finances and opportunities allowed. And we decided. One of Argentina's top priorities was simple legalization. In the future, if necessary, a relatively quick receipt of a passport. We were also interested in a country where it is free and fairly cheap to live.
— Yes, sometimes you walk the streets, you see a Russian family, and 90 percent that the woman is pregnant or already with a baby. According to official figures, more than 10,000 Russian women gave birth in the country last year alone. Pregnant women continue to arrive, but the legalization rules have been tightened. If you leave the country immediately after the birth of a child, then the residence permit is frozen. In general, life is getting harder.
— I heard that paid childbirth costs about $1,000. Medicine here is quite cheap compared to Moscow.
— If you do not lose the level of comfort that you are used to in Moscow, then the cost of living, plus or minus, is the same. But many of the usual goods are not here. To get them, you will have to spend much more money than in Russia. For example, our compatriots consume vitamins in huge quantities, which are in abundance in Russia. Ordering them here is expensive due to customs duties. But on the other hand, rice, beef, some fruits and vegetables are much cheaper than at home.
If you do not want to change anything in your diet, then the cost of living will not change much. If you are ready to give up some of the usual things, you will be able to save money.
With a reasonable approach in Argentina, you can eat for 10 thousand rubles a month. At the same time, every day you can afford meat, fruits and vegetables.
Every day you can afford meat, fruits and vegetables . Photo: t.me@pustota1058
— My IT company met me halfway, allowed me to adjust the working hours under the hour belt of Argentina. I work from 7 am to 4 pm. The wife will have to change jobs, her boss did not agree to adapt.
— The hardest thing is that you can not fully communicate with the locals. In South America, few people speak English. Not every Argentine understands even basic questions. For example, the other day I asked a flower shop to sell me five roses. The seller could not understand me for a long time. But the friendliness of the locals helps out. They try to the last to understand what you want.
— I heard that there is a community that holds meetings with Russian speakers. About a hundred people go to them. But they are not engaged in defending someone's interests. Rather, it is an opportunity for new arrivals to socialize in the country.
— There are several reasons for this. Argentina gets along well with the Russian government. I think that in some way the Russian Federation could tacitly influence the tightening of the rules.
On the other hand, there were several scandals when Russians received an Argentinean passport, and then were seen in troubled affairs. It casts a shadow over the country. Argentina is afraid that they will be given visas to enter Europe due to the loss of confidence in the passport.
And one of the non-obvious reasons may be the fact that the locals do not understand what category of Russians come to them for permanent residence. I read on local forums a discussion of Argentines who seriously believe that Russians are coming here to sit on benefits. This erroneous point of view creates a negative image of Russians in the eyes of Argentines.
— There is almost no decent job for me inside the country. In the IT sector, salaries are low, people are reluctant to hire due to local laws. You have to work for other countries to get decent money.
The average salary in Argentina is about the same as in a Russian city with a population of over one million. So I would warn compatriots to come here with their last money in the hope of finding a job. A good position without knowledge of Spanish will not be accepted. Ours will have to compete with representatives of Latin American states only for low-skilled work.
Not happy with the ever-increasing prices for everything and everyone. There are no usual goods, ranging from the notorious buckwheat to chips, chocolates like Snickers, Mars, Twix. If you find it, it will be imported at prices twice as expensive as in Moscow. You can't buy cottage cheese and sour cream, sauerkraut and pickles.
More expensive equipment here. Many well-known firms are missing. Cheap products can be found, but these will be “serious trucks” without a guarantee. There is no certainty about the quality of such a product.
The country has a relatively high crime rate. There are frequent robberies. They can snatch the phone out of their hands, try to take away valuables and money. Locals recommend not to wear chains, rings, earrings and expensive clothes on the street. Here the guarantee of safety is inconspicuousness. It will no longer be possible to show off a Louis Vuitton handbag or a new iPhone model. In many areas on the lower floors there are bars on the windows and on the balconies. Apparently, burglaries also happen. And it's better not to go to certain neighborhoods, so as not to increase the risks.
— High level of freedom. Despite the crime, if you follow the safety rules, you feel calm and relaxed. Relatively easy legalization and fast obtaining of a passport, which provides visa-free entry to Europe. You can make a quick visa to the USA, Canada for 10 years. Well, the low cost of living compared to Europe and other Latin American countries. The undeniable advantage of Argentina is the fact that you can get here without a visa and you will have time to understand whether the country is suitable for living or not.
