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