tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70891652024-03-23T15:10:17.302-03:00Expat ArgentinaResources, links, opinion, news, and commentary for foreigners and expatriates living or visiting Argentina.jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-5934064979357837552009-01-19T03:13:00.004-02:002009-01-19T03:20:28.639-02:00Anuva Vinos in the News<span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >I just have to share how exciting it is to have wrapped up our successful 2008 U.S. tasting tour with our first pieces of press! <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2008/12/two_homegrown_wine_clubs_are_a.html"><i>The Oregonian</i></a>, Oregon’s major daily paper, called <a href="http://www.anuvawines.com">Anuva</a> a “tremendous bang for the buck.” The wine professionals at Stoller Vineyards and Winery, one of Oregon’s famed Pinot Noir producers, concurred with <i>The Oregonian</i> saying that they too were “<a href="http://tastingsinbuenosaires.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/anuva-vinos-visits-stoller-vineyards/#comments">impressed not only by the wines… but also with the value.</a>” We certainly agree with that and are excited to bring you more great values in 2009.</span> <p> <span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >Owning up to this promise, we recently added 12 new wines from nine different wineries to the club collections that illustrate everything from the classic Argentine varietals that Anuva specializes in—Malbec and Torrontés—to exotic wines like Tannat, Bonarda and even a Tannat/Malbec blend aptly title “<a href="https://www.anuvawines.com/wine/blend/pozo-del-diablo-2005-6/">Pozo del Diablo</a>”. With only 1500 bottles produced, this one won’t last long. </span></p> <p> <span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" >On the agenda to start off the new year is a visit to Mendoza and Salta, two of Argentina’s most exciting viticultural regions. We’ll be there to taste new wines, meet with winemakers, and tour new wineries so that we can find and assemble the next exclusive collection to export to our <a href="http://www.anuvawines.com">Anuva Vinos</a> members the U.S. Along the way we hope to document our experiences with the wines and winemakers on film so that we can share them with you! </span></p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-13170919776941130522009-01-08T02:21:00.001-02:002009-01-08T02:38:41.407-02:00The Gay Community in Buenos AiresIn response to the prior post on attitudes toward gays in Argentina, I would say that certainly Buenos Aires is a gay friendly destination. Besides having one of the only two "gay hotels" in the world (the Axel--which jokingly calls itself "hetero-friendly"), there are many gay clubs, gay and lesbian activities and events, not to mention the fact that Argentina hosted the Gay World Cup (of soccer) in 2008.
There is even a gay wine store in Buenos Aires with its own Gay Wine label.
Obviously many gay friendly activities, organizations and businesses exist here. Negative attitudes toward gays and derrogatory language, however, are quite common as well. Calling someone a "puto" or "maricon" can be heard at any sporting event, just like in the US. I would say that the two cultures are very similar in this respect.
In the provinces also, much like in rural America, attitudes are much more oppresive. This is probably what leads many gays to flock to bigger, more gay friendly cities in general around the world. With a larger community that is socially more liberal and accepting, life is easier.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-22299660737456577492008-11-29T22:27:00.003-02:002008-11-29T23:01:35.762-02:0010 Questions for Geoff W. in Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz<p><i>EDITORS NOTE: This is another post in our series of Expat Interviews. Let us know if you know someone who would be a good person to interview and we will try to do it. Geoff is from Alabama (US) and currently lives as an exchange student full time in Santa Cruz province with an Argentine host family, he is a full time student.</i></p>
<p><b>1. Where were you born, where else have you lived, and where are you living now?</b> I was born in Huntsville, AL, I have lived in Seoul, Korea, Washington D.C., and Portland, Oregon. I now live in Rio Gallegos, the Capital of the Provincia de Santa Cruz in Southern Patagonia.</p>
<p><b>2. Who did you move to Argentina with? When?</b> I moved to Argentina by myself as a university exchange student. I have been here since the beginning of August.</p>
<p><b>3. What made you pick Argentina?</b> I had studied Spanish in High School for 4 years and wanted to take the leap towards fluency. I had the option of studying and living with a host family in either Panama or Argentina. I chose Argentina for its geographic and cultural diversity.</p>
<p><b>4. What is the best part about living in Argentina? The worst?</b> The best two parts of living in Argentina are the people and the food. The people are very warm and open and asado is delicious. The worst part of living in Argentina is the unreliability of absolutely everything. Although I've learned to not take hot water for granted, I sometimes find it difficult to get things done with so many strikes.</p>
<p><b>5. How do you make your living?</b> I am a student so I am not currently earning a living.</p>
<p><b>6. What is a typical day like for you?</b> A typical day usually goes like this:
10 AM: Wake up, eat breakfast, 11 AM: Head to the gym, 1 PM: Eat lunch, 2 PM: Begin working on homework, 5 PM: Drink Mate with my host family, 8 PM: Go to class, 11 PM: Eat dinner, 12 AM: Go out with friends if it's Friday!</p>
<p><b>7. How has living in Argentina changed your life?</b> Living with an Argentine family has taught me to be more patient and accepting of others. Also, I had never really realized how fortunate I was to have had been born into the life that I was born into. I guess that fits into not taking things for granted but there have been a few moments when I've thought "wow this person works just as hard as me for half of the reward, and they're still grateful for what they have."</p>
<p><b>8. How does living in Argentina differ most from living in your home country?</b> At an orientation I attended before heading down here we discussed the iceberg cultural model where the tip of the iceberg represents the cultural differences that are immediately apparent (e.g. food, clothing, architecture). Once you get beyond the tip you start to notice true cultural values. In regards to these big differences I would have to say the biggest is the pace of life. Everything is sped up in the United States. We buy pre-prepared meals, check e-mail on our phones while we are traveling, and we speed through the grocery store line rapidly. In Argentina more time is spent with family and friends and multi-tasking is driving down the road and drinking maté at the same time. Argentines are also much louder and much more expressive than Americans (it's got to be the Italian roots).</p>
<p><b>9. What are your future plans in Argentina? When are you planning on leaving?</b> I'll be finishing the school year up at the end November. In December my family from the United States will join me to visit El Calafate and Buenos Aires. After that I plan on spending January and February traveling with my host family through Argentina and perhaps to Santiago de Chile. I'll resume school in March and head back to the U.S. in July or August.</p>
