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If you're savvy and have a skill you can make it. New doors will open and you can become a bridge between US and Colombia trade which is only set to increase anyway. Having the luxury of being a part of the year in one place and a part of the year in another as well as all the new challenges & accomplishments that brings is always good for the mind.
Anyone looking to move to South America to work a regular job isn't going to make it long, or even begin to succeed.
Come on...
She's not fluent in Spanish, clearly doesn't understand what she's getting herself into.
I was only able to say hola my first time in a Latin American nation. But I went as an exchange student in Paraguay. I'm not perfect, but I can read novels and watch films in Spanish and I'm getting better.
I've known people to work in South American teaching English for years. Or in other capacities.
But the Americans (or Europeans) who pull this off tend to be at least middle class, and in certain professional circles it looks good if you travel and speak other languages.
If you have ANY money from the US and go to South America with it, it goes far. The Escape to Medellin guy has been in Colombia for over six months, and he arrived there without knowing Spanish or a job. But he set up a business there.
I've known other Americans who have gone to Colombia to earn Spanish, and who set up businesses there, etc.
If you're savvy and have a skill you can make it. New doors will open and you can become a bridge between US and Colombia trade which is only set to increase anyway. Having the luxury of being a part of the year in one place and a part of the year in another as well as all the new challenges & accomplishments that brings is always good for the mind.
Actually now is the time to get in. Colombia's getting a lot of good press with the peace treaty with FARC, dealings pending with ELN and remaining groups, etc. It's already increasing.
I was only able to say hola my first time in a Latin American nation. But I went as an exchange student in Paraguay. I'm not perfect, but I can read novels and watch films in Spanish and I'm getting better.
I've known people to work in South American teaching English for years. Or in other capacities.
But the Americans (or Europeans) who pull this off tend to be at least middle class, and in certain professional circles it looks good if you travel and speak other languages.
If you have ANY money from the US and go to South America with it, it goes far. The Escape to Medellin guy has been in Colombia for over six months, and he arrived there without knowing Spanish or a job. But he set up a business there.
I've known other Americans who have gone to Colombia to earn Spanish, and who set up businesses there, etc.
Agreed, there are always exceptions. I think the type of person who can be successful moving to Latin America is the type of person who has a good chunk of change saved up and has thick skin. It's not all fun and games, and life isn't way easier down there. My guess is that the people you know who went, knew exactly what South America was like, and they didn't go blindly to a random country because some people on a forum said it was a good place for their skin color.
Moving to a Latin American country, in hopes of finding job in a hospital as a tech will be nearly impossible for the OP. Also, the fact that she's asking about " the best place for a black woman" even more makes me think she's rather unprepared.
If she's in Argentina or Chile, people will downright just be staring at her and call her " negra" to her face. Happens in Colombia as well. Let's not act like everyone there is all open arms for black people. If she thinks she's discriminated against in USA, she's not going to find it any better south of USA. That's the reality.
If she's in Argentina or Chile, people will downright just be staring at her and call her " negra" to her face. Happens in Colombia as well. Let's not act like everyone there is all open arms for black people. If she thinks she's discriminated against in USA, she's not going to find it any better south of USA. That's the reality.
Yes!! If I come across a black person in Buenos Aires, I will stare at him/her very closely and loudly say 'NEGRO/A!!'.
What a weird comment to say, as if we were some kind of aliens. People will just walk aside. A few may briefly look at her as they are not used to see a black person... obviously, the smaller the town, the more likely you get awkward looks. Heck, that has happened to me in small towns where everyone knows each other. By the way, I work in the BA downtown, and it's frequent to see some Black American tourists around.
On discrimination, I can't really say as I'm not black, but in this case I don't think it's a problem. People tend to discriminate the ones they perceive as different and 'threatening', and there are few blacks in Argentina, so they never became a 'threatening' group, unlike the 'poor mestizo-looking' people, who do suffer discrimination. You are likely to be seen as a curiousity and may attract the interest to the locals, moreso if you are a Black American woman.
