After spending several months in Argentina, I’m embarrassed to admit that I had my first real encounter with tango just last week at Vamos Spanish Academy. Yes, I had seen bits and pieces of tango — I had passed by a group class performing in a square in San Telmo, paused to watch dancers putting…
Important factors which will determine your Study Abroad Success
The process of learning a language is a lot like an athlete training for a gold medal. There’s coaching, goal setting, hard work, determination, riding the ups and downs and modifying your strategies to get to the prize at the end. The Olympics have concluded in Rio for another 4 years and you’ve possibly been…
What to do in Bariloche
Bariloche Thinking about escaping the hustle and bustle of the city for a while? Look no further than a trip to San Carlos de Bariloche or simply “Bariloche,” as known by many. Located in the South of Argentina or “Patagonia,” Bariloche is a small Swiss inspired town nestled in the foothills of the Andes along…
From USA to Argentina Learning Spanish in Argentina
Living in Argentina while Studing Spanish in Buenos Aires In three days, I will have officially been in Buenos Aires for two months! It’s not like I haven’t felt it coming, since that’s one of the first questions I get when striking up a conversation with locals: “How long have you been here?” It comes right after,…
How to Learn Spanish in Argentina
My study abroad experience in Argentina I began learning Spanish over a month ago and figured it was now a good time to reflect on learning the language. As background, I grew up in the U.S. and studied Spanish until 8th grade. I then switched to studying Chinese for high school and university, living in…
Ways to Put Your Spanish Skills to the Test While Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires
Practicing Spanish in Buenos Aires Argentina As we are learning a foreign language, other than making sure we are grasping the grammar and applying them correctly in a classroom setting, we often feel like testing ourselves and trying to see how we actually fare in the real world. Able to interact with native speakers is…
The Culture of Merienda: Tea Time in Buenos Aires
Ever wonder why Porteños don’t starve whilst waiting all afternoon for their 10 PM dinner? Meriendas are the answer! If you are unfamiliar with what these are, meriendas are better known in the anglosphere as ‘afternoon tea’. Buenos Aires has an amazingly rich cafe culture, and this is one of the things I love most…
Closed-Door Restaurants: The Hidden Gems in Buenos Aires
[UPDATED August 2, 2019] There are many restaurants worth lauding in Buenos Aires, but behind closed doors exists an entirely different dining experience throughout the city. While you are here everyone will undoubtedly recommend their favorite parrilla, or “the best steakhouse”, but one of the less well-known gastro scene is the closed-door restaurants, or las…
San Telmo Market in Buenos Aires
Each Sunday in Buenos Aires, the San Telmo feria spans a nearly mile-long stretch of Calle Defensa, beginning at the iconic Plaza de Mayo and culminating in an antiques flea market at Plaza Dorrego. Vendors pack the cobbled streets of Defensa and crowds of tourists and Argentines browse through the goods, picking up items here and there as they munch…
Argentina’s International Book Fair
Feria Internacional del Libro is one of the most celebrated and popular annual events in Buenos Aires. Appointed by UNESCO as the World Book Capital this Book Fair is the most important annual literary event in the Spanish speaking world. Each April of every year around one million people from all around the world but…
Argentine Cuisine By Region
Whenever one talks about food in Argentina, our slow-cooked style bbq (asado) with tons of meat is probably the first thing that comes to mind; dining at one of the many parrillas (bbq steak houses) is no doubt high up on every visitor’s to-do list. However, there are a lot more to the Argentine cuisine…
10 Intriguing Facts That You May Not Know About the Spanish Language
STORIES BEHIND THE SPANISH LANGUAGE WHICH MAY SURPRISE YOU Language is the primary vehicle for expressing ideas, thoughts, and feelings. It is the building block of culture and defines a community of people. Since the beginning of time, language has been part of every person’s social identity. Through many centuries of human existence, some languages…
Your Guide to UBER in Buenos Aires Argentina
What you need to know about UBER in Argentina Being a United States native, I have become accustomed to the luxuries of tapping my phone and magically making an uberX appear rather than hailing a cab. I was happy to know the same convenience would be available at my new home in Argentina. Only while…
Sabe la Tierra – Organic Food Markets in Buenos Aires and its Greater Area
DISCOVERING ONE OF BUENOS AIRES’ BEST ORGANIC MARKET FAIRS I recently went to meet a friend at this fantastic organic market, where I have wanted to go to for a very long time and it is called Sabe La Tierra. I was looking forward to buying fresh organic fruits and vegetables to bring home. You…
