Today we have a guestblog from one of our students Erin. She did our Crash Course and tells about her experience:

I arrived in Buenos Aires on the weekend and after a day of pointing at menus and responding “no entiendo” to waiters I knew I needed to learn some Spanish. I decide to take the food crash course offered through Expanish. It isn’t your typical Spanish language course focused on grammar and sentence structure. Instead it was 2 hours of the essentials of how to order what you want – whether it was making sure your food is vegetarian or your beef is cooked medium rare. I was already taking Spanish lessons through Expanish so I just wanted to get a quick overview of the basics and not look like a complete fool in the restaurants and grocery stores.

Learn how to order food in Spanish

During the class, we went through key phrases necessary for eating in a restaurant. This included how to order, tell the waiter that there is a problem with your food and ask for the bill (very important as you will almost never get the bill without asking for it). We then covered various food related vocabulary focusing on common foods and Argentinian specialties from duce de leche to beef to mate. The teacher even recommended a nearby cafe for dulce de leche filled churros that are dipped in chocolate (they are just as delicious as they sound).

A churro with Dulce de Leche

The class only had two other students in it and was very relaxed. The small group setting made it easy to ask questions specific to my dietary needs and culinary interests. As it was not your typical spanish class you were allowed to speak in English. This was helpful to make sure you were asking the right questions. The only snag during our class was trying to explain what a flan was to the German student (although I cannot even explain this in English). Overall, I thought the class was worthwhile and have found the class handout with the vocabulary and common questions very useful. I look forward trying the other crash courses that expanish offers.

With a week of entertaining under your belt, planning a weekend in Buenos Aires for friends or family in town on a visit should be a piece of cake! Since Spanish classes at Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires take a break on the weekends, students studying Spanish in Argentina have some free time to make the most of the remainder of their guest’s visits! Take a look at how Expanish suggests spending an action packed weekend in Buenos Aires. Rest up students and travelers, you still have a lot to take advantage of!

Saturday: In any given neighborhood, on just about any weekend of the year, you are bound to find an open air market or street festival unique to whichever area you find yourself in. With so many options, it will be a difficult decision, but if you’re up for it, you could hustle to a couple different areas on a Saturday. We suggest taking the 45 minute train ride up to Tigre for the morning and early afternoon. With very inexpensive trains leaving from Retiro and Belgrano stations throughout the day, you can come and go as you please. Tigre offers a quiet contrast to downtown Buenos Aires with a weekend market featuring various foods, furniture, and arts and crafts. Once you’re there, you cannot pass up a boat ride throughout the canals of this river delta. Tigre can be done in a half day, and is close enough to the city center that you could take a trip back to get a second look when you have a little more time.  Head back to Buenos Aires to take in the Recoleta market for the afternoon and early evening. Taking place every Saturday and Sunday just outside of the cemetery, this market is a great spot to pick up gifts for friends and family back home, offering an impressive variety of paintings, jewelry, leather goods, and clothing. Recoleta market also has a good deal of green space and a nice variety of street food, so take a moment to relax, people watch, and sample some local foods while you’re there!

Sunday: There are two worthwhile street markets on Sundays in the city of Buenos Aires- the San Telmo market and the Feria de Mataderos in the Mataderos neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. Both offer an exciting scene, so we’ll leave this decision up to you and your guests! The San Telmo markets runs the length of at least 10 cobblestone blocks each Sunday, each lined with incredible antique stores and hippie artisans. Start this fair in Plaza Dorrego, where you can catch live tango shows and talented fileteado painters practicing their craft. This market runs all the way down to Plaza de Mayo, which is impressive site at night, with most buildings lit up, including the Casa Rosada and the Cabildo. If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional, check out the Feria de Mataderos, located in an outlying neighborhood an hour from the city center by colectivo. This market offers homemade foods and crafts, folkloric music and dance, and a unique presentation by actual gauchos! Learn more about this market in the Expanish Blog post, Feria de Mataderos!

