A trip to Iguazu Falls! - Intensive Spanish in Argentina

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“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
‒Nelson Mandela

Buenos Aires from the roof top of my apartment

I have spent one week here learning Spanish in classes and I feel as though my language has improved exponentially!

The classes are small about 8 people and we have a lot of oral practice! They are fun, we play lots of games and my teacher is really lovely! I am still absolutely loving Buenos Aires the people are very warm.

I have had a huge week! We spend 4 hours from 9am – 1:30pm every morning practicing Spanish and then we are free to do whatever! On Wednesdays there is conversation club and there is lots of other activities in the afternoons! Last Tuesday we went to a Museum, which showed lots of the political history of Buenos Aires! It is built within the old fort that was built when the Spanish first conquered the province.  

A guard in the museum

I have learnt a lot from the conversations that I have at home with my host mum. She is great, I have learnt about the political history of Evita but from the perspective of someone who lives here! It’s really interesting to hear different angles on history!

On the weekend we went on a trip to Iguazu Falls! -  Cataratas del Iguaçu!
WOW! 4 days later and I am still completely mind blown! It was the most impressive place I have ever been! I cannot comprehend the amount of water that was flowing over the rocks!

Iguazu Falls! The Devil's Throat 'Garganta de Diablo'

We flew there on Friday and first went to the three frontiers, which is a point where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina all meet, with the river between.

On Saturday we went to the national park and waterfalls and spent the whole day exploring. We went on a boat and went right into the waterfalls getting completely saturated! I saw monkeys and some other funny animals!

Three frontiers

The next day we visited an Indigenous Village where everything is completely self contained. We learnt about the culture of the Guarani people and how they are living today! We were showed some amazing traditional animal traps made of sticks and bark and some beautiful singing.

Some things I have learnt this week include:

·      Buses n BA do not wait for you even if you have your foot in the door.

·      One of my favourite words in Spanish is ‘charlar’ which just means to chat.

·      Dulce de Leche Helado (an amazing caramel Gelato) is incredibly tasty and dangerously addictive.

·      You can never be to full

·      Argentinian time means you can never be late to class (unless its over an hour late)

Ryan and Emile enjoying the waterfalls!

Off on some more adventures this weekend! 

Love Mindy! 

Mindy Davies is completing our Intensive Spanish in Argentina program this January 2013. Mindy is in her 4th year of a Double Degree in Law and International Relations at Griffith University.

Feliz año nuevo from Buenos Aires! - Spanish in Argentina

I arrived in ´the Paris of South America´ on New Year´s Eve after spending 32 hours in the air, stopping in Dubai and Rio de Janeiro. This is Rio airport. It has three gift shops selling nothing but Havaianas, no airconditioning, and architecture that appears to have been influenced by shipping containers.

The excitement of Rio Airport

At the airport in Argentina, I loaded my overstuffed backpack onto my back before realising that I was supposed to remove it to go through a security checkpoint. Unfortunately, there were no chairs for me to sit down and dump the backpack. An unfriendly-looking Customs official gestured for me to remove the backpack, which would not happen without me falling over. Unable to recall the Spanish word for ´heavy´, I resorted to repeating the phrase ´I am a turtle´ whilst flailing my arms about and miming falling over backwards. It worked!

After I checked into my hostel I took the longest (and coldest, which is apparently common in Buenos Aires) shower of my life, I wandered off to a nearby street party underneath a monument called the Obelisco. A group of girls saw I was alone and offered to keep me company. I´d heard horror stories about the difficulty of understanding Argentinian Spanish, so I was glad that I could understand most of what they were saying. As it turned out, they were actually from Mexico. (And Argentinian Spanish is every bit as incomprehensible as I´d been warned.)

My new Mexican friends

Over the next few days, I learned the following interesting facts about Buenos Aires:

- Most people speak no English, including customs officials, cab drivers and the people who work at McDonald´s. I don´t mean ´not much English´, I mean No English. My phrasebook is my new best friend. 

- Due to inflation, coins are worth less than the metal they´re made of and so they ´disappear´ from circulation. However, coins are also essential for buses and laundromats, so everyone hoards any coins they come across. As a result, coins are even rarer - and more sought-after - than hot showers. 

