Day 5 or 6 in Buenos Aires. Yeah, it's like that.

Ok, so... I’m having a hard time being coherent today because yesterday essentially spilled over in today and well, suffice to say that there’s a never ending supply of places to go out in this city and it never stops. I haven’t even made a dent in it, nor have I done many of the touristy things... I did see the big metal flower that opens and closes and is the place to hang out underneath and drink a mate in the sun. I also went to Malba which is a gorgeous art gallery and it has a great cafe.

Winetasting last night, and after that we went to a restaurant that’s so underground that it’s only open once a week and only twenty people know about it and the food is thai.. the best thai I’ve ever had.

We went to another bar after that, basically I didn’t sleep very much, so this morning in the bus I really wasn’t with it and almost got robbed in the bus. I was hanging on with one arm staring out the window in a full ‘colectivo’ and then got rather annoyed as a little man who kept kind of pushing upto me. I looked down and literally caught him red-handed with my bag clip opened and his hand IN my bag. I was so baffled I forgot all my Spanish and yelled lots of expletives at him in English. He told me "You’re crazy", IN ENGLISH and got off in a hurry. I stood there seething but figured out pretty quickly he didn’t take anything. When I got to my class my teacher was so kind to fill me in on what words I should have used to ‘make a scandal’, as they say here.

Get to know more Vibe's experience on beadventuresinba.blogspot

Andes Air - Cheap Flights

I flew Andes Air during the July vacation period when I had family in town. We flew from Buenos Aires to Salta during the high-season and paid around 800 pesos round trip which was a significant savings from other airlines. (FYI: Taking the 22 hour bus was about 650 pesos round trip.)

Andes serves the Northwest Region, Iguazú and Puerto Madryn. I was initially pretty nervous to fly an airline that I had never heard of before, but after talking to a travel agent friend they assured me that it is a legit company.

Although their website is pretty terrible and they sometimes don´t answer their phone (oh Argentina!) I am satisfied with the service. The plane was much bigger than expected -- 3 seats on each side of plane!

Even better is that they did not charge a different price for foreigners, it was all the same fare! If you travel in low season they had some excellent promotions as well.

Here´s the link: http://www.andesonline.com/

I would recommend going to the agency in person to book the tickets. It is located on Córdoba 755.

To read more go to budgetba.blogspot

Spanish Language

LANGUAGE Spanish (Castellano or Castillian) is spoken by approximately 275 million people in 19 countries and it is the official language in Argentina, but Argentinian Spanish have some differences from the Spanish spoken in Spain and other areas.

In the areas around the Rio de la Plata, including Buenos Aires, is spoken the Rioplatense Spanish dialect, that is Castellano language with influences of French/Italian/English and pronounced with a slight Italian Accent, it is one of the things that differentiate the city of Buenos Aires from the rest of the Spanish-speaking world; to the north out of Buenos Aires, the type of accent is most related with Latin American style Spanish.

Other languages spoken in Argentina are: Italian, German, English, and French. Indigenous communities have retained their original languages, like Tehuelche, Guarani, Quechua and Aymara. Also, exists immigrants communities whom speak their native languages until today

PRONUNCIATION

The accent of the Porteños, as the inhabitants of the Argentine city of Buenos Aires are called, has similarities with the Neapolitan dialect of Italia. This match with immigration patterns. Argentina, and specially Buenos Aires, accepted an ample number of immigrants from Italia in the beginning of the 20th century. The Italian immigration had a profound influence on Lunfardo. Before that, the Argentine accent was similar to that Andalucia, Spain.

You could try to learn about Argentine pronunciation, watching Argentine films, like "El Hijo de la Novia", "Nueve Reinas", "Valentin" and listening to Argentine radio stations in Internet.

Some features in the Argentine Pronunciation are:

• In Buenos Aires, "ll" = "y", and it is uttered with a sound between "sh" (shop) and "s" (pleasure). Effect known as "yeísmo", nowadays, "yeismo" is becoming "zeismo", with the increasingly use of the "zh" instead "sh", almost an English 'j'.
• The "v" = "b" = In some Spanish-speaking countries the "v" is like the English sound (as in "very"). In Argentina, this rule is not full-filed, with one exception: when someone is spelling a word they may pronounce it as in "very" for clarification.
• The "j" and "g" (before an "e" or "i") can also be pronounced like a German "ch" in "ich".
• There is no "th" sound (as in "thick") in Argentinian Spanish.
• "s", in the end of a word, before a consonant, is uttered with a sound like the "h" in Hardware, except at the end of a word before a pause or a vowel.
• "cua" is pronounced as in "quantum".
• "qu" is uttered like the "c" in cat;
• "z" sounds like "s".

To read more go to Argentina Travel.

