Best South American country for a USA ex-pat? | |
Hiro Protagonist User ID: 501302 United States 04/11/2009 07:14 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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Halloran (OP) User ID: 650704 United States 04/11/2009 07:15 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | C'mon 501302, you can be uselessly more clever than that! Last Edited by Paul McCartney on 04/11/2009 07:16 PM "It can be held certain that information that is withheld or suppressed contains truths that are detrimental to the persons involved in the suppression." ~ J. Edgar Hoover |
Reality is BS User ID: 629077 United States 04/11/2009 07:16 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Halloran (OP) User ID: 650704 United States 04/11/2009 07:17 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Hiro Protagonist User ID: 501302 United States 04/11/2009 07:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Halloran (OP) User ID: 650704 United States 04/11/2009 07:28 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | C'mon 501302, you can be uselessly more clever than that! Quoting: Hiro Protagonist10 words and you still had to edit? lol. Put a lot of thought into that one, eh? Yes. I added your user ID because I noticed that someone else had responded. Now you're being useless AND an asshole. Well done. "It can be held certain that information that is withheld or suppressed contains truths that are detrimental to the persons involved in the suppression." ~ J. Edgar Hoover |
D. Bunker 04/11/2009 07:29 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 650392 United States 04/11/2009 07:30 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Halloran (OP) User ID: 650704 United States 04/11/2009 07:32 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | What are your language skills? Quoting: D. BunkerDecent High School Spanish. I plan to start refreshing though, and I'm a pretty quick study. "It can be held certain that information that is withheld or suppressed contains truths that are detrimental to the persons involved in the suppression." ~ J. Edgar Hoover |
DrKnow User ID: 653916 Mexico 04/11/2009 07:32 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | You should go to a few first and visit. But remember, it is WAY different to live there than just visit. Like the old saying... I have lived in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and currently am living in Mexico. It's a BIG move, but one that I (obviously) would heartily recommend. However, it is not for everyone. I live in a super popular tourist destination and work in the tourist business and there is alot of money being made. I have seen many Americans come down here to get a slice of it and not be able to take living here. They usually fade after about six months. The money alone is not enough. I'm not even telling you the job or how lucrative it is because I don't want all you fuckers coming down here. Apparently, if you can make it through the first six months, you have the proper temperament. There are a lot of things you have to put up with that you wouldn't even notice if you were here on vacation. The benefits have to outweigh the drawbacks for you to be happy. In any Latin American country there are a lot of similarities and these are usually the things that will eventually drive you insane and make you want to go back. But first, you need to decide the positive things you are looking for. You like skiing? Go for Argentina. Like crazed partying in a topless Gstring beach environment? Brazil rocks. More upscale beach partying? Costa Rica. Close to home and most "Americanized"? Mexico is right there. High finance? Panama. And so on... |
Hiro Protagonist User ID: 501302 United States 04/11/2009 07:33 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | C'mon 501302, you can be uselessly more clever than that! Quoting: Halloran10 words and you still had to edit? lol. Put a lot of thought into that one, eh? Yes. I added your user ID because I noticed that someone else had responded. Now you're being useless AND an asshole. Well done. Since it's customary to refer to someone with an avatar by their name, 650704, who's being the asshole? I suggest Venezuela for you, btw, because you have the right sort of personality for a citizen. You need others to make your decisions for you and when you are opposed you lash out violently. Oh, and by the way, GTFO as soon as possible. Last Edited by Hiro Protagonist on 04/11/2009 07:36 PM Yours Truly! |
Hiro Protagonist User ID: 501302 United States 04/11/2009 07:34 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
D. Bunker 04/11/2009 07:34 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | What are your language skills? Quoting: HalloranDecent High School Spanish. I plan to start refreshing though, and I'm a pretty quick study. Portuguese and Spanish are very similar and so you are probably not limited by this. Americans are generally not popular in much of South America. :savetata: Favorite Quote - "I just fucking love outer space, it has all those planets and stars and shit." - Mister Obvious 2009 |
Halloran (OP) User ID: 650704 United States 04/11/2009 07:36 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | You should go to a few first and visit. But remember, it is WAY different to live there than just visit. Like the old saying... Quoting: DrKnow 653916I have lived in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and currently am living in Mexico. It's a BIG move, but one that I (obviously) would heartily recommend. However, it is not for everyone. I live in a super popular tourist destination and work in the tourist business and there is alot of money being made. I have seen many Americans come down here to get a slice of it and not be able to take living here. They usually fade after about six months. The money alone is not enough. I'm not even telling you the job or how lucrative it is because I don't want all you fuckers coming down here. Apparently, if you can make it through the first six months, you have the proper temperament. There are a lot of things you have to put up with that you wouldn't even notice if you were here on vacation. The benefits have to outweigh the drawbacks for you to be happy. In any Latin American country there are a lot of similarities and these are usually the things that will