In our last Packing for Dummies, Part 1,  we covered both Clothing and Bathroom Stuff to bring when traveling to Buenos Aires.  Now, we will look at the other items that are needed and wanted when traveling to Argentina!

Step 3.  Hard goods – books, Spanish dictionary, writing journal

These go in the NECESITY pile.

• Spanish dictionary
• Travel Guide
• Black book (contacts back home)

These go in the I WANT IT pile.

• Writing Journal
• Fiction Books
• Drawing Books

Step 4.  Medical goods – band aids, scissors, rubbing alcohol

These go in the NECESITY pile.

• band aids, bandages
• small pair of scissors
• small bottle of rubbing alcohol or alcohol wipes
• tweezers
• stomach settlers/acid/nausea

These go in the I WANT IT pile.

• There is nothing in this part, as I don’t believe there are many medical items that fall under a “want”.

Stay tuned for Part 3 in Packing for Dummies for more great packing tips!!!

Check out our  Spanish programs in Argentina here!

Study Spanish in Buenos Aires and Get Packing!

For most of us, packing is the part of our travels that we hate the most because we have combine what we HAVE to bring with what we NEED to bring. Yikes!  A constant battle…

But no matter how much we dread it, we have to do it, so let’s at least try to make packing productive and most importantly, be happy with the outcome.

Ok. SO back to the battle. You must balance your needs with your wants. And be realistic, no backpacking through South America with two roll suitcases, ahem.

Step 1. Clothing – this is a tough section – use your smart side and your adventure side.

These goes in the NECESITY pile.

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Flip flops
• Casual t-shirts
• Quick dry pants
• Warm breathable socks
• Lots o’ underwear
• Wind breaker jacket

These go in the I WANT IT pile.

• Dark blue jeans
• Dressy tank tops (especially black)
• Pair of going-out shoes
• Dress/shorts
• Flat ballet shoes (ladies); ultra trendy sneaks (men)
• Fashion sweater/cardigan/pullover
• Hat (not a baseball cap!)
• Collared shirt
• Black stockings

Step 2. Bathroom stuff. – Men, you are so lucky. Ladies, choose carefully!

 These goes in the NECESITY pile.

• Soap (preferably liquid soap)
• Shampoo and conditioner (small bottles for weight purposes)
• Scissors (keep the nails looking respectable – also handy at the oddest moments)
• Shaver
• Toothbrush and tooth paste
• Hair brush
• Deodorant 

These go in the I WANT IT pile.

• Perfume (makes you feel good)
• Hairspray (control humid frizziness)
• Hair gel
• Makeup ( eyeliner, lip liner, lip gloss, etc)
• Nail polish/remover
• Body lotion

Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires this year? Stay tuned for Part 2 of Packing for Dummies!

Spanish immersion courses in Argentina

Looking to escape the heat this summer in Buenos Aires? Look no further than one of the city’s many air-conditioned cinemas playing plenty of great local and international movies!

Study Spanish in Buenos Aires and turn the cinema into another classroom!

Cinemas en Buenos Aires : Cines en Buenos Aires

Abasto

Hoyts Abasto de Buenos Aires - Av. Corrientes 3200

Barrio Norte

Atlas Patio Bullrich - Posadas 1245

Belgrano

Belgrano Multiplex - Obligado y Mendoza

Arteplex Belgrano -  Av. Cabildo 2829

Caballito

Village Caballito - Av. Rivadavia 5071

Centro

Atlas Lavalle - Lavalle 869

Palermo

Cinemark 10 Palermo - Beruti 3399

Puerto Madero

Cinemark 8 Puerto Madero - Alicia Moreau de Justo 1920

Check online at Cines Argentinos o La Nacion (Cines) for movie information!

Study Spanish in South America~!

Here is a short Rule Guide to Spanish Immersion in Argentina.

Rule 1

Spanish immersion means to ‘forget’ about your native language and go totally local !  You have come to Buenos Aires to learn Spanish and that means that you are going to have to eat, breath, and speak Spanish. This is easy, just stop speaking your language and only speak Spanish.

Rule 2

Register in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires.  This is also very easy, like Rule 1; sign up for Spanish classes and attend them. This will get you motivated in the classroom to speak Spanish outside of the classroom.

