Study Spanish in Córdoba. Immerse Yourself in Argentina’s Rich Culture

Spanish continues to be one of the most popular foreign languages for Americans, and every year thousands of students of all ages travel abroad to Spanish-speaking countries to study the language. Argentina ranks high on the list of great destinations for Spanish classes for a number of reasons. Despite a weakening dollar Argentina continues to be a very affordable destination for language students from the U.S., and the country offers great cultural diversity, outstanding natural beauty, and a welcoming people. Argentina is also a well-developed country with a high standard of living, and foreign students will find all the amenities they are used to from home.

Córdoba, located in central Argentina about 500 miles inland from Buenos Aires, stands out as one of Argentina’s best locations for foreign Spanish students. Córdoba is smaller and more intimate than Buenos Aires, and Spanish study provides a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture, make friends with the locals, and learn the language. The cost of living is also lower in Córdoba than in Buenos Aires, and so are the course fees. The city has a large student population, which gives it a very dynamic cultural and social life. The city center, where the university is located, is alive with coffee houses, bookstores, bars and restaurants, as well as pleasant pedestrian malls, a busy shopping district, and large tree-lined squares. Language students will be able to enjoy movies, art exhibits, tango, as well as folkloric performances and a contemporary music scene all close to the city center.

Although Córdoba is today a large modern urban center with 1.2 million inhabitants, it retains much of its historic heritage, among them the rich Jesuit history with its university, as well as churches and other colonial buildings. The Jesuit block in Córdoba and several historic Jesuit farming estates in nearby towns are today part of UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage. Outdoor enthusiasts will also find plenty to do in the vicinity of the city. The Quebrada del Condorito National Park, located in the Sierra de Córdoba mountains, is the easternmost range of the majestic Andean condor, and visiting the mountains for a hike or birdviewing trip is a great weekend getaway.

Spanish Schools in Cordoba

• Able Spanish

Independiencia 233 - Centro, Córdoba, Argentina, Tel: +54-351-423-3300; ablespanish@hotmail.com; www.ablespanish.com.
$30 registration fee. Offers group courses (20 hrs/wk; $120), intensive courses (30 hrs/wk; $200) and private classes ($12/hr). Refers lodging at student residences ($60-$100/wk), homestays ($75-$110/wk), hostels and hotels.

• A.I.E. Argentina Idioma Español

Otto Meiling 357, 8400 Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina. info@patagoniaspanish.com, www.patagoniaspanish.com.
$60 registration fee. Offers year-round classes in Córdoba, Buenos Aires, and Bariloche for several skill levels. It is possible to combine different locations. Offers group courses (20 hrs/wk, $210, max. 6 students), intensive courses (group & private instruction, $380/wk), and private classes ($18/hr). Homestays are available for $150/wk, including two meals/day; offers excursions and cultural activities.

• Caseros Spanish School

Caseros 873—5000 Cordoba, Argentina; Tel: +54-351-4247877; cordoba@hya.com.ar; www.cordoba-spanish.com.ar.
$45 registration fee; offers group instruction (20 hrs/wk, $125), intensive courses (additional 10 classes of private instruction, $225/wk, with extra cultural immersion activities: $350), and private classes ($12/hr).

• Espanex

Av. Rafael Nuñez 5675 – Córdoba, Argentina; info@espanex.org, www.espanex.org.
$40 registration fee. Offers group courses with up to 5 students/class (20 hrs/wk, $125), intensive courses (20 group & 10 private classes $220/wk), and private classes ($12/hr). Provides homestays ($60-$130/wk) and student apartments ($70-$110); offers excursions.

• Argentina I.L.E.E.

Av. Callao 339, 3rd fl., 1022 Buenos Aires, Argentina; Tel: +54-11-47827173; info@argentinailee.com, www.argentinailee.com.
Offers Spanish classes in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Bariloche, and Ushuaia. It is possible to combine different locations. $60 registration fee. Offers group courses (20 hrs/wk, $210), intensive courses (20 group &10 private classes, $380/wk), and private classes ($20/hr). Additional five tango classes/wk for $70. Students have to complete one week in Buenos Aires before continuing in Córdoba. Homestays are available for $150/wk (with breakfast/dinner); offers excursions and cultural activities.

