How do you move from Alaska to South America in one fell swoop?
May 27, 2011 6:57 PM Subscribe
My girlfriend recently got a job in Bolivia teaching for a private school in Cochabamba. This is great and everything except I have no clue what to do in terms of planning for our move, how to get a job in Bolivia or what needs to happen in the two months before we leave. Snowflake goodness after the jump.
She is pretty much well taken care of as the school will be dealing with her visa, helping her find housing for the two of us and all those types of details. But as for me, I am on my own arranging my own travel plans (which won't be hard) but I am worried about getting a job and visa among other things. Random questions ahead:
What do I need to know about getting a job in Cochabamba specifically, Bolivia in general? What about getting a visa to stay there the two years while my girlfriend teaches? I am under the impression that a multiple-entry tourist visa is good for five years but only for 90 days total each year? What do I buy in the States to take with us and what should I buy in Bolivia to round out our living arrangement? Cookware and bedding in the States? Any advice on places to look for housing? Any books or resources to help make this as smooth transition as possible into a new country? How much money should I have, minimum, saved up for this move? As you can see, I know not where to begin!
If it matters, I am moving from Alaska to Bolivia.
Thanks Mefi!
She is pretty much well taken care of as the school will be dealing with her visa, helping her find housing for the two of us and all those types of details. But as for me, I am on my own arranging my own travel plans (which won't be hard) but I am worried about getting a job and visa among other things. Random questions ahead:
What do I need to know about getting a job in Cochabamba specifically, Bolivia in general? What about getting a visa to stay there the two years while my girlfriend teaches? I am under the impression that a multiple-entry tourist visa is good for five years but only for 90 days total each year? What do I buy in the States to take with us and what should I buy in Bolivia to round out our living arrangement? Cookware and bedding in the States? Any advice on places to look for housing? Any books or resources to help make this as smooth transition as possible into a new country? How much money should I have, minimum, saved up for this move? As you can see, I know not where to begin!
If it matters, I am moving from Alaska to Bolivia.
Thanks Mefi!
Best answer: I grew up in Cochabamba. It is a GREAT* city. The weather is awesome- even on cold winter days it will most likely be warm enough for a t-shirt at noon.
You can buy pretty much ANYTHING you will need (note, I don't say "want" but "need") from bedding to pots and pans to electric kettles, toasters, ANYTHING if you look hard enough. Anything electrical you bring from the US will be 110v, and will explode/notwork/etc if you plug it into the 220v electricity supply. So don't bring it (unless it's a computer etc) or you are willing to mess with transformers. Surge adaptors are a nice thing to get especially for your computers. Shipping is expensive. While this is Bolivia, this isn't grass-hut place.
The place to go is the Cancha, basically a market on steroids. be prepared to haggle. Ask the school for help on knowing the cultural intricacies.
The only thing that can be tricky to get is shoes/some clothing if you are of the tall, big-foot type. Take enough shoes to last you if you are a big person.
Be prepared for paperwork on paperwork. The school should get someone to walk you through the visa offices- you will need to babysit your paperwork from place to place, get a police check (involving finger printing- take baby wipes to clean up with) Also, the current govt. isn't that impressed with Americans at the moment so be prepared for some visa run-around.
English is not an official language, and for getting around you will need Spanish. Spanish classes are plentiful.
Altitude: Be prepared to be puffed when you first get there. Take it easy. Sleep with a window open.
Great*: yes, there is crime and stuff. The school should give you a solid security briefing. This is a third world country, poverty sucks, and yes, there are people doing it really tough next to others who are very wealthy. You will be fine if you keep your wits about you and pay attention to where you're going and what's happening. Things have changed- I wasn't allowed to travel on public transit by myself any more (though I had growing up) when I went back to visit recently. Crime goes from pickpocketing to armed robberies and kidnapping, though that end of the scale is still not that common. Windows have bars. Properties have fences/walls (with glass/spikes on top.)
Feel free to me-mail me with more questions/details!
posted by titanium_geek at 8:17 PM on May 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
You can buy pretty much ANYTHING you will need (note, I don't say "want" but "need") from bedding to pots and pans to electric kettles, toasters, ANYTHING if you look hard enough. Anything electrical you bring from the US will be 110v, and will explode/notwork/etc if you plug it into the 220v electricity supply. So don't bring it (unless it's a computer etc) or you are willing to mess with transformers. Surge adaptors are a nice thing to get especially for your computers. Shipping is expensive. While this is Bolivia, this isn't grass-hut place.
