When David English woke up on the morning of September 11, 2001, he knew his life was about to change.
The entrepreneur, who was working near the area of Lower Manhattan now known as Ground Zero, was scheduled to sign a “career-defining contract” that day with a major bank – a move he believed would set him on the path to his destiny.
But life had other plans. “That day obviously completely changed my life and set me on a different path,” English told CNN Travel.
It wasn’t just the scale of the tragedy he witnessed firsthand. English described seeing fighter jets fly over her New York apartment, followed by weeks of constant “false alarms and alarms” and inhaling “toxic fumes” wafting from the scene.
More than a year after the terrorist attack, he quit living in the United States and moved to Argentina, where he has lived ever since.
Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, English was desperate to escape what he felt was a “climate of terrible fear” that “seemed into America” after 9/11.
“Argentina was my lifeline, so I decided to grab it with all my might, leave everything behind and start completely over,” he says.
English fell in love with Argentine culture when she visited the country in 1998, and had fond memories of people greeting each other with “hugs and kisses” everywhere she went.
“I think it was something I really needed after surviving the terrorist attack,” he says, recalling how his dearest friends repeatedly encouraged him to travel to Argentina again.
English returned there later that year, ultimately deciding to pack up his life in New York and move to Mendoza, a city he considered an “undiscovered gem” thanks to its wineries, mountains, “great weather” and “lovely people.”
He secured some financial assistance from the American Red Cross and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which he combined with his own savings to cover the trip.
Being surrounded by such “natural beauty” proved therapeutic for the Brits, who found solace in the foothills of the Andes, in the plazas and parks of Mendoza, and “anywhere people gather to have a good time and forget the troubles of life.”
Mendoza, located in the heart of Argentina’s wine region, was booming with entrepreneurs at the time. Many came to the country after the deep economic recession of 2001, and Britons found the city full of opportunity.
He felt he could “make a name for himself” in Mendoza and potentially become a “big fish in a small pond,” but that opportunity felt out of reach back home. English went on to found a consulting firm to help foreign investors, and later co-founded an organization that specializes in creating custom study abroad programs for U.S. universities.
Although English was able to make business connections relatively quickly, he admits that it took him a while to really settle into the Spanish-speaking world.
“I think anyone who says it’s faster than that is lying,” he says. “It takes years to truly adapt to and become a part of another culture…
“It’s not easy. It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears, and real motivation.”
English emphasizes that those who settle here must “truly love the place and its people” and “break down all barriers.” And perhaps most importantly, “speak the language.”
Thankfully, Mr. English had studied Spanish before moving and went on to complete a “rigorous” MBA taught entirely in Spanish, which proved crucial to his success.
In 2010, English and his then-Argentinian partner welcomed a son, Benjamin. Having a child in Argentina would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. Ms. English was excited that her son “will grow up on one of the world’s last frontiers, among people who prioritize relationships” over money.
“Time is money in the United States,” he added, noting that it’s unusual for stores to close on weekends back home. “In Argentina, time is a relationship, and that is reflected in everything here in Mendoza and in most parts of the country.”
Mr. English remains perplexed by the United States’ obsession with “getting things delivered by Amazon on Sunday,” calling the concept “totally unthinkable here.”
He is also a big fan of Argentina’s “no-frills lifestyle.”
“It’s not picture perfect,” he says. “It’s rough around the edges. There’s nothing new painted, but that’s OK with me.”
He particularly appreciates Mendoza’s walkability, joking that “the butcher, the bakery, the menorah maker are all within two blocks” of his home in La Sexta Sexión, and is on first-name terms with all the local shopkeepers.
However, he admitted that he has yet to fully embrace the concept of local leisure time, noting that he is usually the only one “to show up to birthday parties on time.”
English, who has seen Argentina go through many changes over the past quarter century, observes that health care, education, and public transportation are still significantly cheaper than in the United States, although they are not as affordable as they once were.
One of the most difficult adjustments, he admits, is doing business with people who aren’t necessarily “honest” or “completely transparent in their motives.”
“Some Argentines behave according to different norms than in the United States,” he added.
In 2019, English returned to New York with her son for the first time in nearly 20 years. He made a short film, “My Father’s Lessons,” about this emotional trip.
This visit confirmed that his decision to remain abroad was correct.
“I live a life with less stress, less fear, less anxiety, and more control over what I want to do,” says English, who is also the author of the 2013 book “Argentina Entrepreneur Expat.”
“And I can make my own mark.”
In a surprising turn of events, his son, now 16, enrolled in a New York boarding school and now lives there.
“The irony is that without 9/11, my son would not have existed,” he says. “And when I look at the positive aspects of 9/11 in my life, I was very fortunate in that I was able to turn that tragedy into a victory.”
Reflecting on his decision to leave, English says he is grateful for the chance to “start over” in Argentina, become a father and live the “life of adventure” he had always dreamed of.
“If 9/11 hadn’t happened, none of this would have happened,” he added. “I probably would have still been in New York. That would have been my tragedy.”
Mr. English’s brother also lived and worked in New York in 2001, but he remained and is now a successful CEO.
“He continued on his path to the American dream. Now I say I’m living the ‘Argentine dream,'” he said, adding that he fully embraces the culture, “eating a lot of meat, dancing a lot, drinking a lot of yerba mate.”
Recently, English’s son sent him a photo of himself standing next to the name of his father’s late friend, which is engraved at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero. This was an emotional “full circle moment” for him.
“Sometimes something comes out of tragedy… there can be seeds inside of something completely new, different, and positive,” he says.
“We can survive. If we’re lucky, we can improve and move forward.”
