Mission: Speak Spanish

WOW check out this great holiday SALE for Bueno, entonces... learn Spanish

2009-11-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

So, my favorite Spanish program is having a Thanksgiving SALE!

You shouldn't let this offer go away! click here to see the details:
Learn Spanish Discount

And chek out this video to Learn Funny Spanish Routines -- with a Robot!

Day 30: A cliffhanger!!

2009-10-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

SPOILER ALERT: Ok, so if you're planning on buying the Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish series or are working your way through it you should probably skip this post.

Was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected ending to the dramatic love story between Jimena, the hot but uptight Portena teacher and David, the feckless, funny young Brit who's been trying it on for five weeks. Turns out it was Jimena who tried all through this class to close the deal (what's 'rebound guy' in Spanish?!) but at the last minute her plan was foiled (or so it seems) by another woman. Pathetically, it makes me really want to get a hold of level 2 - which isn't even made yet!! Oh the suspense...

Back in my real life, I'm delighted by the progress I've made, but I have to admit, I've been studying my notes after each class and that's made a big difference. I've organised for a private teacher three times a week to pick up from here, and It's great to start with a good solid base already. I have a feeling he won't be as entertaining as the odd couple I've shared the past month with, but hopefully I'll keep moving at a good pace. Now that I need it more for work and other classes, I have a reason to do my homework! Plus, well, there may be a little love story in the air for me too, with one of the guys from kung fu. We're going on a date at he end of the week, and he speaks very little English, but he seems to be the only guy in the city with enough sense to play it cool, so I'm interested already! Time to go back through all the going out and small-talk vocab I've been learning - I guess you'll have to be in suspense about what happens, much like the end of this series!!

But if I had to do a little summing-up, it would be this: Buenos Aires is an amazing city, with something for everyone. And although the people (contrary to their reputation) are great, and will speak English to you if they possibly can, having some kind of Spanish ability is so incredibly valuable if you want to get the most out of this place. Indeed, any Spanish-speaking country.

I'll be honest, there were certain moments where this Spanish program moved too slow, or too fast, or the plot got in the way, or the characters were annoying. But at the end of the day, Bueno entonces is the ONLY Spanish learning system that has kept me interested and entertained enough to stick with it. It's completely different from anything else out there, and made me laugh more than most 'hilarious' films and TV shows I've seen. The combination of two likable people, funny animation, colour-coding, spanish immersion, and the whiteboard system means that I have learned more Spanish than I ever expected, and all from sitting in bed with a cup of tea for a half hour every morning! So if you're considering it, and want to learn Spanish with out being completely bored and frustrated, I'd say buy Bueno, entonces. Really, give it a try - you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

Good luck, hasta luego!
Jess

Day 29: Champagne (and Irish tea) flowing

2009-10-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the corks were popped in the Bueno, entonces offices today (ok, not today, but today on the video!) as we sat in the cabina acoustica one last time. Luckily, the party atmosphere didn't distract Jimena one bit and we still had a good class packed with useful stuff. Not just Castellano, but a cute little section on the geography of Argentina and a great bit about 'Nahuelito', their version of The Loch Ness monster! I love it when they add stuff like that - because what's the use in being here, totally fluent in Spanish, if you don't know anything about the history or geography or culture? Hopefully if there's a second level we'll get more on Argentina's battles, the financial crisis of 2001, the history of tango etc. We should have most of the vocab by then!

I have to admit, I'm going to miss the bumbling old 'MC Grammar' too. Here's a little pic in tribute to him, and a video in remembrance below. Yes, his jokes were really bad, and yes, he did desert us a bit near the end (we didn't need him as much), but he was like the embarrassing old uncle at a party - kept popping up with dodgy innuendo when you least expected it! Plus, he said it was ok to be completely lost, so I'll always love him for that.

