Monday August 31st, 2009

How did everything go last week?

Hola amigos de Íbero,

We hope you are having an amazing time in Buenos Aires, and despite the recent rain, enjoyed the spring weather over the weekend. We want to let you know about some of the activities students took part in last week and the places we visited. Remember that the schedule of events for this week is already published. Don't forget to invite your friends and compañeros to join you! We are looking forward to an exciting week.

Wednesday night was especially exciting because during all last week the International festival of Tango took place in Buenos Aires. During the festival throughout the city there were various different events and classes. In particular, la Tienda Harrods opened its doors during the festival to receive many tango dancers. Every day there were milongas, or people who came to dance tango. A milonga is a get together of many tango dancers where a singer performs live accompanied by a band that plays for the people who are dancing in pairs. Eleven students joined Juan Ignacio Wednesday at 8:oo PM to hear a group called Sexteto Milonguero-Dj Tarantino, a band of 6 very talented young musicians . We were able to sit at the bar of Harrods and chat while we watched the couples dance Tango along to the live music. What a great time!



Thursday we had our weekly Argentine movie screening. We watched a film called "Apariencias", a very funny and well known comedy from 2000. We put the english subtitles on in order to help students in parts where they did not understand.

Friday at 4pm we had our "taller de conversación", our weekly spanish conversation activity at a cafe called Cumaná, on the street Rodríguez Peña at 1149. Students met Juan Ignacio to drink mate and try delicious empanadas while practicing the spanish we are learning in class. It was a great chance to relax porteño style and chat in spanish.

We look forward to seeing you out at one of our activities this week!

Un saludo grande,

Staff of Íbero.

Activities For the Coming Week! August 31st - September 4th

Hola amigos de Íbero,

We would like to tell you about the activities we have planned for next week. Don't forget to invite your friends (the people you are traveling with or who you have met in Buenos Aires). Don't worry about letting us know if you are coming, all you need to do is show up!

¡Nos vemos!

Monday night we are going to have a welcome dinner for the students new to the school. We are going to eat empanadas at a very good restaurant in the barrio of Recoleta called El Sanjuanino. In Argentina, the empanadas made of meat, cheese, and corn are an important part of our tradition and every province has their own special recipe. There are empanadas made according to a different style in the province of Jujuy, Tucuman, San Juan etc. Monday we are going to eat empanadas from the Province of San Juan. In addition to trying a delicious and interesting food, this is going to be a great opportunity to meet other students who are studying at Íbero. If this sounds like fun, meet us Monday at 8:30pm. at the corner of Posadas and Avenida Callao.

For Wednesday, the 2nd of September we are having our "taller de conversación", or our spanish workshop in a cafe called Estación General del Café, in the barrio of Palermo at Avenida Pueyrredón 1529. These conversation workshops let you practice the spanish you are learning in the classroom, and give you an opportunity to talk about anything that interests you while getting to know a new part of Buenos Aires. The idea is to visit different cafes and bars in city and have a conversation in spanish in a relaxed environment. If you are interested, we hope to see you at 6:00pm. at Avenida Pueyrredón 1529. ¡Nos vemos!

Thursday we are having our weekly screening of an Argentine movie. Each week we watch an Argentine film in our screening room at the school in order to practice our spanish comprehension. If needed, we watch the movie with subtitles in english or español. This week we are going to watch Historias Mínimas, a well known Argentine film, which follows the lives of three people who are played by actors, while the rest of the people are locals from the places where the movie was filmed. We hope to see you at the school at 2:00 to watch this excellent film!

Friday we are going to visit the Museo Xul Solar, a very famous museum that is home to the work of a great Argentine artist from the late 1800's who has influenced the European vanguard. We will meet at the school and travel in subte together. Entrance to the museum costs 10 pesos. The museum is not very large, but it is without a doubt worth a trip to get to know one of the most recognized Argentine artists of the 20th century. Hopefully you can make it! We will meet at the school at 3:00pm on Friday.

Lastly, Sunday we are going to the Feria de San Telmo. This Feria is only on Sundays and takes place along Defensa, a street that was closed off just for pedestrians. At the Feria in San Telmo you can find many unique and interesting things to see and buy. You will also see many musicians and tango dancers performing as you walk throughout the Feria. Please meet us at the corner of Avenida Independencia and Defensa at 3:00pm on Sunday.

We hope to see you at some of the activities this week!
¡Esperamos verlos en las actividades de la semana que viene!