- Due to the coin shortage, hundred-peso bills (worth about $20) are nigh on impossible to break. These are the only bills that most ATMs dispense, which can make buying things difficult. Also, plenty of notes are fake, and you need to check four different features (watermark, raised print, metallic seal, iridescent ink) before accepting one. As a result, checkout lines in Buenos Aires move very slowly.

- An important note for prospective travellers: some places do not accept credit cards with a security chip, so it is good to have a backup card with no chip. Being shouted at in incomprehensible Argentinian Spanish after I tried to pay for lunch with a hundred-peso bill and then a chip credit card is not an experience I would like to repeat. 

- There are SO MANY DOGS HERE. Also, many people hire dog walkers, so packs of dogs are a common sight. Given the terrible traffic, I think that the use of Arctic-style dogsleds for transport will begin soon.

Dogs are everywhere!!

After spending a few days at the hostel, on Saturday I arrived at my homestay. My homestay family don´t speak English, so my phrasebook accompanies me to the dinner table. Tonight we had a conversation where my host mother, unable to find the words ´monkey´ or ´butterfly´ in my phrasebook, instead mimed jumping around in monkey-fashion and flapping her arms like a butterfly. I am beginning to suspect that the ´I am a turtle´ incident at the airport may become a common occurence here.

My room has a lovely balcony overlooking the barrio (suburb) of Recoleta.

My balcony

I start classes tomorrow, in a beautiful building just near the Congresso government house. I haven´t taken a photo of the school yet, but I do have a photo of this amazing building near the Casa Rosada. It houses the Ministry of Defence, and the giant tank parked out the front really adds to the ambiance of the place.

Ministry of Defence

Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with a lot of idiosyncracies which can be frustrating, especially for travellers who aren´t confident with speaking Spanish. That said, pizza costs about a dollar, so it´s definitely worth visiting.

Hasta mas tarde,

Jayne


Jayne Krempin is currently on the Intensive Spanish in Argentina program running in January 2013. Jayne is in her 3rd year of a Bachelor of Science at the University of Newcastle.

Buenos Aires Arrival - Spanish in Argentina

It is new years day and I have slept very little after spending the night out at the beach with some friends and I have to get on a plane and fly to Buenos Aires at 8:45pm. My stomach is churning a little at the thought of it, I have only ever travelled overseas once before and it was not alone. But I am very excited. 

The plane trip was less than enjoyable being very packed out from Brisbane to Dubai (14 and a half hours), but after getting through that first half it wasn’t as bad, on to Rio for 13 hours and then just 2 hours from Rio to Buenos Aires arriving at 7pm. After the long journey and lack of sleep the airport is a little overwhelming but in a good way. Walking out of customs there are hundreds of people waiting to meet their loved ones, people yelling and taxi drivers offering rides on your way out. 

I caught a shuttle bus to my hostel the Estoril Terrazas in Avenida De Mayo, after nearly missing it because of my bad pronunciation of Mayo, (luckily an Australian traveller who I had met just earlier helped me out because he had spent lots of time in Argentina) I was dropped outside and feeling adventurous!

I walked up 6 floors of a beautiful old winding staircase checked in, and then because it was very late I had a shower and slept. (My eyes were falling out of my head from lack of sleep as the Hostel manager Nacho attempted to explain and show me around).

The view that I woke up to on my first day here.

 Waking up and looking out the window the first thing I was struck by was the amazing architecture! Then walking out for breakfast I could choose to sit on the rooftop of the backpackers and enjoy a view of the whole city.

The cobble stone streets in San Telmo

After chatting to some Aussie travellers over breakfast I headed off for a walk to San Telmo a historical part of the city, the streets are cobblestone and the building I am not sure which era they are from but they all have little terraces, bright colours and some with murals on them as well. Here I wandered around checking out some artisan stalls and attempting some broken Español with the artists, making friends and getting help improving my Español.

Street art in San Telmo

Meeting my host family -  after a 10-minute walk from the hostel to Monica’s apartment I was welcomed into a very sweet apartment and made to feel totally at home. Including a very strange but loving cat called Rubio who likes to try to go in the bath and jumps on top of high cupboards.

Historical courtyard in San Telmo

I still have another day until classes start so I will write again soon once they have started.  

Love, Mindy

In Centro I was watching as buses and cars gave way to an old man standing in the middle of the street. 

Mindy Davies is completing our Intensive Spanish in Argentina program this January 2013. Mindy is in her 4th year of a Double Degree in Law and International Relations at Griffith University.