As for me, I'm still loving BA, but a bit homesick because I got a big care package from my family today! Highlights included tea (because the common black tea here is like 'dishwater' as we say in Ireland), organic chocolate (cue two extra sessions with personal trainer), pajamas and fluffy socks (even though it's getting HOT here now!) and books and magazines (for when I'm not, ahem, reading Borges int he original language). So now I've decided, it's not that I want to go home, but to fly the whole family out here instead. Better send them a copy of Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish to get ready!!

Day 28: Oh I see where this is going...

2009-10-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Things are getting interesting between Jimena and David - I think we're gonna get a happy ending here! (Still can't believe I'm rooting for two semi-fictional people in a language learning series!) So I'm looking forward to the last class to see that finish up nicely. Also looking forward to being free of the most annoying voice in the world - I don't know who that girl is that narrates the intro and summary at the end, I'm sure she's a lovely person, but man, does she have an awful, awful accent. I have to skip it most days (hopefully for her sake she's exaggerating the accent for the show....!)

Anyway, back from that tangent - third last class was cool and really useful for the traveler. We learned about different types of lodging, hotel vocab and role-play (yup, D milked it!) for talking to receptionists and the like. I still feel like there's too much English going on though - surely by now 90% of the class should be in Spanish, but Jime did reprimand our British troublemaker for that so tomorrow might be better.

We learned how to say 'go to hell' - Andé a cagar - which would have been REALLY useful last night. Myself and the girls headed out to Amerika - BA's biggest and most popular gay club. Thought it might be a welcome night off from the aggressive men in all the other bars, but it was twice as bad! I think that because the place is pretty raunchy (there's a 'black tunnel' where you can go and have...well, whatever you want) that the straight guys who go there think that the girls will be easy. I almost had to break out the kung fu!! Entrance was expensive because there was an open bar, but the drinks were, naturally, abrasive as toilet cleaner, so i couldn't rely on them to dull the painful electronica music and later, a terrible floorshow that was like 'The Village People massacre Cirque du Soleil'. Que noche loca!!

Day 27: Thank you Bueno, entonces...!

2009-10-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yaaay, I knew having Spanish skills would pay off! So, I hadn't really intended on working here in Buenos Aires, but I realised that having a six-month hole in my CV isn't going to look too good when I have to go find a job in January, so I dragged myself out of bed this week to meet with the editor of a local magazine. It's an English publication, but obviously some Spanish is necessary for gathering all the content that fills the pages. Anyway, I had a lovely chat with the editor and she's happy to have me on board! So for the next two months I'm hopefully going to be putting my 30 days of Spanish to good use writing articles and compiling listings and flitting around as a journalist in Buenos Aires - result!

But still a few more days to go before I'm done with my basic course. Today's class was good, with a little history lesson on the liberation of South America from Spanish colonizers, but it seems to me like David is speaking more and more English. It's mostly stuff to do with the storyline (his parents, her boyfriend, his trying to get into her knickers), which sometimes seems to overshadow the actual Spanish learning, but they use it to flow smoothly from theme to theme, and to practice the new vocab. Let's hope that he gets a second wind for the last three lessons - we've learned so much David, time to start using it - open your wings and fly!!

Day 25: More useful stuff

2009-10-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Just when I think, "yeah, I'm pretty sure I have everything I need for basic conversations now", we do something new and I'm like "oh yeah, I forgot about that..." Today was prepositions - and it's actually surprising how often I have needed the words for behind, under, on top of... (hey, I know what you're thinking - not for that!)

It's undeniable now that I'm using more and more Spanish - with the girls at home, with the guys in Wing Chun, with the dancers at Tango. The real test will be when Erick arrives next week. He's an old friend from Costa Rica, and I've instructed him to only speak in Spanish when he comes to visit. He was a bit surprised because last time we saw each other a few months ago I had zero Spanish, so I hope I'm gonna surprise him (no, not with the prepositions...!!) Plus, he's from Central America so whenever he says something I don't understand or I say something ridiculous, I can just say nonchalantly, "oh, that's the Porteno dialect..."

