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.

(más…)

Your time in Buenos Aires will be filled with many new sites and experiences, no doubt, and some will be more interesting than others. It is often difficult to know from your guidebook which activities are truly worthwhile. So, we thought it might be helpful to get advice from fellow students. We parsed the people at AMAUTA for must do activities in Buenos Aires, and we condensed it into a list of the top 10 things. We hope you have time to enjoy them all!

• Take time to visit the Palermo Parks.
  Enjoy a picnic, rent a bike, lay in the grass, enjoy the lakes and diverse wildlife. It’s Spring, for pete’s sake!
• Treat yourself to a fantastic parrilla.
  There are many parrillas, but there are some that are exceptional. Try La Cabrera and Las Cholas in Las
  Cañitas!



• Attend a dinner tango show.
  To travel to Buenos Aires and not attend a dinner tango show is just a darn shame. There is so much passion in it!
• Free city walking tours. Organized by Buenos Aires’ city government. The architecture is breathtaking, and all the neighborhoods are vastly different.
• Attend a futbol game.
  Argentineans are futbol fanatics, and weekends bring huge crowds to the city. Chanting along with thousands of Argentineans will be an unforgettable experience!

(más…)

Walking over rickety rope bridges and swimming with caimen sound like a typical day to you? Well, for Elke and Steffen Garden (Germany) it was. Here they describe their final days living and studying Spanish in the rainforest with AMAUTA Spanish School.

In the morning, the rainforest lived up to his name. During class it was stormy and rainy. When we left around 11.30am by boat to another lodge close by, the rain had already stopped. We arrived at the other lodge and a parrot welcomed us. Afterwards, we walked half an hour through the forest and then to a higher canopy floor – we moved 24 meters over the floor by way of a slip-lane and rope bridge – Unforgettable!
After lunch and a few hours of Spanish lessons, we went by boat to the sand bank.  Here we played volleyball and football with the locals, which was really funny! For our way back we could decide if we wanted to go by boat or if we want to swim. Once we were back at the lodge we enjoyed some time in the pool.

At 11.30am, after breakfast and Spanish lessons, we went by boat to the “Native-Peoples“. One man in an Indian dress welcomed us and offered a One-man-show, mostly in Indian language and in the Wild West style.  Afterwards he showed us how to make a fire with natural materials and he showed us different things, like a head of a boar and a bow and arrow.
In the afternoon we walked through the rainforest and walked with the guide over overturned trees and coveys of mosquitoes.
In the evening we went by boat to look for caimen, and with a floodlight we saw a lot – surprisingly. It was the highlight of the day! I have to admit, it was a bit scary thinking that we swam back from the sand bank to the lodge the day before…
(más…)

Elke and Steffen Garden (Germany) spent a week studying Spanish with AMAUTA in the Peruvian rainforest. Staying near the Tambopata National Reserve, the two students had a chance to live in one of the most species-rich natural habitats in the world! Here, the two describe their first few days living and studying in the Peruvian rainforest.

Once you have survived the ten-hour bus ride to Puerto Maldonado, you’ll have a great and unforgettable experience studying Spanish in Tambopata with AMAUTA.

At the port, Justo alias Tuto, our guide for the next week, was waiting for us where we went downstream to the Nài-Meci-Lodge by boat. Because of the tropical temperature, we enjoyed the boat’s breeze, which cooled us down. We arrived at the lodge, which consists of two large buildings, a swimming pool, and a lot of small cabanas. The lodge is located right next to the river and is surrounded by jungle vegetation. The first day, we swam in the swimming pool followed by a drink of coconut milk out on the patio. In the afternoon, we had Spanish classes because our teacher, Libia, made an effort to schedule all the Spanish lessons next to the activities.
(más…)

I spent six weeks volunteering in Cusco at an organisation that works to contribute to improving the quality of life of children, teenagers and families living in extreme poverty, promoting the development of important life skills and encouraging them to realize their potential.

I volunteered there from March 28th until May 6th, and it was a wonderful six weeks. My volunteer coordinator from AMAUTA gave me two options as to how I would like to work – either in the mornings with children aged between 3 and 5 years, or in the afternoons with children ranging all the way from 5 to 17 years. I decided to work in the mornings, and was assigned to the class of 5 year olds, and my working hours were 9am-1pm.

The morning program is seen as more than just a kindergarten. It is referred to as an “Early Stimulation Program”, and the children are given structured lessons and homework. The range of abilities of the children in my class was enormous! While some of the children could read and write relatively proficiently for their ages, others were not even able to count to five. However all the children tried their best and the teacher would cater the work to suit all the differing needs of the children. During the period in which I volunteered the children learnt about body parts, figures and numbers. It was also great for me to develop the vocabulary I had learnt in my Spanish classes!

(más…)

1. Eat the cuy.

Seriously. One culture’s messy house pet is another’s roasted main course. You might want to avoid its eyes the first time, as it will be served with its face more or less intact.

2. Add water to the coffee.

Don’t be a hero, it’s not like sipping Italian-style espresso. It’s a velvety smooth party in your mouth. Try it like the Peruvians in Cusco do, with plenty of hot water or milk and some sugar.

3. Try the traditional menu.

Also called the menu típico or menu del día, this delicious option has several names. You’ll probably not finish the several courses you’ll get at a bargain price, but it’s a delicious way to sample traditional fare. You shouldn’t pay more than S/.10-15 and will probably pay less if you ask or look around. If you’re gullible and impatient you will probably pay more, but it’s bound to still taste great regardless of the price.

(más…)

Lindsay Hatzenbuehler
United States

Each morning, on my walks up the steep winding street to the Saqsaywaman ruins or through the quiet streets in and around the central plaza, I excitedly ventured thru and around a city that is slowly becoming more modern yet is still home to a population that is religiously strong and culturally rich (the elders continue to speak Chechua and wear traditional clothing and restaurants serve traditional Peruvian food).

(más…)

The pre-Hispanic American society was a conglomerate of different people and languages that politically turned to be part of the Spanish Empire under a common language. The American idiomatic diversity was so strong that some authors estimate that this continent is the most fragmented one in terms of linguistics, with about 123 language families, lots of those, in their turn, have tens or even hundreds of languages and dialects. Amongst these, it’s important to quote some of the main indigenous languages, in terms of speaking people and their contribution to Spanish language which are Náhuatl, Taíno, Maya, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní and Mapuche.

(más…)

Amauta Spanish School is located in the Calle Suecia 480, Cusco, Peru.

Phone: (+51)84 262345

TeleFax:(+51)84 241422