Laura is finding that life to be fruitful in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she lives with her French husband. It isn’t just because they have their own business there, but because they’re expecting the arrival of their baby soon! Laura shares some details about things like getting a visa, the cost of housing, and future travel plans.	Laura Zurro

November 01 2006

-Where were you born?
Hartford, Connecticut, USA. My husband Stephane was born in Meulan, France.

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my husband, Stephane, our baby who will be born here around Christmas of this year, our two dogs – Zues and Sapphos, and our two cats – Lissie and Minou.

-In which country and city are you living now?
We live in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires. We chose this area because there are more houses and the area is much greener than in the city and it’s more conducive to families.

-How long have you been living in Argentina?
We’ve been living here since March of 2006.

-What is your age?
I just turned a very young 40.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Argentina?
We started thinking about moving in July of 2005. Initially we considered Mexico because I had spent some time there and really liked it and it wasn’t so far from our families. But, knowing that we wanted to start a family, we were concerned about the quality of health care, and Buenos Aires was our other option. Because we had a lot of Argentine friends in Miami, we knew that Buenos Aires would offer the health care we were looking for, as well as a lot of recreational and cultural activities.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
We came here like many people, on our tourist visas, and originally planned to get a visa as a representative of a foreign company because we have our own company back in the U.S. However, because we are having our baby here, she will automatically receive citizenship, and we will be able to apply for permanent citizenship through her. She will still be able to get U.S. and French citizenship as well.

It’s not impossible to get a visa here, but there is so much red tape that it takes a really long time for many people to get things done. For instance one of our Argentine friends is married to an American and they’ve been trying to get his DNI for several months, but each time something gets in the way.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
Private health care is very affordable by U.S. standards and is very easy to get. Since we knew we were going to try to start a family just after our arrival, we took our insurance on one of our trips three months before our actual relocation, thus ensuring we had full coverage when we got here. We are with Medicus, and have been really happy with their services. They are also associated with Duke University Medical Center in the U.S.

All we needed to sign up for our insurance was to go in person, with our passports, an address in Argentina, and the payment. We took the second highest plan which includes travel insurance out of the country for two months at a time, no copayments and no deductibles, and it has been wonderful for me for the pregnancy. For all of this we pay only 516 pesos per month or approximately $165 US.

-How do you make your living in Argentina? Do you have any type of income generated?
We, like many other expats we’ve met, are very entrepreneurial. We try to keep our income in dollars rather than in pesos, which makes it easier to take advantage of things like private health care, a house outside of the city, etc.

I have a real estate license from Florida, and although I don’t use the license here, I do utilize my real estate background every day in the rental business that my partner and I have, and also to support other expats in settling in here.

Stephane also does relocation work with several French companies and one of the French schools. In his spare time he utilizes his passion and background in Karate to give private lessons.

-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I speak enough Spanish to get by, and it’s improving every day. I speak to my obstetrician in a mixture of English and Spanish, but with most other people I often have to speak just in Spanish. I have a support group of Argentine and expat friends who I can lean on if I absolutely can’t get by. Interestingly, Stephane doesn’t speak much Spanish, but the similarity of French and Spanish means that sometimes when I’m lost, he’s got a complete handle on what’s being said.

I highly recommend learning at the very least, basic Spanish before coming here. It makes life so much easier and I think people are more receptive when the person tries to speak in Spanish first. Although the Spanish in Argentina is quite different from other Latin American Spanish, if the base is there, then the differences are not that important because they can be learned.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I do miss some things from the States. I’m an avid reader and I miss having mega bookstores where I can find all my favorite topics and I miss the ease of Amazon because getting shipments here can be quite a chore. I also miss little things like spicy foods, a sushi selection that isn’t based mainly on cream cheese and salmon, and bagels with cream cheese. And, although there are some great malls here, there just isn’t anything like Target or Marshalls for quality discount shopping.

We keep in touch with family with Internet phone systems like Jajah and Vonage, and instant messenger, there’s really no reason not to keep in touch on a daily or at least weekly basis.

When we first got here, I planned to start horseback riding again, but that was cut short when I discovered I was pregnant. We also go into the city a lot to visit friends, go out to eat, and hit the museums and fairs. Another favorite thing is to jump in the car and explore the neighborhoods in the city, in the suburbs and much further outside of the city as well – we’ve driven up to two hours outside of the city to explore towns such as Lujan to the north and Canuelas in the southwest.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I’m currently finishing an ebook about relocating to Buenos Aires and hope to have it finished and ready for sale in mid-November.

