If you are studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, be sure to take a break from your Expanish courses to catch Argentina’s Oscar winning film, “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (The Secret in Their Eyes). Directed by Juan José Campanella, this film is one of only six Argentine films in 50 years to be nominated for an Academy Award, and the first win for Argentina since 1985. Argentina has submitted foreign language films to the Academy for review since 1961, and is the only Latin American country to have ever won an Academy Award!

Starring Ricardo Darin, one of Argentina’s most celebrated actors, ‘El Secreto de Sus Ojos,”  presents it’s audience with a dark and complex combination of complicated love story and dramatic police thriller, set in Buenos Aires in the late 90s. Darin’s character , a retired federal agent, investigates the past murder of a young woman in Buenos Aires. Throughout the film, flashbacks of the incident provide a snapshot of Argentina in the 1970s, a time period full of judicial corruption, eventually leading to the military junta of the 70s and 80s.

This film currently stands are Argentina’s second most popular movie in cinematic history, and was the most watched movie in theaters of 2009, making it the highest grossing film ever in Argentina. ‘El Secreto de Sus Ojos’ also took home the award for best Hispano-American film at this year’s Goya Awards, the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards.

Don’t miss Argentina’s award winning film ‘El Secreto de Sus Ojos!” If you’re looking to take advantage of other cultural activities while you’re taking Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires, check out the student workshops offered through Expanish!

Take a night off and head to the movies! Check out our ‘Cinemas in Buenos Aires” blog entry to find a theater near you!

If you are taking some time to learn Spanish in Buenos Aires, you cannot miss the 2010 Buenos Aires Tango Festival, taking place throughout the city from February 27th until March 7th! Organized by the Buenos Aires Ministry of Culture, the Tango Festival celebrates and promotes Buenos Aires’ most notorious style of artistic expression.

Over 150 professional tango dances take to the streets and local milongas to showcase their talent, classes are held for those working on their moves, and exhibitions take place throughout the city. There are endless opportunities across Buenos Aires to learn, watch, and take part in this passionate dance— and most of them are free!

For more information on specific performance times and schedules contact:

Corrientes 1530
8th Floor
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tel +54 (0)11 4374 2829

Email info@festivaldetango.com.ar

Did you know that Expanish offers Tango lessons through their Spanish School in Buenos Aires? Find out about other activities to take part in while you are studying Spanish in Argentina through Expanish!

Looking to take a break from your Spanish courses in Buenos Aires? Want to add a little excitement to your weekend? Take a short bus ride to Gualeguaychú, located three hours northwest of downtown Buenos Aires in the Entre Ríos province. Busses leave daily from Retiro station, so getting there is easy for students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires!

El Carnaval de Gualeguaychú, often referred to as the Carnival of the Country, or el Carnaval del Pais, takes place on Saturdays throughout January, February, and the first week of March each year. This festival showcases a large parade, filled with elaborate costume and dance, drawing thousands to this community. The grand finale takes place this year on Saturday, March, 6th!

The tradition of carnival is often rooted in Christianity, as a celebration taking place in the weeks preceding Lent. Throughout the world various carnivals take place during this time of year, all with their own unique themes. Similar to the popular Brazilian Carnival, the Carnival of Gualeguaychú is a vibrant and truly thrilling festival, where thousands come to escape and take in the excitement.

This coming Saturday, the three teams, or comparsas, competing for first prize are O’Bahia, Ará Yeví and Papelitos. Each will look to wow the crowd with intricate dance choreography, an embellished float, and extravagant costumes!

Be sure to check the Expanish Blog next week for a review of this weekend’s festivities in Gualeguaychú!

Studying Spanish in South America and want to explore a bit more? Learn more about Student Life in Buenos Aires at Expanish!

As most of you have heard by now, a massive 8.8 earthquake struck the country of Chile, taking the lives of hundreds and leaving thousands more homeless and in great need of resources. While you are studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, don’t let distance leave you feeling helpless.

There are many ways for students studying Spanish is Argentina to lend a hand to those in need in Chile. The organizations listed below can help to get you started helping the victims of this devastating earthquake.

Donate to the American Red Cross!

Donate to Oxfam!

Donate to the International Medical Corps!

Donate to World Vision!

Donate to Doctors Without Borders!

Donate to UNICEF!

It is difficult to understand the impact your small donation can have on such an overwhelming situation, but any amount of help is immeasurable to the people of Chile during this time. Take a break from your Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, and give a little to those in great need throughout the country of Chile.

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games have been in full force now for over two weeks and continue to go strong and draw a crowd in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.

Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires? 

Want to get the full ‘Olympic’ experience in Argentina?

Don’t worry about missing the Winter Olympics while you are taking Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, check out the bars below that are a few of Buenos Aires’s best sports bars and most popular places to be any night of the week.

Sports included in this years Winter Olympics: Alpine skiing, biathlon, bob sleigh, cross-country, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, short track, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboard, and speed skating.