Agreed, there are always exceptions. I think the type of person who can be successful moving to Latin America is the type of person who has a good chunk of change saved up and has thick skin. It's not all fun and games, and life isn't way easier down there. My guess is that the people you know who went, knew exactly what South America was like, and they didn't go blindly to a random country because some people on a forum said it was a good place for their skin color.
Moving to a Latin American country, in hopes of finding job in a hospital as a tech will be nearly impossible for the OP. Also, the fact that she's asking about " the best place for a black woman" even more makes me think she's rather unprepared.
If she's in Argentina or Chile, people will downright just be staring at her and call her " negra" to her face. Happens in Colombia as well. Let's not act like everyone there is all open arms for black people. If she thinks she's discriminated against in USA, she's not going to find it any better south of USA. That's the reality.
Colombia has a lot of black people, and I've been there. I'm Black and everyone was cool.
The people I knew who went to Latin America were experienced travelers to begin with and had money. I agree finding a job in the hospital will be a built difficult because they would have to sponsor her for the visa, and they're not likely to do that for a foreigner they don't know. She would need to go to wherever in South America and get established in the country first, get a visa on other grounds, and then if she knew enough people THEN she could pull things off.
I do think you're right about the OP not even going to Latin America though. The additional information from people on this forum put her on overload and scared her way. LOL
If you're actually interested in checking out different parts of Latin America it's very simple to just fly to whatever city or country and check things out.
The magazine's ranking isn't perfect. For example, they don't include the Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago in Santiago, Dominican Republic; despite the private hospital uses U.S. standards for everything and most of their Dominican doctors got their degrees in American universities. They also have the most advanced cancer treatment and researh center in the Caribbean, and many people from the U.S. and Latin America go there for treatment due to the high quality but at modest prices.
They also don't include any hospitals from Puerto Rico, despite the island having some of the best hospitals in Latin America.
I mentioned this one in my previous post. As you can see in the website, they give you the option of reading the website in English too, because of the amount of Americans that go there for all sorts of medical treatments at a fraction of what the same thing would cost in the US.
The OP might find work there. Her ability to speak English fluently would be much appreciated.
I mentioned this one in my previous post. As you can see in the website, they give you the option of reading the website in English too, because of the amount of Americans that go there for all sorts of medical treatments at a fraction of what the same thing would cost in the US.
The OP might find work there. Her ability to speak English fluently would be much appreciated.
There are places in Mexico and other Latin American countries where Americans go for more affordable medical treatments.
Of course if Americans are going there to pay less for medical care, the OP will be making less money and would need to decide if the economics made sense.
I honestly think if you're planning to live long term in Latin America you need some sort of income from the states to back you up, or you need to set up some sort of business.
The biggest problem for her would be would the hospital sponsor her for a visa to work in the hospital, or they can find enough Chileans who speak English not to bother with the paperwork?
If you have enough money to buy a house or set up a business, getting a visa is easy in Latin America. Ditto if you have enough money to go to school. They want you to prove financial solvency.
My understanding is the OP is not a doctor or top person in the medical field. She's at the bottom, so why would they sponsor her for a visa?
If she gets hired before moving there, her salary will be much higher and will be quoted in US dollars. Regardless what happens with the exchange rate, she will be ahead of the curb.
Don't underestimate the value and prestige that a degree from a good US university has in many of these countries. Many do pay premium salaries to people in such positions.
Having a bachelor's degree is the equivalent of a licenciatura degree in many Latin American countries. Such people get the title of licenciado. Quite often, if a person includes their title in their name, especially in written form, she will get treated with greater respect and in many cases will be given privileges. Say her name is Sandra Smith, if she gets into the habit of writing Lic. Sandra Smith, it will put her at a higher social level and she will be treated accordingly even before they meet in person. Higher degrees carry even greater prestige.
Educational titles have a greater level of privileges in many Latin American countries than in the USA. People without these titles will have a great level of respect with you and you will feel it. Some people come through as very subservient, going as far as always speaking to you in the most formal type of Spanish.
Last edited by AntonioR; 03-12-2017 at 12:31 PM..
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