So, not much else to write today. I'm pretty pleased with my language skills, and a bit sad that the classes are almost over. They'll have to make a Bueno, entonces... intermediate, so we don't suffer withdrawal symptoms. Hey, maybe they could find a hot Porteno and I could be the cheeky student. So much potential for prepositions.....!

Day 25: I want to give you cuddles

2009-10-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, I love how having a personal trainer means you can have chocolate mousse for breakfast (what?? it's the unwritten rule!) I'm in pain and it's the only thing that seems to help...

So today was a bit of verb conjugations, which was more pleasant than it sounds, and I'm delighted to have learned how to say "I have the desire to give you cuddles" - I can't begin to tell you how often I have needed that phrase here (ok, none, but now I'm well equipped for the future. In case I meet a bunny, or a granny or something).

The storyline of the lessons seems to be taking up a lot of the time these days, but they're throwing in new words and phrases all the time so it's useful if a bit surreal (you have to check out the series for yourself - her boyfriend is cheating on her with a hotdog, his mother is sleeping with an underage tanguero) We learned good vocab to do with relationships and being hearbroken, so I've got everything I need for a quick fling and the painful aftermath, should I so need it!

Day 24: Que buena onda!

2009-10-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson was really funny! I was worried they had used up all the humour in the first two weeks but today was really good (I knew the Falkland Islands would come up eventually!) Plus, we played a few games which actually made me feel like I had got the hang of the whole por/per ser/estar conundrum. Or maybe Jimena just used easy examples... Still, I'm feeling good heading into our last week of classes.

And I really am using my Spanish a lot more now. The other night I went to my first Argentinian hen party (nope, sadly no strippers) and managed to chat to the Portenas about all kinds of stuff. Well, they talked and I threw in a phrase here and there, but I definitely wasn't as lost as I would have been four weeks ago. I feel like I started out as a 1.5/10 in Spanish, and now I'm a good solid 4. Maybe if I go back over my notes a bit and concentrate hard this week, I might even finish feeling like a five. And that's pretty good for a few weeks of laughing at a computer program! Tomorrow is going to be a typical day of shooting class, personal trainer, wing chun and then tango. Thank God these nifty Spanish classes are only half an hour or I'd never fit them in!

Day 23: Where is the love?

2009-10-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Funny how art mirrors life eh? Today Jimena finds out that her boyfriend's been cheating on her and David tries to move in there with some faux-sensitivity. It's like a telenovela! But it got me depressed about Argentinian men in general... Or maybe it's just Buenos Aires. I think I'll have to take a trip outside the city.

Which is why today's lesson on transport was so helpful! (see what I did there? Smooth...) Really though, good stuff for buying tickets and taking buses and the like. Also, more head-frying info on when to use 'take' and 'bring' and 'come' and 'go'. Hell, I don't even know how to use the former properly in English!!

But there is one thing which has been bugging me for a while - there's these other two characters - a guy and a girl - who occasionally fly across the screen with grammer essentials, but I have no idea who they are! They were never introduced properly at the beginning, and there seems to be a kind of parallel love-hate relationship going on between them but it takes like half the series to catch up on it, because you have no idea that they're connected, or indeed talking about eachother! Then at the end of one of the lessons recently the narrator says "So, something happening there between Laura and Manuel" and you're like "who's...? - ahhhhh". Anyway, that's just a sidenote.

So a review and one week left - I'm wondering if we'll get to do the past tense before our adventure together comes to a close. It would be pretty useful for when people say "Wow, what great Spanish you have!" and I have to explain that I studied with Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish and that I watched a lesson every day etc. Also, if I happen to meet anyone who speaks Spanish when I get home, I can say that I lived in Buenos Aires, I danced lots of tango, the food was great, but the men were a serious disappointment!

Photos from the shoot this week

2009-10-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Turns out the photographer accidentally had the ISO setting way too high so we had to do it again - but I got paid twice, yaaay! These are from the first shoot.

Day 22: Impressing myself!

