Moving to Argentina – Official Announcement

August 14, 2013 Kristance Harlow
IMG_5563
It is official, in one week I will be on a one-way flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’ve mentioned it, and my friends and family all know about my upcoming move, so now that the time is nearing I am officially announcing to all you readers that this next leg of my world travels is about to begin! I don’t know how long I’ll be there, I’m just going for it. I take big risks because I want the big rewards. For me, playing it safe isn’t an option. The idea of being in one place permanently, with a regular 9-5, a car payment, tied down to a life based on staying in one locale…that makes me feel claustrophobic. I have seen too many people work themselves to the bone at jobs they hate. I also know that it will be extremely difficult for people in my generation to retire. Am I willing to accept a life that I’m unhappy in? Absolutely not. I can’t. After losing my father too soon and surviving a ferocious fire that consumed my family’s entire house, I cannot settle for anything less than true happiness. I want a life and a career that fulfills me, I’m going to turn my passion into my job. I’m taking a road less traveled, but it’s the path I like the best.
Saying goodbye to Vermont is hard in the summer, it’s so beautiful!
I know people want to know how I’m making this huge move happen. I’ve mentioned the house fire I survived, well in the aftermath of that I received a modest insurance claim for the contents that I lost. Using that and money saved from doing freelance webdesign and content writing, I bought my one-way flight from Washington, DC to Buenos Aires. My boyfriend is from Argentina and lives in Buenos Aires, so I will begin my adventure with his family in their home until we get an apartment in the city by ourselves. He’s found some people that want me to tutor them English, so I already have some small bits of work lined up for when I arrive. I’ll arrive as a tourist and Argentina has easier visa options than other countries I’ve lived in. They are open to you living there if you make an income independent of Argentina, and there are options for extending a tourist stay as well. If you look for creative solutions and take steps to be living somewhere, traveling is much easier.
I get to see this guy again! #longdistancesucks

I find that traveling as a tourist is more difficult than traveling as an expat. As an expat you are getting an insider’s view. I rarely travel as a tourist, so I can’t wait to share my new expat experiences as this journey begins.

I’ve moved out of my home already and now am staying at my mom’s place until the weekend. Then I will be flying down to Virginia to stay with my sister and brother-in-law for a few days before my flight. I’ve stuffed everything I want to take into two suitcases. On the plane I will just have a backpack and purse. If you are moving somewhere take less than you think you should, because you will be buying new things where you are going and traveling light is so much easier. On the same note, it can be worth it to pay overweight luggage fees when necessary. Moving somewhere and just cannot seem to pare down your bags to below the 50lb limit? Then don’t, and add the fee into your budget. If you prepare, then you can spend less on a going away dinner and more on those luggage fees. Fees on flights can be a real bitch, so be sure to do your research prior to buying a ticket and prior to flying. You can find baggage policies and hidden fees on airline websites, they are always available and usually easy to find.

When I pack I find funky headbands & take selfies to procrastinate.

I like to make my in-transit experience as pleasant as possible, particularly on very long flights. That is why I try to pack my carry on into just a regular backpack and my purse. It makes getting on and off the planes quicker, and doesn’t hinder your mad dashes between connecting flights. I have less than 90 minutes to make a connecting flight in Columbia, I am making that flight, ain’t nobody got time to be stuck in an airport all night. I know how much it sucks to be stuck in an airport overnight when you can’t wait to make it to your destination. A big bag will just slow me down!

From one of my India journals, I was kinda homesick.

I’ve traveled enough and lived abroad enough to know that I am jumping into the unknown. I know there will be struggles adjusting to a new country. I know that I will get homesick and I know that living abroad isn’t always the fairy tale it sets out to be. It’s still life, and people there are going about their lives the same way you are going about yours at home. If I mean to accomplish anything in my travels and in my writing, it’s to connect people. I want to see how others live and understand the complexities of life as an experience that is different for every person. I want to show you why we need cultural diversity. I also want to be a set of eyes for those who cannot travel to the places I can. I do things other people don’t: I taught English and math at a Tibetan Buddhist Nunnery in the Himalayas of India for a summer; I traveled around Dehli and Agra solo; I traveled alone when I went abroad for the first time; I volunteered on an organic farm in Ireland; I studied archaeology in England; I worked in daycares and nurseries in Scotland; now I’m moving to Argentina. I am the girl next door, I’ve just been infected with the travel bug.

Follow my adventures here, I’ll be writing about my travels and experiences in South America, as well as flashing back to my past travels!

“You’ve got to jump off cliffs and build your wings on the way down.”
[Ray Bradbury]
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2 Comments

  1. Rose L on August 16, 2013 at 2:37 am

    WOW!! I do hope you have safe and memorable adventures. I always wanted to travel and now too old and poor to do it. Go for it while you can.

  2. mplanck on August 14, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    Bon Voyage, Kristance. You have the true pioneering (vagabonding) spirit. BTW, are you taking a book (smile) to read on the plane trip? Keep journaling and blogging.

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