• AmeriSpan Study Abroad

Offers placement services for Spanish students in most Latin American countries, including Argentina and Córdoba; offers a satisfaction guarantee for students.
117 South 17th St., Ste. 1401, Philadelphia, P.A. 01910;
Tel: 800-879-6640; info@amerispan.com; www.amerispan.com.

Check out more Spanish Schools on Transitions Abroad.

The General Linguistics Method for Teaching Foreign Languages

Created by linguists, teachers and students from a half-dozen countries, General Linguistics developed Bueno, entonces… to incorporate all the best elements of the software and audiobook language learning methods like Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone that have been around for decades.

We mixed the comprehensive learning material of the audiobook courses with the addictive, fun and universally beloved format of a television show to create the Bueno, entonces… series. Each of the 30classes is 30-40 minutes long, proven as the perfect length for a language course - long enough to cover vocabulary and grammar topics but short enough to keep you interested the whole time. The challenging fast pace and edgy, entertaining style of Bueno, entonces… will keep you coming back for more.

Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous. Bueno, entonces… infuses a witty, engaging storyline into the learning process - and by following along you absorb more Spanish, morequickly than you ever thought possible. By the end of the 5-week, 30-class series, you
will be speaking and understanding native conversational Spanish!

Bueno, entonces… incorporates the following 5 principles to make learning Spanish fun, painless and effective:

1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging With Wit and Charm.

If you are not engaged, you are not going to learn or remember anything. Learning doesn’t have to be boring — remember your favorite teachers? Well, wait until you meet David & Jimena…

2. See The Words On The Screen.

Some people are audio learners, some people are video learners - most people are both, and learn different things in one way or the other. With Bueno, entonces… every word in Spanish is written on the screen so you can see how it is spelled while you hear it being pronounced. Old-fashioned audiobooks only get your half-way there.

3. Color-Coding.

Everything on the screen is color-coded in Spanish and English to help you understand word usage and sentence structure. You’ll start to quickly see and understand which words in Spanish correspond with similar words in English, and how those words are used in a sentence.

4. Symbols & Illustrations.

The symbols will help you learn and remember verb tenses and grammar concepts. The illustrations will burn iconic images into your brain so you remember vocabulary easily and instantly.

5. REPETITION Is The Key To Learning Languages.

Any teacher will tell you that, and it’s one of the big problems with traditional audiobooks and software programs - they are mind-numbingly boring. Bueno, entonces… is engaging and fast-paced and fun. You can use these classes over and over and get something new every time.

To read more go to buenoentonces.com/blog

On Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico, Colombia and Spain are more populous.

Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentina claims the British overseas territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It also claims a part of Antarctica, overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, though all claims were suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961.

Argentina has the second-highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in purchasing power parity in Latin America. Argentina is one of the G-20 major economies, with the world's 30th largest nominal GDP, and the 23rd largest when purchasing power is taken into account. The country is classified as upper-middle income or a secondary emerging market by the World Bank.

Read more about Argentina, on Wikipedia.

This is the Northwest of Argentina.

This video shows the very best places you can visit in Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman and Catamarca provinces.



Go to Youtube to find more videos about Argentina.

Embassies List in BA

ALEMANIA

Consulado: Villanueva 1055
Horario de atención: Lunes a viernes de 8.30 a 11 hs
4778-2500
Fax: 4778-2550

AUSTRALIA

Cancillería: Villanueva 1400
(1426) Cap. Fed.
4777-6580 al 85
Fax: 4772-3349

SUECIA

Cancillería: Tacuarí 147 Piso 6
(1071) Cap. Fed.
4342-1422
Fax: 4342-1697

SUIZA

Cancillería: Santa Fe 846 Piso 10
(1059) Cap. Fed.
4311-6491 al 95
Fax: 4313-2998

UNION EUROPEA

Cancillería: Ayacucho 1537
(1112) Cap. Fed.
4805-3759
Fax: 4801-1594

URUGUAY

Cancillería: Av. Las Heras 1097
(1127) Cap. Fed.
4807-3041/40/60/61
Fax: 4807-3050

VENEZUELA

Cancillería: Virrey Loreto 2035
(1428) Cap. Fed.
4785-2226
Fax: 4784-4311

ESTADOS UNIDOS

Cancillería: Av. Colombia 4300
(1425) Cap. Fed.
4777-4533/34/46/40/05

FRANCIA

Cancillería: Cerrito 1399 (1010) Cap. Fed.
4819-2930
Fax: 4393-1235

Find out where your embassy is on Buenos Aires Times.