As soon as I’m able to travel again we plan to spend part of the upcoming summer exploring Patagonia, as well as visit the beaches in Uruguay. Of course, the major change for us will be adjusting our life to include our new member; we’re really looking forward to enjoying having the baby here because family is so important and life revolves around kids.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We decided to rent a house instead of buying one. It’s more cost effective to rent a very nice house than buying the same things, and since everything is in cash, it can be quite a lot of money up front. We also wanted to take the time to get to know the different barrios and with the price of real estate in Buenos Aires a bit out of control in some areas, to have the time to really watch the market.

We currently live in one of the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires, a very nice area with many expat executives and diplomats. Our house is around 3500 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, with pool. The yard is huge by most standards in our neighborhood - approximately 14,000 square feet. We pay $1600 US a month which we negotiated down from $2500 US because the house was older and wasn’t in perfect shape. Incidentally, the owner purchased this house just a few months before we moved for $550,000 U.S. - cash. In Argentina, the laws favor the tenant over the owner, so owners protect themselves by requiring a guarantee which is sort of like a lien on someone else’s property in case you default. It’s not always easy to get a guarantee, so we did a pago adelantado, which means paying up front. Incidentally, this is a very typical problem for expats who come here, particularly if they weren’t sent by a company, and is something to take into consideration when budgeting living costs.

-What is the cost of living in Argentina?
The cost of living is reasonable if you are living on dollars or euros. Prices have definitely gone up, though; I’ve watched our weekly grocery bill creep up and the bill is a little higher each week. We usually spend around 200 pesos a week for groceries, 140 pesos a month for our cable and Internet, 50 pesos a month for pet food, and around 200 pesos a month for neighborhood security (which was just raised by 20 percent).

-What do you think about the Argentine people?
We’ve made several Argentine friends here and have found them and the people in general to be very warm once they welcome you into their circle. Foreigners are generally well received as long as they come here realizing this is not their country – the ways things work can be quite different than what they’re used to.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Argentina?
Positives - If you love beef, beautiful untouched landscapes, horses, and a family-oriented lifestyle then you can find it all here. It’s also a really great jumping off point for seeing the rest of South America. There are lots of great street cafes, wonderful restaurants, and beautiful architecture. You can get anything delivered – from food to medicines to organic vegetables, and more. I also particularly love the fact that pregnant women or families with infants get treated extra special – people give up their seat on the train, there is a special line in the grocery store, and you can go to the front of the line in the bank.

Negatives – The drivers here are terrible. It’s incredible to see someone scream at another driver for doing something stupid, and then in the blink of an eye do the same thing. The rule of the road is don’t rely on the rules. And never trust anyone when you’re crossing the street – they won’t stop for you. The bureaucracy and red tape here are very bad. The same rules for the road apply for getting things done – for instance if you’re trying to get your visa, get ready for the possibility of jumping through major hoops without moving forward an inch, while other people sail through smoothly just because they got the “right” person.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Argentina?
Don’t move here because you think it’s cheap! That can change and will change and sometimes much more quickly than you expect if you know the history of the country. I don’t think you can ever be prepared enough to live in another country. You can do all the research in the world, but until you actually live there on a daily basis, you never know. But you should at least do the research and spend some time there before you up and go there to live. I talk to people all the time who hear that it’s super cheap to live in Argentina and based on what they’ve heard or read want to move here, without ever even visiting the country. At least take the time to come here before you make such a monumental decision. Once you do make the move, be ready in case it doesn’t work out and be ready to see it as an adventure and opportunity for growth and not as a mistake.

Be flexible! Things don’t always run smoothly here. If you’re rigid and think things have to work a certain way, you’re setting yourself up for major frustration.

Get out and meet people – and I don’t mean just other expats, you can stay in your own country for that.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Argentina?
I have a blog about moving and living here called Moving to Argentina. It is a chronicle of our experiences as well as a compendium of information for people who are thinking about moving here.

My partner and I also run Expat Rentals BA, a property rental website for expats who are looking for rentals but don’t have a guarantee.