The road to self discovery with meaningful friendships can be a reality for you. I have travelled the world and in my estimation, the world´s most decorated playground, Buenos Aires, is the place to start your journey.

Why B.A, Argentina?

Argentine people are a very liberated, caring and loving bunch. This is due to several factors; Overthrowing the Spanish rule, mass European immigration, a hugely successful liberalism movement, the fight to freedom from dictatorships, recovering from an almost fatal bout of neo-liberalism in 2001,  a spiritual belief, a creative nature, beautiful landscapes, great food and blessed sunshine. Buenos Aires is a truly idyllic arena to display yourself.

Open your mind, open your eyes and open your arms.
Bring this with you and enrich each others´ lives.

Your key to opening the gate to untold personal riches is grasping the Spanish language. Whether you plan on staying here for three weeks, two months, six months or more depends on your circumstances and how you value your time here. Many of you may decide to kick on from B.A and travel to other parts of Latin America where your knowledge of the Spanish language will guide you. From experience I would suggest a minimum of a month in B.A studying Spanish and benefiting from the spirit this great city holds. It will also give you enough time to make new friends from all four corners of the globe.

Making new friends can be a daunting prospect. No question. Below is a 20 point list to help you;

1. Introduce yourself to others

2. Take risks. Don’t anticipate rejection

3. Make an effort to smile and use eye contact.

4. Make an extra effort to remember people’s names.

5. Show curiosity and interest in others. Be a good listener

6. Display your sense of humour.

7. Let your natural self come out

8. Accept a persons right to be individual

9. SHOW UP. Whenever you have the chance to see other people, take it. Go to the party (The Argentine people are incredibly open with their invitations. Take it).  Stop by someone’s desk. Make the effort to see your new friends time and again. Repeatedly. Immerse yourself into the world’s best café culture.

Typical of the cafe culture in Buenos Aires

10. Join in with activities such as the cinema club, tango history lessons, salsa and reggaeton dance classes and language exchange nights.

11.  Say nice things about other people and communicate with enthusiasm.

12. Make friends with friends-of-friends.

13. Be aware of opened and closed body language.

14. Be receptive to new ideas

15. Find others living in your area who share similar interests. The popular areas are Palermo, San Telmo and Belgrano.

16. Learn, teach, and share things

17.  Rise up, stand up, unite, and make a difference

18.  Be a part of something bigger-both locally and globally

19.  Express your feelings, opinions and emotions to others. Use ¨I¨ and speak of your feelings when you talk about personal things.

20.  Keep up to date with current affairs that affect all our lives. Popular newspapers are The Buenos Aires Herald, Clarin and La Nacion. Try C5N, TN or Channel 26 for T.V news.

The point is to meet as many people as you can and then start to get your circle of friends in place. Then attempt to develop intimate friendships with just a few. These intimate friendships will help you discover yourselves on a much more comprehensive and meaningful level. You will come to know yourself by knowing a friend who mirrors similar characteristics. We do tend to deceive ourselves you know. Your close friend will make you look inside. Minor differences in character will lead you to assess your own flaws that may need adjusting.

Below are a few tips on how to develop those more intimate relationships;

Thoughts, feelings, views, emotions, values, morals, believes are just some of the areas you can address. Challenge each others’ views and believe systems.
Love and concern for others. Building a trusted bond. Understanding family issues. Value the relationships. Ensure each others’ safety on a night out in the capital and most of all, share experiences.

Understand that decent friendships are good for society. Provides a degree of consideration for others. That’s why BA is so friendly. So there is a bigger picture here.

Friends and close friends will enable you to develop yourself. Over and above this, it will depend on your honesty to yourself and your willingness to look inside that enables you to enrich yourself. By knowing yourself more thoroughly you will also be able to develop more meaningful relationships with your friends. There is a genuinely powerful synergy here.

Below is 20 points on how to discover yourself;

(1) Create your own life timeline. Write down those events in your life that you believe have affected you. Often we have clear pictures in our heads. Certain memories. Deal with these with valued friends and family. Failing that see a therapist. B.A is very open and accomplished in this field. It’s almost seen as fashionable. But note if you choose therapy for this reason be sure to address your vanity issues..

(2) kick your vices into touch. Difficult to drive yourself forward looking out the rear-view mirror. (Big Lebowski sketch, Jeff Bridges, Credence song looking out my back door, springs to mind. Hilarious…)

“Looking out my back door”

(3) Let go of the need to be loved by all.

(4) Learn to rely on yourself

(5) Free Associate. Spend time thinking of the things you like and dislike. Things that excite you.  Consider aligning these with possible future careers.

(6) Embrace solitude. A walk around the Ecological Park, Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, works for me. Ensure peace to gather your thoughts.

(7) Read a vast array of books and appreciate the beauty of music. Be liberal, thoughtful but above all be emotionally moved.

The passing down of knowledge

(8) Ask yourself every question under the sun and make a written record of the answers.