<p><b>10. What one tip would you pass on to a future expat moving to Argentina?</b> The best tip I can give to an expat headed down south is to come informed, yet without expectations of what your life will be like. If you come with expectations of what life will be like down here and then it doesn't turn out to be true you're bound to be disappointed. I always have a mental picture of what a place will be like before I travel there. It's never correct. However, it doesn't hurt to talk to someone that has traveled or, better yet, has lived here.</p>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-73406825690183605762008-11-29T21:52:00.004-02:002008-11-29T22:11:42.086-02:00Are Gays Welcome in Argentina? Is it OK to be Openly Gay in Buenos Aires?<p>We get many emails into this blog asking us about Argentina, and Buenos Aires in particular. People in the US & Europe have been increasingly asking us about whether or not Argentina is a Gay friendly destination... I will put out my guess below, from my experience as a non gay US citizen with lots of Argentina experience, but I wanted to start a discussion here with some expats, travelers, and Argentines on this topic.</p>
<b><p>What do you think? Are Gays welcome in Argentina?</b> Would they be looked at in a hostile way, or welcomed? Is Buenos Aires more cosmopolitan, and more welcoming than the provinces, or are just certain parts of BA very gay friendly?</p>
<p>I think BA is pretty open to gays, I know several openly gay men and see others frequently, I think here it's like New York, it's not a big deal. I have not heard about how Gays are taken in the provinces though, my guess is that it would be similar to rural US locales, some places would be more curious, and others may range from indifferent to maybe not tolerable. As you can see in this CNN article below, Argentina as a government has Gay friendly policies that are better than the US affords it's Gay citizens, and the IHT article claims Gay tourism is booming in BA. Let us know if you have any unique perspective in the comments below.</p>
<p>More reading on the subject:</p>
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/08/19/argentina.gay/index.html">Argentina Grants Gay Couples Partner Pensions</a><br>
<a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/29/america/journal.php">Macho Argentina Warms to Gay Dollars and Euros</a>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-72549145705995209952008-11-18T20:17:00.002-02:002008-11-18T20:26:24.675-02:00Anuva in NYCSince many of you dear readers ended up responding to my last post about our launch tour, I thought I would give an update. The response has been so strong in our first 3 weeks in NYC and SF that we are going back to NYC to do more private wine tastings.
Our available dates in New York City are:
<ul><li>December 8 (8pm only)</li><li>December 9, 13, 14</li></ul>We also have some dates in Portland, OR between 12/18 and 1/05
The cost is still 175 dollars per GROUP of 6-12 and includes:
<ul><li>6 bottles of our limited production wines</li><li>set-up and clean-up</li><li>the presentation</li><li>pairing suggestions</li></ul>Please call or email to book a date:
<ul><li>310-601-8279</li><li>daniel@anuvawines.com</li></ul>Thanks!danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-84286309062765032872008-10-01T19:01:00.003-03:002008-10-01T19:09:53.160-03:00Anuva Vinos Lauch Tour in the U.S.Dearest Readers,
I thought I would take this opportunity to announce that I am bringing some Argentine culture to the U.S. As some of you know, my fiancée Lourdes and I recently started an exclusive wine club called Anuva that sources limited production wines from Argentina for its members. We will be doing private wine tastings to launch the club in select US cities on the following dates:
<ul><li>New York City: October 27-November 9
</li><li>Los Angeles: November 9-November 27
</li><li>Portland, OR: November 27-January 6, 2009
</li></ul> Tastings will be led by Daniel and will be for groups of 6-10 people, 12 <b><i>max</i></b>. Each group tasting includes:
<ul><li>6 different wines guaranteed to please. All limited production and exclusive.
</li><li>The glassware
</li><li>Set-up/clean-up</li><li>The witty banter (he does a very good presentation I would say)
</li></ul> A host would need to invite the people, provide the space, and could contribute optional food items. Daniel will consult for this upon request (without charge of course).
Larger groups can be accommodated, but please contact Daniel to discuss the particulars or if you have any questions:<div>
Daniel Karlin
Founder, Anuva Vinos
</div><a href="mailto:daniel@anuvavinos.com" target="_blank">daniel@anuvavinos.com</a>
310-601-8279 (call this US number to reach the office in Buenos Aires)
Thanks!danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-28412332072735469362008-09-21T12:29:00.002-03:002008-09-21T12:34:48.489-03:00Another Incredible Monedas StoryThe train in Buenos Aires is a very common way to travel. Tickets cost 65-75 centavos depending on how far you are going. Yesterday I was headed out to provincia on the train, and the guy in front of me was buying a ticket with a 2 peso bill. The woman asked him if he had a larger bill or exact change. He said no. She let him pass without paying.
The incredible thing is that SHE HAD CHANGE!!! Because then I stepped up to buy my ticket with a 2 and she said the same thing to me. So I pulled out a 5 and she gave me 2, 2 peso bills and 35 cents in coins as change. Clearly, she had been instructed to not give more than a certain amount of coins as change.
Amazing.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-78371179571218119602008-09-15T11:34:00.002-03:002008-09-15T12:00:39.200-03:00The Problem with Monedas (Change/Coins)This is really really annoying. To the point that I have to actually ask the question: is a single peso coin worth more than a two peso note? The answer is quite clearly yes!
Several situations, the most recently of which just happened right now, as I sit here in this fair coffee shop, have popped up in the last week. Ok, so everyone knows that change is hard to come by in Argentina, that breaking 100 peso notes is hard, and that the buses only take coins, but it seems as if no one really understands the gravity of this problem. Here are a few situations:
1. Cab driver gives me a two peso note as change when I paid with a 20 for a fare that was 19.12. He would rather give the two peso note and LOSE MONEY than give up his coins.
2. Coffee shop last friday. Bill is 9 pesos. I pay with a 10 peso note. No change is given. I asked for the coin. Then they asked me for a coin so they could give me a two peso note. Why should I even have to ask for my change? I said I would leave an extra two peso note as tip if they gave me the coin. They said NO!!! (and they even laughed about it)
3. Coffee shop just now. Bill is 14. I pay with a 5 and 10. 1 peso change is due. No change is offered. Same situation as 2 (but a different location).
4. (And here is the kicker...) I go to the bank to get change. I walk to the front of the line to change a 5 into 5 coins. They say that they will only give 3. That their policy has changed. 5 is too much now. Oh, and also, I have to wait in the line of 40 people to do a transaction that will take all of 30 seconds. So the bank is putting up barriers (lowering/taking away incentives) to actually have correct change.
Don't people realize that they are paralyzing their own economy when they do this? That when the people at the supermarket, or kiosk, or corner store refuse to make sales because they do not want to lose coins that there are dead weight losses?
