Argentinian Adrian Paul Vega jokes that he moved to Lithuania thanks to dancing. Here, he became a father to two Lithuanian kids, bought a flat, and started a business, all in just five years. “I believe that Lithuania has a lot of opportunities,” he says.
“One of the things that surprised me the most in Lithuania is how small the kitchens are in most flats. In Argentina, the kitchen is the biggest and the most important room in the house because the families are big,” shares Adrian, who has five brothers and a sister.
The youngest child in the family, he says he is also the only one who decided to leave Argentina. A professional salsa and bachata dancer, he first moved to Mexico, where he was dancing in resorts. Later, he performed on a cruise ship in Europe, and when his contract ended, he decided to settle in Malta, where he opened a dance school.
It was in Malta that he met a Lithuanian woman called Sandra, who was visiting the island for a salsa festival.
“We met dancing, and one year later, I moved here,” Adrian smiles.
He says that it was an easier decision for him to leave his business behind in Malta and move to Lithuania because Sandra became a guardian to two Lithuanian kids – a brother and a sister – just a few months before the couple met.
When Adrian moved to Lithuania, the kids were two and three years old. Asked if this did not scare him, he says that the only difficulty was communication because the kids only spoke Lithuanian at the time. Today, they speak not only fluent English but also Spanish.
“At first, they called me ‘dėdė’ (uncle), but now, I’m their ‘tėtė’ (dad), and they are my son and daughter,” the man shares.
Plenty of opportunities
After moving to Lithuania, Adrian had to start from zero. For more than three years, he has been working in customer service at a digital banking company and teaching salsa and bachata in the evenings.
Recently, however, his life took an exciting new turn, as the Argentinian joined his Peruvian business partner in running a hostel and bar called BAR-celona in Vilnius.
“I’ve been working here for one month, and I see that this is going to be fine. This year, I’m going to be focussed hundred percent in here because I’ve just quit my job, so I need to make it work very well,” he says.
Every Friday, the bar serves free Spanish tapas, so it is packed, Adrian says. Right now, the Argentinian runs it with his business partner, but they are planning to hire more employees for the summer season.
Adrian is glad that in Lithuania he was not only able to start a business but also bought a dream home next to the centre of Vilnius a couple of years ago.
“I come from a country where it is almost impossible to buy a house unless you have all the cash on hand because it’s very hard to get a mortgage from a bank. The salaries there are also very low compared to Lithuania or any other European country, while the prices of cars or houses are pretty much the same,” the man says.
“So, when I moved to Europe and I saw that if you have a job, you can get loans and you can get what you want, it seemed so easy, and I wondered why nobody was doing it,” he adds.
According to Adrian, Lithuania has a lot of opportunities to offer, both to foreigners and locals.
“For business as well – you save up money and invest it, and everything is working very well here. Yes, you pay a lot of taxes, but everything works,” he says. “I work a lot. If you don’t work, those opportunities don’t come. But I like to work, and I’d like to have something to leave for my kids. I think it’s easy to do here.”
Going home
The Argentinian believes that Lithuania is an ideal place for young families, and Lithuanians themselves are sometimes too critical of their country.
“It’s good because things can get better and better here, and I think Lithuania is growing every year. I like raising kids here because they have a good education, it’s a safe country,” he explains.
Adrian, his fiancée, and their two kids also like to travel, and they share their adventures on a YouTube channel called “Familia let’s go”. The Argentinian reveals that he would like their next big trip to be to his homeland.
“I miss Argentina a lot because I haven’t been there for seven years. There is always something happening in my life, so I have to postpone going home,” he shares.
However, Adrian does not see himself going back to live in Argentina because life in Lithuania is much easier, according to him.
“If things get better in Argentina, it will take at least 20 years for it to reach the Lithuanian level,” he says. “I miss my family, I miss my country, my friends, and the culture. But nothing is working there, and you’re not safe.”
“That’s why I tell foreigners that once you are in a stable and safe country like Lithuania, everything is possible if you want something. So, you need to take advantage of it and work hard,” Adrian adds.
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