2009-10-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

So today was one of the few occasions where I've been forced to speak Spanish, and it went really well! I was invited by a friend from Wing Chun to her grandmother's 75th birthday out in the countryside. The whole family were there, and very few of them spoke English, and I was the only 'outsider' so I had to be polite, and interesting, and knowledgeable and all in Spanish. There were a few moments where I was nodding and smiling and uh-huhing without having a clue what that person was saying to me, but for the most part, I understood when I was asked a questions and was able to talk a little bit about myself, Ireland, and what I thought about Argentina. We had a huge feast of empanadas and choripan (like a hot-dog, but with real sausage) and then spent the rest of the afternoon sprawled out on blankets in the sun, with a Velez Sarsfield football match on the background. It was so nice to be doing something so un-touristy, and I felt a bit homesick for my big family back in Ireland. I feel really lucky both to have had that experience and to have enough Spanish to enjoy it.

I'm already starting to panic about what I'm going to do when the Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish series is over... Only eight lessons to go! Aw, I'm gonna miss these guys

Day 21: Home sweet home

2009-10-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I'm supposed to be practicing my Spanish, but I ended up in Chinatown this morning, speaking Mandarin (like, once!) and eating noodle soup for breakfast. I love BA, it's got everything! But seriously, I thought I was confused before – I'm two steps back now! I really think the brain can only process like one and a half languages at a time! Next time, I'll have to go with a Spanish person, and speak to them as we stroll the isles picking up ingredients for caramelised beef and spring rolls (I'll make them tonight and post a picture!)

Back to the progress in Castellano, today's lesson was incredibly useful for anyone who wants to buy or rent an apartment here. Luckily I took the easy way out, and I'm just sub-letting with English-speaking housemates, but it seems like renting is pretty complicated in BA, so all the vocab in today's lesson is invaluable. For the rest of us, I was glad to learn words I find myself searching for all the time to describe things. Now that I've learned some of them, I feel like my Spanish is a jigsaw, and the pieces are finally falling into place.

I find that taxis are the best place to practice. Once you start a conversation with the driver (those guys will talk about anything), you have nowhere to go, and most of them insist on speaking Spanish, and will help me with my pronunciation. Getting me to where I'm going is just a bonus now!

Day 20: Fast love

2009-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Entonces, we're into the fourth week now – doesn't time fly when you're having fun! Had a cool lesson about telos, basically the pay-by-the-hour places Argentinians go to have sex. Apparently it's pretty acceptable here – good for them! I feel sorry for the kids my age though, who still live with their parents and have to rent a room to have fun. I suppose we all took our grubby student houses for granted...

But that's another reason why I really like this program. Just when you're getting frustrated with grammar (we moved right on to the mystery that is Por and Para today – I'm longing for the good old days when I only had Ser and Estar to cry over) there's a great little section on stuff that you need to know if you're coming to Argentina, like mate, telos and reversible words. I wish I had seen this before I got here, I would have been so much more knowledgeable! But anyway, it's these things that make the difference between giving up in the first lesson and getting to class 20!

I went to my first session with a personal trainer this morning – it's the only place in the world where I could afford such a luxury! Ok, so luxury may not be the right word, given that I can hardly walk, and I know enough to know that the day after is ten times worse, so trying to get out of bed tomorrow should be fun...! But summer is coming, and all that dulce de leche has to go somewhere!! Plus, it lets me use all my cool new Spanish phrases like “I'm destroyed!” and “It's worth it!”. Two birds with one stone – result!

Day 19: The most confusing thing about Spanish

2009-09-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

So we've finally got around to tackling Ser and Estar. It had to rear it's ugly head at some point.

For those of you lucky enough to not know what I'm talking about, this post refers to the fact that Spanish has two different ways of saying 'to be'. I'm totally with David on this point, it's ridiculous, impossible to learn, and there seems to be no rules whatsoever to help guide us.