Everywhere down here there are signs posted (subway, train, stores, etc) that say "No hay monedas" or "Colaboren con monedas", and this does not help the problem. People are so afraid of giving away coins that they hoard them. I have seen many many kiosks that refuse to sell me a 10 centavo item for a 2 peso note because they know that I just want the change. So then I offer to buy something worth 1 peso, so I can still get the 1 peso moneda, and ride the bus--and they still refuse!
This amounts to economic insanity. When the value of a one peso coin clearly outweighs the value of 2 pesos printed on paper, something is drastically wrong with the system.
There are only 2 things that I see as possibilities:
1. People need the coins to take the bus. This is really the only thing in the whole of Argentina that operates only on coins. The bus system is also extremely extensive and is probably the main mode of transportation (although I don't have exact figures and the subway could be more) and as such, requires a huge influx of coins to operate. So the only logical explanation is that this huge influx of coins is not balanced by an equal outflow (i.e. the bus companies don't go to the bank and deposit these coins in their accounts thus giving the banks enough coins to give unlimited quantities as they do in the U.S. and other developed countries). But why would the bus companies do this? The only explanation I can come up with here is that they don't trust the banks and therefore hoard coins. Yikes. Anyone else have a thought on this?
2. There actually aren't enough coins in circulation. Supply and demand. Under supply and high demand. Again, the only place where there is a real high demand and no counterbalance is the bus system.
Would it be possible to solve both problems (because they are not mutually exclusive) with a card system? As in people buy 10 peso or 20 peso bus cards that can be punched or scanned and avoid this change issue. I think that's wishful thinking.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-67702222009184310722008-09-02T14:51:00.003-03:002008-09-02T15:30:22.937-03:00Malbec in Argentina and Buenos Aires: Fad or Forever<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/winedictionary/entry?id=7052">Malbec</a> has been long known as the signature grape of Argentina, but only recently has it achieved the fame and notoriety it deserves. My business <a href="http://www.anuvavinos.com">Anuva Vinos</a>, deals directly with this fine product of Argentina, and many of the tourists and expats who know a lot, or know very little, of its existence. As far as I know, though (and I do quite a bit of research on the subject), Anuva is the only company that provides <a href="http://www.argentinawinetastings.com/">wine tastings</a> for tourists who are visiting Buenos Aires. This seems very ironic since the wine is becoming so popular in the U.S. and other countries. Why would it be so hard to find a good wine tasting in Buenos Aires?
First of all, only since 2004 has the Malbec "boom" been taking place. It was then that critics like Robert Parker and wine experts like Michel Rolland declared Malbec, and Argentine wines in general to be worthy of world-class wine status. As many of you know, things in Argentina happen slowly, and thus, the creation of venues for tourists to taste these fine wines has gone by the wayside.
Second, it is very hard in Argentina to sell wine tastings to the Argentine public. The tourist market does demand and increasingly demands fine Argentine wines, access to local wines and wine tourism, but the locals do not. Argentines themselves tend to consume a lot more table wine than fine wine, as a) very few of them can afford it and b) their culture is more one of mixing wine with soda water or coke than drinking nice wine from a crystal glass.
Third, and mainly and extension of point 2, the Argentine wineries that produce the higher quality wines are looking outward for expansion. First to the U.S., then the U.K., Europe, Canada, Brazil and now China and Russia as well for growth. Per capita consumption of wine in Argentina is down from its all time high in the 1960s (when they consumed and ungodly 80 liters per capita!) and people are moving more toward beers and liquors for their spirited beverage choices.
But Malbec and Argentine wine in the U.S. and elsewhere outside Argentina is booming. Exports are up 300% since 2004 and there is no end in sight. But more importantly than that, Argentine wines and Malbec especially have several things working in their favor:
1. Their price/quality relationship is unbeatable. With the lowest land costs and labor costs out of all the major wine making regions in the world, Argentina simply cannot be beat in this arena.
2. Malbec can take on many forms. From the ever popular fruit forward and smooth varietals without oak that fall in the less than 20 USD category, to the ultra-premium grand reserve Malbecs, this grape is very versital. That means something for everyone at many different price points.
I highly doubt that this phenomenon will go away anytime soon, and insider information tells me that certain wine bars will be popping up in certain cities that may rhyme with the words "Cainos Haires" quite soon.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-80259319351029940942008-08-16T02:26:00.002-03:002008-08-16T02:44:35.646-03:00Coverage of the Olympics in Argentina IIA laconic summary of the title would be "IT SUCKS!!"
So TyC Sports, the Fox and ESPN rival down here, has exclusive coverage along with Canal 7 of the Olympics. They, I just learned, had a very large hand in banning all YouTube feeds to Argentina with up to date Olympic highlights. WTF?!!?
As if that weren't enough, tonight, TyC had been promoting their coverage of swimming starting at 10pm. So I, wanting to witness the historic Phelps run at 7 golds, tuned in like a schmuck. I actually believed that they were going to follow through with what they said they were going to do. At 10pm, all there was to see was fútbol. It was the beginning of the second half of some meaningless, non-historic, insignificant game in the Primera league. Same shit they have on every Friday.
Except this Friday happened to be the Friday where Phelps could tie Mark Spitz record of 7/7/7. 7 gold medals and 7 world records in 7 events. Spitz did that in 1972. An athlete like this comes along once a generation.
And in swimming its even more important because the world only cares about swimming and lets swimmers compete on the world stage once every 4 years. They get NO glory, NO press, and until recently (and only for the top 3 or 4 in the world) NO money.
Sure Jordan was great, Bonds (epa!), Ruth, Aaron, Montana, Gretzky, Howe, Bird, Magic, etc. But all the greatest team sports players at one point had to rely on their teammates to make plays. Paxson hits a 3 to win Jordan's first 3-peat. Bonds relied on who knows what kind of "training". Montana and Rice; Bird and McHale and Parish; Magic and Careem and Worthy; etc.
Phelps has Phelps. And that's it. Well, maybe his Mom in the stands.
But I digress...
The point here is that TyC metió la pata big time. Because when I then flipped back to TyC at around 10:20 there was nothing. 10:30, nothing 10:40... there is Phelps, celebrating, out of breath, having just won. AND THEN IMMEDIATELY THEY CUT BACK TO FÚTBOL!!! La remil puta que lo parió!
At least my company <a href="http://www.anuvavinos.com">Anuva</a> deals with wine and I keep a large stock around for tastings. Time for some serious malbec.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-1686183326290868682008-08-11T18:09:00.004-03:002008-08-11T18:19:17.898-03:00Coverage of the Olympics in ArgentinaIt is quite possible that the Olympics represents the most progress humanity has made to date thus far. Pure competition within the leisure (by that I mean sports and not business) realm between nearly all of the people on Earth.
