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Archive for April, 2010

Part 3 of the Expats Survival Guide: Order a Care Package

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 14:44

Categories - Uncategorized - 0 Comments

 

giftRobson01 Part 3 of the Expats Survival Guide: Order a Care Package

Traveling to Argentina and taking Spanish courses in Buenos Aires is an unforgettable life experience that will undoubtedly create memories that will remain with you forever! While you will be quite busy with your Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires,  sometimes the heart pangs for the comforts of home, and there are some cravings that not even alfajors, steak, and red wine can help you to to ignore, regardless of how much you try! Luckily for students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, there is a company, founded by fellow Expats, that felt a void when it came to finding their favorite goodies from back home.

Send Love BA is a company that helps friends and family to send care packages to loved ones living in Buenos Aires, without the exorbitant costs of shipping from outside of the country! Send Love BA offers an assortment of packages for various budgets, including everything from cupcakes to bagels to chocolate chip cookies! They even offer themed packages, such as the “Happy Birthday” package, including balloons and a birthday cake and card, and the “Get Well Soon” package, which comes with chicken noodle soup, Gatorade, cookies, tea, and tissues!

Whether you’re looking for a pick me up, or a simple way to say thinking of you, Send Love BA offers the perfect package for students living far from home studying Spanish in Buenos Aires! There are many ways for students taking Spanish immersion courses at Expanish’s Spanish School  to feel right at home in Buenos Aires…to read more, check out Parts One and Two of the Expat’s Survival Guide in the Expanish Blog!

Learn more about Spanish classes at Expanish!

Spend a Crisp Fall Day at the Ecological Reserve in Puerto Madero!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 14:51

Categories - Buenos Aires City Attractions - 0 Comments

birdsonthestalktheswedish Spend a Crisp Fall Day at the Ecological Reserve in Puerto Madero!

Studying Spanish in Argentina can keep you quite busy during the week! If you want to take a break from the bustling Buenos Aires streets, but don’t have much time and don’t want to break the bank, take a weekend day to visit the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, or Ecological Reserve, in Puerto Madero! The Ecological Reserve is the perfect place for busy students taking Spanish courses in Buenos Aires to relax, take a nature walk, or simply enjoy the quiet and scenery of the surrounding wildlife.

Just beyond the trendy Puerto Madero boardwalk, you will find the city opens up to an expansive nature reserve—the only one of its kind in Buenos Aires! Walking along the street leading to the two entrance are food vendors, artisans, games of pick up futbol, and street entertainment. You can enter the reserve on foot or on bike (6 pesos per hour), and it is free to enter!

The reserve itself is the product of construction debris that was discarded in the Rio de la Plata during the mid 1900s. Over time, this waste picked up sand and rock, and eventually became home to great deal of wildlife, both plants and animals! Despite a not so appealing beginning, the reserve today is an incredible place to spend an afternoon exercising, relaxing, or taking in the sweeping city or water views from one of the wooden decks built throughout the reserve.

Buenos Aires is filled with green spaces, however, the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve is unlike the others located in the heart of the city. There is simply no other place within the city of Buenos Aires for a student studying Spanish in Argentina to truly escape the fast pace of the city for an afternoon.

Check out one of the many other activities for Expanish students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires!

How to Find an Inexpensive Flight to Buenos Aires!

Thursday, April 15, 2010 8:06

Categories - Argentina Travel Info - 0 Comments

airplanedsn How to Find an Inexpensive Flight to Buenos Aires!

For students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, the cost of living is relatively inexpensive, but getting here is not! Flights to South America can be quite pricey, especially for students studying Spanish in Argentina who must travel long distances to arrive here. Whether you are looking into Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires, or are already here and helping to plan a visit for family or friends, check out the following tips on finding the most budget friendly flight to Argentina!

- Utilize an airline search engine site, such as Kayak.Com or Momondo.com. These sites do a large search for you, by scanning dozens of sites (American Airlines, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.), and even send you e-mail alerts when a fare you may be interested in is posted!

- Try to book your flight to Buenos Aires from an airline’s hub or a large city. Sometimes it is a less expensive option to purchase two flights- the first to a hub city, and the second to Buenos Aires. Leaving from a hub city may also cut out some of those annoying layovers!

- Always book a roundtrip ticket, even if you have yet to plan your home return. A one way ticket is generally as expensive as a round trip ticket. Many airlines have flexible change policies, so you can always change your return date once you have it planned.

- Study Spanish in Buenos Aires during the “off season” to take advantage of less expensive flights. Flight prices to Argentina drop during the months of October and November, and again in March and April. Despite being off season, these time periods not only offer less expensive flights, but more comfortable Buenos Aires weather!

- Be as flexible as possible in your search, trying out different dates and different days of the week. Performing a broad search will produce the most affordable flights.  And remember, Expanish Spanish School’s classes start again each and every Monday, so don’t worry about sticking to a hard schedule—we’re ready when you are!

Check out the Spanish immersion courses offered at Expanish!

Part 2 of the Expat’s Buenos Aires Survival Guide: Where to get a decent sized cup of coffee…to go!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 12:53

Categories - Restaurants, Bars, Cafes, Clubs - 0 Comments

 

espresso1flaivoloka Part 2 of the Expat’s Buenos Aires Survival Guide: Where to get a decent sized cup of coffee…to go!

As a student taking Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, there is no denying how wonderful the café culture throughout the city is. On any given street block, at any time, night or day, you will find cafés filled with locals and tourists enjoying a cup of coffee, conversation, and the company of friends and co-workers. For many learning Spanish in Argentina, this relaxed and casual environment is a welcome change from the fast paced, ‘please get up from your table because someone else is waiting for it’ mentality that overwhelms many restaurants and cafés in other parts of the world.

While we would all love to soak up this lax café culture, the reality of life as an Expanish student is that we do not always have the time to do so! With group and private classes scheduled throughout the day, cultural activities around the city, weekly school dinners, and weekend excursions, there is little time to take advantage of that lifestyle! As busy as we are, however, we still need to find the time to get our caffeine fix! While small in number, there are a few cafés scattered about Buenos Aires with coffee to go in sizes that are sure to feed the need of students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires. Stop into these cafés for a quick cup of coffee!

Starbucks: A beloved coffee chain for many, Starbucks has only made its way to Buenos Aires within the past few years. Now there are quite a few locations scattered about the city, and the quality, variety and consistency of its products are bound to be better than the more local chains that are just beginning to serve ‘to-go’ coffee. Starbucks Argentina products are similar to those you will find worldwide, with the exception of their dulce de leche flavored syrup! Soy milk, iced, venti, no whip? No problem at Starbucks—they’ve got it all!

Café Martínez: With plenty of locations throughout Buenos Aires, you will not have to venture far from home or school to find a Café Martínez. Here you will find a more standard offering of coffee and espresso products for take out, including lattes, café frappes, and cappuccinos. Their sizes are a bit smaller than Starbucks, and after a recent trip, I got the impression that they rarely make coffee to go, as it took three employees working together to concoct my mocha frappuccino! Nonetheless, these options are available, and the variety of locations makes Café Martínez a convenient stop for many Expanish students!

Take a look around your neighborhood for even more coffee take-out options! If you are wondering if a café serves coffee to-go, simply ask, “tienes café para llevar?”  Learn more about life as a student studying Spanish in Buenos Aires!