But in today's lesson we made a start, and I think I'm kind of a bit clear, or getting there, on some of the many different situations which take Ser and Estar. Apparently one is for characteristics and one for location. And one depends on temporary objects and one on permanent states. And one is for events and one is for people, or emotions, or maybe just for cities. Ok, so I have no idea. But today at least I learned a few examples of phrases and sentences which use both, and so I'm hoping that if I learn enough of these, then a pattern will start to appear. I think that's what Jimena is hoping too, because David was as lost as I am, but more vocal about it!

I guess if you have to tackle Spanish grammar though, this is the least painful way to go about it. Yaay Bueno, entonces...; My brain is fried but I'm still smiling!!

Day 18: I've come so far! (have I?)

2009-09-29T11:11:00.001-07:00

Third review today, and I still feel like I'm keeping up. But then again, I am just watching the little tests and then when David gets it right I'm like "yeah, I would have said that". I'm not sure if it would be the same story if I paused and tried to come up with the answer myself...! But it was a good lesson. The reviews seem to go pretty quickly, probably because there's less new stuff to fry my brain with. But it's a bit scary that we're heading into the 4th week (out of 5). Still not sure exactly how much I've learned over the past three weeks - I feel like I should have taken a 'before and after' Spanish test so I can measure the difference. I know I'm understanding more, but the words are so slow to come out!

To work off my frustration, I did some sparring in Wing Chun class. It doesn't have much to do with the martial art, I guess we just like beating each other up for fun. I thought I'd post the video, so you don't think I'm just a girly tango dancer. It's the first time I've ever done it, so I took a few punches, but it did me good. Oh well, just another thing I need to improve!

Day 17: The sun'll come out, tomorrow

2009-09-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Had a more traditional class today in that we learned about the weather, seasons and months. It's pretty apt actually because the weather here in Buenos Aires is really weird. Leaving aside the fact that the seasons are all backwards, it recently went from winter to spring here and I swear it's three times colder! Seriously, the sun is out but there's a bite to the air that has me hibernating with a heater in my bedroom watching old episodes of Bueno, entonces... (ok, i'll admit, this is just because I don't have a TV here. If I did, i'd be watching America's next top model).

But that's why it was cool to learn today's vocab, because I'm Irish, so all we talk about is drinking, religion, and the weather. Plus I'm getting tired of saying "oooh, hace mucho frio" all the time - I'm ready to spice up my musings on Argentinian weather!

Apart from that, It's nice that they've finally got around to softening the relationship between David and Jimena. I have to admit, despite myself, I am wondering if they get together at the end of the series - that sounds ridiculous, but I've really got to know these two now!

Ok, moving on to my real life...! I had my first Argentinian photoshoot today! Ok, that sounds way more glamorous than in was - I just happened to answer a random ad from a photographer who was looking for female models who practice a martial art. Sent him some photos and then did a shooot in the Botanical gardens early this morning. There was a few surprised joggers but it was a good session. Definitely nice to have the extra pocket money. I promise I'll post a couple of the pictures up here when they've been photoshopped!!!

Day 16: Something amiss...

2009-09-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the milonga chat was definitely better than last week, but I'm still not conversing with much ease. Then again, maybe a dark room with loud music isn't the best place to practice after just 15 days of lessons. I'll try the 'milonga test' again closer to the end and see if I can glide from tango to tango on a wave of smooth latino conversation.

Today's lesson was full of good stuff for clothes shopping (well, good for my Spanish skills, bad for my credit card...) but there are two weird things which seem a bit amiss with the series...

First of all - how good is this David's spanish anyway? Because at the very beginning he says that he has really basic Spanish - actually, he admits that his vocab stretches to 'hola' and that's about it. But every so often he comes out with words or phrases that we definitely haven't learned in the lessons. Once or twice Jimena has said "oh, where did you learn that" and he'll say that he read it on the back of a carton of soup or something, but most of the time he just throws in these advanced words that a beginner definitely shouldn't know. It's just a bit depressing because you feel like "we're in it together" and then he says something we've never learned and you're like "hey, that's not fair!" I mean ok, I know there's probably a script, but the poor struggling student watching the lesson doesn't want to know that!