(9) Act on your newly discovered knowledge. Write a short story, pick up a guitar, play cricket, take a trip to the dessert, whatever.

(10) Be patient and prepare for dead ends. Relax. Take your time. This is a life journey. You will find yourself eventually and when you do you will be a much stronger and contented being. Also know that the road of knowledge and wisdom only stops when you leave this planet. That’s the joy in life.

(11) “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.
Ghandi. Do some volunteering work or help others less fortunate or less skilled than you.

(12) Be Yourself…  Oscar Wilde once said with his usual wit: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Quite right.

(13) Stop comparing yourself to others.

(14) Create your own identity and individualism.

(15) If these points resonate with you but you feel you’ve already discovered yourself then lose yourself. Let yourself go and then get on the road.

The Obelisk

(16) Centre yourself with meditation, yoga etc. I practice the Alexander Technique. It works for me.

(17) Do something new. Test yourself. Discover new qualities.

(18) Accept your shortcomings

(19) Watch movies of substance and begin to see them from different views.

(20) Understand that the journey will be challenging but ultimately it will be the most rewarding thing you can do.

Divine

The main theme to take from this blog is the awareness of the powerful synergy between self discovery and friendship. Work at it, enjoy it and ultimately know that when your times up you have made this world a better place. You really can make a difference.

Bon voyage

James

“Universidad Católica Argentina” Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina general and exclusive information from a medicine student.

Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina was founded in 1958. This Buenos Aires University is sponsored by the Catholic Church with its Rector Victor Manuel Fernandez. In 2009 there were 18,000 Students, 2007 Employees and 1610 professors at the UCA.

Things to study:  Social and Economic Sciences, law, Political Science and International Relations, Natural Sciences and Engineering, Arts, Psychology and Education, agricultural sciences, theology, canon Law, medicine, Bioethics, Communications and advertising Journalism.

Pontificia Universidad Católica on the habour, Buenos Aires Argentina

The girl I met is studying medicine at this university and it will take her 6 years. She told me that per lecture are round about 40 Students and the things she enjoys at the UCA are the campus and the Faculty. This is no surprise because Puerto Madero is an expensive restaurant and night life district, which was renovated in the 90s and earlier was a port city with storage (now it is used by only a few ferries to Uruguay and small excursion boats). Here you can admire the floating casino in an old steamship.

A controversial thing what she likes is the dress code which produces in her opinion an equality. Like in summer you are not allowed to wear shorts. Or you have to use trousers which are not Jeans.

Pontificia Universidad Católica building Buenos Aires Argentina

The lab practicals could be better in her opinion but she enjoys the extracurricular activities like sports and cultural classes. During my online research I found out that besides for a library there is also a cultural center with a language school for English, Italian, German, French and Portuguese. So besides the language skills the students can also take seminars and professional workshops and cultural training which is really interesting.

For more information go to www.uca.edu.ar

Those of you who’ve been following my weekly Blog, offering my insights into being a Spanish Student at Expanish, will know that my life has been pretty ‘lleno’ (full) over the past few months. Spanish lessons in the morning, working in the afternoons and any spare time i’ve had has been put to good use exploring the wonderful city that is Buenos Aires. I would say the most useful tool i have armed myself with since being here, is the Spanish language (all inside my head and still ever improving). The second most useful tool would be my little friend, always by my side…my iPhone. Now full to the brim with Buenos Aires related Iphone Apps.

So, if you are a traveler like me, you can´t leave home without your iPhone, iPod, iPad, or any other mobile device to keep you entertained, informed and on the go! Here are my top applications or must-haves before you leave! (of course excluding Skype and Facebook)

1. Buenos Aires – offline map (free) – A map is always your life line to a city and goes with you absolutely everywhere! No longer do you have to fuss in unfolding & folding a very large map (a clear sign you are a tourist), now all you need to press is a few buttons. The app allows you to enter in street cross-sections to quickly get you oriented, and without the need of an internet connection. Absolutely do not leave home without this one!!

2. Buenos Aires Subway Lite (free) – The second most important map you will in the port city. Yes, there may only be 6 subway lines, but you will want to know how to get from Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo (Independencia) to the Casa Rosada (Plaza de Mayo), to shopping at Alto Palermo (Bulnes) without skipping a beat!

3. miTinerario – Buenos Aires ($2.99) – For the more adventurous souls who choose to take the colectivos (buses) or those like me who struggle trying to understand the Guía T (the definitive guide of the city´s complex bus route system), this app will change your life!! Not only will it tell you which line to take, but in addition it shows you the closest and fastest option. Plus there is a map to clearly show where to board & depart. A must have!! I no longer fear the colectivo!! 

4. Guía Oleo (free) – If you can´t live without your UrbanSpoon or Zagat guide – here is your new best friend! This app (as well as the website www.guiaoleo.com.ar ) allows you to select local restaurants by type, barrio (neighborhood), price, or any other option you may need. This ultimate Buenos Aires restaurant guide lets you vote, leave comments, or just the info to make reservations! Since I know you are not coming all this way to eat bad food!!

