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Spanish course and cultural activities
15 years ago
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Review: Learning Spanish in a Buenos Aires way
I was recently contacted by the folks at Miniature Studios about their new Spanish language learning product Bueno, entonces.
[Disclaimer: Miniature Studios did provide me with free access to the product in exchange for this review, but otherwise there was no payment for this review and there are no affiliate links in this post.]
Ever since my days implementing digital technologies in higher education I’ve been very interested in multimedia-based approaches to learning. There are different learning styles and some people learn better in ways that are different from others. Of course, language learning always requires a high degree of personal interaction to achieve any level of proficiency. But language tapes and computer-based approaches serve as useful starting points.
Bueno, entonces is a series of animated videos that replicate a one-on-one Spanish class.Unlike most learning Spanish resources online, Bueno, entonces is designed specifically for the person who wants to live in Buenos Aires, or at least have an extended visit to Buenos Aires and have a good time.
Read more on buenoentonces.com/blog
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Argentine Peso Exchange Rate 11/10
| US Dollar Exchange Rates | |
| Argentine Peso (ARS) | 3.8174 |
| Rates as of 11/10/2009 | |
Source:www.exchange-rates.org
| British Pound Exchange Rates | |
| Argentine Peso (ARS) | 6.3674 |
| Rates as of 11/10/2009 | |
Source:www.exchange-rates.org
| Euro Exchange Rates | |
| Argentine Peso (ARS) | 5.7105 |
| Rates as of 11/10/2009 | |
Source:www.exchange-rates.org
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Best Language Schools in Buenos Aires
So Many Spanish Schools From Which to Choose in the Capital of Argentina
2007 was going to be my year away from the working world; having been laid off from my job I was determined to make the best of the situation and use the entire year as a sabbatical to live abroad, learn a new language, and do a lot of traveling on the cheap whenever presented with the opportunity. Having previously been to Buenos Aires, I was attracted by the relatively high standard of living, fantastic rate of exchange, great night life, incredible food, impressive architecture, and multiple travel attractions across the country. In short, I knew it was the city that I wanted to live in while learning Spanish.
After using the Internet to arrange a long term apartment in a suitable part of the city, the most pressing issue that remained was finding the right school to attend. Several hours of research left me with information overload as it yielded dozens of schools in the city–a confusing mix of brand-new and long-established institutions with varying programs and services at prices all over the map. Which, if any of them, would be the best?
As a student-to-be in my late-30s I wasn’t as price sensitive as I would have been years past, although if there were good deals to be had at lower prices, so much the better. On the other hand, I didn’t want to end up being “the old guy” at the school, which was a concern in terms of after-hours socializing and travel. I also preferred schools that were not overrun with students from the U.S.A. or Europe, which would ensure actually practicing Spanish to communicate instead of defaulting to English—as tends to happen among students from those countries.
All schools under consideration had to be reputable, well-established, reasonably priced within the market, and located near the subway and bus lines. After much investigation, the schools that made the final cut were: Comisión de Intercambio Educativo (COINED), Instituto de Lengua Española para Extranjeros (ILEE), and International Bureau of Language (IBL). Generally speaking, all of these schools offer the option of individual or group classes, “intensive classes” lasting five or more hours per day, language specialization courses (medical, business, etc), homestay options with families (including meals if you want them), plus weekly activities.
In regard to pricing, with annual inflation in Argentina running around 12% to 20% in 2007, it’s wise to keep tabs on the prices posted on the listed websites in case rates unexpectedly go up. Also note that June and July are Brazil’s winter vacation months, so nearly every school in Buenos Aires is overflowing with Brazilians simultaneously bent on Spanish language improvement and late night liver damage at the local boliches (discos/nightclubs).
Comisión de Intercambio Educativo (COINED) was the first school selected and, in my opinion probably the best, since I ended up staying there for 12 weeks while originally intending to only stay a maximum of 8 weeks. It was the largest school, in terms of students and facilities, with a curriculum developed at the University of Buenos Aires. The classes also utilized a lot of Argentine culture (novels, cinema, music, etc) to supplement the learning. The majority of the teachers were undergrads (pursuing an advanced degree) although the study materials were probably the lowest production quality (format, legibility, bindings, etc) among all of the schools. The student body composition was diverse: Brazilian, North American, Western European, Japanese, Russian, and an occasional Aussie here and there. 85% of the students ranged from 21 to 29 years old, so those of us 30+ were easily in the minority. COINED has a “residence hall” that the vast majority of students used for accommodation, which not-so-coincidentally made this the school with the most extracurricular partying going on in the wee hours of the morning. Price-wise it occupied the middle ground between the more expensive and cheaper schools, which included two to three activities per week.
Instituto de Lengua Española para Extranjeros (ILEE) bills itself as the only school “where all the teachers hold a University of Buenos Aires Masters degree, either in Literature or Education, and have taught Spanish as a foreign language for 3+ years”. In my experience ILEE was also the smallest school, with the lowest teacher-to-student ratio, as well as the most expensive of all the schools. As such, the student body consisted exclusively of Western European and North American professionals, with an average age around 35-40. Night outings among the students tended to be weekends-only, although daytime excursions in the city were plentiful (however, the school’s planned weekly activities usually involved an extra fee of some sort). I found that the placement tests were not very effective and actually ended up being the poorest of any of the schools. On more than one occasion, an unfortunate beginner was mismatched with higher level students, causing no small level of frustration on both sides. However, the course materials were excellent and probably the most useful of any of the schools. In the end, I moved on three weeks earlier than planned due to the lack of any added value the education offered me for the higher price.
Read more on Transitions Abroad.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Argentina To Offer To Settle Paris Club Debt By Issuing Bond
BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--The Argentine government will try to settle its roughly $6.5 billion debt with members of the Paris Club by offering to issue a new bond, the Economy Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
Economy Minister Amado Boudou will pitch the idea to club members at a G20 meeting in Scotland later this week.
Before leaving for the trip, Boudou shared the idea with officials from the French Embassy in Buenos Aires. He said the plan entails issuing a new bond whose value would be equivalent to the debt owed to club members.
While in Scotland, Boudou will try to convince other Paris Club members that they ought to accept the proposal instead of a typical repayment plan, the statement said.
The bond would reportedly have the same payment structure as the loans owed to the Paris Club.
Argentine officials had previously given few details of how they planned to reschedule the debts owed to the Paris Club, which have been in default since Argentina's financial meltdown in 2001-02.
Around 14 months ago, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez announced a plan to settle the debt by making a lump sum payment.
But that bold plan fell apart within weeks as the global financial crisis clobbered world markets and crimped credit.
News of the new proposal comes a day after Argentina's House of Representatives passed a bill reopening a debt swap for the holders of about $20 billion in defaulted bonds.
The Senate has yet to debate the bill authorizing the offer, which requires congressional approval because a 2005 law expressly blocked a new swap.
The country is preparing a proposal to end the conflict with the holdouts who refused to accept terms of the 2005 swap. That swap involved a 65% discount, and any new offer will be on terms "more advantageous to Argentina," Boudou has said repeatedly.
To read more go to Google News.
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