Weekends in Buenos Aires are always busy, with most city dwellers taking to the streets to visit one of the many street fairs, markets, and parks. While a student studying Spanish in Buenos Aires is most likely familiar with these attractions, they simply cannot be missed when friends or family are in town. If you have not already, be sure to check out PART ONE and PART TWO of this blog post for more exciting ideas!

Learn more about Spanish language courses in Buenos Aires at Expanish!

If you are taking Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires at Expanish Spanish School, you have chosen an incredible time to be in Argentina- you’re experiencing the World Cup in South America! Even if you are not typically a futbol fan, or if you’re home team has already been eliminated, you better be ready to root on Argentina in their upcoming quarter-final match! After an exciting 3-1 victory over Mexico last Sunday, the city of Buenos Aires and those living throughout Argentina are ready for their team to take on Germany this coming Saturday.

In addition to Los albicelestes of Argentina and their opponents from Germany, other teams competing in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup are Brazil, Uruguay, Ghana, Netherlands, Paraguay, and Spain. With half of the remaining teams from South America, upcoming games should be a thrill, not only for Argentina, but for the whole region! The quarter-final schedule is as follows, and the games are listed at their local Buenos Aires times.

July 2:

Netherlands vs. Brazil at 11:00

Uruguay vs. Ghana at 15:30

July 3:

Argentina vs. Germany at 11:00

Paraguay vs. Spain at 15:30

If you’re taking Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, Friday’s games may interfere with your class schedule. If so, head over to Plaza San Martin as soon as class is out to catch as much futbol action as you can! Big screens set up in Plaza San Martin, located just a few blocks from Expanish Spanish School, and Parque Centenario are playing all World Cup games for public viewing free of charge. These parks offer a much better view of the games than a packed bar, and will allow you to celebrate in the streets with fellow fans after big wins! Vamos Argentina!

Check out other unique opportunities offered to students studying Spanish in Argentina through Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires!

Attention foreign students studying Spanish in Argentina: The reciprocity fee, or entrance fee, for United States citizens has been raised to $140 US dollars. This raise in fee, which went into effect on June 4, 2010, is a direct result of the US government’s recent raise on the visa fee it charges Argentine citizens to enter the United States. This fee is equal to what an Argentine would pay to acquire a visa to visit the US.

While a nuisance, this fee will last 10 years, or the life of the passport. Argentina announced last year that it would begin charging visitors a fee if their countries of citizenship charge Argentine citizens to enter their countries. Hey, it’s only fair! This statement currently applies to students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires from the US, Canada and Australia. For now, Canadian and Australian fees have remained the same, at $70USD and $100USD, respectively. Unlike the US fee, the Australian and Canadian fees must be paid each time those citizens enter the country of Argentina. This fee is collected upon arrival at Ezeiza International Airport, and can be paid in US dollars, Argentina pesos, with credit cards, or travelers checks.

This fee should not come as a huge shock to US travelers or US students studying Spanish in South America, as Argentina is not the first country in the region to charge US citizens a fee upon entry.  Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil currently place a fee on visas and/or entry by air. To learn more about this fee and others, visit the US State Department’s website for country specific information.

Learn more about Spanish immersion courses at Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires!

If you are studying Spanish in Argentina at Expanish, chances are family and friends will do their best to visit you in the incredible city of Buenos Aires while you are here. While it would be hard to find yourself without something to do in Buenos Aires, planning an itinerary for your visitors can be quite a task! Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires has put together a week long itinerary to help get you started—and trust us, this plan has been recently tested and approved! Today, we’ll give you ideas for the beginning of the week, and we’ll update you later on this week with the rest of your itinerary. Be sure to check back with the Expanish Blog!

Monday: If it is your visitors first day in Buenos Aires, do not feel silly taking them on a more touristy route! Just because you pass by the Casa Rosada every day does not mean they do not want to see it! Start up at Plaza del Congreso and continue down Avenida 25 de Mayo. Stop in at the famous Cafe Tortoni for a coffee and finish up your walk in Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada. If you’re up to it, walk on over to Puerto Madero to show your guests a more modern side of Buenos Aires. Being on the water is a refreshing break from the stuffy city streets, and the Puente de la Mujer is a site to be seen! At night, hit up Konex for a live music show. Currently, you can catch the creator of La Bomba del Tiempo’s new show, Santiago Vasquez y La Grande!

