So. Learning has started here at AMAUTA Spanish School in Buenos Aires. It’s back to school all over again. Students, teachers, classrooms. Some things are quite different though. It’s funny how something mandatory in high school can be so much fun later in life. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’m in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires surrounded by bigger-then-big trees, and sweeter-then-sweet sweets* but new palabras and verbos (do go and search for them on Google Translate) are going round in my head like a 16-year old American girl going round her walk-in closet on a Friday night.

I even like my homework because every new bit of integrated information makes it easier for me to connect with Buenos Aires and her lovely Porteños. Being able to order your own café con leche con tres medialunas without having to use your hands and feet is not only easier but much more fun.

Every weekday I take my colectivo and meet my fellow students around two o’clock in the patio of Federico Lacroze Avenue 2129. We sit and chat in the tranquillity of Belgrano (one of Buenos Aires neighbourhoods) waiting for Spanish class to start. I’m in a small group of five equally enthusiastic Europeans. Manon and Anna are Dutch girls just like me. Ole comes from Norway and Luca is Swiss.
Our first teacher Flavia, a petite woman like most Argentineans, is calm, confident and ever so patient. We keep making the same mistakes over and over again but she never even blinks an eye. After our break we switch to Omar. Omar is funny and flexible. Whenever we get tired because of the weather or whatever he jumps up and comes up with a game where we have to get up and walk around. We are not allowed to use any other language than Spanish but it is possible to mime. Omar must have been a clown or a mime in a past life because he keeps cracking me up with his gestures.
We get two different teachers every week so if Flavia en Omar are just the beginning we are in for a treat. Let’s see what next week brings us.

*Note to self: must write about Dulce de leche and Alfajores.