eventually drive you insane and make you want to go back. But first, you need to decide the positive things you are looking for. You like skiing? Go for Argentina. Like crazed partying in a topless Gstring beach environment? Brazil rocks. More upscale beach partying? Costa Rica. Close to home and most "Americanized"? Mexico is right there. High finance? Panama. And so on... Thanks for the thoughtful response! I'm really looking for a place where I can have some land and be relatively self-sufficient. I'm not into skiing, or partying. I just want to be able to exist somewhere away from the ridiculous shopping mall/fascist state that the US is becoming. "It can be held certain that information that is withheld or suppressed contains truths that are detrimental to the persons involved in the suppression." ~ J. Edgar Hoover |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 641266 United States 04/11/2009 07:36 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 641266 United States 04/11/2009 07:38 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | What are your language skills? Quoting: D. BunkerDecent High School Spanish. I plan to start refreshing though, and I'm a pretty quick study. Portuguese and Spanish are very similar and so you are probably not limited by this. Americans are generally not popular in much of South America. Aww, it's okay to come here and pillage but they dont' want us there after they got funded by free American hand outs? Tough shit I say! I am going to go and buy land there and they can pound sand. I am Portuguese anyway. |
Halloran (OP) User ID: 650704 United States 04/11/2009 07:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | C'mon 501302, you can be uselessly more clever than that! Quoting: Hiro Protagonist10 words and you still had to edit? lol. Put a lot of thought into that one, eh? Yes. I added your user ID because I noticed that someone else had responded. Now you're being useless AND an asshole. Well done. Since it's customary to refer to someone with an avatar by their name, 650704, who's being the asshole? I suggest Venezuela for you, btw, because you have the right sort of personality for a citizen. You need others to make your decisions for you and when you are opposed you lash out violently. Oh, and by the way, GTFO as soon as possible. 1. "Customary" way to refer to someone? On GLP??? 2. I'm asking for people's opinions, NOT for them to make my decision for me. 3. No one "opposed me". What the fuck are you on about? 4. It took me "so long" to type this response because I was cooking. "It can be held certain that information that is withheld or suppressed contains truths that are detrimental to the persons involved in the suppression." ~ J. Edgar Hoover |
hardboiledheretic User ID: 649594 United States 04/11/2009 08:01 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Aww, it's okay to come here and pillage but they dont' want us there after they got funded by free American hand outs? Tough shit I say! I am going to go and buy land there and they can pound sand. I am Portuguese anyway. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 641266No, after we've exploited their natural resources, polluted the environment and supported puppet regimes in the US's favor to the detriment of the local populace, THEN the US comes in and throws in a well publicized token donation. Well uh, no, we're not exactly welcomed with open arms. Same applies to the rest of the world. No they don't hate us for our freedoms. Do your homework AC. h |
hardboiledheretic User ID: 649594 United States 04/11/2009 08:03 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
DrKnow User ID: 653916 Mexico 04/11/2009 08:10 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The things you need to get used to are: First, the manana thing. Manana does not really mean "tomorrow" it just means "not now". You MUST get used to dealing with this mentality. Wanting to get your shit done NOW is completely alien to these people, they can't even relate to WHY you think you NEED something so URGENTLY. This applies to EVERYTHING. It can be very frustrating, you MUST learn to deal with this. Shit takes forever to get done down here. That's just the way it is. Relax, have a beer, chill, it will get done eventually. Lack of availability of certain things, or exorbitantly high prices for imported shit. You are used to being able to get just about ANY FUCKING THING IN THE WORLD ordered online FedExed to your door the next day. FORGET IT. Get used to the local version of whatever it is. Or do without. You might have to give up your Budweiser. Super cutting edge Japanese consumer electronics? Lagging about two years behind. From here, it is often actually cheaper for me to fly to Miami to buy expensive shit (computers etc) than to buy it here. This makes Mexico convenient. Parts for everything is always a hassle. Combine that with the manana and, well, you get the picture. These two hold true EVERYWHERE south of the border. Stay away from the US border areas and big cities such as Mexico City, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, etc. They each have upwards of 20 million people, most living in cardboard shacks. Tossup between Mex and BA as "largest city in the world" over 25 million they are actually just the biggest SLUMS in the world and are a nightmare. Totally sweet if you are a rich fatcat with bodyguards. Otherwise not so much. The FOOD. I had no idea how important this would be. I mean, you go to foreign restaurants all the time, right? You went to that Argentine steak house just last weekend, remember? And tacos at the Mexican joint every Tuesday, right? What's the big deal? First of all, the food in a US restaurant is NOT the real McCoy, as anyone who has ever traveled down here will tell you. They change it up for the American bland palate. The real deal is WAY better. BUT... That Argentine steak house was great, right? Argentine beef is known as the best in the world by far, which is true. So......how would you like to have that AWESOME beef for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Here's your order, sir, meat, meat, and a side of meat. For dessert, filet mignon. That's how they eat it. You are viewed as crazy and unmanly if you want to have, say, vegetables. You have to make a real effort to get anything different. They are not trying to pull anything, they