And secondly, can he or can't he see the whiteboard?? Sometimes, Jimena will speak in Spanish and he'll say "lucky the translation is on the magic whiteboard, or else I wouldn't understand that." And then sometimes she speaks in Spanish - and it's translated on the whiteboard - but he'll say "what does that mean? I have no idea what you're saying." Hmmm, the unsolved mysteries of Bueno, entonces...

Luckily, in general the whole thing is really funny and useful so these little slips are ok (for now...!)

I may just be in a rant-y mood because that beautiful tango guy from last week wasn't there last night. How do you say "of course I'm not heartbroken" in Spanish...?!

Day 15: Half Way!

2009-09-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

Wuhoo, I'm already half way towards being a genius in Spanish!! Or at least ordering a coffee... Actually, I have to admit that the time has gone pretty quickly and the classes have been relatively painless. I know for a fact that there's no way I would have got through 15 classes on CD with another company like Rosetta Stone.

Anyway, although I'm not talking as much as I'd like at this stage, I can tell from the little notebook I keep beside me during the lessons, that I must be improving - there are less and less things written down at the end of each class. I mean, obviously, the new stuff (learned how to describe people today, which is pretty useful for when I meet the non-existent Argentinian man of my dreams and have to describe him to the girls) but all the other stuff must be going in, because I recognise and remember the meaning of a lot of conversational stuff now.

Anyway, the big test is tonight. If you read the post from a week ago, you'll remember the cringeworthy attempts I had to make at the Milonga. So, I'm off to try again this week. Hopefully my Spanish will be up to it - or at least enough to keep me afloat for those two minutes between dances. Wish me luck!

Day 14: What you've got to know about Argentine Spanish

2009-09-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

So, this doesn't have much to do with what we actually learned today(which was handy 'putting sentences together' stuff), but about the program in general. I just realised how useful it is that everytime they use a pronunciation that is specific to Argentina, or Buenos Aires, the thoughtful folks at Bueno, entonces... highlight it with a little flag. I can't begin to say how useful this is. Not because there are loads of differences, but because for anyone coming here that think they've got a basic grasp of Spanish from Spain, the few differences are so different that they can really throw you off.

For example, the most obvious is the pronunciation of the 'll' or 'y' in the middle of a word. The other day, I was asking for directions to avenida de Mayo (as in, the condiment) and the shopkeeper was like "huh, masshhjjo??" and I was like "no MAIY-O" and on and on. Same for the tube stop "Callao". In the beginning I thought I was being really smart by not saying "CaL-lao" but "cayao", like it would be in Spain. But oh no, those pesky Argentinians have a surprise up their sleeve for this one, it's actually "Casjhho". Ok, I'm sure that the spelling doesn't quite capture the sound I'm making in my head, but you get the idea.

So, all that just to point out that this is a clever spanish program! Not just because it's the only fun series in the Castellano dialect (that's Castejjshano, by the way), but because they keep pointing this out, just in case we end up in Barcelona, and need a 'pollo' or some such thing. Ah, you get the point....!

Day 13: Why would I like gasoline?

2009-09-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, wierd theme running through today's lesson - not sure when I'll ever have to say that gasoline appeals to me, but man, I'm never going to forget that verb conjugation. (Plus, now I can sing along to that stupid song in the club, which is a little bonus only Bueno, entonces could think of!)

Today I went for a jog (god, I forgot how much I hate jogging!) and found the planetarium in Palermo. It has shows every day, so when my Spanish improves, I'm definitely going to go and check one out. Actually, maybe I should go now, when I'll only understand a bit, because maybe in Spanish, the mysteries of the universe will seem even more mysterious...oooohhh...

In the evening, went with my housemates to a tango lesson in The Konex, which is where they have concerts and theatre and dance. Actually, if you're free on a monday night, be sure to check out La Bomba de tiempo a great night of drumming and percussion. It was a good class, but very much for beginners. I scoff at that kind of thing now I've had a grand total of, um, five weeks lessons. Later, I headed on to a comedy show (yes, in English. There's no chance you'd find me at a Spanish one at this stage). The guy was pretty good, think I'll head back for the show next week.