Un saludo grande,
The Íbero Spanish Staff

This coming week! August 24th-August 28th

Hola Amigos de Íbero!!

Hopefully you are making the most out of your time here in Buenos Aires. Isn´t such a great city? This entry includes the activities we have planned for this coming week (August 24-August 28). You are welcome to come to any activity, whether you let us know or not. Your friends, travel buddies, roomates, etc. are all welcome as well. The more the merrier, right?? We hope you like what we have planned... it is sure to be a fun week!

On Tuesday the 25th, we are going to the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo. The museum is actually located in the home of one of Argentina´s most prestigous familys from the 19th century. They were very rich and the house is huge and absolutely gorgeous! They say that even if someone is not into art that much, going to the museum is worth it just to see the house! It truely is impressive. If you are interested in coming with us, we will meet at 3:00 on Tuesday at the school so we can all go together. The entry costs 2 pesos. Hope to see you on Tuesday!

Wednesday is going to be tango night! We are going to a typical porteño milonga called Tienda Harrods. These days it has a place in the Festival de Tango de Buenos Aires, an international competition. Harrads organizes different milongas out of the pure desire to share with others the beauty of tango dance and music. We are going to meet at 6:30 on Wednesday in front of the school. The milonga will begin at 8. Hope you can make it!

On Thursday we are going to have our weekly movie theater in the school to watch an Argentine film. This week we will watch “Apariencias,” a really funny love story made back in the year 2000. We always turn on the English subtitles when watching the movies in Spanish so we can pick up different vocabulary, practice our listening skills and enjoy a great film at the same time! If you want to join us this week we will meet at the school at 2:00. See you!

Friday is our “Taller de Conversación” day, or in other words, our Spanish workshop! The workshops are great to practice what you have been learning in class on Juan Ignacio and other students. We usually always end up having interesting conversations in interesting places. This week we are going to Cumaná, a cafe located on Avenida Santa Fe. It is a modern place that attracts a young crowd and offers a perfect environment for our workshop. We hope you can make it! We will meet at Rodríguez Peña on Friday at 4:30.


Saturday the 29th we are going to Plaza de Mayo. We will visit the Cathedral de Buenos Aires and la Casa Rosada, which is where government action took place when the Spanish were ruling Argentina. This is an extremely important Plaza to the city of Buenos Aires and very famous around the world. It has alot of history and we are going to learn it all! Hopefully you can come! We will meet at the school on Saturday at 2:00.


We hope you like what we have planned. Bring your friends and join us in getting to know the city! See you soon!

What we were up to this last month...

Hola Amigos!

We want to share with you what we have been doing this last month. We have gone many places and seen many things that a review of all we´ve done is worth it. The plans for next week are already organized and you will find what we have going on in the next entry. You can take a look at the hours and days and hopefully you will be able to join us in getting to know the great city of Buenos Aires.

Everyone knows that a great way to really see the porteño lifestyle and culture in Buenos Aires is to visit the famous (and frequent) fairs. Each fair is different and each one presents a unique side of the culture. For example, the Recoleta Fair offers an array of young artisan crafts and brightly colored clothes, jewelery, things for your home, etc. But if you go to the San Telmo fair, you will find loads of antiques for sale and see people dancing tango in the street. The two fairs are completely different from one another, but each represent Buenos Aires in a different way.

This month we chose to go to the Matadero Fair, which is a fair offering crafts and shows from Argentina´s countryside. In this fair you can see how things are different from the city to the country here in Argentina as well as try the food and drink from different provinces. We went to the fair on a Sunday because there is always a Folklore show on Sundays. We practiced our Spanish with Juan Ignacio, tried traditional Argentinian foods, watched a horserace and overall had a great experience!

We also visited the Exposición Rural this month which is an annual affair in Plaza Italia that shows off the animals, foods and overall character of rural life here in Argentina. We had a great time looking at the animals and trying typical juices and snacks that aren´t normally available in the city. We even watched a cow parade! It was a great time and worth seeing if you are here in town when the exposition comes through.

One night we met up at a local restaurant and tried Argentine empanadas. The restaurant was called El Sanjuanino and is known for offering empanadas from all different regions in the country. There are so many ways to prepare this traditional food that it was a great experience trying out the differences and comparing. The restaurant is located in the beautiful neighborhood of Recoleta and we had a great time drinking wine, eating empanadas, talking in Spanish and enjoying a cultural experience here in Buenos Aires.