Intermediate Spanish Study Abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina

What the Buenos Aires Intermediate program has to offer

• An intermediate Spanish language program perfect for students with two to three semesters of university-level Spanish
• Program located in Buenos Aires, the vibrant cultural capital of South America
• Combination of intermediate Spanish courses and integrated university courses at Universidad Católica Argentina's (UCA) Latin American Studies Program
• Program excursions and activities focused on the art, culture, sports and lifestyle that make Buenos Aires one of the world's most exciting and cosmopolitan cities

Housing
• Housing is with a carefully selected host family
• Program fee includes two meals per day Sunday through Friday and one meal on Saturday
• IFSA-Butler houses only one student per family for maximum cultural and language integration

Academics

• All courses are conducted in Spanish by university faculty
• Two program courses, Intermediate Spanish and Latin American and Argentine Literature (3 U.S. semester credit hours each), are mandatory for all students
• Students directly enroll in one to three courses in UCA’s Latin American Studies Program, taking specially designed classes alongside Argentine and international students
• Available UCA subjects may include international relations, political science, language and literature, film studies, community service, history, business and more
• Earn university credit for community service with local organizations through a special course at UCA
• Academic tutors available

Learn more on Institute for Study Abroad.

STUDY IN ARGENTINA

Argentina have high academic standards, in particular at the University of Buenos Aires, students will receive teachings from many of the country's most respected writers, historians and analysts. Course timetables are flexible, to allow students to work to pay their education, generally, the classes take place between 7.00 am and 11.00 pm

If you are a foreign student with residence in Argentina, shall comply with the admission requirements applicable to Argentine applicants; if you are not Argentine resident, yo have to go to the Argentine consulate in your country, and request for a seat under the Ministry Resolution No. 1523/90 ruling. For more information, contact the Secretariat of University Policies of the Ministry of Education.

The following is the information required to enroll in University in Argentina:

• First, second and last names.
• Birth date.
• Passport or Identity Card number.
• Country of birth / nationality.
• Marital status / profession / religion.
• Country of residence.
• Consulate where the passport will be visaed.
• Address of residence in Argentina.

To see the complete list of all the documents required, visit the Secretariat of University Policies of the Ministry of Education page.

If the student want information about to validate a degree or equivalences, must contact to the Department of National Validation of Degrees and Studies

You can check the list of universities and university institutes (both public and private) of the Argentine Republic, issued by the Secretariat of University Policies of the National Ministry of Education.

Learn more on Argentina Travel.

Maradona by Kusturica (movie)

This is Maradona as the two-time Palme Dor winner Emir Kusturica sees him: the revolutionary, the footballer, the man, the God, the family man, the drug-addict, the legend. Acclaimed filmmaker Emir Kusturica traces the remarkable story of soccer legend Diego Maradona in this documentary featuring music by composer Manu Chao and Sex Pistols. Maradona has a reputation as the people's champion, an athlete who rose from humble beginnings to achieve worldwide fame, and who has overcome incredible adversity to become a living legend. As the director and his subject grow increasingly intimate, Maradona reveals details about his life that have never come to light in the public eye. A tour of the places that mean the most to Maradona offer a unique look at the way the soccer star was shaped by his surroundings, and conversations with the people closest to him offer a unique glimpse into his colorful personality. A conversation with Cuban leader Fidel Castro highlights how even the most powerful personalities become awestruck while speaking with Maradona. This is Kusturica's most expressive in form and the most radical in content since at least Black Cat, White Cat where Kusturica values Maradona not only as a virtuoso player but as man with a political view.

Read more on IMDb.

The Bueno, entonces Formula: Engaging + Interesting + Funny = Retention

1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging
Engaging students is crucial to learning and remembering material. Using wit and charm, Bueno, entonces… not only engages; it keeps you thinking about the last lesson and looking forward to the next one. Like your favorite teachers, David & Jimena know learning doesn’t have to be dry and boring.

2. See The Words As You Hear Them
Some people are audio learners, others learn visually – most people need both, absorbing different concepts in different ways. With Bueno, entonces... every word is on-screen so you see the spelling while hearing it pronounced.

3. Color-Coding.
Words on-screen are color-coded in Spanish and English to help you understand word usage and sentence structure. You’ll quickly see, hear, and understand how words in Spanish correspond with English ones, and how they are used in sentences.

4. Symbols & Illustrations.
Verb tenses and grammatical concepts are represented by clear symbols so you quickly learn and understand their usage. Iconic illustrations easily associate images and words, burning vocabulary into your brain.

5. REPETITION - The Key To Languages.

Any teacher will tell you this, and here’s the problem with old audio books and language software – they’re mind-numbingly boring, making them painful to repeat. Bueno, entonces… is engaging, fast-paced, and fun. You’ll repeat all 30 classes over and over, learning more each time – as your Spanish progresses, you pick up more of the humor, making it easier to repeat.

To get more info, go to General Linguistics.