The place to go is the Cancha, basically a market on steroids. be prepared to haggle. Ask the school for help on knowing the cultural intricacies.
The only thing that can be tricky to get is shoes/some clothing if you are of the tall, big-foot type. Take enough shoes to last you if you are a big person.
Be prepared for paperwork on paperwork. The school should get someone to walk you through the visa offices- you will need to babysit your paperwork from place to place, get a police check (involving finger printing- take baby wipes to clean up with) Also, the current govt. isn't that impressed with Americans at the moment so be prepared for some visa run-around.
English is not an official language, and for getting around you will need Spanish. Spanish classes are plentiful.
Altitude: Be prepared to be puffed when you first get there. Take it easy. Sleep with a window open.
Great*: yes, there is crime and stuff. The school should give you a solid security briefing. This is a third world country, poverty sucks, and yes, there are people doing it really tough next to others who are very wealthy. You will be fine if you keep your wits about you and pay attention to where you're going and what's happening. Things have changed- I wasn't allowed to travel on public transit by myself any more (though I had growing up) when I went back to visit recently. Crime goes from pickpocketing to armed robberies and kidnapping, though that end of the scale is still not that common. Windows have bars. Properties have fences/walls (with glass/spikes on top.)
Feel free to me-mail me with more questions/details!
posted by titanium_geek at 8:17 PM on May 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
I second pretty much everything titanium_geek says -- I was there ten years ago visiting a cousin, and her roommates were a very nice American couple with no particular means of support, who'd been there for years on a series of odd jobs. You'll have time to figure out a job; as long as one of you is employed, you will not starve.
I would worry more about the visa situation than a job or toiletries. As long as you're legal, you can figure the rest out. It sounds like it shouldn't be too hard or expensive to get an extended-stay visa whether or not you've got a job lined up, and there are visa services that should be able to help you with that.
Also, the altitude thing he talks about? It's true. Cochabamba isn't that bad, but you'll probably be flying in through La Paz which is much higher in elevation. It messed me up really bad; the coca tea you may or may not have heard recommended really does work.
Also, coming from anywhere coastal in Alaska, you will probably have the same problem I did when I visited from Oregon: damn, it's dry there. I had nosebleeds that finally were fading by the time I left.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 11:06 PM on May 27, 2011
I would worry more about the visa situation than a job or toiletries. As long as you're legal, you can figure the rest out. It sounds like it shouldn't be too hard or expensive to get an extended-stay visa whether or not you've got a job lined up, and there are visa services that should be able to help you with that.
Also, the altitude thing he talks about? It's true. Cochabamba isn't that bad, but you'll probably be flying in through La Paz which is much higher in elevation. It messed me up really bad; the coca tea you may or may not have heard recommended really does work.
Also, coming from anywhere coastal in Alaska, you will probably have the same problem I did when I visited from Oregon: damn, it's dry there. I had nosebleeds that finally were fading by the time I left.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 11:06 PM on May 27, 2011
Best answer: Yeah, you're going to get the runaround on the visa front so focus your energy on that. Talk to other expats. I'm sure it's different, but for example, in Peru, many expats stay on a tourist visa and make border runs every 6 months (that's how long it lasts here.) Depending on how long you are staying and how official you want your work to be (like if someone will pay you under the table), there will be different options. I googled "expats Bolivia" and got lots of forums and websites.
Cochabamba is a really lovely city with a growing middle class so you'll be able to find what you need. (You're going to love it!!! It's not very touristy either.) There's also always the "black market" which is not as scary as it sounds, just easy access to used and knock-off brand goods. I live in Peru so don't know if this goes for Bolivia too (but i bet it does), here high-end electronics are much more expensive than the states so any tech-gadget type stuff I recommend bringing from home, ie computers, USB drives, memory cards, digital cameras and accessories, speakers if you're a music junkie. Bring rechargable batteries for anything you use which requires them (mostly just to help the environment). Cookware you'll be able to find easily but if you're attached to particular pans or knives that might be worth bringing down for your own happiness, for instance, I brought a cast iron pan and my good german knife. It's fun to learn to use what is common in another country! (For instance, the vegetable peeler I bought here requires a different hand motion than the style popular in the states, but I love it!)