The Best Guide to the Iguazu Falls in Argentina
WEEKEND TRIP TO IGUAZU FALLS Unlike Anything Else in the World No trip to Argentina is complete without a visit to las Cataratas del Iguazú (Iguazu Falls) which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and in 2011, it was also named one of the 7 Wonders of Nature. There are few sights more awe-inspiring as…
How Best to Use Netflix to Expedite Your Spanish Learning
BRING FUN INTO YOUR EVERYDAY SPANISH PRACTICE AND WATCH NETFLIX If you feel as though your brain is no longer able to process learning through reading over notes, or maybe you are too tired to go to a language exchange: an alternative method of learning Spanish is through watching TV series. An excellent resource for…
How to Change Dollars – Euros and How to Use your Credit and Debit Card in Argentina
A couple of minor inconveniences this weekend has reminded me how complicated money can be in Argentina, especially foreign money. So here are a few tips and tricks to avoid frustration. Unlike most countries, where bringing lots of hard cash is not recommended or necessary, if travelling to Argentina I would suggest taking a decent…
Best Bars in Buenos Aires 2019
By: Vamos Spanish Academy January 1, 2019 Six Bars – The Hidden Gems of BA Some of you may already know that Buenos Aires is world-famous for having a buzzing vibrant nightlife. So if you’re a nocturnal party-loving person – you’re in for a treat. There is a reason why we call it ‘the city…
Best Guide to Argentine Hand Gestures
10 Popular Argentina Hand Gestures – Gestos Argentinos A large part of the Argentine population are descendants of Italian immigrants, who came to this country during the late 1800s and early 1900s. You can see the Italian influences in many aspects of the Argentine culture, especially when it comes to how they communicate. Italians are…
Best Areas to Bike Around in Buenos Aires
The Argentine winter is quickly drawing to an end and here at Vamos Spanish we’re already thinking about warmer weather and enjoying sunny days in the city. My personal favorite way to get out and explore the city is by bicycle. Whether using the City’s bike share program, EcoBici http://ecobici.buenosaires.gob.ar/, or maybe you found a…
7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Travelling to Buenos Aires
In truth, I had very little idea of what to expect before travelling to Buenos Aires as no one in my family or circle of friends at home had ever been. Minus the bits of information I was able to piece together from reading blogs and watching vlogs, I came to Buenos Aires not knowing…
Learn Spanish Tip: Why You Should Read Children’s Books in Spanish
5 Great Children’s Books to Help Build Your Spanish Vocabularies I have been learning Spanish for a while now and I have a basic understanding of the core grammar and I can get by in simple conversations. However, one of my main problems is that my vocabulary is very small. I often find that it…
Invaluable Resources for Expats Living in Buenos Aires
GET INFO AND SUPPORT FROM THE BUENOS AIRES EXPAT COMMUNITY THROUGH THESE RESOURCES While moving to a foreign country is the experience of a lifetime, you’re bound to miss the routines and familiarities of your everyday life back home, e.g. your local food delivery service or your neighborhood dry cleaners. But to help ease the…
Similarities Between The Australian and Argentine Cultures
As a guy who has lived in Perth, Western Australia his whole life, I knew that moving to Buenos Aires, Argentina was going to present a completely different way of living with a culture that is vastly contrasting to the one I grew up in. What surprised me, however, are the arrays of similarities that…
The Ultimate Spanish Vocab Infographic for the Cooking Lovers
At Vamos Spanish, we make use of all kinds of tools and activities in the classrooms to create a fun and engaging Spanish learning experience. The kind of immersive learning that we advocate doesn’t have to end once you step outside of the classroom doors though. Among the many tips that we give our students…
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting a Brazilian Tourist Visa in Buenos Aires
When traveling around South America, be aware that depending on your citizenship you may be required to pay entrance or tourist fees to enter certain countries. Argentina and Chile have reciprocity fees, Bolivia requires a visa; however, the country with the strictest rules, is probably Brazil. If you are traveling with a US, Australian, or…
The Joy of Language Exchanges in Buenos Aires
The Capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, celebrates all cultures. First and foremost, its very own Porteño [Port] culture. And with a competitive standing, United States Culture. Trivia Night served to exemplify this sentiment. One of the most rewarding aspects of my experience with Vamos Spanish has been the events that we organize each week. Generally, you…
What Do You See When You Cannot See?