I know, I know, these Anglo-nights out are doing nothing for my language skills. I have got to force myself to speak Spanish! I now have thirteen lessons worth of stuff for God's sake- just need to pick up the courage to use it!

Day 12: Trouble in paradise

2009-09-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. I really think David and Jimena (I'm talking about my Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish classes here, in case you're not keeping up!) should really skip the Saturday review thing. Not sure if they're serious or pretty good actors, but there are moments where they really do seem pissed off with eachother, and so listening in, you feel really uncomfortable! Today I wanted to close the computer screen and say "I'll just leave you two alone to sort his out"! But anyway the review was good, and I don't feel like I'm too far behind David (not hard, to tell the truth!). One of these days I'll have to get in sync with the day they're on, because in the classes it's saturday, but for me it's tuesday, which is a bit weird.

Anyway, still really busy doing a million and one things here in BA. It is officially impossible to be bored here. I've stopped reading the listings of what's on because I hate reading about all the cool things I can't do! Sadly, there are only so many hours in the day, and for the moment, I have to spend some of them working on my Spanish, if I really want to dig deeper into the underground world of the real city that never sleeps...

Me dancing very beginner tango!

2009-09-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Day 11: Best lesson yet!

2009-09-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Heheh, today was by far the funniest Spanish class to date. David was like a hyperactive kid and had no intention of cooperating or paying any attention to Jimena, the teacher, and basically talked rubbish and went off on hilarious tangents and totally lightened the mood so we wouldn't get downhearted, two weeks in. It was great, because it's exactly how I've felt once or twice since starting, like "I couldn't give a shit about verb conjugations anymore!" (I think those were his exact words). But then after all the confusing stuff there was a little translation game which was pretty easy, which David kept messing up, so you finish the lesson feeling pretty proud of yourself for knowing more than him!!!

I'm using more and more Spanish in the tango class. Actually, I took a video today (of me dancing, not speaking Spanish), so I'll try to post it up tomorrow. Don't be judgmental, I'm just a beginner!!

I'm surprised to find that a lot of the stuff Jimena says is helpful in the Kung Fu class, because when I'm working with the guys who are less advanced I can use things like "I'm going to show you", "pay attention to" "Let's continue" "do you remember this?" and "well done". I'm thinking that all that stuff would be great for someone who's coming here to teach English too.

Day 10: Straying from the gringo trail

2009-09-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

What else would you be doing on a fresh spring day in Buenos Aires but a Vietnamese cooking class?! I spent a very cool three hours today soaking noodles, rolling spring rolls, and licking hoy sin sauce from a wooden spoon....mmmm Unfortunately, (ok, secretly I'm glad) it was all in English, so I didn't get to put any of today's new phrases to use. But I did feel quietly smug when talking to a couple of Americans who are paying a lot to learn Spanish in group lessons here and seem to be pretty bored with the classes. (I'm pretty sure they haven't learned "bullshit" and "Naughty" like I did today!) I'm not saying it's a bad idea to learn Spanish here in BA, but I think that using a program like this first to get a grasp of the basics is such a good investment because then, if you want, you can start the live lessons at intermediate stage and really get your money's worth.

Anyway, speaking of the programme, i'm one third of the way through today and feeling pretty good. I still need more people to force me to speak Spanish in real life, because listening to the classes is so not enough, but I've realised that I'm writing less and less in the little notebook I keep beside me, because a lot of words are becoming more familiar. And with the "magic whiteboard" (take a look here), I find myself now watching the Spanish words more than the English translation. Progress!

So all's good. Well, except for the fact that twice now, when the word 'England' comes up in a sentence, they show a map with all of Great Britain AND Ireland highlighted in red. Ok, I know this lnguage series isn't the most politically correct but come on people! Ireland is a SEPARATE COUNTRY. It's just ignorant! It's like saying 'Belgium' and then highlighting Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg on the map!! Sigh.... We're small, but we're a bloody republic.