The whole country is football fans. Photo: t.me@pustota1058
— Tourists can apply for a short-term rental contract for 3-6 months. Housing is rented with furniture and necessary things. The cost of adequate options starts from $ 500 per month. These are apartments in good, safe areas, often with separate bedrooms, spacious balconies, common areas on the territory of the house for all residents: a gym, a swimming pool, a barbecue area. But you can rent such apartments only through agents, which means you have to pay a commission. Often require to pay the entire amount for the full period of residence. Plus a mandatory deposit in case of all sorts of problems. As a result, it turns out that you will immediately pay $2,300 for renting an apartment for three months.
Another type of rent is designed for a long-term period. It is available to residence permit holders and locals. There are already more interesting options for a much lower cost. But such apartments are rented unfurnished. But you can pay in pesos, which is beneficial because of the ever-growing dollar exchange rate. And the contract value is not adjusted as often.
— These services are included in the cost of the contract. But the locals say that water, electricity, Internet are inexpensive. By my calculations, 30 percent cheaper than in Russia.
— Most products are either 20-30 percent cheaper than in Russia, or cost the same. But the quality of local products is higher. For example, a kilogram of good beef costs 300-500 rubles. In Russia, an analogue of such meat is more than 1000 rubles.
— Prices are different, but still lower than in Moscow. Lunch for two plus dessert will cost about 2000 rubles in a good establishment. But here you need to look for delicious places. Usually there is always a queue.
In general, the local cuisine is primitive. In the course of empanadas — pies stuffed with vegetables, meat, cheese and ham and other unsweetened combinations. Locals love steaks and a twisted exotic called fugazetta — pizza with cheese and a mountain of onions. Seafood is not very common in Argentina, sometimes I miss salted or fried fish.
“Because everyone uses laundromats. There are street ones, sometimes there is a common washing room in the entrance, where you can wash and dry clothes with tokens.
— Not certainly in that way. The stores have a lot of products from different companies, there are imported goods from Europe and other countries. Some are more expensive, some are cheaper. By the way, Zara is also available. It's just that people don't go looking for imported clothes, floor cleaners and toilet bowls. They buy what they have. But Argentines use American iPhones, Samsung is officially sold at prices lower than in Russia, in the course of Motorola. There is equipment of local manufacturers of acceptable quality. There are plenty to choose from. Since the locals love to watch football, there are a lot of huge 4K UHD TVs for ridiculous money.
I remember I came here a couple of days after the end of the World Cup celebrations. I saw heaps of garbage on the central streets, which were cleaned for another week. The whole country is addicted to football. Messi they have at the level of a deity. A lot of merchandise with a football player, portraits, even icons with Messi are sold. Children play football in the parks, buses full of fans pass through the streets. Football matches are broadcast everywhere, even in gyms. Their football is at the level of tradition, goes along with mate and meat steaks.
I don't know about dogs. But representatives of sexual minorities are not infringed here. I know that many gay Russians choose this country partly on this principle.
— It depends what you mean by poverty in Russia and in Buenos Aires. My grandmother received a pension of 13,000 rubles, having worked all her life at school as a teacher of the highest category. Is she a poor person? If so, then half of the people in Russia are poor. I worked as a programmer in the municipal accounting department, where the average salary of an accountant was 18-19 thousand rubles. Half of the country lives like this.
I will not say that Argentina is an earthly paradise. But here I see older people sitting at Starbucks. In Russia, pensioners do not know what it is. Here people do not live on bread for milk, since everyone can afford cheap meat. They look happy.
Poverty is a problem for any country. There are plenty of poor people in Argentina too. They live in neighborhoods where it's not safe to walk. But here a homeless person can pick a banana from a palm tree, but what can a homeless person in Russia do?
I do not want to delve into politics, I will only say that in Argentina it is difficult to understand how much money a person has. It is not customary to flaunt wealth here. People drive simple cars, dress modestly, but at the same time they can have a half-million-dollar mansion in the city.
I think that soon the ranks of wealthy people in Argentina will be replenished with Russians, given the high salaries of our IT specialists.
This crisis has been going on for over 20 years. People are used to it and don't bother. Maybe the mentality helped. Although rallies, processions and strikes are arranged here. The dissatisfaction of the people helps to contain the indexation of salaries once a quarter. Unemployment benefits are indexed. Well, in general, it is unusual to observe how the price of a service can change several times in a month.
— It would not hurt us to learn kindness and openness from the Argentines, to stop perceiving others people as enemies. Here, chatting with a barefoot homeless person is in the order of things. This is not accepted in Russia.
There may be a kilometer-long line in the store, but no one pushes, no one shouts, no one panics. For all the time I have not seen a single scandal on the street, no one has ever raised his voice.
But there is a problem that some important things are not always planned. If you were promised something, it does not mean that the promise will be fulfilled. It is difficult to get used to their slowness and regularity.
— Everything will depend on my work. If they offer me something in Europe, I would go there. But if I have to spend the rest of my life in Argentina, I won't be upset.