Rule 3

Live with locals and do what they do. If you are living in a homestay or shared apartment (with locals) you are sure to experience Spanish immersion.  You will be exposed to their daily life in Buenos Aires, their habits, food, friends, and hobbies.  Other than Spanish classes, accommodation is the way to true Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires.

Have fun during your time studying Spanish in Argentina – make sure to incorporate everything you can into your experience abroad!  Check out our Spanish courses in Buenos Aires here!

If you are studying Spanish in Buenos Aires and are looking to indulge in some tennis, the 10th edition of the Telmex Cup is coming to Buenos Aires starting Monday, February 15th.  This tennis tournament will be featuring some of the best players in the world, if you have been watching the Australian Open, you know who they are.

Check out the Copa Telmez website for details !

The list of star players who are coming to Buenos Aires to compete are:

David Ferrer-ESP
Juan Carlos Ferrero-ESP
Nicolás Almagro-ESP
Juan Mónaco-ARG
David Nalbandian-ARG
Albert Montañés-ESP

Paul-Henri Mathieu-FRA
Igor Andreev-RUS-
Thomaz Bellucci-BRA
Horacio Zeballos-ARG
Victor Hanescu-ROU
Pablo Cuevas-URU
José Acasuso-ARG
Richard Gasquet-FRA
Fabio Fognini-ITA
Simon Greul-ALE
Potito Starace-ITA
Frederico Gil-POR
Oscar Hernández-ESP
Daniel Koellerer-AUT
Daniel Gimeno-Traver-ESP
Juan Ignacio Chela-ARG
Peter Luczak-AUS
Carlos Moyá-ESP

The tournament will run from the 15th of February until the 21st at the Buenos Aires Lawn Club.

The calendar is as follows:

Monday & Tuesday: Games begin at 11:30am

Wednesday to Friday: Games begin at 1:45pm

Monday 15ht- Friday 19th : Evening games beginning at 7:30pm

Saturday 20th at 6pm: Semi Finals

Sunday 21st at 6pm: Finals

Check out TuEntrada for tickets!

Have fun learning Spanish in Buenos Aires!~

Last week we posted a blog that spoke about the earthquake that recently hit Haiti and listed a bunch of sites where our students studying Spanish in Argentina, or people from around the world, could make donations.

It has been two weeks since that earthquake hit Haiti and we would like to remind you that the fight over there is not over and that these organizations still need your help.  Often, when news breaks, the whole world becomes involved, however, shortly after, our own lives go on and we begin to forget that a country such as Haiti will go on fighting to survive for months.  It is important that we remind ourselves that the people of Haiti’s fight is not over yet and they need constant help from abroad.

When you donate you help these organizations:

• Provide food and water to locals
• Clean up debris from the earthquake
• Help rebuild homes and buildings
• Offer medical aid to local residents
• Help local animals/animal shelters
• Help purchase necessary equipment
• Rebuild the lives of the people of Haiti

Please check out our previous blog: Help Haiti: Support Disaster Relief in Haiti  to find information and various links where you can donate.

Interested in Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, check out our Spanish programs!

As much as you may love studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, getting up between 7:30am-8:30am to get to your Spanish classes at Expanish that start 9am can, well, be utterly painful! I mean, for a culture that begins to think about eating dinner at 9pm (early!), has drinks at a bar at 12am, and heads to a nightclub at 3am-4am, and yes, this includes weekdays, what were they thinking starting the weekdays at 9am? 

Well, if you want to be a real Porteño/a you are going to have to get used to this schedule and no matter how sleepy eyed you are, you must force yourself out of that comfy cozy bed and get yourself down to your Spanish classes!

Let’s see if we can give you all a few tips to help you beat those sleepy blues while still learning Spanish and taking advantage of those late nights out!

Get a nice alarm.

Do not wake-up to one of those screeching, shouting, beeping alarms that make you feel like you are in the middle of WWW2 for the first 5 seconds until you get your wits about you.

Make time for yourself

Even if you have stayed up late, it is better to wake up a little earlier and enjoy the morning then wake up in the exact moment if have to get out of the door. You may think that extra half hour or 15 minutes helps you, but believe me, your body doesn’t know the difference and your mind will certainly be at more peace if you wake up normally, take a shower, have a coffee, and then head to school than if you wake up, get angry when you can’t find your socks, fall down the stairs, and go smelly and untidy to school.

