My name is Michelle and I am originally from London, but moved my family to Argentina nearly a year ago. Although my husband is Argentine, he has spent the last 30 years in Europe.

My family, including three teenagers, settled in so quickly, that most people think we have been here a long time. The main reason we moved was so that the children could have freedom and this is something we achieved.

We are situated 250 miles south of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic ocean and seeing the sea almost day makes us feel good.

Welcome, michelle! How wonderful that your move turned out so well, and it sounds as if it went smoothly, too. Perhaps you have some advice for the rest of us?

We took the plunge arriving on tourist visas and with only a hotel reservation at our destination. I think that if you do too much research, you will never move. There is no such thing as paradise and everywhere has its problems.

We wanted the beach, better weather and freedom for our children and we have achieved all three as well as a better quality of life not revolving around the TV and computer.

Please feel free to ask any advice.

Very good point, Michelle. I didn't plan on moving to another country, and was only in England as a visitor. My now-husband proposed while I was here on a visitor's visa and, other than for my fiancee visa, I never went back. I think if he'd been visiting me in America at the time he proposed, I'd have been very nervous at the idea of moving to England. But being here already and staying was easy.

By the way - I like your weather here.

It looks like the English weather has arrived here - it hardly rained all winter and now it has rained non-stop for a week - the locals are really not used to it.

How do you find Hastings? Would you consider moving back to the USA?

I love Hastings! I was born and raised in a very big city, and I think small town life in England is wonderful. The music scene is amazing here. Very comparable to the big music scene in Seattle, in fact.

I'm studying for my permanent residency test right now, and hope to carry it over to my citizenship application. Well, that is if I pass the test. They expect me to remember numbers. NUMBERS? Hey man, I can't even remember my phone number, let alone the percentage of Pakistanis living in the UK!

Not to worry. I plan to live here for the rest of my life. If I have to chant 1.3%!! 1.3%!! as I fall asleep every night for the next two months, well, so be it. Of course that doesn't help me remember the number of practicing Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Honestly. My husband doesn't know this stuff, and he was born here!

Oops. To answer your question, nope. Wouldn't consider it.

Oh by the way, you must have been posting as I was, Michelle. I moved Bond's post to the Oz forum. lol

Don't worry about the test - all my foreign immigrant students managed to pass it, although it did surprise me how they managed it with limited English! I am sure the situation would be the same for almost every British person - why should we know the figures etc? The biggest problem is that the figures change drastically month on month

My website

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www.mar-del-plata-argentina.net

A wonderful place to live

Happy Christmas and a very happy New Year to everybody on the forum.

Have been so busy recently with family and friends visiting from London, that I haven't been on the forum for nearly three weeks. Loads of news and gossip to catch up on now.

Also enjoying the lovely weather and beaches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michelle

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www.mar-del-plata-argentina.net

A wonderful place to live