Having been a former swimmer myself and competed on the national and international level for the University of Southern California, I am glued to the television for 2 weeks straight every 4 years. I thought it a crime, however, when TyC and Canal 7 both cut off their coverage abruptly at about 11pm last night--during swimming of course!!
What they neglected to show (and which, I admit, they might have shown during the wee hours later last night/Monday morning) was quite possibly the greatest swimming race EVER. I kid you not.
EVER.
Please watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYnlW-CzIx4
I know that the race itself has nothing to do with Argentina or expats, but I figured that the lesson here is on the expectations of media within Argentina.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-64080429128842195002008-07-28T14:06:00.005-03:002008-07-30T16:23:54.418-03:00Living in Argentina vs. ChinaIt's interesting that I found so many similarities between China and Argentina. I'm sure many nationals from both countries would be appalled by my saying that. But it's true.
Both Argentina and China have very homogeneous populations. I'm not sure the percentages in China vs. Argentina but walking down the street in China you see--guess what--Chinese people!! And in Argentina, pretty much everyone looks Southern European (unless we are talking about the Northwest near Bolivia).
Cost of living is very similar. In the big cities in China you can get great dinners with multiple dishes for less that 5 US per person--same in Argentina. Wages are about 5000 RMB per month for a middle income person which is about 850 dollars. That will pay your 300-400 dollar rent per month plus food and transportation.
Now transportation is interesting. I have been to MANY cities all over the world and never found one cheaper than Buenos Aires for public transportation. Rio, Santiago, Lima, La Paz, Beijing, Shanghai are all at least double the cost for subways and buses.
One of the drawbacks to China, though, and one of the dissimilarities is the westernization/Americanization of the big cities in China. Many districts exist in both Shanghai and Beijing where all you can find is brand name American clothing, accessories and luxury goods. This exists in Argentina too, but in my estimate, the majority of the country's retail is mom and pop shops. Of course, in China you have the infamous fake markets where you can get a "Gucci" bag for 10% of what it retails for in the US. Everyone kept saying "you want LV? LV? LV?", and me being rather label ignorant, I kept thinking: "What is El V?" Yikes.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-88408742691714223902008-07-13T12:55:00.004-03:002008-07-13T19:04:21.254-03:00More on CurrenciesAfter a recent trip to China, the topic of currencies and exchange remains present in my mind. I thought I was living in the country where you get the best bang for your buck (Argentina). But it turns out that your dollars and euros will go MUCH farther in China than in Argentina.
There are of course lifestyle tradeoffs (like no good <a href="http://www.anuvavinos.com/">Argentine wine</a>) but that is another topic...
The peso to dollar rate has dropped to 3.02 to 1 today according to yahoo finance. Accordingly, the Yuan (or Riminbi) to the dollar is at about 6.8 to 1. So what can you buy in each place?
In China: Chinese food for 4 people at a neighborhood restaurant for 10 dollars TOTAL, knock-off brand name clothing and accessories for 10% of what they cost in the US, subway rides for 60 US cents.
In Argentina: Great steak dinner with wine at a neighborhood restaurant for 12-15 dollars per person, leather goods for 50% of what they cost in the US, subway rides for 30 US cents.
There are other tradeoffs of course like ridiculous pollution, information censorship and the hardest language in the world to learn. But things in China have changed immensely from when I was there the last time in 1994. Back then it was a 3rd world country with very few stop lights, animals in streets and extreme disorganization. Now it rivals the US in its modernity.
And compared to Argentina, its like night and day. Suffice it to say, I would have a very hard time living in China even if I spoke the language.
A wonderful place to shop and see history, though.danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-13393798086307243042008-06-03T14:32:00.002-03:002008-06-04T09:47:58.116-03:00The Almighty Argentine PesoSome of you may find the title to this blog amusing, but every currency has its importance, especially the currencies where you keep your money and spend your money. My company, <a href="http://www.anuvavinos.com/">Anuva Vinos</a>, charges its clients in US dollars and our counterparts in Argentina have to do a lot of spending in Pesos. One would think that this would be a very favorable situation.
Since I have been living in Argentina (November of 2004), the dollar has gone from being worth about 2.9 to about 3.2 pesos. But in the last month alone that rate dropped to 3.07. Why? Typical cultural practices in Argentine.
I was both surprised and not at all surprised when my fiancée came home one night and said, "I have news for you." Imagining various horrific scenarios, too graphic and personal to describe here, when she said that there might be a run on the banks and that her Mom had heard this from a very trustworthy source, I was actually a bit relieved. But then I had to sit there and analyze what I was going to do about the situation.
Do we take all of our money out of the bank, in cash, and sit on it at home?
Do I not believe the hype and do nothing?
Is there an in between solution?