Tuesday: Take the ferry over to Colonia, Uruguay for the day. Colonia is a peaceful contrast to the busy Buenos Aires streets, and we’d be willing to guess your visitors have never visited the country of Uruguay before. Rent a go-cart and take a ride up the coastline, and take a quick bus ride up to Bodega Bernardi on Route 1 to taste some Uruguayan wine and grappa!

Wednesday: Take on the beautiful Palermo parks for the day. Stop in at MALBA or Museo Bellas Artes on the way for a bit of culture and a coffee. The street’s surrounding the rose garden are closed all weeklong, so it makes for a great walk, and roses are still in bloom—even with temperatures dropping! The Japanese botanical gardens offer a tranquil environment for your guests and the Japanese restaurant onsite offers some of Buenos Aires’ best sushi overlooking the gardens! If you’re group wants a taste of the Buenos Aires nightlife, Wednesday’s After Offices across the city are a fun take (and they don’t finish as late as weekend nights, so you’ll still be up for anything on Thursday morning!). Try out Terrazas del Este on Costanera Norte—with water views and an incredible space, its sure to impress your friends!

While you may not have time to take a break from your Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires during the week, your friends will appreciate the itinerary you have planned, and you can always join them in the afternoons! Do not forget to check back with the Expanish Blog for the second half of the week’s schedule for your visitors—they will thank you!

Learn more about Studying Spanish in Argentina at Expanish Spanish School!

With the World Cup’s opening day on the horizon and Argentina’s first match only 11 days away, students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires must prepare for what’s to come! This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times to be studying Spanish in South America! The 2010 World Cup is bound to present an unbelievable mix of passion, energy, and true fanaticism throughout the continent. Whether  or not you’re normally a soccer fan, you must get in the know for the upcoming Cup…after all, you’re studying Spanish in Argentina!

Despite the questionable antics and leadership skills of Diego Maradona (most recently, he has promised to run nude around the Obelisco in downtown Buenos Aires if the team wins it all!), Argentina heads to South Africa with a team full of capable players from both European leagues, as well as six from leagues within Argentina. Placed in Group B, alongside Nigeria, Greece, and Korea Republic, Argentina remains the favorite of the group, despite a less than thrilling performance throughout the South American qualifying matches.  Heading to South Africa,  Maradona and captain Javier Mascherano must look to foster more cohesion amongst the Argentina squad, full of undeniable talent.

Here is a look at the matches making up Argentina’s first round:

June 12: Argentina v. Nigeria at 11AM (Buenos Aires time)

June 17: Argentina v. Korea Republic at 8:30AM

June 22: Argentina v. Greece at 3:30 PM

Don’t miss out on the 2010 World Cup! Head to the FIFA website for constant updates and detailed match schedules for both Argentina and your home team!

Learn more about Buenos Aires and student life at Expanish Spanish School!

If you are a student studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, you may have spent a relaxing night at the cinema or stopped into a movie rental shop looking for your favorite films from back home. While many English language films are available in both Buenos Aires cinemas and stores, you’ve probably noticed that most movie titles are not only in Spanish, but translated quite differently! Movies are a great option for a casual evening out or a midday break from your Spanish courses in Argentina. Take a look at the following list of popular English language films whose titles are a bit different in Spanish than their originals:

Rompiendo el Hielo- Happy Feet

Enamorándome De Mi Ex- It’s Complicated

Secreto en la Montaña- Brokeback Mountain

Sonrisas y Lágrimas- The Sound of Music

Expiación, Deseo y Pecado- Atonement

Viviendo Con Mi Ex- The Breakup

La Jungla de Cristal- Die Hard

Que Paso Ayer- The Hangover

While the titles are varied, these films can probably be found just as you remember them! Spend a rainy day at the theater, or take a break from the never-ending Buenos Aires nightlife with one of your favorite films. If you’re interested in learning about other activities around the city, take a peek at the busy daily life of an Expanish student taking Spanish immersion classes in Argentina!

