He chose to live in a destination with low cultural shock and tells what facilitated his way

Every day, after his workday, Juan Manuel Vásquez looks at some Argentine television, no River party is lost and talk to a friend or family of his country of origin. In his corner of Florida, the United States, Argentina is always present, although his life today feels another life, As if at any time his body had gone through a portal towards another dimension, where what used to be normal now feels strange.

Since his arrival in the Great country of the North in 2022, he returned only once to his native soil, a longed but complex trip; His emotions, crossed by the past and the present, led him to experience unexpected feelings and, at times, contradictory.

“To be honest, return to Argentina was not easy, I was about a month, and the first week it was difficult for me to adapt to the place where I lived for 28 years, my room felt strange, like it was not mine. But then one is letting go and creates a little that routine that he had before leaving: return to certain places, get together with certain people. My idea of ​​now is not waiting so much for the next time I return, so adaptation is not so difficult ”, Reflect, while reviewing its story.

Juan Manuel was one of those emigrants who felt expelled from the country, despite loving his land with force. In 2021 he had to cross a traumatic robbery at his home, His mind fell into a state of constant restlessness and reached the point where he simply felt safe and chose to leave the country.

With Spanish citizenship in hand, The obvious road seemed to be Europebut his friends in Spain told him to think about it: `Here is not as easy as seen in the networks’, They warned him. Then he thought of Miami, an option that he doubted a lot, but that ended up being the winner for her warm climate and for a job opportunity. The planets had aligned, but the goodbye was hard.

“All my family and friends knew what I was doing for being able to go and fulfill this dream, it was not easy for them or me. Many friends married, they had children, and it is very hard for both parties to miss those moments. The family part was also difficult, especially for my parents, I am an only child, and although I am not a father I know very well what they miss me and what they suffered at the time, over time I think the adaptation was easier, especially for them, but they make a very big effort to come to visit me even once even once a year, ”he says.

The choice had been correct, the arrival in Miami was soft. Perhaps, the fact of having arrived with a job was what raided the way. For Juan Manuel, adapting to his new city was easy and fast. In a short time he felt comfortable with the weather, the city, the beach and its people. His doubts gave way to an statement: ‘I want to be here.

In the beginning, his boss gave him accommodation until he could rent on his own. He got a house in Edgewater, a very quiet neighborhood next to Wynwood and near Miami Downtown.

“I think my adaptation became very fast because I did not feel a big difference with what I could do in Argentina, here you get yerba, dulce de leche, invoices and roast (with achuras and everything), One is assembled the routine and tries to fulfill it, get up, exercise, go to work … What he loved is that if one day he had free time, going to the beach were 15 minutes, ”says Juan Manuel, who would have to start again in a new destination.

“I became Argentine, Colombian, Italian friends, and all are in the same situation as one, they emigrated from their countries in search of new opportunities, and I think that generates enormous hospitality.”

Juan Manuel arrived with tools, a factor that undoubtedly also influenced his good adaptation. In his years in Argentina he had already forged a solid career in the world of cocktails.

His abilities took him to, little by little, leave his mark in Miami, where he worked at Piegari and became head of Bar at the National Hotel. He also participated in the creation of beverage menus for establishments such as Wayku, Kan Sushi and Gen Korean BBQ.

Within his collaborations, there was one that twisted his course again. Heart by Baires (from the Baires Grill chain), in Orlando, had its services and, finally, offered him the general management of the premises, which involved taking An almost complex decision as leaving Argentina: living in Orlando. By then, Juan Manuel, not only had a good professional spending in Miami, but had married.

“Come to Orlando was not easy, in Miami I was very comfortable. It still has a hard time adapting to Orlando, not because it is ugly, but it is not the same, it is a very quiet rhythm of life, it seems that everyone is on vacation, In Miami it was all more accelerated, ”he says with a smile.

“Anyway, It is a cheaper city with many job opportunities of all kinds, Especially because it has the largest amusement parks in the world, who does not dream of coming to Disneyworld? As for the quality of the people, I feel that the people you connect with are more hospital: I remember that when I moved, all the restaurant staff offered to help me with the move, those are things that happen in Miami, but you have to know how to find those people. ”

The room where he slept almost all his life may feel strange, but for Juan Manuel, Argentina is always close, especially from Miami, the first place that opened the doors in the United States. Start over can be a hard blow if cultural changes are radical, therefore, Entering that entrance was a wise decision for a staggered adaptation to other destinations, such as Orlando.

For the young Argentine, living first in Miami was the best way to reconcile his two worlds: that of Argentina beloved and away from bad memories, and that of present and future dreams and ventures in the United States. And the road softened even more in 2023, with the arrival of Messi to his new place in the world: “Being Argentine became fashionable”Juan Manuel says. “Knowing that Messi is here makes me feel closer to home.”

“The truth is that in these years I have been here, I learned and grew a lot,” he adds. “Here the opportunities are left over, In Argentina at a point I felt that my cycle was fulfilled, and instead there is no roof hereis in each how to face the opportunities that are being presented. I learned here to distinguish who is honest, who tries to fill your ear with promises, and I feel that little by little I could create recognition, there is still much ahead, my idea was always to open my own bar and still is. ”

“All this effort I made and I continue to do its fruits, and it is today that I still thank my parents for raising myself with humility and much of that effort I mention, Since today, with 31 years, I value that, that they could send me to a bilingual school that facilitated the language and gave me the opportunity to travel and find a destination like this. ”

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Unexpected destinations is a section that invites you to explore various corners of the planet to expand our gaze on cultures in the world. He proposes to delve into the motives, feelings and emotions of those who decide to choose a new path. If you want to share your experience living in distant lands you can write to [email protected]. This email does not provide tourist, labor, consular information; It is received by the author of the note, not the protagonists. The testimonies narrated for this section are chronicles of life that reflect personal perceptions.