Expanish Blog

Students in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires are able to enjoy the many innovative restaurants, bar, and night clubs located throughout the city in any given moment. However, the Library Lounge in the Faena Hotel may be the only place to combine the stature of a world class hotel with the smoky allure of a New York motel, Argentine culture with that of Cabaret, and the colors of a red light district with that of an upper class cocktail bar.

This unique hotel was designed by French architect Philippe Starck and Argentine fashion magnate Alan Faena about 7 years ago. Students in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires cannot miss the red brick, red lights, and red carpet that make it stand out among its many neighbors in Puerto Madero. Spanish immersion students in Expanish need only enter through its long black doors and take a few steps to the room labeled Library Lounge.

The room is lined with 40´s leather lounge couches, satin pillows, antique lamps, and velvet curtains. The dark mahogany bar lines the back wall, situated behind the room’s impressive black grand piano, and under the watchful eyes of the jewel wearing hunting paraphernalia. Any student studying Spanish in Buenos Aires will agree that this room has more character than any other lounge in the city.

Students in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires can head to the Library Lounge any night out of the week, however, show nights take place from Wednesday until Saturday and should not be missed. Each show is spectacularly unique, hosts first class singers and musicians, and the performance aims to please. This is a great way for Spanish immersion students in Buenos Aires to practice their Spanish while listening to the exotic live music, narrated intermissions, or simply socializing with others.

Besides taking in a show, students studying Spanish Buenos Aires must try one of their many innovative cocktails and appetizers. Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires could not be complete without trying some of Latin America’s signature drinks such as the caipirinha, caipiroska, or Argentina’s Fernet and coke.

Shows in the Library Lounge often cost 70 pesos, and individual drinks around 30 pesos; this may be more than what students learning Spanish in Buenos Aires are used to paying, however it is more than worth it and the experience will be priceless .

Students in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires can rest easy that their trip to the Faena Hotel’s Library Room will be like no other library trip they have ever experienced.

Click for more info on Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires and the Library Lounge!

If you have come to study Spanish in Buenos Aires, you have made the right choice. Buenos Aires, a city of more than 13 million people, is one of the most beautiful, eclectic, and activity rich cities in Latin America. Students taking Spanish classes in Argentina will not only learn the beautiful Spanish language through Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires but will also be able to indulge in the many wonders of Buenos Aires.

To make it easy, here are 5 immediate ‘Must Do’s’ for those students taking Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires!

1) Take Mate to the Park: There is no better way to feel Argentine or to learn Spanish in Buenos Aires than to head to a local park, drink Mate (a hot drink similar to a bitter tea), and chat with other locals. Great practice after your Spanish classes in Buenos Aires with Expanish!

2) Check out the Argentine buried past: You haven’t really experienced a cemetery before you visit the Cementerio de Recoleta (Recoleta Cemetery). This labyrinth of a cemetery is not only home to the tombs of many famous, historical, or influential Argentines, it is also where you can find Eva Peron’s flower covered tomb. Students taking Spanish classes in Buenos Aires can see the cemetery in the Weekly City Cultural Tours.

3) Tour Buenos Aires on the 152: The number 152 bus starts in the underprivileged neighborhood of La Boca, passes through the newest and most wealthy barrio of Puerto Madero, on to the city centre, the Palermo, Belgrano, and finishes its journey in the affluent northern neighborhood of Olivos. Students finishing their Spanish classes in Buenos Aires can jump on the 152 every 15 minutes or so at the many designated bus stops along its route.

4) Eat a Triple Scoop Gelato: Argentina is known for its mouth-watering gelato found in the hundreds of helado shops located throughout the city. It should be said that a student who takes their Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires seriously will see this as more than an ice cream run but rather a cultural experience.

5) Watch a sidewalk Tango show: Check out a sidewalk tango show in the historical neighborhood of San Telmo where tango dancers perform in the streets for pedestrians. Feeling inspired? Students learning Spanish in Buenos Aires at Expanish can sign up for tango lessons held throughout the week.

These five must-sees are a great start for students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires to get to know the city. Check back for more great ways to learn Spanish in Buenos Aires and how get the most out of your Spanish immersion in Argentina.

Click here for more information on Spanish classes in Buenos Aires at Expanish or our Expanish activities info!

Argentina is a country full of history and students coming here from abroad to take Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires should be sure to learn all they can. One very important time in history is still very evident every Thursday in Plaza de Mayo; las Madres de Plaza de Mayo. Students learning Spanish in Buenos Aires should head down to the plaza on Thursday to support and to learn about the history of Argentina and make the most out of their Spanish immersion in Argentina.

