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Moving to Argentina People fall in love with Argentina because it has the unique juxtaposition of a European capital literally on the edge of the wild wild west. Colossal, café-lined boulevards kept in line by magnificent Haussman architecture extends out to one of the greatest expanses of the world, interrupted only by rivers which throb out of the Andean Massif. Said in one breath, Argentina harbors two dominating characteristics at first glance:  sheer size and the dazzling energy of the people. If you flipped Argentina horizontally, you would get four time zones out of it east to west.  Just as diverse, the financial industry is abuzz with Argentine mentions and the local scuttlebutt is that the country's undervalued wines are soon to be passion of England. In a country where one can fly fish on Titan rivers, hike through rain forests and climb icy volcanoes with hot chocolate huts up the side, Argentina is best described by its people. Or more specifically, through the awesome energy of Argentina's human element: at two in the morning grandmothers can be seen sharing ice creams with toddlers, parents not yet out from dinner. Buenos Aires Along the chic Recoletta neighborhood giant fig trees, some with branches that extend hundred feet horizontally with the support of pillars, shade plazas filled with people sipping cafés and arguing about Eva Peron.  Taxi drivers will insult their government to no end, offering up such theoretical infusions that there's a difference between communism and Marxism, but punctuate it with personal questions, until finally they invite you to watch a football match with them.  They are very simply the nicest people you will ever meet.  The common person has a surprising amount of knowledge about his country's fascinating history.  They are proud of its size and will often ask the newly arrived what other parts of the country they have seen.

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The Expanse

Argentina's portion of the southern cone region translates, north to south, into a copious range of climates: Rain forests in northeast, dry wine growing regions along the cordillera, rich pasture land around the capital's pampas, high desert in the south and glacier filled skiing and teeming a Pacific on either side.  The land is dotted with enclaves of Welsh farmers, Italian port workers, Spanish estancianeros, British railroad byrons and their offshoot mixtures of polo players, financial analysts and of course, romantics, caught in a seeming endless embrace with tango and longing.  The stereotype is true:  in the first few minutes of conversation they will squeeze in that they hold a Spanish passport (though they may have never even left the country before) and with a longing voice talk about their relatives in Portugal.  It is a country oozing with nostalgia and tradition.

Somewhere out of this deep gene pool, and expanse of natural resource, a burgeoning economy has come alive.  For the first time in decades families and companies are keeping their money in the country.  Privatizations have streamlined infrastructure and famous real estate powerhouses like George Soros and telecommunication giants like Ted Turner are coming to Argentina. Examples of both explain why:  Soros bought a building which he rents just the sign on top of it to Chrysler for $300,000 a year alone.  Meanwhile, to Turner's delight, Argentina boasts the highest per capita cable connectivity in the world --behind only the United States and Canada!

Agribusiness has been one long bumper crop.  At any level, even on the family scale, small to medium-sized estancias support themselves (trucks, horses, lavish weekends, employees to boot!).  Food giants such as Cargill and Dell have been here for years and now Argentine beef, surely the richest in the world, is being exported to the heavily regulated US market. One particular success story tells of a family owned beer company worth 10 million dollars eleven years ago and worth over 3 billion now.  One analyst, writing for The Economist shelved his usually summary of numbers and simply remarked:  "One just has the feeling that things are happening in Argentina:  the planes to and from regional cities are full, cranes are sweeping the skyline and shopping malls are busy."  Look out, he alerted, Argentina is afoot.

Jobs, Work & Opportunity -

Despite the lingering effects of Argentina's recession and its current double digit unemployment, work is remarkably easy to obtain in Argentina for foreigners.  It still takes an aggressive heart, from passing out resumes at English institutes to running the weekend "hash" --a well connected group of young people (18 to 35yrs of age) who put together a run for all levels every weekend often with a BBQ at the end.  The group is a known resource for various opportunities in the capital; undoubtedly you will hear of it quickly upon arrival.  Regardless, due to a rich infusion of foreign capital, companies are scrambling to assemble ground crews to run their operations.  This has provided a downstream outlet for foreigners bring language capability and if possible, coupled with local know-how. - 

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