Each week we offer what we call a “Taller de Conversación” which is basically a Spanish Workshop to try out the words and grammar that you have learned in class. The workshops are super helpful because you are speaking with other spanish learners, so there is usually more patience and understanding of what you want to say. Plus, if you don´t know a word or prounounciation among one another, Juan Ignacio is there to help you out and explain what it is you want to say! We try to hold the workshops in different cafes all over the city. There are so many to choose from and the cafe environment is such a big part of Argentine culture that it is always fun going around to different ones. This month we went to the Ateneo Grand Esplendid, which is actually an old theater converted into a cafe; we went to Cumana, which is a cafe geared more to young people; we went to the famous Cafe Tortoni, where important authors and politicians used to hang out and a number of other “just around the corner” cafes, typical of Buenos Aires.

If you haven´t noticed, we love eating Argentinian food here at Íbero. We try to organize a dinner at least once a week for students to get a taste of what different kinds of food the city has available. One night we went to a pizzaria, Romario, in Recoleta and had the best pizza some of us had ever had. Another night we went to a typical parrilla (grill) in San Telmo called El Desnivel and ate amazing steaks and meats from the grill just like the Argentines do. We love going out to dinner, food is always a great way to see how people in other cultures live. Plus its just fun!

One night was really fun! We went and saw an Argentina percussion band here in Buenos Aires that plays every Monday night in the Kónex (a performance arena). The band is made up of 20 musicians who improv their shows each Monday so that no two shows are ever the same. They communicate through a sign language that they created just to communicate while on stage. It was a really good show. We drank beer, ate panchos and enjoyed watching people dance and sing along with the music.

We have really enjoyed all of the activities and hope that you have as well. We are always making new ones, so come and join us!

See you soon,
Íbero Spanish Staff

A Review of Last Week...

Hola Everyone!

We want to tell you about how the activities went last week. The blog entry before this one is what we are doing this week – we hope to see you! If you ever have ideas or suggestions for things we do, feel free to write us at info@iberospanish.com.

On Monday we had our awesome weekly movie day. This week we watched “El Hijo de la Novia,” a typical Argentine movie that is also one of the most famous among the porteños. Watching movies in Spanish is great because it forces you to pay attention to what the actors are saying in order to understand the storyline. We turn the English subtitles on so that when you do not understand something, you can read what is going on and learn new vocabulary!

On Tuesday we had our weekly conversation workshop to put everything we have learned in class into action! The conversation workshops are great for any student who simply wants to communicate in Spanish, no matter their level. This week we went to the famous Café Tortoni, one of the oldest and most famous cafes in the city. Famous writers and politicians have used this cafe for over 150 years. It was a great place to have the workshop and we all enjoyed some really interesting coversation.

Wednesday night was awesome! We all met at a milonga in Palermo called La Viruta and took a tango class! This particular milonga usually draws in a younger crowd and plays all different styles of music: classic rock, salsa, tango, etc. There are styles of dancing that go with each kind of music. The class we took was for the traditional and typical Argentine tango. We had a great time taking the class and hanging out in the bar afterwards. It was a fun night!

We decided to make Thursday night pizza night. We met at a pizzeria in Recoleta called Pizzería Romario. It is a well know pizzeria with a great atmosphere and laid back environment. We tried different kinds of pizza, drank some beer and had a great time. This is definitely a place we will be returning to!


Like I said, the blog before this one has our plans for this week – we hope you can join us!

Un gran Saludo,
Íbero Spanish School

August 17-21

Hola Internet Amigos!

We hope you are enjoying Buenos Aires as much as possible during your stay here! We would like to share with you what we have planned for this upcoming week. Don´t forget, you can always bring your friends, housemates, travel buddies, etc. with you to any of our activities. Everyone´s invited!

Monday, August 17th is a national holiday and the school will be closed. The holiday is in memory of General San Martín´s death in the year 1850. He was a high-ranking military general during Argentina´s fight for Independence in the 19th century.


Tuesday is going to be our movie day this week here at Íbero. We like to watch Argentine movies in Spanish and then turn on the English subtitles so we can pick up vocabulary, associate words to their sounds, and see a great movie at the same time! This week we are going to watch “Nueve Reinas,” an Argentine action film. The film is very famous here in Argentina and features some of the country´s most famous female actors. If you would like to join us, we are meeting at the school to watch it at 2:00 in the afternoon. See you!


