Where the rich – dead and alive – reside

Buenos Aires is famous for its eclectic neighborhoods, and one such famous barrio is the Recoleta neighborhood. Here, the city’s aristocrats live in expensive apartments characterized by impressive French architecture. See the neighborhood through this student’s eyes and read about her experience in Recoleta!

Today we got a Recoleta tour from the people in AMAUTA Spanish School! The girls from AMAUTA showed us places like the Bellas Artes Museum, the Facultad de Derecho, Palais de Glace and, of course, the Recoleta Cemetery! The tour greatly surpassed my expectations, and it added to my experience of studying Spanish in Buenos Aires since I got to know another one of this city’s diverse neighborhoods.

(más…)

If you learn Spanish at AMAUTA Buenos Aires you will not only learn Spanish; most likely, you will also learn some “lunfardo”. Lunfardo is an argot or slang of the Spanish language, which developed at the beginning of the 20th century in and around Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lunfardo developed with the arrival of many immigrants from Italy, Spain and France. Most immigrants spoke their own dialect instead of standard Spanish and Italian.

(más…)

AMAUTA Spanish School in Buenos Aires offers the exceptional opportunity to study Spanish while immersed in Argentine culture, in stunning and exciting Buenos Aires.

Other activities, such as Tango classes, workshops on Latin American Culture and extra daily Student Activities, make our Spanish school a distinctive educational destination in this incredible, filled with excitement and culture. Buenos Aires is said to be the "Paris of South America" with a European influence and charm combined with a Latino flare!

(más…)

The project Amauta placed me in, involves working with teenage girls between the ages of 13-17. Generally there are anywhere between twelve and eighteen girls. The girls are Extremely enthusiastic to have volunteers around. men. Only a handful of them attend school and have the privilege to leave their home, so all visitors are happily embraced. You do need an intermediate level of Spanish for this project or else you will end up feeling fairly lost. Most of the girls are fairly patient and love helping you look up words in your dictionary if you are struggling with your Spanish. There is little structure to your volunteer actual time in the project, so you need to be comfortable with a more low key environment and building relationships. Otherwise it is great to come up with your own project to do with the girls. Half-way through this project I decided to start an art studio for the girls with money donated from friends and family. They have a large room for making paper which is now a perfect spot to create an art studio. The girls are very excited about this studio project and it was the first time I was able to actively engage all of them at one time for a two-hour stretch period and see them both animated and happy. It would be great to find someone to continue this project after I am gone. While these girls were prostitutes in the past, overall they are normal, hyper, and sometimes moody teenage girls. They love to hug, chat about your love life, giggle, and play volleyball. I you have some time available, I’d recommend you stay at least 6 weeks, as it takes a while for the girls to trust and embrace you. Thanks for organizing this, Amauta, this is an experience I will never forget!

(más…)

6. Get involved in Argentinean culture

Showing interest in Argentinean culture will win you a lot of respect; taking part in it is even better! There are a few things in Argentina which play a very important role in daily life. Fútbol is one of these. If you get the chance to visit a football match in Argentina, don’t hesitate. It will be one of your best experiences in Argentina. There are nearly ten football clubs playing in Buenos Aires, so lots of options. The biggest clash is River Plate versus Boca Juniors. It’s considered one of the biggest rivalry sport events in the world. Besides football, the tango is intertwined with living in Argentina. Lots of Spanish schools offer tango classes. Too lazy to take classes? Free tango shows are given in the weekends on the San Telmo market and in La Boca.

7. Read the newspaper

In order to understand more about the culture and to keep track of what is going on in the country, do read the newspaper. The Argentina Independent is a free newspaper in English and covers Argentinean as well as other Latin American and world news. The Argentina Independent puts lots of attention on Argentinean culture too. This newspaper gives you a good insight in daily life. And after a while, with your newly obtained Spanish skills, you might be able to understand and read Argentinean newspapers, like El Argentino o La Nacion.