More on this to come...danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-26039877821708786792008-05-01T00:07:00.000-03:002008-05-01T00:09:35.250-03:00Race(ism) in Argentina<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="" lang="ES-AR">Che, Negro<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="ES-AR"><span style=""> </span></span>One of the first people to come visit me in Argentina was my friend Paul. Paul is about 6 foot 4 (193cm), 240 pounds (110kg), has Nigerian black skin and at that time sported an afro. Now I am the one who is used to getting all the attention when I walk around because I am 197cm with curly blond hair and I too sport an afro at times. But when I took Paul to calle Florida to people watch, they ended up watching him. I have never seen so many heads turn and stare. Thankfully, Paul is very easy going and has a great sense of humor. We discussed it afterward.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The conclusion we arrived at, was that there was not the slightest hint of racism or prejudice conveyed by the Argentines. What we witnessed, was novelty. <span style=""> </span>Paul said, “It’s like the first time you go to the zoo and see a giraffe—you stare—not because you hate the giraffe, not because you wish it ill will or think it’s going to steal from you but because it’s very different than any other animal you have ever seen before.” And Paul is right, with less than 4% of the population of African ancestry, and most of those living toward the north of the country, it is not surprising that this country of mostly Italian and Spanish immigrants is surprised when they see an African face. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I took Paul to several parties where mainly locals were gathered at people’s homes, drinking, playing cards, etc. He was welcomed and kissed just like any other person and nobody gave it much thought. There were some comments made, like “Che, ese negro es un negro de verdad, “ and the like, but these were simply observations/ jokes/comments that meant nothing more than calling the guy with the big nose “pipa” (like pipe) or calling me “grandote” (giant). It is a real assessment of the physical nature of the person and says nothing about stereotype, prejudice or bigotry. This tends to be the way of things in Argentina in general. Here, they call a spade a spade.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Interestingly, the word “negro” in Argentina can often be used like we use the word “dude” in English. Often, the person in a group who has the darkest features will be called “El Negro.” But the interesting thing is that I find that Americans in particular, myself included, will be ultra sensitive to race issues as we have been conditioned to think this way. Many Americans, even though we are not racist or bigoted in the slightest, will look at a Black person or Hispanic (in the U.S.) and think (within a split second) “Oh, there is a (person of color) and I shouldn’t stare. But I also shouldn’t look like I’m trying not to stare so I won’t look away too quickly. And I’m not supposed to assume that they are going to rob me, because they aren’t, they are just normal people. Why would I assume something about a person (of color) I don’t know? Oh, shit I’ve thought about this too long, maybe I am a racist. I’m such a horrible person for even thinking that it would be ok to not stare at a person of color. I’m still thinking about it….” An Argentine would never over-think, let alone even think about this type of situation in that fashion. When it comes to physical appearance, they are direct: a fat guy they call “el gordo” and that is how he is designated in place of his name, a skinny guy is “el flaco”, a redhead “el Colorado”, a bald guy, “el pelado,” etc. This is not out of malice, this is the way things are. Es así. </p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-38224679186243770352008-04-21T19:54:00.000-03:002008-04-21T19:56:19.578-03:002008 Update to 'Blacks in Buenos Aires' Post<p>We wanted to let everyone know about a great discussion that is going on in the comments of a 2005 blog post about <a href="http://expat-argentina.blogspot.com/2005/04/blacks-in-buenos-aires.html">Blacks in Buenos Aires</a>. Initially the comments were focused on Black History in Argentina, but lately the comments have been a discussion on how receptive Argentina is to a Black person today.</p>
<p>People from all over the world, including several African Americans, have added great comments lately and I wanted to share some of those with the group. After that I want to ask some questions to the readers of this blog, especially the Argentine nationals. Let's keep the discussion going, this topic is important for some people who are thinking about either visiting or relocating in Argentina.</p>
<p>An Anonymous Reader contributed the following which seems to sum up many of the comments on the Black experience in Argentina.</p>
<p><i>"...I'm a black woman from London. I have desires to visit lots of countries in the world where it is perceived black people aren't welcomed. This didn't stop me because I have a right to travel, educate myself to people's customs, and let them see a very proud black woman. Even better if they get to speak to me and find out that their stereotypes don't exist in me. Anyway, the fact is since being here two days, I am the walking attraction and haven't had anyone say anything to me negative or positive."</i></p>
<p>Blacks in Argentina seem to notice that they are being noticed quite a bit more than normal. But most report that they feel they are curious glances, and not loaded with bad intent.</p>
<p>Another reader cited this National Geographic article, <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/articles/1088argentina.html?fs=www3.nationalgeographic.com&fs=plasma.nationalgeographic.com">Skin Deep</a>, by Elliot Neal Hester in the comments. I read this article and think it's great, and exactly on point with the issues raised in our blog post and comments so worth sharing with anyone interested in the topic. Hester's experience in BA included lots of being noticed. But when he had a rare interaction with one of the Argentines staring at him, it turned out sweet and innocent.</p>
<p>Argentina is such a great place to see that I hope no one feels so unwelcome that they cannot experience it for themselves. I think the comments in <a href="http://expat-argentina.blogspot.com/2005/04/blacks-in-buenos-aires.html">our earlier blog post</a> and <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/articles/1088argentina.html?fs=www3.nationalgeographic.com&fs=plasma.nationalgeographic.com">Hester's article</a> generally support the notion that Argentina is a welcome place for Black skinned people, but also very inexperienced with seeing Black people which explains why many Argentines will stare.</p>
<p>For those of you who are expats in Argentina, or those who are Argentine nationals, what do you think about this? Do you think Argentina welcomes Black tourists, Students, and Expats? Do you agree the stares that many Blacks report getting in Argentina are based in curiosity of something rare, and not based on negative stereotypes?</p>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-21371726778745864072008-04-20T22:48:00.000-03:002008-04-20T22:49:46.993-03:00Smoke on the Horizon in Buenos Aires<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="" lang="ES-AR">Buenos Aires Ahumado<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="ES-AR"><span style=""> </span></span>As I’m sure many of you faithful readers already know, Buenos Aires has been enshrouded in smoke for the last week making breathing easy over the weekend all but a fantasy. Visibility just yesterday was about 200 meters from my balcony and we did everything we could do to keep the smoke out and avoid going outside. We even avoided doing laundry as long as possible as we knew that hanging the clothes out to dry would only make them absorb more smoke—great if you want some salmon ahumado or panceta ahumada (smoked salmon and smoked bacon), but not if you want to breathe. Yesterday, I was even suffering preliminary respiratory symptoms caused by smoke inhalation and exposure like burning eyes, nose and throat, congestion and coughing. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I had heard a lot on the news about how the farmers to the north of Buenos Aires had decided to burn their fields all at the same time (as opposed to their normal sequential burnings) as a sign of protest to the government’s proposed hike on beef exports. Then I heard the fires were out of control and that the firefighting teams had been prevented from doing their jobs by some sort of government bureaucracy. Then I heard that the government was simply outlawing field burning and that the farmers wanted to get in under the wire so that they could avoid buying expensive (cough, cough) land tillers to keep their soil healthy. Then I heard that the government may turn to criminal prosecution of these farmers. Then I heard some fellow expats talking about their disgust with the BBC’s Argentine correspondent for having gotten the story wrong….</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>So who knows the reality of the why… <span style=""> </span>All I know is that I have never actually been in a city where I could imagine a scenario for massive rioting in the street. Today looks clear, and I don’t imagine we will get to that point. But only last night, a few blocks from my house, I could see massive explosions and fireworks being launched in protest. I have never looked out the window of my home to see what I had only before ever seen as footage of the abominable pollution of Beijing or some sort of post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie. It was disgusting, appalling, stomach-churning. Even INSIDE my own apartment, looking at my fiancée, sitting there at her desk, only about 5 meters from where I was standing, the haze was apparent. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>So what are we supposed to make of all this? With no clear sign as to who is taking what action for what reason me pongo nervioso (I get uneasy). And I do not get uneasy very easily. I have been imagining airports overrun with people trying to flee the country. Am I crazy? Quite possibly. In my defense, however, all the bus terminals and most of the major roads in and out of Buenos Aires were shut down because people were dying in traffic accidents due to the low visibility. What is next if this is to continue?</p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-82286811708212169192008-04-14T15:30:00.001-03:002008-04-14T15:34:43.387-03:00Gifts for Weddings in Argentina<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Cash is King