• Casa bar  www.casabarbuenosaires.com    Rodríguez Pena 1150

• El Alamo bar  http://www.elalamobar.com    Uruguay 1175/77

• Gibraltar   thegibraltar@hotmail.com   Perú 895

Go to the Canadian Olympics website and check out the calendar for events dates and times. 

With a new year comes a new cost of living where ever you may be in the world.  Prices may go up, prices may go down, and inflation rates change, all major factors that contribute to a city’s cost of living.

Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires in 2010 also brings up a new list of costs, no too different from the year before, but definitely with some changes. Lucky for those coming from abroad, foreign currencies are still strong against the Argentine peso making travel to Argentina still affordable!

Cost of Living 2010

1. Accommodation in Buenos Aires

Most students will look at about $290-400US to rent a room in shared apartment or a room in a homestay, depending on location and size of the apartment. Hostels and hotels vary depending on the place, 1-5 stars, amenities and services, and location.

2. Food in Buenos Aires

If you eat in, you can keep your food costs relatively low, for example, calculate about $ 150-250US a month/ per person, eating fairly well. Vegetables, fruits, and meats are very affordable, cheeses, delicacy items, and imported items are what will bring you costs up.

3. Entertainment in Buenos Aires

This is a tricky subject as this is totally up to the person and their style of living. If you eat out 6 times a week, hit up the movies once a week, a concert once a week, a nightclub once a week, and out for drinks/coffee a few times a week, your costs may rise significantly. For example, a coffee will cost you about $2.5US, a cocktail about $5-7US, a dinner (steak and side) $12-20US, the movies $4US, concert (local) $5-10US, and so on.  This amount you must think about, but you can probably put the round about number of $100-300US/month.

4. Transportation in Buenos Aires

Taking the bus costs 1.25pesos = $.30 US. The train, $.80-1.80 pesos = $.15-.40US. Taxis start at $4.20pesos = $1.10US, and for a ten minute journey average = 12- 15 pesos = $3-$5US. Subte is $.90pesos = $.30US.  Public transportation is fairly cheap in Buenos Aires, taxi’s may run your bill a bit, but still pretty affordable for a big city.

These are the 4 major costs that you will face while learning Spanish in Argentina. Of course, there are other hidden costs such as the new Reciprocity Fee (special for United States, Canadian, and Australian citizens) or costs such as necessity items while abroad (shampoo, flip flops, locker rental, etc). Be sure to always over-budget, and have a back up plan, such as traveler’s checks or credit cards in case your money wears a bit thin.

Interested in Spanish courses in Buenos Aires? Check out our Spanish classes here! 

Study Spanish in Buenos Aires and Stay Safe! 

We all know the big safety tips, such as don’t walk down a dark alley alone, don’t talk to strangers, etc, but there are some other precautionary tips that just might help you avoid those annoying situations such as stolen passports, upset stomachs, and cultural clashes.

How to keep safe while learning Spanish in Buenos Aires

1. Make photocopies of your passport and hide them in various pieces of luggage or exchange them with a friend. If your passport does go missing, you have a photocopy of it.

2. Leave your itinerary, contact information, travel plans, etc, with your friends and family back home.

3. Head to the doctor/dentist before you come to Argentina,  make sure your health is as good as it can be!

4. Leave the expensive, bling-bling, jewellery back at home. There is no need to cause attention to yourself and your costly accessories.

5. Women & Men – Never accept drinks from a stranger!

6. If any sort of government authority figure (police, military, etc) approach you, always ask to see I.D and if you don’t trust it, call attention to yourself or ask a local for help.

7. Arrive at your destination while there is still daylight. It is so much nicer, and much safer, to arrive in the day.

8. If you have a sensitive stomach, leave the street food to the locals. As yummy as it may be, the possibility of an upset stomach is there. Every country has its own bacteria, and for a foreigner, your body may not be used to these bacteria’s and not deal with them well.

9. Don’t do drugs! They are always BAD.

10. Read about local customs and abide by them, this will help you avoid any awkward situations.

11. Don’t walk down the street with your purse (ladies) or wallets (men) flapping in the breeze. That is just asking for it.

12. If you stay in a hostel at any time, always lock your personals up, you can never be to careful.

13. Don’t do things that you wouldn’t necessarily do in your own country because you are abroad. If you wouldn’t take a nap on the floor of the train station while waiting for your train in your own country, don’t do it abroad either.

14. Get to know your local embassy where you traveling, if you ever need anything, they will be a big help.

15. Remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry. So without losing your adventurous spirit, be careful on your travels while still having fun!

Getting traveling today! Start Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires and Immerse Yourself in the Culture in Argentina!

Have you decided to travel abroad and study Spanish in Buenos Aires?

This may mean that you have to say “goodbye” to your family and friends for a while but nowadays that doesn’t mean that you can’t keep in touch with them.

Thanks to the latest in technology, you only have to decide what kind of medium you want to use to communicate with your loved ones back at home! Do you want to write them an e-mail or a text message? Do you want to chat over the internet or call them?

