Face-to-Face Gets It Done
I remember during my first job working for an American aerospace company, I was given the task of trying to get my hands on an unusual alloy of aluminum for some stress tests.
What did I do?
I got on the telephone with Reynolds and Alcoa. Just randomly started calling people until I found some scrap pieces of what I needed, and paid for them to be shipped to my company.
After I moved to Taiwan, this model for problem solving didn’t work. Everything had to be done face-to-face. It was not possible to call someone up out of the blue and get something done. Heck, you would even be lucky to have your call taken if you rang someone without an introduction.
This has been our experience in trying to prepare for Argentina. It is very difficult to get anything meaningful done via long distance–even with the Web (which didn’t exist when I worked in Taiwan).
So, while I’m looking forward to getting to Argentina, I anticipate that first month there with feelings of trepidation because we’re going to really be putting in some serious hours of face-to-face time vetting schools and looking at apartments.
Perhaps we should locate a massage therapist first!
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Hello Michelle & Tom:
I follow your interesting blog daily. I think I even wrote to you once before. I am writting to you now to suggest an online community that exists on Yahoo Groups.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BANewcomers/
It’s dedicated to assist with relocation queries and other. The group is very helpful, I have been with them for almost a year in preparation for our move (Jan-March 2009, had to delay it due to health problems).
Anyway, I thought you could use the group as I have seen your concerns for your establishment in Baires.
Im glad you forund an apt.
Hasta luego,
Nannette Blondet-Valdez
You are right. That is a great group–Tom belongs and checks in there. He loves it.