There are a myriad of shows, acts and musicals overflowing in Buenos Aires and they are all jostling to get under the limelight. Last weekend, my eyes were opened, so to speak, to a new phenomena as I went to experience the: “Theatre for The Blind”. “Theatre for The Blind” sounds like a strange oxymoron…
Your Spanish-English Language Guide to Popular Yoga Positions and Vocabularies
We never miss a beat in learning Spanish by immersion in Buenos Aires, but sometimes it’s not as simple as picking up the dictionary to figure out how to say something or what a specific term is. This applies exactly to my experience in attending yoga classes in the city. Not all yoga studios in…
A “Scientific” Study Of The Best Ice Cream in Buenos Aires
When people think of Argentina they often think of key food groups such as red wine and steak, but there’s an important food group they’ve forgotten… ice cream or ( Helado in Argentine Spanish ). Some of you may say that ice cream is not a food group, but frankly, you’re wrong. Some of you…
Sightsee Buenos Aires On A Double Decker
The Yellow Bus. Hop-on hop-off Buenos Aires City Tour. Whether you are visiting Buenos Aires for just a few days or a few months, you won’t go wrong by taking the yellow bus, or officially the Buenos Aires Yellow Bus https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/en/article/city-tour-bus, as your first activity to get a feel of the city. It is a…
Torrontes: The Exclusive Argentine White Wine
The first Argentine wine I tried was in Mendoza, and it was not a Malbec; back then my tastes ran only to white wine. I tried a Torrontes and was hooked. Torrontes is a grape variety grown almost exclusively in Argentina throughout the wine regions. There are three main varieties of grape Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés…
Buses in Buenos Aires | Ultimate 101 Guide to “The Colectivos” and Public Transport System
Buenos Aires is a very well-connected city by public transport. Among all the means, I prefer taking the colectivos (buses) the most. I always told newcomers that the colectivos are like cheap tour buses to see the city. In fact, they could easily be the cheapest. For just AR $9 (US$0.45), you can go from one end of the…
Top Places to Watch 2018 FIFA World Cup Games in Buenos Aires City
Every four years the world’s best soccer players reunite with their home country and play against other countries to determine which is truly the greatest. In no other land but Argentina is football as much a part of life as breathing itself. Here you’ll find some of the greatest spots that Buenos Aires has to…
Getting Cheeky in Argentina: How and When to Kiss People in Buenos Aires
(Aside from the obvious answer of whenever you can and however you want…) In Argentina, it is customary to give certain people a beso, or kiss, on the right cheek when you say hello or goodbye. If you are not expecting this to happen, or don’t know that it is a thing down here, you will…
Essential Apps In Buenos Aires Argentina
Useful apps to make the most of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires is a metropolitan, energetic, diverse, and seductive city. It is a capital on a grand scale, though it can be a little complex and even daunting for the unprepared. Fortunately, almost everyone nowadays has a smartphone sat in their pocket which can be a…
Free Practical Alternatives to Learn Spanish
6 Alternative Ways to Studying Spanish Attending an intensive, structured language class is the number one way to improve your Spanish quickly. There is simply no substitution to putting hours into conversational practice, having a native teacher to help you with grammar and any difficulties you might have. But your efforts shouldn’t end when school…
Holidays Celebrations in Argentina
Holidays in Argentina are very important times to be around loved ones. While there are many holidays celebrated in similar tradition all around the world, there are some traditions that may be unique to Argentina. A good background to know before we get into the details of the holidays is that 92% of the people…
Discovering the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires
Recoleta Cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta) is often listed as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. After spending an afternoon wandering through the cobblestone streets lined with tombs I would have to agree. Recoleta Cemetery is located in the prestigious neighbourhood of Recoleta, in the city of Buenos Aires. In the early…
Argentine Public Holidays for 2018: Discover What To Do, What To See and Where To Go
Argentines love their holidays, and in 2018 they will be blessed with 20 “feriados” or holidays. However for the tourist the thought of closed shops, closed restaurants, closed spanish schools and closed cultural centers doesn’t have the same thrill as it does to your daily Buenos Aires office worker. Don’t despair, there are many ways…