On Wednesday we are going to the one and only Recelota Cemetary. The cemetary is extremely famous not only in South America, but throughout the entire world. It is the home to some of Argentina´s most prestigous and well-known residents, including Domingo Faustino and Eva Perón. We are going to take a tour of the cemetary, visit famous gravesites and look at the beautiful architecture. You will feel like you are going back in time when you visit the cemetary, it is absolutely beautiful. So if you would like to come with us, we are going to meet on the corner of Junín and Avenida Las Heras at 4:00. See you there!

Thursday we are going to visit the interesting and non-traditional Art Museum of José Hernández. It is one of those places that you will not find in a guidebook and is a real, inside look to the daily and modern art world here in Buenos Aires. We are going to meet at the school at 4:00 and go to the museum together. See you there!


On Friday we will have our weekly conversation workshop. The point of the workshop is to practice the Spanish you have learned in class and engage in interesting conversation with your classmates and the activities director, Juan Ignacio. This time we are going to the Bar Estilo San Telmo on Peru 259. We can drink coffee, learn how to drink mate and talk ONLY in Spanish – super fun! Meet us there on Thursday at 5:00.


Saturday we are going to visit La Boca and the famous Caminito. It is one of the most touristic places in Buenos Aires and always included in guidebooks and travel shows because of its popularity. The buildings in this neighborhood are brightly colored and the entire neighborhood is bursting with personality. Juan Ignacio will show you the best places to visit and explain to you the reasons and history behind this bright and sunny part of Buenos Aires. We are going to meet at 2:00 at the school and ride to La Boca together. Don´t forget change for the bus!


We hope you like what we have planned for this upcoming week, it is sure to be a fun one! Bring your friends and lets make the most out of what this city has to offer!

Un gran Saludo!
Íbero Spanish School

A review of last week´s Fun!

Hola Amigos de Íbero!!!

We would like to tell you about what we did last week (August 3-7). We were so happy that you came. The following post will be the plans we have for this week (August 10th). Come join us and bring your friends – it´s a great way to meet new people here in Buenos Aires!


On Monday we went as a group to La Bomba de Tiempo. What a show! La Bomba de Tiempo is a percussion band that plays every Monday night to a young crowd at a place in Abasto. The show began around 7 and went until about 11. We enjoyed ourselves very much, we danced to the music, drank some beer and ate empañadas. It is a great place to go with your friends and hear some local music. It was sure worth it for us!


On Tuesday we had our weekly movie theater here in the school. This time we watched a movie called “Hermanas,” a dramatic film about two sisters seperated and then reunited. Again, watching the movie in Spanish with the English subtitles turned on is a great way to practice your listening and comprehension skills. It was a great movie!


On Wednesday we ate at a parrilla in San Telmo called El Desnivel. It is a typical porteño restaurant where you can find the best meats in Argentina. El Desnivel is a place we enjoy going to here at Íbero because the prices, the atmosphere and the delicious food always results in a great time among the students. This time we definitely ate some great steaks and drank some great wine – all in all, it was a great dinner!


Every week we have a conversation workshop where students can practice the Spanish skills they are learning in class. On Thursday, we held the workshop in El Ateneo-Gran Splendid, a café on Florida street that was convirted from a theater into a bookstore! The building kept its same structure and beauty, the only difference now is it serves a different purpose. So, as always, we drank a coffee and enjoyed some great conversation in Spanish!


Our last activity last week was on Sunday. We went to the Feria de Mataderos, one of the most important fairs in Buenos Aires. There were 8 of us in all and we met at the school at 2:00 to ride the bus together to the fair. It was about a half hour ride out there, but definitely worth it. When we got there, we saw loads of venders selling traditional Argentina meat and sweets. There was a band playing Bolivian music, horses, crafts and loads of people watching. All in all, it was a great cultural experience and we enjoyed doing it together.


This week should be just as fun – we hope to see you soon!

Un saludo grande,
Íbero Staff

This week ahead...

Hola Amigos!

So we have a full week ahead of us and loads of plans to share with you to enjoy Buenos Aires! Don´t forget that you can always bring your friends, roomates, boyfriends, ect. along to the activities – the more the merrier!

On Monday, August 10th, we are going to have our weekly movie theater right here in the school. This week we are going to watch “El Hijo de la Novia,.” a very famous Argentine movie made in 2001. The movie was nominated for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars and features some of the best Hispanic actors (Ricardo Darín, Héctor Alterio, Norma Aleandro, Eduardo Blanco). We usually watch the movies in Spanish, but turn on English subtitles so we practice our listening skills and widen our vocabulary. This is definitely a film you should see – and this is a great opportunity to practice Spanish! We are going to meet at the school at 2:00 – see you soon!