Students taking Spanish classes in Buenos Aires can see the mothers walk every Thursday in order to remind people of the atrocities of the Dirty War and of the many ‘disappeared’, (people who were abducted and then killed during the dictatorship). The first group marched in 1977, despite a ban on public gatherings, and there were only 14 of them.

Today, there are more than 50 mothers who walk, with an audience easily over a hundred. Students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires can have a first hand look at this political organization, being the only organization to overtly challenge the military government and carrying out their struggle under the name of motherhood. There are many historical sights in Buenos Aires, but students who learn Spanish in Buenos Aires will agree that the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo perhaps still make the biggest impact.

Students studying Spanish in Buenos Aires can walk down from the school to the plaza, talk to locals, or talk to the women at one of the stands selling literature about the Dirty War. Our Expanish students learning Spanish in Argentina also have the opportunity to visit the Plaza on our unique weekly city tour, where they can hear more about the history of the plaza and las madres. Seeing the Mother’s of Plaza de Mayo is a must for those taking Spanish immersion courses in Argentina as it gives an incredible insight into one of the tragedies of war in Argentina.

Click here to learn more about Spanish lessons in Buenos Aires and las Madres De Plaza de Mayo.

Those students taking Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires are no strangers to the fashion that can be found on the streets, stores, and people of this cosmopolitan city. Buenos Aires and its fashion-conscious residents continue to follow behind the fashion tracks made by Europe and keep up with each season’s styles, trends, and hot designers. This week in Buenos Aires, August 20-23, students studying Spanish in Argentina will be able to indulge in four whole days of fashion fun with Buenos Aires Fashion Week.

It is a great way for students in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires to learn about porteño fashion and style by putting on their best and heading down to La Rural on Av. Sarmiento 2704. The space is huge and elaborately decorated and the fashion shows, exhibits, and showrooms will be located through the area. There will be three fashion runways showcasing daily fashion shows, more than 40 different designer showrooms, and a lounge area with dining options. Once students finish their Spanish language courses in Buenos Aires for the day they can head down to enjoy fashion from 2 until 10 pm. Entrance is 20 pesos.

Students who study Spanish in Buenos Aires will discover that the people of this city are known to take pride in their appearance, love European fashion, and often dress to impress. Expanish’s Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires are all about immersing yourself into the daily culture, and this week there is no better place to see some Argentine fashion while putting to use what you have learned in your Spanish classes in Argentina!

Click a link for more information about Spanish courses in Buenos Aires or Buenos Aires Fashion Week!

Students who study Spanish in Argentina and at Expanish will have the remarkable opportunity to visit a typical and traditional Argentine estancia during their Spanish immersion courses in Argentina. What is an ‘estancia’? Estancia is the Spanish word for ranch. And although similar to a typical ranch, for example, estancias tend to be much bigger in size than that of a North American ranch. Estancias offer many ‘cowboy’ activities and are a wonderful experience for those taking Spanish immersion courses in Argentina.

Estancias, in the past and now, continue to play a huge part in the economy of Argentina as they are the producers and exporters of meat and grain around the world. Students who come to learn Spanish in Argentina and Buenos Aires must learn that this is not your typical farming practice; to Argentines it is as much of an art as is the art of wine making. Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires students will have the option to visit several estancias located close to Buenos Aires and in and around Argentina.

Students studying Spanish in Argentina will be able to not only visit but also stay a night on a working estancia in order to learn about the Gaucho (Argentine ‘cowboy’) culture and tradition. Estancias offer their visitors activities such as hikes, swimming, horseback riding, cattle drives, or to join in on the daily activities of gauchos. For a total Spanish immersion in Argentina experience, students should stay for the lunchtime asados (barbeque), to learn about the art of cooking meat and vegetables from around the country.

During these asados, gauchos are known to enjoy grouping around a fire to play and sing folk music. These traditional songs are all in Spanish and are a great way for students learning Spanish in Argentina to pick up some traditional words and song tunes. Not only do gauchos love folk music but they also love to sit around the fire and tell stories and legends about Argentina and its people.

Expanish offers a day trip to a nearby estancia once a month for its Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires students who take programs of eight weeks or more. Our package for our Spanish students in Argentina includes: Round trip transfer from Buenos Aires, Snacks and a large asado lunch with unlimited drinks, a folklore dancing show, a gaucho horseback show, horseback and carriage rides, and optional overnight stay with breakfast.

Visiting an estancia on the country side is one of the most Argentine activities that students who study Spanish in Argentina can take part in. For students in Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires at Expanish there are many estancias close by that they can experience the gaucho culture, relax and enjoy nature, and make the most out of their Spanish immersion courses in Argentina.

For more information on Studying Spanish in Argentina and Activites click here!