5. Noticias Argentina ($1.99) – Keep up-to date on all Argentine news! This app saves you the trouble of having to download 10 different apps from each newspaper. So you can conveniently catch up on current events, Boca and River scores, or even celebrity gossip.

6. OANDA free currency converter – Yes typically the US dollar is about 4 Argentine pesos, but this app will help you monitor exchange rates as the world economy constantly changes. It is also especially helpful while taking your weekend trips to Uruguay, Brazil, or Chile.

7. Buenos Aires Guide – Lonely Planet ($5.99) – Do you love your Lonely Planet guide but hate lugging it around?! For a small fee, you can help save the trees and maybe your back! Now all the most important information about where to go and what to see fits compactly in the palm of your hand! A win-win!

8. iOfertas (free) – If you thrive on always finding the best deals on everything eBay can offer, iOfertas is for you! Now you can find the same great deals & more through this app powered through MercadoLibre.

9. mPassport ($.99) – Although I have not needed to use this one yet (knock on wood), I would strongly advise downloading this one just in case… Whatever pain may ail arise, you can find a certified doctor through this amazing directory. Minor cuts, dentist, or hospital – they have you covered! Including a drug equivalency guide, pharmacy locations, and the most useful – medical translations! This one is definitely in case of emergency.

10. Free Wi-Fi Finder – For those of you who are inseparable from the internet – you will probably need this app to refresh your mail and apps! That´s of course when you are not using the Wi-Fi here at Expanish.

Hope these help get you started!! If you have any suggestions i have missed, let us know!

Casie

My semester abroad in Santiago, Chile, two years ago was a huge learning experience for me, and not only did it change the way I saw the world, it also inspired me to go the Expat route after graduating from college. Since I wanted to experience what it was like to live in another city, but still wanted to stay in South America, I packed up my bags and headed over to Chile’s neighboring country, Argentina. I had been selected to participate in a Fall 2010 internship at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, but after that,  I really hadn’t given any thought to what I was going to do afterwards. Think about it as the obligatory just-graduated-from-college-what-do-I-do-with-my-life-existential-quarter-life-crisis, but with some carné y vino on the side. As someone who usually likes to have a plan for everything, I had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into.

As to any obligatory study abroad experience, there comes the unpredictable crisis. One week before I was to leave the U.S., the host mom I was going to live with abruptly backed out. To make matters worse, 4 days before my scheduled plane flight to Buenos Aires, the Department of State cancelled my internship, and wanted to send me instead to Guatemala (I kid you not). If I wasn’t already having doubts already about my future Expat life, I was really starting to have them now.

The next 48 hours were probably some of the most stressful hours in my life. In an interesting coincidence, I had actually emailed Expanish in a panic to help me figure out housing. While I actually ended up staying somewhere else, Murphy, one of the Admissions Advisors, was extremely helpful in getting back to me quickly and with useful information. (In related news, I’m still too afraid to ask him what he thought of my SOS email). From Freaked Out Potential Expanish Student to Expanish Staff Member, I’ve come a long way!

Luckily, things worked themselves out in the end, and I arrived to Buenos Aires with a roof over my head and an Embassy internship still awaiting me. The internship at the Embassy was a nice transition to living in Buenos Aires, as there was an instant community I knew I could always count on to support me. It was also a great opportunity to see firsthand the day-to-day duties of a Foreign Service Officer, which helped me better reflect on whether that was a career I would eventually like to pursue. Furthermore, as an avid soccer player, the fact that I got to play Fútbol 5 every day with my newfound porteño friends inside the Embassy compound didn´t hurt either.

After my internship ended, I started the job hunt process a full. Craigslist, CompuTrabajo, and all of the other job search websites became my best friend (or my worst enemy, depending on the day). Checking listings now became a part of my daily routine. Brush teeth. Check. Make breakfast. Check. Find a job. Check, por favor? There were also other great resources and tips that helped me in the job searching process, which my colleague mentioned in a recent Expanish blog post.

One  thing that I did notice was that while it is definitely possible to get jobs here in Buenos Aires if you don’t speak Spanish, your job opportunities open up exponentially if you can confidently flaunt what you’ve got en español. If Spanish wasn’t an explicit requirement, it was an added plus in many of the jobs I applied for. In fact, my final interview for Expanish was with the two founders of the school, conducted all in Spanish – no pressure!

En resumen, one of the biggest tips I can give to my fellow extranjeros regarding ´The Big Move´ is to learn Spanish, ideally by having Spanish classes or finding some Spanish speaking friends to practice with. Besides increasing your employment opportunities, it will also open up your world to amazing people and experiences that you might not have been able to experience before. Your Spanish skills will not only help you in the professional realm in Buenos Aires, but the personal realm as well. And that, my friends, is one step closer to truly living la vida porteña.

For a little more help and advice on the subject of being an expat, i have found some of these sites very useful!

• Wander Argentina
• Landing Pad BA
• Good Morning BA