</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>It seemed odd to me, that for the several weddings I have been to in Argentina people asked for cash as their wedding gift. I have always been taught that cash—while extremely useful and certainly an appropriate gift from an uncle or grandparent—constitutes a quite tacky gift between peers. Yet every couple whose wedding I have attended in Argentina has asked for money. So this led to several heated discussions between my girlfriend and I over whether money is an appropriate wedding gift to ASK FOR.…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Times are changing, Lourdes (my girlfriend) would argue. People don’t get married then go to live together, they go to live together and then they get married. Thus the old adage of newlyweds “building a house” together doesn’t really apply, because most newlyweds will have already done most of that. So blenders and dishes and furniture are no longer gifts of preference because many couples already have that. This I understand. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>What I have trouble wrapping my brain around, though, is the idea that the wedding costs a lot of money and that therefore I should, in essence, make a donation to the cause. This has been an argument used to justify cash gifts. The problem, though, is that I didn’t decide to put on the wedding in the first place. Many couples elope and decide to do things on their own or with small groups of more intimate friends and family at a very low cost. Cost, therefore, is all up to the people putting on the wedding and if they cannot afford it, they shouldn’t do it (although many a politician might disagree with that). Also, I didn’t decide what to spend the money on for the wedding. I don’t even know if I’m going to like the food (which I didn’t at any of them save one) let alone the ceremony. So what I feel basically is that I’m being asked to attend a ceremony by a friend (or acquaintance) of mine, that will be catered to their tastes and that I should give them money to use for their honeymoon or bill paying or for the wedding and reception itself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I have thrown many a party in my life and I have never asked for people to pay to come in the door. There might have been a couple of parties I attended in college where some drunken guy with a baseball hat on backwards was asking for 5 bucks for a plastic cup at the keg but besides that I have not heard of asking for cash as a wedding gift. But maybe I’m in the dark. Maybe this phenomenon is all too common and I just haven’t paid enough attention. I wonder, though, is it common in both the US and Argentina? What about other countries in the world? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I await your feedback…<span style=""> </span></p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-13587001026738002462008-03-31T17:45:00.005-03:002008-03-31T17:51:18.220-03:00Fashion Emergency! What is the Dress Code for Women in Argentina?<p>A fellow reader needs your help! Post your reply in the comments of this post to help her out. Local Argentines and expats are both encouraged to reply, here is her comment.</p>
<p><em>Hi all,</p>
<p>I've been looking through this site because I will be in Rosario, Argentina for a few months. I'm in my 20's.</p>
<p>My question is what is considered appropriate or the norms for women's clothing:</p>
<p>1. In beaches or pools<br>
2. length of skirt<br>
3. business clothing<br>
4. to wear outside on the street<br>
5. for "going out" [at night with friends/a date]</p>
<p>I don't want to look sloppy but at the same time I dont want unwanted attention either or want to stand out too much.</em></p>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-20360234110256726982008-03-24T16:07:00.001-03:002008-03-24T16:11:22.495-03:00The Irony of the Argentinean Job Market<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt; text-align: center;" align="center">Employees in Argentina </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">It has been remarked to me by many a businessman/entrepreneur/executive, that employing good workers is both one of the biggest keys to the success of a business and one of the hardest things to achieve. Obviously, some unique conditions exist in Argentina that make employing people here different than in the U.S. and in general, harder. The difficulties in having employees come from costly benefits and retirement, disloyalty, and greater degree of mis/distrust in Argentina as compared to the U.S. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">Two basic types of employment exist in Argentina: “en blanco” or “in the white (legal)” and “en negro” or “in the black (not so legal)”. The difference between these two lies in the benefits paid to the employee which can break the bank of even a well backed business. To be in full compliance with the law, employers must pay around 45% above and beyond an employee’s salary for benefits, retirement and tax. This means that if you want to pay an employee 2000 pesos per month (a decent but not high salary here), then you must add 900 additional pesos to this that will be put into this employee’s retirement and benefits. Of course, this is an outrageous number. So outrageous, that somewhere between 30% and 60% of all persons employed in Argentina are employed en negro. This means that the employer pays no benefits whatsoever to the employee. The reason that so much “trabajo en negro” exists is that unemployment is high, jobs are scarce, and the government does not enforce labor law (until after the fact), so companies can get away with not paying benefits. But at the same time, whoever creates these policies should seriously take a look at the incentive that employers have to pay their employees so far above and beyond their actual salaries. Economics tells us that we must find the balance between lowering the cost to the employer and the number of employers who would be willing to pay this extra cost of having employees to find the greatest number of employers willing to pay a certain level of benefits. As the percentage paid toward benefits goes down, the incentive for employers to pay those benefits should go up, driving up the number of employees enjoying benefits. But this type of thinking seems to fall outside of the realm of what is possible here… </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">The irony of all of this, is that most Argentine employees, because they have worked en negro, will sue their former employers for having employed them as such… and win! Nearly all former employees employed en negro either win their lawsuit against their former employer or settle out of court before going to trial (the statistics are quite meaningless because of the latter number). So be warned all foreigners who wish to pay their employees this way: it may cost you in the long run. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">Another costly part of employees in Argentina is the disloyalty, and general lack of motivation coupled with a high degree of mis/distrust. One would think that because of the scarcity of jobs here that people would be quite loyal to their employer and show a lot of incentive to do right by their company so that they do not get fired. In reality, most employers are afraid to fire their employees because of the aforementioned law suits that can come from termination. The incentive for employees to work hard to keep their jobs is very low because they know that their employer is afraid to fire them. Moreover, owners and employers, being afraid to fire their employees and thus knowing that they will probably be stuck with poor workplace relationships and unmotivated workers, will not be inclined to give bonuses, raises, commissions, or other types of compensation based on incentive. I have been called “completamente loco” for having suggested the idea of very high commissions for sales based employees. It only seems logical to me that if an employee can be motivated through cash incentives tied to work done that a win-win situation will be created. The lack, however, of such incentives in the workplace in Argentina create many disloyal employees. If they don’t see a way to gain from working hard for their company, and they see no long term benefits being paid toward their retirement, what incentive do they have to stay with a particular job? </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;">In addition to these problems and as discussed in the previous blog, a very common practice, especially for family run businesses (which make up the vast majority here), is to put only family members in positions of management and money handling to prevent theft, fraud, and laziness. This quite often takes the form of a single person who manages the cash register at an ice cream shop or bar or clothing shop where that person will be responsible for all the money handling and all other employees take care of operations. This in and of itself does not represent a direct problem with employment but it does limit the choices as to who business owners select to run their tills. The limit that they place on who they trust (the famed “gente de confianza”) will by default limit the number of choices that they have to run a key aspect of their business. </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10.1pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-12385031342000740892008-02-13T16:51:00.003-02:002008-02-13T18:18:29.813-02:00Trust in Argentina<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Business and Trust in the Argentinean Community</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>One of the things I have learned about running a business in Argentina is the necessity of community involvement and building trust. For myself, an expat entrepreneur who exports wine from Argentina, I must involve myself with local media and businesses, tourism, and the expat community on a regular basis to build relationships. Unfortunately, Argentina is an extremely distrustful society and because of this, more attention must has to be paid to forming relationships.