Writing a text message is one of the easiest ways to keep people at home updated. The only thing that you have to be sure of is that you have a text connection to foreign countries. And if you have decided to stay in Buenos Aires for a while to learn Spanish, it might be the best if you buy a local card and get your own Argentine phone number. This way, you are always available for your new argentine friends but can also send text messages back home at a cheaper rate!

By using the internet you can either write an e-mail or you can chat directly with “Skype” ! It doesn’t matter if you didn’t bring your own laptop with you to Buenos Aires, there are plenty of internet cafes all over the city available for use. Most of them also provide headsets, just make sure you ask at the front desk. FYI: In many places, for only 3 Pesos you can use the internet for an hour.

If some of your friends or your family members don’t use “Skype” you still can call them very cheaply. At all kiosks (corner side stores) in town you can buy a phone card that is called “hablemás” . You can buy that card for either 3, 5, 10, 20 or 50 Pesos. FYI: With a balance of 10 Pesos you can talk for about an hour!

For those friends or family who don’t like all the new technologic inventions or if you want to send something more personal there is also the possibility to write a letter or a postcard by hand and send it by mail, possible at any of the post offices located around the city.

learn Spanish, hablemás

It is that time of year again… when we take one day to celebrate that ‘special’ person in our lives, or for some of us, to celebrate our freedom and future love!

Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires? What will you do this year from San Valentine in Buenos Aires?

So that all of us have a chance to enjoy this day, we have narrowed down the ways to spend it into to two categories: Couples & Singles.

Couples

There are plenty of romantic things to do in Buenos Aires!

1. Head to the Palermo Parks for some time in the sun; pack a snack and relax near the lake.

2. Buy a lovely bottle of wine and indulge with some good conversation.

3. Go to the MALBA and check out the local exhibits and great Latin American art.

4. Take the train to San Isidro and bask in the sun riverside and enjoy lunch outside.

5. Buy your special love a big bouquet of flowers from one of the fantastic flowers kiosks in the city.

6. Take a tango class and then go tango dancing at night.

7.  Buy delicious chocolates from Compania de Chocolates, located in Palermo.

8. Just because you are a couple doesn’t mean you can’t go out for drinks and dancing! Dress up in your best and head to Godoy for some delicious cocktails and a trendy atmosphere.

Singles

Get your single groove on in exciting Buenos Aires!

1. Buy yourself a box of chocolates from Compania de Chocolates, located in Palermo. Celebrate your single-dom!

2. Head to Plaza Serrano in Palermo and enjoy an outside lunch with friends, people watching and chit chatting with strangers.

3. Go shopping down the lengthy, and inexpensive, Santa Fe avenue – buy yourself something fun for the night!

4. Head to Koh Lanta in Palermo and celebrate their Valentines Party – Cupid is Stupid! – bringing your fantastic single self for a night of dancing!

5. Send your best friend a Valentine’s day card!

6. Check out the Recoleta Cemetery in Recoleta, admire the gorgeous tombstones, and after head to one of the local restaurants for some delicious traditional Argentine food.

Enjoy this Valentine’s Weekend anyway you can in Buenos Aires!

Check out our Spanish classes in Argentina here!

This February, the city of Buenos Aires will be celebrating the arts with Carnival Porteño 2010!

Study Spanish in Buenos Aires while Celebrating Carnival 2010!

From Saturday, February 6th until Sunday, February 28th, the city of Buenos Aires will be hosting carnival every weekend in a different neighborhood in Buenos Aires. In total, over 17,000 artists will will participate, 100 carnival bands, and over one thousand base drums and other percussion instruments will be featured. 

This carnival is a mix of traditional folkloric music, urban folk customs, traditional dancing, and plenty of humour in every song or skit. The artists dress up in colorful costumes, often including gloves, top hats, long coats, and walking stick, and play music and dance to various themes.

The Schedule:

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14:  Abasto: Av. Córdoba between Agüero and Sanchez de Bustamante

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28: Almagro: Av. Corrientes between Medrano and Palestina

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21: Balvanera: Av. Independencia between Alberti and Rincón

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14:  Boedo 2: Av. Belgrano between Columbres and Maza

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28:  Caballito 1: Av. Avellaneda between N. Oroño and F. Sarmiento

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 27, 28:  San Telmo: Av. San Juan between Balcarce and Peru

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28:  Coghlan: Av Congreso between Holmberg and Machain

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28: Colegiales: Av. Federico Lacroze between R. Freire and Martínez

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 27, 28:  Boedo 1: Av. Boedo between San Juan and Independencia

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28:  Saavedra 1: Av. Balbín between Plaza and Jaramillo

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28:  Saavedra 3: Av. Balbín between Pico and Arias

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28:  Villa Crespo: Av. Scalabrini Ortiz between Av. Corrientes and Padilla

Feb 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28 :  Villa Urquiza: Av. Triunvirato between Roosevelt and Rivera

Feb 20, 21, 27, 28:  Parque Centenario: Lambaré between Corrientes and Bogado

Check out the Buenos Aires Government Page for more information!

Find our more about our Spanish programs in Buenos Aires!