Learn more about Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires!

Expanish Spanish School in Buenos Aires has been improving the Spanish language ability of students from all over the world since 2006 through Spanish immersion classes in both private and group settings. If you are looking to study a new language, but can’t exactly decide on which direction to take your studies in, or if you have already learned a bit of Spanish, and are looking for ways to get over that common plateau that comes along with learning any new language, we have compiled some facts that will definitely get you motivated to get working on your Spanish! By now, you have certainly heard about the growing popularity of studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, but take a look at what makes learning Spanish, or improving upon the skills that you have already acquired, so worthwhile and so significant for students from across the globe!

- Spanish is the native language of almost 400 million people in 21 countries worldwide. It is spoken by over 500 million people today, and is the third most spoken language in the world.

- Learning even a little Spanish will enhance any travel experience. Knowledge of a foreign language when traveling  to a Spanish speaking country will open you up to another culture and lifestyle and bring you opportunities that a traveler without the language skill would never have the chance to discover.

- More than ever, companies are valuing employees with a Spanish language ability, thus providing them access to one of the fastest growing markets in the world. In North America, Hispanics make up the fasting growing consumer market, with a growth of 60 percent in the past decade. More and more companies are looking to globalize and international trade is expanding.

- Spanish is the second most utilized language in international communication, and is an official language of the United Nation’s and it’s associated organizations

-  With talents, such as Miguel de Cervantes’, author of Don Quixote (the second most translated book in the world behind the Bible!), Pablo Picasso, founder the cubist movement, and numerous film stars from both Spain and Latin America, it is impossible to ignore the influence Hispanics have had on art, literature, and film across the globe.

- Currently in the US, one in ten residents speaks Spanish at home. The US Census Bureau is reporting that the Hispanic community should see a growth of up to 50 million by the year 2015. This influx of Spanish speakers creates a need for additional Spanish language media, such as television programs, newspapers and magazines, and radio broadcasts.

A knowledge of the Spanish language will have a profound affect on your life, whether your interests lie in business, education, or art. Check out Expanish Spanish School in Argentina to see even more reasons for studying Spanish, especially in Buenos Aires!

If you are a foreign student studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, be aware that the ATM withdrawal fee for your foreign debit cards has recently been raised by local banks to 15,50 pesos (approximately $4 USD) per transaction. This fee will apply to anyone who withdraws money from a foreign account at a local ATM.

This increase comes after the transaction fee for foreigners was established in Argentina in July 2009, and does not include the international transaction fee (usually a charge of 1% of your withdrawal amount) charged by the majority of banks across the globe to their own customers. Similar to the reasoning behind charging residents from certain countries a reciprocity fee to enter the country, Argentine companies, such as Banelco and Link, have tried to justify the fee increase, saying it is comparable to the transaction fees that have been charged at banks and ATMs across the globe for years.

The best option for students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires is to withdraw larger amounts of money from ATMs, therefore avoiding paying the 15,50 transaction fee for small withdrawals. Many banks allow withdrawals of up to 1,000 pesos at a time. If you are studying Spanish in Argentina for a semester or longer, many foreigners living in Buenos Aires suggest opening an account with Charles Schwab, as they return all transaction fees charged to customers abroad at the end of each month’s billing cycle. Many Expats have also reported that Citibank locations in Buenos Aires do not charge this transaction fee to their own customers, but still charge the standard international transaction fee. 

While the cost of living in Buenos Aires is more affordable for many students than the cost of living in their home countries, it is important for students to be aware of various fees, such as this ATM withdrawal fee, incurred by foreigners when traveling abroad!

Learn more about studying Spanish in Buenos Aires at Expanish’s Spanish School!