just eat a LOT of meat. So that is what is available. It was my friend's birthday, we had a big party. The menu? THIRTY KILOS OF MEAT and ten kilos of bread. THAT"S IT. And that was a hell of a spread to them. We went all out. To me, the food in Brazil was basically inedible. It was SO bad I would just eat enough to make the shooting pangs of hunger go away and that's it. You know how if you are really hungry anything tastes good? Yeah, not in Brazil. This colored my outlook on everything else. Mexico, in my opinion has the best food. I always assumed it all would be like Mexican food but it definitely is not. BIG difference. I love Mex food, but, even though I live in a tourist area so there are American joints like McPuke, Johnny Rockets, BK, that is all CRAP and I never eat there, and I am pretty much taco'd fucking OUT. I can make normal food myself, but if I go out even though there are a lot of restaurants here the choices are limited. One time I made meatloaf for this Mexican chick. It BLEW HER MIND. She had never had anything like it. MEATLOAF. In the US we have by far the best food in the world. Everyone says, "oh, there's no such thing as american food, just hot dogs and hamburgers." I have to call bullshit on that. We have restaurants with food from EVERY country all over the place and all kinds of cool food fusion that goes on because of the "melting pot" effect. Here, if I go out, unless I go to one of the overpriced tourist places, my choices are tacos, tacos, enchiladas, flautas, or chimichangas. Know what I mean? The most cultured and sophisticated place by far is Argentina. Now I know all the other South Americans are going to flip out but it's true. Actually, I guess that's just my opinion but it is most everyone else's too even if they don't want to admit it. If you are into museums, architecture, opera, philharmonic, etc. you will be right at home. Most other places are definitely NOT like that. Personally, I am into the beach scene. I love scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, all that shit. So I am right at home as long as there is a nice beach and a coral reef. Tubular waves is a plus. To me, that by far makes up for the minor downside. Brazil is reputed to have the hottest babes. (Debatable) Personally, I think Colombian chicks have the highest percentage of hotness plus the highest grade of hotness, but this could (and will) be debated endlessly. I need more research. Brazileras are definitely HOT. |
DrKnow User ID: 653916 Mexico 04/11/2009 08:17 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Also what are you going to do for money? Do you have a wife and kids? etc. These will make a MAJOR difference. If you have money pretty much ANYWHERE is awesome. The further away from the US the cheaper it usually is to live, and the further away from big cities. Home school your kids or send em to school in Spanish? Or what? If you are single it is a lot easier to bail if you don't like a place. Plus, did I mention there are loads of hot chicks? Once again, lots of cash greases all skids. If you aren't just independently wealthy, then HOW to make money will be THE dominant factor in your decision. Money can be made anywhere, different places different things are the way to go. |
midisandy User ID: 655188 United States 04/11/2009 08:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
DrKnow User ID: 653916 Mexico 04/11/2009 08:48 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The other big thing you have to get used to is the endemic bureaucratic corruption. Don't kid yourself that the US is not TOTALLY corrupt, it is, and the corruption runs much deeper, but it is better disguised. Here it is more out in the open and everyone is in on it. This can be looked at in two ways: I prefer to think of myself as a "glass half full" kind of guy, and so it is the BEST thing about it down here. You can bribe your way into or out of ANYTHING. Period. That is just how it works. Everyone in any position of power tries to hook up, in order, his family, his friends, his compadres, then other Mexicans, then any other Latin, then gringos at the bottom of the heap. What this means is, it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know. You need to hook up with the mayor's brother in law in order to get your shit approved, etc. adn grease the wheels all along the way. I prefer to think of it as "tipping" and it's all good. Best part? YOU CAN BRIBE THE COPS OUT OF A TICKET. Beautiful. So, I love it. But why do you really think YOU want to move down here? Do you think you would like it? Do you have a plan? WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR MONEY? |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 332259 Brazil 04/11/2009 08:50 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
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malu User ID: 593162 United States 04/11/2009 09:03 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | thanks for all your advice Dr Know, awesome i always figured i would end up with a latin wife someday, don't ask me why cuz i don't know, but it has always been on my mind, and have dated a few from costa rica, mexico, and brazil. any input would be appreciated ;) i just don't want to live in those countries, nice to visit, but the USA is home "By way of deception, thou shalt do war." Israel's Mossad "The truth shall set you free." U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Motto |
DrKnow User ID: 653916 Mexico 04/11/2009 10:43 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | One more thing you have to get used to: crazy drivers. If you learned to drive in NYC or Miami like I did it is a piece of cake, but most people get completely freaked out by the vehicular anarchy. They are nuts for speed bumps because it is the only way to get the crazy fucks to slow down. I just went around the corner to get cigarettes, and I saw three guys riding ATVs right down the main street, at night, with beers, and no one bats an eye. Once again, you could look at this two ways, dangerous insanity, or, FREEDOM. I can ride a fucking ATV right down the street in the middle of the night chugging a beer and no one cares. No one is going to give me shit for speeding or running a red light. Even if they do, I can just grease them and be on my merry way. FREEDOM BABY. |
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