On Tuesday the 11th, we are going to one of the most famous sites in Buenos Aires, the Tortoni cafe. It is one of the oldest cafés in the city and used to be the hangout in the early 1900´s for famous poets, writers, politicians and journalists. It´s a beautiful cafe with a European style and known for not having closed its´ doors since 1858. We are going to hold a conversation workshop in the cafe to practice the Spanish skills we have learned in class. No English allowed! The workshops are great to get you talking! Cafe Tortoni is located at 829 Avenida de Mayo. We will meet there at 5:00 - see you Tuesday!


Wednesday night is tango night! We are going to La Viruta, a tango place located in Palermo. Not only are we going to watch a show – we are going to learn how to dance the tango! La Viruta offers different styles of classes, everything from rock, salsa, milonga to the classic tango. As a group we will take a basic beginner tango class to introduce you to the dance. It is a young environment that serves food and drink while you watch the show/take class. When you pay 16 pesos, you will receive the tango class as well as get to see a show! So come with us on Wednesday to La Viruta. It is located in Palermo in Armenia 1366. We will meet there at 9:00 – see you then!


On Thursday we are all about pizza this week. We are going to the pizzaria called Romario, located in the Recoleta neighborhood. It will be a great opportunity to practice your Spanish and eat some great pizza! We will meet on the corner of Arenales and Ayacucho at 8:30 to go into the restaurant together. Expect to pay about 20-25 pesos. See you on Thursday!


On Saturday we are going to get some fresh air! As a group, we will take a bike tour through Puerto Madero and visit the Ecological Reserve, a natural park here in Buenos Aires with a perimeter of 7 kilometers. We will meet at the school at 3:00 and take a bus to Puerto Madero and rent our bikes. To rent the bikes for the day will cost us about 10 pesos. This should be fun! So we will see you at the school at 3:00 on Saturday.

We hope you enjoy what we have planned this week. A bike tour, pizza, tango and Spanish – nothing is better than that!



Un gran Saludo,
Íbero Spanish School

August 3rd - August 9th

Hola Amigos!

We hope that everyone is doing well and loving Buenos Aires! Below, I have included the activities we have planned for this week. Remember, you are always welcome to bring your friends or roomates – the more the merrier! If you ever have any questions or suggestions, you can call us at 5218-0240. See you soon!

On Monday the 3rd we are going to La Bomba de Tiempo. It is a percussion band made up 20 or so musicians from Argentina. They improvise each show, so no two shows are ever the same. The group is also famous for the sign language they communicate in while playing on stage. So if you want to come with us, we will be meeting at 5:00 at Sarmiento 3131. It would be a shame to miss seeing this group while you are here in Buenos Aires.

Tuesday is going to be movie day. We are going to create a movie theater right here in the school and watch an Argentinian movie called, “Hermanas.” It is a story about two sisters who reunite after the return of Argentina´s democracy. This is a dramatic film and a perfect example of Argentinian cinema. If you are interested in watching the movie with us, we will be meeting at 2 in the afternoon at the school. We hope to see you!

On Wednesday we are going to a typical Argentinian parilla (grill). This particular one, the Parilla El Desnivel, is well known among tourists and specializes in grilled meats. The restaurant also has an excellent wine selection at very reasonable prices. Come eat with us in this warm and inviting restaurant located in the San Telmo neighborhood. We are going to meet at 8:30 in front of the restaurant, which is located on Defensa 855. The dinner will cost around 40 pesos and you are sure you love it!


On Thursday afternoon, after class, we are going to have a conversation workshop to practice our Spanish. We are going to hold the workshop at a cafe inside the biggest bookstore in Buenos Aires, Ateneo Gran Esplendid. The building is actually a theater from years ago that was recently converted into a bookstore, but still has the original theater structure. It is definitely a place to see in Buenos Aires. We will meet at Calle Riobamba y Avenida Sante Fe at 6:00.


On Sunday, August 9th we are going to go to the Matadero fair. It is a weekly fair where Argentine venders gather to sell their folklore crafts from different regions of Argentina – there will also be traditional folklore music and food to try! You can´t visit this fair without trying the famous “choripán” – a delicious chorizo sandwich. The fair is very well known here in Buenos Aires and definitely something worth seeing. So come with us! We are going to meet at 2:00 on Sunday in front of the school so we can go to it together. Hope to see you there!

This should be a fun week – we hope you like what we have planned. So bring your friends and come with us to see some great sides of the city!