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>My company, Anuva Vinos, makes continuous contact with wine shops, wineries, customs brokers and publicity agencies in order to outreach directly to the local business community. We obviously buy wine from the wineries, help the wine shops send wine to foreigners, use customs brokers to get those wines out of the country, and do interviews, attend events and generally promote the wine club and tastings that we do here in Buenos Aires with publicity and the media. It struck me about a month ago, that ramping up the frequency of these activities can only help. But one must know how to speak about one’s product to these different entities. For wineries I am a customer. For wine shops, I am a partner. For the media, I am a source of information and news, and they are a source of publicity for me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>It almost always comes down to hand-shakes and smiles. These two things build trust. Trust, in Argentina is hard to come by. I was first exposed to “gente de confianza” (trustworthy people) when I started my first business here in student exchange. Argentineans were and are obsessed with this phrase, mostly because no one here trusts one another. Ice cream shops make you pay first, hold your receipt, turn in your receipt to the ice cream server and get it stamped to prove the sale was made and the ice cream served. Bars routinely have one line where people pay for drinks and receive a ticket which they then turn in for their beverage. This is because no one trusts one another with money. Thus meeting people in person is very important here. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I practice this belief with the tourism industry. I routinely visit, in person, 15-20 hotels per week where I speak with the concierges and managers about the wine tastings that Anuva Vinos offers. They would never have thought to call me if I had just sent and email or made a phone call. On the contrary, in the U.S., our dealings have been virtually 100% phone and email based. I only met my logistics and website people for the first time 9 months after we set up. There was an unspoken trust between us that does not exist in Argentina. This type of trust is quite evident among the expat community here in Argentina.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Going to events sponsored by Expat-Connection and other expat groups is really good for networking. Many Europeans, Americans, Canadians and Australians come to these gatherings to socialize, learn about procedures in Argentina (like buying property and bringing in money), and experience Argentine culture with other foreigners living here (like polo).<span style=""> </span>Many of these people have a wide range of experiences in business, living abroad and language which makes them great resources and many of them have great connections that they willingly will share because of the trust among this group. This trust comes from an almost instantaneous bond between one another because they are all English speaking foreigners who decided to leave their home countries for a new country where they find themselves in the minority. I have found great connections by going to these types of events and doing these types of activities and I will continue to do so with more frequency as the power of an abundance of trustworthy relationships cannot be underestimated.</p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-28468887999965148252008-01-25T10:24:00.000-02:002008-01-25T10:57:19.274-02:00Origins of Anuva: Starting a Business in Argentina II<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center">Would You Like An-Uva? (“Uva”=Grape)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The idea for my wine club and wine tasting service spawned about 2 years ago when I took my Dad to Mendoza. My father is a man who has never like alcohol in any form—no beer, no wine, no spirits. Not for any health reason, mind you, but simply because he didn’t like the taste.<span style=""> </span>But after my own awakening to the joy of Argentine wine, I figured he might like a drink at the foot of the Andes.<span style=""> </span>So when I witnessed him purchase 2 cases of a young Malbec at an out of the way bodega (winery), I thought I could make something happen from this. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>I knew there was a company that was already doing similar work to what I envisioned so my first thought was to pitch them the idea to see if they were interested. With little response after a few months I stopped trying and began to gather info, money and people on my own. <span style=""> </span>When my cousin became interested in the project, we decided to form a partnership and start a business. If we only knew what we were in for….</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Coming up with the name alone proved to be a chore. We were almost the following: Club Argenwine, Nice Legs Wine Club, and the Argentina Wine Experience. Yuck! So we were musing about Spanish words having to do with wine that we could play with and when we happened upon “an” plus “uva” it stuck. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Anuva as it turns out also has meanings as a girl’s name in both Indian and Russian. In the former it means “knowledge” and in the latter “a new beginning.” Normally I tell a little story about the name Anuva at tastings so when we had a Russian man at one of our tastings and he confirmed for me meaning of Anuva in Russian I was beaming. Please see the following link for where I got the info:<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a href="http://www.yeahbaby.com/meaning-name-etymology.php?name=Anuva">http://www.yeahbaby.com/meaning-name-etymology.php?name=Anuva</a>.
Thrilled with the multiple meanings of Anuva, we set to work executing our plan. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Starting a business in a foreign country can be more complicated than starting a business in your home country for obvious reasons, but also has advantages. The most obvious difficulty is the linguistic and cultural barrier. Many a time, mal-interpretación (misunderstandings) happened to myself and my business partner, but you learn and you move forward. The most important thing is to know what you want and to know exactly how far you are willing to go in any given deal or negotiation. Gray area makes for victimization. Especially in Argentina, where people like to do business more verbally and in person than written and over the phone, misunderstandings can arise. You may say, “that’s odd, I would think that over the phone and in writing one could misunderstand more.” Well, it’s not so much that one can understand any more or less through the different media of communication, its that writing things down, especially, gives a record of data. This is especially important when negotiating prices. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Also important when negotiating prices and running your business is know the tax structure. Are you going to be a local business in Argentina (I do not recommend this unless you want a “lifestyle” business like a restaurant or bar where you will have to be physically present constantly)? Are you going to export? Import? Have a business in another country that makes its money outside the country but deals with many other Argentina companies? This is all important not just to figure out how to move your money (from customer to merchant account) but also how your money will be taxed, what tax laws you can avoid by using different set ups, and what commissions you will have to pay to intermediaries. IVA (vat tax) is 21% in Argentina!! That means that everything that is bought or sold domestically will have this tax applied! But this is not the case for exports. No IVA on FOB prices. But beware of bank commissions as well…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Transferring money in and out of Argentina can be like trying to take off a pair of skin tight jeans that are soaking wet after a huge meal. Banks, like other massive bureaucratic institutions, love their rules, have their flunkies that do not ever attempt to think outside those rules (and in some cases do not even know them), and in general are no fun to deal with. But they are a necessary evil. So if you have to bring a lot of money into Argentina to start up your business, take the time to talk to the casas de cambio, banks, and a lawyer or escribano (literally “notary” but more like a high level contract lawyer) to make sure you know that you can transfer the money into the country AND AND AND get it out of the bank. Your money is no good unless you can use it. I speak from experience. FYI a person to person wire transfer will only allow you to withdraw 1000 USD per month from a common account here. No importa if you are Argentine or American. You can use Moneygram or Western Union but they charge a lot and have limits of around 2500 USD per person per month. So get your game plan working and hope for the best but plan for the worst.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Suerte!
