Relocation to Argentina can be hard enough, but without a good attorney it can be practically impossible. As expats it is important to have a lawyer who has experience working with foreigners, someone who understands the English language and the Argentine legal system.

Javier Canosa comes highly recommended many expats for his ability to help his clients work there way through the red tape of living, working, and doing business in Argentina. His extensive experience with expats means that he better understands where we are coming from, what we need, and what we expect from our attorney.

Most people feel that a trustworthy lawyer is impossible to find, but Javier Canosa has proved himself such to the expat community in Argentina.

For legal assistance in Argentina, contact Javier at jc@canosa.com.ar or visit his firms web-site at www.canosa.com.ar.

Don’t make the mistake of trying to navigate the legal system by yourself. A qualified lawyer can help you make your life and business in Argentina a success!

Get out of BA and get up into the mountains Thursday August 13th to Monday August 17^th with a ski trip to Bariloche.

Expat-Connection.com is planning another ski trip to Bariloche through their partner travel agent Supernova Argentina. The group will be making it a long weekend trip, and traveling up on a “suite” level bus with dinner. The trip includes roundtrip transport, 3 nights in a hostel with breakfast and dinner included, a trip to Circuito Chico and transfers in and out of Cerro Catedral.

With several days there you will have time to discover Patagonia and really enjoy Bariloche. The cost for the entire package trip is $285 a person and space is limited.

If you are interested in going, then contac Sabrina at Supernova Argentina via email sabrina@supernovaargentina.com or by phone 4322–0076.

Getting out cash at an ATM in Buenos Aires can be quite the endeavor, especially if you are trying to do it on a Saturday night, or just after the entire country has gotten paid (the 15th and 30th of each month).

ATMs can be found all over the city, and so you would think that getting out money would be no big deal. Here’s the thing, Monday is the refill day, so by Saturday the funds in the ATMs are usually limited. You may end up visiting quite a few ATMs that blink INSUFFICIENT FUNDS back at you before you find one that spits out your cash.

Going right after pay day is annoying just because of the extremely long lines. If you can avoid it, go just before everyone gets paid.

It’s interesting that every ATM is basically out of cash over the weekend, which is when banking hours are limited and we need cash more than ever. Why don’t they just put more money in each week, I ask myself. Seems like the kind of thing an American would do.

One tip I do have for the ATM is to withdraw an odd amount of cash, such as 290 pesos instead of 300, that way you won’t get just 100 peso notes which are hard to find change for. (That’s right, in Argentina you can take out such an odd amount from the machine.) If you do get stuck with only 100 peso notes, pay with the large bill on the Subway, that way you can get teh 90 centavos back. (Crazy moneda situation in BA!)

Thinking of relocating to Argentina, but not sure where to start? You’ve got plenty of friends at your immediate disposal when you hook up with the Expat Connection.

From www.expat-connection.com:

Expat Connection is a group providing a range of social events that bring Expats and Argentines together in a relaxed environment. The group was formed by American Martin Frankel, a recent expat himself, with the dual purpose of catering for the vibrant and growing Expat community, and providing a bridge between foreigners and Argentines.

Forget the traditional tourist path: Expat Connection provides you with a host of activities both social and educational – such as happy hours, dinner parties, day trips and on the more serious side our very successful “Buying Real Estate in Argentina” seminars – that will show you a slice of the city you never knew existed while meeting fascinating people with which to enjoy it!

With local Argentine members as integral to our events as foreigners, and a guaranteed majority of open-minded, varied and fascinating people, Expat Connection is well-equipped for all your mingling, networking, chatting, flirting – in short, socializing – needs!

They really do attempt to help with everything. For example, this Saturday there will be a tea and chocolate tasting to satisfy your sweet tooth and need for some mid-afternoon cultured fun, but tonight they have arranged a Medical Insurance presentation with some of Argentina’s best insurance companies. The details are as follows:

Monday, July 13th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 om at the Areatres, Malabia 1720 11B in Fuentes de Malabia behind Starbucks. There will be a couple of short presentations, and major savings on insurance being offered. It is just the kind of thing an expat needs to know. To RSVP for the event include your contact number in an email to rsvp@expat-connection.com.

(And in case you are interested in the Tea and Chocolate Tasting it’s Saturday July 18^th from 4:30–6:30 pm at Choc & Caf on Cabello 3401. The cost is AR $60.

I was browsing through a web-site and managed to click my way through a series of links that led me to a site that lists the current status of the A-H1N1 swine flu virus for practically every country in the world.

Imagine my surprise when I saw Argentina’s statistics: 2485 confirmed cases and 60 deaths, making the mortality rate a stifling 2.414%, or one death for every 41 infections.

I mean, those statistics in themselves aren’t terrible, however, when compared with the rest of the world, it is the highest mortality rate. I think part of this is probably due to the fact that many countries that thrive off of tourism have stopped reporting all confirmed cases in order to not scare away business.

Still, it is interesting to see the current statistics for Swine Flu in Argentina. (Uruguay isn’t too far behind.) Click here to read the full report and browse other countries as well.