Last week in Mexico - Intensive Spanish

The Gang (from right to left): Cass - Human Dustbin, Martin - they call him Él Crappo, Mel - The Muso, Brooke - Queen B, Hannah - Michael Jackson's adorable love child, Evette - Xena Warrior Princess, Bec- SingStar, Callie - ¡DANZA KUDURO!

It´s a few days after the course has finished and one by one, almost everyone has gone home. Today Mel is leaving and then it will just be Brooke and I, then on Friday she goes and it will just be me...and my hubby who has come to volunteer/travel with me for 2 months.

I can honestly say that I have never known a group of people to get on so well in such a short space of time and with so many different personalities involved. We worked hard but we played hard. We created memories that will last a lifetime and have already arranged a post-course catch up for Easter - I´m just hoping I can get there as I will only have been back in Australia for 2-3 days by then!

The last week was typically crazy, everyone did really well with their exams and we celebrated Aussie-style, dancing up a riot in our favourite club Black (poor Evette whacked her head on a speaker trying to dance on a chair, she has a battle-scar to remember Mexico by). We all ate far too much food because we were trying to get in as much as possible before leaving and there was some crazed buying at the markets, plus some just wandered around the Zocalo checking out the energy for one last time. I managed to dance to some Zumba in the main square as part of the city´s health drive - FUN!

There have been lots of laughs and a few tears at the airport, but we know this is not ´Adios´, merely ´Hasta Luego´.

There´s lots of love within this group and I can´t wait to see them all again x



Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Final Week in Mexico City!

A stunning sunset in Puebla

It is now my final week in Mexico City. I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye. I have spent the last few days trying to fight off a Mexican cold and flu virus along with some of the other students. I've been missing my fiancé like crazy and it is not a good time to be sick, with the pressure of Spanish exams and a presentation and report to write. Even writing this blog feels like a massive effort! (I had planned to write another one a little sooner than this)

Sickness and homesickness aside, I've had some fantastic times. After a trip to Xochimilco on the 21st of January, the Spanish group decided this would be a great place to celebrate a delayed Australia day. I loved Xochimilco! Cruising down the rivers in brightly coloured boats while being serenaded by Mariachi’s, waving to passersby in their boats. We also visited the nearby Dolores museum, which has many of the original works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, along with stunning gardens.

Our Aussie flag flying proudly from our boat in Xochimilco

Week 3 was mostly focused on getting through Spanish homework and our first exam, which to my surprise my results were better than expected. I did have a chance to visit an orphanage in my own time with Callie, who is planning to volunteer at an orphanage in Mexico City with her husband for a month. We arrived just as a group of volunteers from the Radisson Hotel arrived to deliver toys and piñatas to the children. We had a great time just watching these beautiful children, each take their turn on the Piñata´s. Some of them smaller than the stick they were using to hit the piñata!

Last Friday afternoon we celebrated Australia Day in Xochimilco, complete with Australian flags and 'Land Down Under' blasting from the speakers while we danced around the boat. A couple of our Mexican friends were brave enough to join us and I have to say it has to be my top Australia day to date. We also celebrated Hannah’s Birthday on the 24^th! Happy Birthday Hannah, it was a great week of celebrations all round!

Chendo and Martin, getting into the Australia day spirit!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

The final weekend of the program was spent in Puebla, a stunning town about 125km from Mexico City. On the way to Puebla we stopped at Cholula to visit the pyramid there. Had I not known it was a pyramid, I would have thought it was just a big hill with a church on the top. Unfortunately I was too sick to make the most of my time there and spent quite a lot of time in the hotel (it was a very nice hotel though!). I did have a chance to see some of the town, which is full of churches. One church we visited had a wedding ceremony going on in the chapel. The sunset from my hotel room was absolutely stunning!

The Cathedral on top of the Pyramid in Cholula

Australia day fever in Mexico

What a week this has been, I almost don't know where to start...

The workload has been pretty heavy and some people are really struggling with the ongoing effects of altitude sickness, Monctezumas Revenge, or just too much chilli (but it tastes so good).

We have all had an exam this week and the pressure was definitely felt, plus I think we're all getting a little 'Museum Fatigue'...and if we hear about the Presidents AGAIN, there may be another Mexican revolution! But despite those things, spirits remain very high and we have all fallen even more in love with this crazy, noisy, fascinating city. There really are no words to adequately describe the chaos.