Mind over matter

If you are only going to sleep 5 hours tonight, don’t stress about it! If you keep thinking, ‘oh god, i’m going to be so tired tomorrow, i am going to feel so awful, blah blah blah”, you will feel exactly those ways. 5 hours or even 4 hours is more than enough sleep to make it successfully through the next day without any complaining. You can make up your sleep the following night.

Interested in Study Spanish in Argentina? Check out our Spanish programs in Buenos Aires!

As you know from your own language, there are certain words, terms, and expressions, that are used all the time and in almost any scenario. For you, they go completely unnoticed as you are so used to hearing them or using them; when you are learning a new language, these words become crucial in the process of becoming fluent.

Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires is the same; there are certain words you will here all the time here and if you want to improve on your Spanish level, its best to learn them and use them!

• Dale:  This is used to agree with something, like “OK” or “Sure”.

Example:  “Queres ir al cine esta noche?”   >> “ Dale!”

• Mira vos: Direct translation: “Look at you.” This is very common among Argentines, and is meant to say “ really?”, “wow”, or “good for you”.

Example: “ Yo tuve mi entrevista ayer y despues 10 minutues, el jefe me dio el posicion!” >> “Mira vos..!”

• Todo bien: This is always used between people. It can come as a question and an answer, and directly translates to “ Everything good”.

Example:  “Todo bien?” >> “Si, todo bien!”

• Viste: Another term that is used frequently. Direct translation: “Did you see”. This is used more like “ You know?”.

Example: “ Habia mucha lluvia ayer, no podia manejar en mi calle, viste…”

• Que se yo: Direct translation: “What do I know”. This is used all the time, usually after a sentence where some one gives their opinion or their ideas on something.

Example: “Voy a quedarme en casa esta semana, que se yo, limpiando, leyendo…”

• O sea: This is like saying “ I mean…”

Example: “ Creo que es lo mejor si compres este regalo para tu hermano, o sea, no tenes nada mas, es cierto?”

• Puede Ser: Direct translation: “ It could be.” This is also very common, and can be used like “maybe”, or like a question, “ Is that possible”.

Example: “ Te pido la cuenta, puede ser?”

Check out our Spanish school in Buenos Aires for more great ways to learn Spanish in Argentina!

Last week Haiti was hit by a earthquake that spread disaster throughout the entire country. Millions of residents have been affected by this earthquake and the country is in dire need of help.

If you are studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, living back home, or traveling in South America, try to take the time to donate what you can. These people’s lives are depending on it.

Please look at the information below and find out where you can help!

Donate to UNICEF: DONATE NOW!

Donate to CARE: DONATE NOW!

Donate to Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: DONATE NOW!

Donate to Save the Children: DONATE NOW!

Donate to Red Cross: DONATE NOW!

Donate to Habitat for Humanity: DONATE NOW!

Donate to Direct Relief: DONATE NOW!

Donate to International Rescue Committee: DONATE NOW!

Haiti is in desperate need of help and any amount helps! Please check out Google.com for more information or simply search Haiti in your search engine and find out where you can help!

During January and February the residents of Buenos Aires will be able to go to a beach…right here in the city!

Most of you may know that apart from some riverfront beaches outside of the city, there is no beach within Buenos Aires.  From January 8 until February 28, the Buenos Aires Government offers residents to enjoy their Buenos Aires Playa; in other words, two artificial beaches in the city.  Buenos Aires has picked up this summer tradition from other cities around the world (Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague, Rome, and Paris) who also offer their residents a beach escape during the hot summer months.

Beach one:  Situated in Parque de los Ninos, this artificial beach is open from 10am to 8pm, Tuesday to Sunday.

Beach two: Situated in Parque Roca, the artificial beach is also open from 10am to 8pm, Tuesday to Sunday.

Both beaches offer residents various activities such as music shows, playgrounds, book readings, puppet shows, magic shows, food services, and of course, sandy beaches and sun chairs. Entrance to both beaches is free. Young children must be accompanied by adults. No alcohol.

This is the perfect city outing for students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires! If you can’t make it out to the beaches, check out some of Buenos Aires parks. They are always scattered with residents enjoying the sun in the afternoon or during the weekends.

Spanish Programs in Buenos Aires