</p>danielkarlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588511123551326124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-74608403455380880702007-12-04T18:03:00.000-03:002007-12-27T23:59:08.792-03:00Starting a business in Argentina<p><i>EDITORS NOTE: Here is another post from our new friend Daniel K in Buenos Aires, the owner of Anuva Vinos. Having just started a business in Argentina, Daniel knows what he is talking about. This is the first post by Daniel on the subject of starting your own business in Argentina, more to come!</i></p>
<p>I believe that starting a business in Argentina, or any country really, begins when a great idea meets the inspiration to execute the legwork involved in taking the idea from concept to reality. After doing tremendous amounts of research, planning and strategizing, the business (if the initial idea was good enough) simply requires DOING the work involved. Much easier said than done.</p>
<p>But what would the difference be in starting a business in Argentina vs. starting a business in the U.S. or some other country?<br>
1.Knowing the culture and language: which then effects your…<br>
2.Business Plan.<br>
3.Sales, Marketing, Operations, Management, Accounting, Finance, Legal.<br>
4.Execution.</p>
<p>Going in order, knowing the culture and language of the place where you want to do business is absolutely crucial. This part of starting a business feeds into the rest of the aspects I have outlined above as well, and may even be the inspiration for your idea. If you really understand the culture of where you reside—for example Argentina—and can make accurate comparisons to other cultures of perhaps where you come from, you can see the opportunities in the market.</p>
<p>Argentina, for example, tends to be a less organized, more laid back, “traditional” culture, where Spanish is by far the predominant language. If you expect things to run the way they do in your home country, forget it. You will drown. You must be able to adapt to their way of doing things because, as previously referenced, “Es así” (that’s the way it is). So if you go into the DGEP or INV or AFIP (various governing bodies—secondary school, viticulture, and taxes, respectively) and expect that they will know how to get the appropriate forms in order for a student exchange, wine analysis or registration of a monotributista (like a sole-proprietor) be patient, because you will have to go to several different floors, offices, stand in different lines, etc. in order to get your questions answered. Also, in this instance, the importance of knowing the language on a fluent level cannot be underestimated, as government officials tend to not know English. If you have access to a large amount of capital, however, you may pay bilingual lawyers and accountants to do these tramites (paperwork) for you. But they will certainly charge you for it.</p>
<p>The Argentine government is also only barely arriving to the digital age. In fact, all of the government offices that I have been to still require in-person signatures and sellos (stamps or seals). Only recently have online forms and downloads become available. Expect to have to go in person, expect to have it take twice as long as you think it will, and expect to have to go back at least once because the person who attended you actually gave you the wrong information. Not out of malice, but simply a very narrow view of what they do. I find it to be tremendously similar to any other bureaucracy.</p>
<p>Remember also that many operations require a DNI (Documento Nacional de Identificación) which can be obtained in several ways. The easiest is to marry an Argentine, although many would argue to the contrary about the relative “ease” of this method. The Visa por Rentista can also be obtained fairly easily, but does require a lot of paperwork and patience. The basic requirement for it is proof of solvency. Many of the other forms of obtaining a long-term visa, most of which include the right to obtain a DNI, can be found at the following link, which of course, is only in Spanish—clear evidence of the need to understand the culture and speak the language. <a href="http://www.mininterior.gov.ar/migraciones/permisos.asp">Argentina Ministry of Interior - Immigration Information</a></p>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-81776799889311964382007-11-20T18:39:00.000-03:002007-11-20T18:41:24.184-03:00US Democrats in Argentina to Organize<p><i>Here is a note we got this week from a fellow Expat in Argentina, <a href="http://yanquimike.com.ar">Yanqui Mike</a>, its an invitation to be part of Expat history in Argentina! If you are a Democrat in Argentina, you will not want to miss this event.</i></p>
<p>'Democrats Abroad' are planning to establish a chapter in Argentina for the first time in their 40 year history.</p>
<p>We are throwing a big shebang Wednesday the 21st at 8:00pm at Thames 2334 in Palermo Viejo with free beer and good fellowship for all.</p>
<p>Every eligible US citizen there will become a founding member.</p>
<p>Folks can find out more about this really terrific organization and the good work it has done for US citizens living abroad by going to <a href="http://www.democratsabroad.org">www.democratsabroad.org</a> and can RSVP via a link at <a href="http://yanquimike.com.ar">yanquimike.com.ar</a>.</p>
<p>It's a chance to make a little history and leave something lasting behind here in Argentina when we leave.</p>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089165.post-26470521724225831412007-11-08T14:19:00.000-03:002007-11-08T14:33:39.374-03:00Unorthodox Rebound for Argentina's Economy<p><em>USA TODAY'S David Lynch writes in todays edition about Argentina'a economy, and its recovery from the 2002 financial collapse, check it out if you are interested in Argentina's financial condition. What do you think about the governments plans to continue growth even at the high costs of inflation, or do you think they should consider slowing growth to limit inflation? You are welcome to comment through the 'post comment' link below.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2007-11-07-argentina-economy_N.htm">Argentina's snub of conventional wisdom pays off</a></p>
<p>By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY</p>
<p>"The economy purrs at a growth rate of better than 8%."</p>
<p>"Over the past four years, Argentina has recovered its hope," says Mercedes Marco del Pont, a member of Congress.</p>
<p>"The biggest significance of this recovery is they just rejected the orthodox economic advice … and they've been the fastest-growing economy in the Western Hemisphere over the last five years," says Mark Weisbrot, a left-of-center economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington.</p>
<p>"As the grumbling grows in Argentina's financial community, some in the government insist that the country shouldn't be judged by the same criteria as fully developed economies such as the United States or European Union. Interest rates, for example, are less important here in determining economic growth because 90% of transactions are conducted in cash."</p>jammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06925118703909772240noreply@blogger.com3