I received a request to post this information on a cleaning lady in Argentina. If you are looking for some help around the house you might want to check it out:

My cleaning lady is 24 and has worked as a cook as well. She is very good and honest. She works one day a week for me and really would like more work. she is willing to live in and help with children too. Speaks only spainish but is so very smart and thinks for herself. I am from the states and here only part time. Please let me know if you would like to contact her. jared at jaredll@yahoo.com

In the land of everything meat, it is important to know how to order what you want! BBQing is serious business in the States, and Asados are serious business in Argentina. Don’t look like a fool when trying to order; brush up on these Spanish expressions and make sure you get exactly what you want when ordering out.

English                     Spanish           Pronunciation
I want…                    Yo quiero…      Show key-ero…
Barbecue                   Asado            Ah-sah-doh
Blood sausage            Morcilla          More-see-sha
Chicken                     Pollo              Poe-show
Chop                        Chuleta          Choo-let-ah
Skirt steak                 Entraña           En-trah-nya
Flank                         Vacio              Vah-see-oh
Intestine                    Chinchulín        Cheen-choo-leen
Kid (Goat)                  Chivito             Chee-vee-toh
Kidneys                      Riñones            Rin-yon-ays
Lamb                         Cordero           Cord-eroh
Liver                          Hígado             Ee-gah-doh
Pork                          Cerdo              Ser-doh
Rabbit                        Conejo             Cone-ay-hoe
Rack of ribs                 Tira de asado    Tee-rah day ah-sa-doh
Rib steak                    Bife de costilla   Bee-fay day kohs-tee-sha
Sausage sandwich       Choripan     Chore-ee-pahn
Sirloin steak                Bife de chorizo  Bee-fay day chor-ee-zoh
Suckling pig                 Lechón            Lay-chon
Sweetbread                 Molleja            Moe-shay-ha
Tenderloin/Filet Mignon  Bife de lomo / Lomo Bee-fay day low-moe
Tripe                          Mondongo        Mohn-dohn-go
Typical sauce/ marinade Chimichurri Chee-mee-choo-ree
Veal                           Ternera            Ter-neh-rah

How to Order Coffee and Meat in Buenos Aires | LandingPadBA.com.

You’ll also want to know what jugoso (median rare), a punto (medium) and bien cocinado (well done) mean.

Making sure you know what you are saying ensures you get what you want. And don’t want until you get there to decide what you want to order, if you do that you may end up with kidneys on your plate that you have to suffer through. Porteños are known to order for foreigners, and introduce them to some of Argentina’s “specialites.”

Living in Buenos Aires and wanting to learn Spanish? Lucem Institute is offering special 15% discounts for groups in the month of July.

Lucem Institute is known for using the latest teaching techniques and materials, and putting a high emphasis on communication. They also organize a number of cultural and recreational activities to help students immerse themselves in the culture and the language.

Courses are 20 hours per week, or you can sign on for private lessons. Teachers are all University educated in the field of teaching Spanish and highly experienced with what they do. Private lessons are $45.00.

Lucem Institute is located in Palmero, visit their web-site at www.lucem.com.ar/baires.htm or e-mail info@lucem.com.ar for more information.

Some friends have informed me that the Argentine government has actually gone through with increasing the fee for overstaying your tourist visa from $50 pesos to $300 pesos for non-Mercosur residents and to $100 pesos for Mercosur residents. The change, which went into effect on April 21^st, 2009, affects all foreigners in Argentina on tourist visas.

Tourist visas expire after 90 days, and there are three common ways that most choose to renew their tourist visa and continue residing in Argentina. They are the following:

1. Go to the Migraciones office at least a day before your visa expires and pay $300 pesos to extend your visa for 90 more days.

2. Take the Buquebus ferry over to Colonia, Uruguay. (This option is recommended if you want to take a day trip somewhere, as it is a fun little excursion, but it isn’t necessarily the most cost effective.)

3. Overstay and pay the now $300 peso fine when you leave at the airport.

While option number 3 may seem like your best choice, I have heard of airport immigration officials warning tourists that overstaying more than 3 times can cause you to lose the right to enter Argentina. However, typically Argentine immigration can be pretty lax, so it remains to be seen if that is actually enforced. You may not want to risk it though…

Check out IMAS for more information.

Cafe Tortoni is more than famous in Buenos Aires, it’s iconic. If it isn’t on your list of places to go, it should be. Even if just to say you had a cup of coffee there.

If you are looking for more on a night out to Cafe Tortoni, come and see the tango shows. Sure, there are plenty of tango shows in Buenos Aires, many of them better quality (and more expensive) but seeing a tango show at Cafe Tortoni is something special, and quite affordable.

Tango shows at Cafe Tortoni cost only $120 pesos for 2 people, and the show is quite enjoyable. The only complaint I have heard is that there simply isn’t enough dancing. Only about 6 of the dances or so had dancing, the rest was just singing. Both of which are awesome and thoroughly enjoyable. Many just might want some more dancing.

Service is… notoriously terrible, but that is pretty much expected from a place like this. Food is good, and prices are reasonable.

Check out www.cafetortoni.com.ar for more information. And for more on the tango shows, click here.