The middle class Bolivians and blended Bolivian-American families that I know there drive their own cars, their children (teenage children) are allowed to take public transit but they don't hail taxis on the street, due to the taxi-cab-mugging/kidnapping meme that has become popular all over south and central america (keep in mind in all big cities when travelling around down there). Just program the number of a couple cab companies in your phone and you'll be good.
You should be able to buy a very reasonably priced phone down there to use for calls within Bolivia. I'm no expert on using cell phones to call internationally but some people do it successfully, if your iphone is important to you. Otherwise, use skype or calling cards to keep in touch with home.
posted by dahliachewswell at 7:24 AM on May 28, 2011
Cochabamba is a really lovely city with a growing middle class so you'll be able to find what you need. (You're going to love it!!! It's not very touristy either.) There's also always the "black market" which is not as scary as it sounds, just easy access to used and knock-off brand goods. I live in Peru so don't know if this goes for Bolivia too (but i bet it does), here high-end electronics are much more expensive than the states so any tech-gadget type stuff I recommend bringing from home, ie computers, USB drives, memory cards, digital cameras and accessories, speakers if you're a music junkie. Bring rechargable batteries for anything you use which requires them (mostly just to help the environment). Cookware you'll be able to find easily but if you're attached to particular pans or knives that might be worth bringing down for your own happiness, for instance, I brought a cast iron pan and my good german knife. It's fun to learn to use what is common in another country! (For instance, the vegetable peeler I bought here requires a different hand motion than the style popular in the states, but I love it!)
The middle class Bolivians and blended Bolivian-American families that I know there drive their own cars, their children (teenage children) are allowed to take public transit but they don't hail taxis on the street, due to the taxi-cab-mugging/kidnapping meme that has become popular all over south and central america (keep in mind in all big cities when travelling around down there). Just program the number of a couple cab companies in your phone and you'll be good.
You should be able to buy a very reasonably priced phone down there to use for calls within Bolivia. I'm no expert on using cell phones to call internationally but some people do it successfully, if your iphone is important to you. Otherwise, use skype or calling cards to keep in touch with home.
posted by dahliachewswell at 7:24 AM on May 28, 2011
You probably can't move from Alaska to Bolivia in "one fell swoop" actually.
You have two broad choices. 1) You can arrive with your girlfriend on a Tourist visa for 90 days. You may be able to do border runs like in Peru; I have no idea. I lived like that for 10 years in another country and if it's possible, it can work but it carries a lot of risk.
2) You can arrive on a Specific Purpose visa which gives you 30 days to apply for Residency. if approved, you can then get a work permit. These are two separate pieces of paper. If it works the way it works in other places I have lived, getting the Residency visa is basically going to be your full time job for that 30 days. Find out how hard it is to actually get this visa and what happens if you are not approved.
Critically, if you arrive on a Tourist visa, you cannot apply for a Residency visa if this information is accurate, which I am willing to bet it is. You must arrive on the correct visa for the path towards your ultimate goal.
If your girlfriend has a residency visa, it may be easier for you to get one as a spouse, and it may make it easier if you are married before you arrive. Conversely, it may not be possible to get one at all if you are not married. I have no idea, but this would be a key question for me were I in your shoes. Find out.
Issues of visas aside, in terms of work, if you don't speak Spanish you're going to need to learn but it is going to be oh so much harder to get a job. An answer to your previous question suggests you do resumes. Consider setting up and marketing a website where you offer resume services as if you were still living in the US. If you could get six of those gigs a month, you could probably generate more income than with a full time job in a language you don't speak. Providing services and marketing them online becomes your full time job.
Practical: Convert all US bills you can to online bill payment. Get paper bills sent to a reliable friend. Take as few electronics as you can. If you can deal with laptops that's better. Put your workstation data on drives you can just plug into them or whatever.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:19 AM on May 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
You have two broad choices. 1) You can arrive with your girlfriend on a Tourist visa for 90 days. You may be able to do border runs like in Peru; I have no idea. I lived like that for 10 years in another country and if it's possible, it can work but it carries a lot of risk.
