Dan Perlman - Expat in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dan Perlman is a 56-year-old American Chef/Restaurateur living in Argentina. Almost ten years ago, he decided to move to Buenos Aires to look for adventure and romance, and he was on the right path. He then met the love of his life.
Mr. Perlman loves living in Argentina as the overall lifestyle is fairly good, however, the politics and economy can be unstable at times, “Positive – overall lifestyle, with all the benefits of a cosmopolitan, multicultural city with a far slower pace and cost. Negative – insane politics and unstable economy,” he said.
Living in a different country has its ups and downs, most especially when you don’t have a lot of information about a country’s economy, culture or politics. The best way to start knowing about a country’s background is through the help of international movers, as they can give information and relocation advices about the country that you are moving to. To beat unpredictable economies, seek out professional help, as they will surely help you and your finances in your best interests.
Find out more about Dan Perlman’s experiences in Argentina in his full interview below.
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: Grew up in Ann Arbour, Michigan; later lived in New York, NY.
Q: What made you move out of your home country?
A: Adventure, romance.
Q: Where are you living now?
A: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Q: How did you come to choose this new country of residence?
A: It was where I met the person I was interested in.
Q: How long have you been living in Argentina?
A: Almost ten years.
Q: What has been the most difficult experience you've had when you were new in your Argentina?
A: Learning Spanish.
Q: Would you say that formalities like getting visas or work permits and international health insurance was particularly difficult in Argentina? What was your experience with these?
A: Overall, while tedious and a long process, it was relatively easy. Lots of paperwork and waiting time, but nothing that was difficult to do.
Q: Are you living alone or with your family?
A: With my husband.
Q: Was it easy making friends and meeting people? Do you mainly socialize with other expats in Indonesia? How did you manage to find a social circle in Argentina?
A: As easy as making friends anywhere – my social circle is a mix of expats (and not just from the U.S., but from various countries) and locals, probably mostly locals and expats from Peru, where my husband is from.
Q: What are the best things to do in the area? Anything to recommend to future expats?
A: Eat, drink, enjoy a beautiful city—walk around, cultural events.
Q: How does the cost of living in Argentina compared to your home?
A: I suppose you want it in U.S. dollars as a comparison... A cup of coffee costs about $1-2. For an inexpensive restaurant, about $5-10, and in an expensive restaurant, you’ll spend about $30-100. Then a bottle of wine costs $10-100.
Q: How do you find the local culture and people in Argentina?
A: Easy going, neurotic, fun, friendly.
Q: What do you think are the positive and negative sides of living in Argentina?
A: Positive – overall lifestyle, with all the benefits of a cosmopolitan, multicultural city with a far slower pace and cost. Negative – insane politics and unstable economy.
Q: Do you miss home and family sometimes?
A: Of course, who doesn't, but then, I didn't live close to my family in the U.S. either, so I missed them while I was there as well—just takes longer to fly to visit them by a few hours.
Q: How do you cope with homesickness?
A: I talk to friends and family back home, I visit.
Q: Do you have plans to move to a different country or back home in the future?
A: We're thinking about it.
Q: What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
A: Occasional healthcare issues – while the system here is reasonably good, it's excessively complicated and slow (then again, it's pretty complicated in the US, just more efficient).
Q: What tips can you give other expats living in Argentina?
A: Learn Spanish – local Spanish, which is very different in many ways from that found in other places in the world – it opens up a completely different experience from that for people who don't. Make friends outside of the expat community – did you really move here just to hang out with the people from back home?
Q: Do you have favourite websites or blogs about your host country?
A: Probably the two websites here I use more than anything are both from the city of Buenos Aires government – the cultural agenda site and the interactive map site - http://agendacultural.buenosaires.gob.ar/ and http://mapa2.buenosaires.gob.ar/.
In terms of blogs, I tend to read various food blogs as opposed to ones specifically about here, though I skim a variety of local ones at times - http://bubblear.com/ http://www.therealargentina.com/ http://southernconeguidebooks.blogspot.com.ar/ and http://comosur.com/ are probably among those I read more often than others, and of course, my own - http://www.saltshaker.net/.