(más…)

1. Learn Spanish

Even though English is commonly spoken by many (young) Argentineans, practicing your Spanish before traveling to Argentina or whilst being there is a big surplus. Understanding the basics of Castellano is not only convenient in getting around; it is also greatly appreciated by the locals. Learning a language doesn’t come easy for many of us, especially the Porteño (Buenos Aires) accent mixed with Lunfardo slang acquires some adaptations. Practice your Spanish skills when bargaining on the market, or in a bar when meeting new people. It’s fun! And probably before even realizing you end up saying things like: "Che, qué haces boludo?"

2. Talk to locals and travelers

If, at some point, you think that your Spanish is getting somewhere, make use of it! Local people are fun and friendly and can provide you with inside information about hidden boutiques, good restaurant, nicest sunset spots and upcoming festivals. Talk to travelers too. Don’t try to do it all yourself. Their suggestions might end up being the most memorable experiences of your trip.

(más…)

Many Spanish students might think Mo ight of the week. But hey, if you are in Buenos Aires studying Spanish at our Spanish School right now, you are totally mistaken. Join your fellow students and head up to Cultural Center Konex, and Monday nights will become your favorite night of the week. Your week will begin with rhythm, dance and loads of energy.

This is a tribal party where sounds come mostly from the drums and the added elements of dance music. La Bomba de Tiempo is a tropical cocktail with a mix of Indian, Moroccan, Brazilian, Argentinean and African sounds. (más…)

   Matthew Benwell (UK, 28 years):

"AMAUTA Spanish school in Buenos Aires offers a great environment to learn Spanish. The teachers were extremely friendly and approachable and balanced the classes with an adequate mix of conversation and Spanish grammar. Furthermore, the Spanish lessons were varied (including literature, drama, role-play and more) and pitched at the right level and included teachers from different countries in Latin America, enabling me to understand different accents and forms of Spanish. The additional activities (which included walking tours of the city, tango classes and visits to prominent museums in the city) encouraged me to learn much more about Argentina outside of the classroom and were a great way to get to know the other students. For an allround Spansih language- and cultural-learning experience, I would definitely recommend AMAUTA."

(más…)

The third dance in the history of dance done with the man and woman facing each other is the Tango. It consists of the man holding the woman’s right hand in his left, while his right arm is around her. The first dance done in this position was the Viennese Waltz, a craze which spread across Europe throughout the 1830s; the second dance was known as the Polka and was the next craze throughout the 1840s. Finally the Tango evolved into the third dance of its kind which greatly varied from anything before its existence because it introduced the great concept of improvisation for the first time.

The Tango soon after had a great influence on all of the “couples dancing” in the twentieth century. Its evolution was due to the great amounts of immigrants coming into Argentina which brought an array of new dancing with shocking new holds. It is, however, unknown as to how and when exactly the Tango evolved from the Viennese Waltz and the Polka into what it is today. This is due to the fact that it was everyday normal people who helped with the evolution of the Tango. They were the poor and the underprivileged that helped shape this phenomenon.

(más…)

It is an inevitable fact that while studying a new language – what about Spanish in Buenos Aires –  you will have days when it feels as though your head is going explode from all of the new vocabulary, verb conjugations, and expressions.  Fortunately, there is a great new way to blow off a bit of steam during your time at AMAUTA SPANISH SCHOOL in Buenos Aires, that will also give you some great insight into why many people consider Buenos Aires one of the world’s top nightlife destinations.  The Buenos Aires Pub Crawl, or BA Pub Crawl, is taking the city’s nightlife scene by storm.  Operated by a fun and truly international staff, the BA Pub Crawl is a great option for those with little experience in this large city to meet other travelers as well as locals, in a night that will lead them to four or five different city hot spots.  What´s more, the BA Pub Crawl operates its nightlife tour in three different and distinct city locations, each offering an entirely unique experience.

(más…)