2) You can arrive on a Specific Purpose visa which gives you 30 days to apply for Residency. if approved, you can then get a work permit. These are two separate pieces of paper. If it works the way it works in other places I have lived, getting the Residency visa is basically going to be your full time job for that 30 days. Find out how hard it is to actually get this visa and what happens if you are not approved.
Critically, if you arrive on a Tourist visa, you cannot apply for a Residency visa if this information is accurate, which I am willing to bet it is. You must arrive on the correct visa for the path towards your ultimate goal.
If your girlfriend has a residency visa, it may be easier for you to get one as a spouse, and it may make it easier if you are married before you arrive. Conversely, it may not be possible to get one at all if you are not married. I have no idea, but this would be a key question for me were I in your shoes. Find out.
Issues of visas aside, in terms of work, if you don't speak Spanish you're going to need to learn but it is going to be oh so much harder to get a job. An answer to your previous question suggests you do resumes. Consider setting up and marketing a website where you offer resume services as if you were still living in the US. If you could get six of those gigs a month, you could probably generate more income than with a full time job in a language you don't speak. Providing services and marketing them online becomes your full time job.
Practical: Convert all US bills you can to online bill payment. Get paper bills sent to a reliable friend. Take as few electronics as you can. If you can deal with laptops that's better. Put your workstation data on drives you can just plug into them or whatever.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:19 AM on May 28, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who so far has answered - these are all FANTASTIC answers and bring up situations that I didn't consider or think about previously. I will go ahead and look for forums with Bolivian expats and start roaming through other forums about Bolivia. Again, many thanks for helping me think through my move to Bolivia.
My next question is this: what sites and where should I look for a job in Bolivia? What websites or places should I visit to secure a job in Bolivia? What is the current job market in Bolivia like? What are the high demand jobs? What skills should I gain in order to make myself competitive in Bolivia? (outside of Spanish)
Thanks again!
posted by Dauus at 9:21 PM on May 28, 2011
My next question is this: what sites and where should I look for a job in Bolivia? What websites or places should I visit to secure a job in Bolivia? What is the current job market in Bolivia like? What are the high demand jobs? What skills should I gain in order to make myself competitive in Bolivia? (outside of Spanish)
Thanks again!
posted by Dauus at 9:21 PM on May 28, 2011
As far as I know, there is no big job wesbite for Bolivia.
I reckon your best bet for a job is, when you get to the school, to say: "Oh hey, I can coach the basket ball team!" or "oh hey, I can do landscape gardening" or etc etc. The way you will get a job is by meeting people and filling a gap. Tech skills maybe? One of my acquaintances got a job at some small manufacturing place because he could read the manuals in English and translate. You will need some skills (English is a good one) because unskilled labour (such as waiting tables) really should go to people who are struggling to get their next meal, (imho.)
What are you qualified to do now?
Also: cost of living in Bolivia is seriously cheap. With one income you definitely won't starve.
posted by titanium_geek at 1:07 AM on May 29, 2011
I reckon your best bet for a job is, when you get to the school, to say: "Oh hey, I can coach the basket ball team!" or "oh hey, I can do landscape gardening" or etc etc. The way you will get a job is by meeting people and filling a gap. Tech skills maybe? One of my acquaintances got a job at some small manufacturing place because he could read the manuals in English and translate. You will need some skills (English is a good one) because unskilled labour (such as waiting tables) really should go to people who are struggling to get their next meal, (imho.)
What are you qualified to do now?
Also: cost of living in Bolivia is seriously cheap. With one income you definitely won't starve.
posted by titanium_geek at 1:07 AM on May 29, 2011
Oh, and make sure you get the jabs you need. However, for Yellow Fever, get that one in Coch, because it is much cheaper. (some govts require a yellow fever vaccination if you are returning from a country where it is present.) Yellow fever is in the lowlands (the mosquitoes that carry it don't do altitude)
posted by titanium_geek at 1:09 AM on May 29, 2011
posted by titanium_geek at 1:09 AM on May 29, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by StrikeTheViol at 7:16 PM on May 27, 2011