Highlights for me this week have been, going to an orphanage run by local nuns and watching the teeny children whacking the living daylights out of a pinata with a massive stick! They were incredibly cute and I have requested to do a month of volunteer work there after the course finishes.

On Tuesday we went to see Mexican wrestling - what a scream! No photos allowed unfortunately, but it is a must-see. Absolutely ridiculous and over the top, it is hard to get past grown men slapping each other! But so much fun.

We went to the Ballet Folklorico on Wednesday and I LOVED it. The different styles of dance coupled with beautiful costumes and frankly bizarre stories were an absolute crack-up. The show is in the beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes - Palace of Fine Arts - and it has a stunning glass curtain, made by Tiffany no less.

It was also the beautiful Hannah's birthday this week - she turned 20, and we had cake to celebrate.




Australia Day was on Thursday but we were revising for exams on the Friday, plus we had a full day of uni, so we decided to celebrate on Friday by heading back to Xochimilco and hiring a boat, some loud speakers and taking plenty of cerveza and tequila to share with our Mexican friends. Plus, Mel made a Pavlova! We decorated the boat appropriately and I will never forget the sight, or sound, of my new Mexican family singing Land Downunder and dancing around the boat, cheered on by passing Mexicans on their boats. It was easily the best Australia Day I've ever had.

This weekend we went to Puebla, a gorgeous town a couple of hours out of Mexico City. It was nice to breath cleaner air, plus the vibe of the town was very chilled and a lot of fun. We visited what remains of the largest pyramid in the world, bought teeny tiny coke bottles, gate-crashed a wedding, found an Australian shop, and heard some incredible live music - good times.


Just one week left and we are starting to feel sad about leaving our new friends but are going to make the most of it. Lots of exams, presentations and more fun to follow!

Week 2: Spanish classes, ancient Pyramids and meeting Leon Trovsky´s grandson!…among many other adventures!

Week 2: Spanish classes, ancient Pyramids and meeting Leon Trovsky´s grandson!…among many other adventures! 

Rebecca Honey blogs from Mexico City on the Intensive Spanish in Mexico program 

 

A panarama view of the beautiful town of Taxco

It’s the end of my 2nd week in Mexico; time is starting to pass more quickly. Last Friday we travelled to the beautiful town of Taxco. I would love to spend more time there; a day trip is far too short! Taxco is amazing, everything from the hilltop colonial Spanish houses, cobblestone streets and VW Beetle taxis racing up the steep narrow streets barely managing to pass each other. 

The Spanish and Health Students at the National Palace

On Saturday we spent the day exploring the heart of Mexico City, visiting the National Palace and admiring the Murals of Diego Rivera, Cathedrals and ancient ruins from the prehispanic times. Of course a Saturday night in Mexico is not complete without tequila, mescal and dancing the Salsa! After only a few classes I only knew a few steps but had a go anyway! Sunday was spent visiting the Teotihuacan Pyramids. Teotihuacan was once the largest city in Latin America in the first half of the first millennium AD, and the larger Sun pyramid is the third largest pyramid in the world! After the Pyramids we visited the Shrine of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. The place was crowded as a Sunday service was starting and it poured with rain! However, that didn’t stop the ambiance and warmth of the place shining through. 

On Monday we began our Spanish classes. I'm in Una Basico, which is the lowest level, along with 3 others in the Spanish program. The classes are very 'Intensive', I’m learning a lot but we are taking in so much that it’s difficult to remember it all once the lesson is over for the day. I still find myself frustrated that I can't communicate enough and being with Australians most of the time makes it difficult to find people to practice with. I must say though, I couldn’t ask for a better group of people!

In the heart of Cuidad de Mexico

On Wednesday we visited the lovely district of Coyoacán, home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Casa Azul ‘the blue house’ is where Frida and Diego lived and was transformed into a museum after Frida died. I´m intrigued by the life of Frida Kahlo and extreme honesty and transparency in her art. Just a few blocks down the road is the Leon Trotsky Museum. Leon Trotsky spent his final years in Coyoacan before Lenin finally caught up with him and a visit to is home (now the museum) brought more than expected. A documentary was being filmed about Trotsky’s life and his grandson was there, we were able to meet him and take photos with him. That was definitely a highlight of the week! 

The Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's house in Coyoacán

Rebecca Honey is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Rebecca is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor Social Work degree at the University of Newcastle.

Week 2: Teotihuacan and a little more! - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

View from Temple of Moon


What a week the first week was! The highlight for me was the visit to Teotihuacan and climbing the Temple of the Moon. Many people have seen images of this incredible place, which was initially built by the Olmecs and then 400 years later was re-discovered by the Aztecs (see Arnoldo, I was listening ha). Although the ruins are filled with people, you are still filled with a sense of the might and power this sacred place once wielded. It is very mysterious, with the enormous Temples of the Sun, Moon and the Basilica perfectly aligned to reflect the 3 stars that make up Orion's belt, this is the same alignment of the 3 major pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. The steps are steep, but it's not only the climb that takes your breath away once you reach the top of the pyramids. I can only strongly recommend to everyone to visit this place if you get the chance.

After Teotihuacan, we visited the Basilica De Guadalupe. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most important religious image in Mexico. The Basilica was filled with thousands of Mexican people making pilgrimage from all over the country and despite the rain, the sense of hope and love that filled the building was incredible. All in all it was quite moving and humbling to be in the presence of such faith.


Virgin of Guadalupe


This week, so far we have started our Spanish classes and today we're off to Coyoacan to see the Frida Kahlo Museum...update to follow :)



Aussie pride on top of the Temple of the Sun





Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Update from Mexico! - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Rebecca Honey

First update from Mexico!

I'm so excited to be in Mexico, can't believe I am finally here! Brooke and I arrived in Mexico City on Sunday after two long flights to Los Angeles on the 4th. I don't recommend flying with China Southern Airlines, at least not go to Mexico! It was the cheapest flight we could book at the time. The airline itself is okay, but the stopover at Goungzhou airport in China was awful. It is the strangest airport I've ever been in! It was freezing there was no heating and all of our warm clothes were in our checked baggage. It was such a relief to finally arrive in Los Angeles, where we spent 3 days recovering from the flights and seeing as much as we could.

We said goodbye to LA in the early hours of Sunday morning and buenas dias to Cuidad de Mexico. Brooke and I were warmly welcomed by our host mother Mari, who thankfully knows some English as our skills are very very basic . With a mix of the two languages we can communicate okay. Mari's apartment is above a restaurant that she owns and she cooks the most delicious food! She has a very friendly and energetic puppy named Luna, Mari her two daughters who come and we talk to them as best we can with our very limited Spanish.



Monday was our first day at La Salle. We met the other Spanish students and Health Care students and everyone is friendly and we all get along very well. I love the campus too it's so beautiful. So far we've learnt about about cross-cultural communication with Ana Christina and Mexican History with Arnoldo, who really knows his stuff!



Yesterday we visited the Chapultepec Castle and the Museum of Anthropology. Before this course I knew virtually nothing about the history of Mexico. It's been a lot to take in but very fascinating learning about great civilisations of the Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs.



Today we are placed in our Spanish classes according to what level we are at. I'm really looking forward to the classes I'm keen to learn as much Spanish as I can!



Rebecca Honey is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Rebecca is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor Social Work degree at the University of Newcastle.

Visit to Chapultepect Castle and the Museum of Anthropology - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

Today we went to Chapultepec Castle and the Museum of Anthropology.

The castle had some incredible interiors and very moving stories, for example the young cadet who saw that the French invaders were in the castle and about to seize the flag, so he took the flag from the tower, wrapped it around himself and leapt to his death. The French never did get their hands on the flag and there is now a mural of the young boy's heroic leap on the ceiling as you enter the castle (pictured below).







The architecture was also beautiful (pictured above) and the grounds were full of poinsettias, which are everywhere in Mexico - they are named after the first US ambassador - Poinset (pictured below)




The museum was incredible. It would take about two days to see everything so we focused on the Pre-Colombian people and customs. There were countless statues and architecture, all of which had to be seen to be believed. Having had a bit of an obsession with the Pre-Colombian culture for some years, I was like a kid in a candy shop! Even if you didn't know much, it was like being in an Indiana Jones movie.




Our guide/teacher is Professor Arnoldo (pictured above) and he is incredibly passionate about his country and his culture, weaving stories around the individual pieces, taking us down to the Underworld and then raising us up to the Gods! Amazing. (pictured below)







If this is an indicator of what else is in store for us then I can't wait for the rest of it.




Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.