Milly Day - Expat in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Milly Day is a 26-year-old expat in Argentina, who works in the travel and tourism sector. Originally from England, Miss Day travelled to Argentina after losing her job in the UK. She stayed for a while with an Argentinian family who offered to host her in their home in exchange for some help. I jumped at the opportunity,” Miss Day said. “Prior to living with them, I was travelling around the south of Argentina, where I met a boy in one of the hostels I stayed in (he was working behind the bar). We hit it off and I ended up spending a whole three weeks with him!” she said. At present, Miss Day has been living in Argentina for a year and a half.
Miss Day’s most difficult experience as an expat had to do with being independent while overseas. “I found it difficult not to depend rather a lot on Gerardo, the only person I knew there, and create a life for myself,” she explained. Making friends was also a challenge for her. “It wasn’t that easy to make friends, even though I’m usually a really confident, outgoing person,” she said, adding that it was difficult adjusting to living in a big city when she came from a town of just 4,000 people back in the UK. After meeting and moving in with several other expats, Miss Day said her social circle grew. “I left with friends from Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, France, England, Czech Republic, South Africa, Russia and the States!”
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Find out more about Miss Day’s experiences in Argentina in her full interview below.
Q: Where are you originally from?
A: England
Q: What made you move out of your home country?
A: I unfortunately lost the job I had in the UK, which at first I was devastated about, but I decided to transform it into something positive by going travelling. After a few months, I realised I was nowhere near ready to go home, so I attempted to reschedule my flight, but this wasn’t possible – I then had to make the tough choice between staying and losing the flight money, or leaving. I chose to stay.
Q: Where are you living now?
A: Up until recently, I was living in Argentina
Q: How did you come to choose this new country of residence?
A: Long story! My mother, who rents properties, got chatting to an Argentinian family after they booked her flat in London. She told them I was in Latin America, they told her they’d love to host me at their home in exchange for a bit of help, and I jumped at the opportunity. Prior to living with them, I was travelling around the south of Argentina, where I met a boy in one of the hostels I stayed in (he was working behind the bar). We hit it off and I ended up spending a whole three weeks with him! When it was finally time to leave his town and move in with the family, I made a promise to him that I would see him again when his band played in Buenos Aires. Needless to say, after a month of living with the family, I decided to move to Buenos Aires permanently – they were so wonderful to me, but I had begun to grow restless. I watched my man and his band take the stage by storm in Niceto, one of the city’s greatest venues, then we crashed at his friend’s place for the next couple of months. The two of us eventually moved out, as it wasn’t particularly comfortable living there, but hey, a few months’ free rent in Buenos Aires is certainly nothing to complain about!
Q: How long have you been living in Argentina?
A: I was there for a year and a half in total
Q: What was the most difficult experience you had when you were new in your host country?
A: I found it difficult not to depend rather a lot on Gerardo, the only person I knew there, and create a life for myself. It wasn’t that easy to make friends, even though I’m usually a really confident, outgoing person. I found living in such a big city hard to adjust to as well, as I’m from a town of just 4,000 people back in the UK!
Q: Would you say that formalities like getting visas or work permits and international health insurance were particularly difficult in Argentina? What was your experience with these?
A: It might sound terrible, but I didn’t get any of these! I worked, but I never had a work visa, which meant that I had to keep leaving the country every three months! Luckily, Colonia in Uruguay is just around the corner from BsAs.
Q: Were you living alone or with your family?
A: I initially lived with the family down south, then with Gerardo, as well as in a couple of house shares. Each had their advantages, but for me living in a house share was best, as I made such good friends with other expats as well as Argentines, who I’m still in contact with now. We had a LOT of fun together.
Q: How did they adjust to the Expat Lifestyle?
A: I can safely say we all loved it as much as each other. We cooked international dishes, hosted house parties, visited markets, sunbathed in the plazas, went clubbing and took long weekends all together- very little time was spent doing nothing! It was nice being amongst people who wanted to make the most of their time abroad like I did.
Q: Was it easy making friends and meeting people? Do you mainly socialize with other expats in Argentina? How did you manage to find a social circle in Argentina?
A: Like I said, it wasn’t easy at first, but once I moved in with a few other expats it became a lot easier. Through them, I met their friends/partners/work colleagues and our circle continued to grow. I left with friends from Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil, France, England, Czech Republic, South Africa, Russia and the States!
Q: What are the best things to do in the area? Anything to recommend to future expats?
A: It really depends on your interests, we were a bit of a party group and I must say, Buenos Aires has some great nightlife! Pacha, Crobar, Mandarine, Niceto and Levitar were amongst a few of my favourite venues. Other than that, the parks and plazas are beautiful, especially Parque 3 de Febrero in Palermo, where a lot of people go to walk, rollerblade and skate. I would also DEFINITELY recommend a trip to Tigre and the Delta Islands, where you can hire a cabin for a whole weekend- a nice way to escape the hustle-and-bustle of the city.
Q: How does the cost of living in your host country compared to your home?
A: In general, Argentina is much cheaper. A cup of coffee costs AR$20. A meal in an inexpensive restaurant costs AR$85 while a meal in an expensive restaurant costs A$250. A bottle of wine costs AR$25 while a pack of cigarettes costs AR$12.
Q: What do you think about the locals?
A: To be honest, I preferred the locals in other parts of Argentina to the porteños (Buenos Aires locals). That’s not to say that I didn’t meet some truly lovely porteños though.
Q: What do you think are the positive and negative sides of living in your host country?
A: The positives: friendly people, cheap(ish) lifestyle, beautiful landscapes, great nightlife. The negatives: inefficiency, disorganisation, corruption. Oh and a distinct lack of vegetables.
Q: Did you miss home and family sometimes?
A: Occasionally.
Q: How did you cope with homesickness?
A: It never really affected me that much, but I’d say the best way to cope is to keep busy and find ways to distract yourself from it.
Q: Do you have plans to move to a different country in the future?
A: Definitely, I want to live in Cape Town next!
Q: What were the hardest aspects of your expat experience?
A: I found it hard to live in such a big city and sometimes I got driven crazy by the lack of organisation.
Q: What tips can you give other expats living in Argentina?
A: Be patient! Patience is key. Be sure to take advantage of the cheap meat and wine too.
Q: Do you have favourite websites or blogs about your host country?
A: A Gringo in Buenos Aires – handy tips for travellers and expats in the capital
Argentina4U – the best tours, activities and events across the country
INBA – my BA clubbing bible
Craigslist – for job and flat hunting
The Real Argentina – covers pretty much everything
Pick Up The Fork – a serious eater’s guide to Buenos Aires and beyond
No Buts – my own stories from Argentina