Actually, I really need to learn how to say that in Spanish.

Day 9: Armed and dangerous

2009-09-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not something I thought I'd be doing here in Buenos Aires (ever in my life actually) but this morning I had my first shooting class. I meet a guy from Wing Chun (Kung fu) every Saturday morning for a conversation class, who happens to be a shooting instructor. I wouldn't let him pay for the classes, but when I found out what he does for a living I suggested an exchange! So, this morning I learned how to load, unload and fire a revolver and a pistol, and next week, we'll start with shotguns! I'm not the kind of person that's fascinated by weapons, but it's definitely something to do that's way off the tourist trail.

And spending time with any Spanish-speaking person is a bonus to me. I'm definitely throwing in more and more bits and pieces. Yesterday's lesson was really good , with useful phrases like "that's gross!" and "It's really confusing!" Actually most of the lesson was taken up with talking about Mate, which is definitely a good thing to learn before coming here. If not, the fact that a lot of Argentinians walk around with a thermos flask under their arm might be a bit confusing!

And, I've insisted that my flatmates speak only Spanish to me, unless I'm completely lost. It works for about ten minutes, and then we all switch back to English! But hey, that 10 mins might become 15 next week, then 20, then before you know it, I'll be spending half the day in another language!

Today's lesson was good too. More food stuff, plus dates and time. I love that they throw in the words for 'babe', 'honey' and 'sweetheart' (usually used in a pretty sarcastic tone!) You just wouldn't get stuff like that on other language programs. Not to mention the more risqué things they were talking about there at the end... Even I was a bit shocked!!

Day 8: Milonga musts

2009-09-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Went to my first Argentinian milonga last night! For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, it's basically a big room or hall, where the lights are dimmed, tango music is played, and people come to dance all night. The dancing went ok - with a good partner and the basics it's easy enough to keep up, and it was cool to dance with loads of different partners, to get a feel for all the different styles. I learned that the embrace can be totally different - some people grasp the other person their body in what can be very passionate or weirdly uncomfortable, depending on how you feel about the partner! Some people only join one side of the body, some people touch only the head, and some leave plenty of "room for Jesus" as they say! Then there are slow dancers, and dancers who play with the music, and people who take it very seriously, and others who are there just to have fun.

The only problem for me were the little pauses. In between each song or piece of music (which are actually quite short) the music for the next dance comes on straight away, but no one dances! It's customary for everyone to stand on the dance floor chatting and have a bit of a rest, before continuing to dance again. Ok, so it's only about two minutes, but two minutes is a very long time when you're with the most beautiful guy in the room and trying to be attractive and intriguing, but just end up giggling in embarrassment and stumbling over basic phrases. I felt like such a tourist when he was saying something which sounded very sexy and promising, and I had to plead "In ingles, por favor!!" He didn't speak English (the cheek!) which was so frustrating but a very valuable lesson in hindsight.

The reasons for learning Spanish just keep piling up. You have no idea how much I will be concentrating in the lessons this week...

Day 7: Lost love and bacon

2009-09-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

I took a day off from the classes yesterday (another bonus of not attending a typical group Spanish class) which turned out to be a really good idea. I think, like Jimena, I just needed a little break, because today, all three of us seemed to be in a better mood.

I feel like I learned a lot of useful stuff in today’s lesson which was about food and restaurant and bar vocab. Learned how to ask for bacon – the world’s greatest food in my humble opinion – which is exciting! The ‘ordering in a restaurant’ bit can often be really boring in these language CD sets, but today’s was pretty funny as usual. And, if one of these days, there’s a blue moon and I meet a yummy Argentinian guy, I can now casually suggest that we go for a drink.

Actually, I have to admit that I have been on a few dates with local guys, but mostly because they wore me down and it was just easier to go out with them one time for a bit of peace and quiet. And I have to admit that I’m not using a lot of Spanish on these occasions. I’m not sure whether it’s because I haven’t yet met anyone worth the effort or because they want to practice (show off?) their English, so we just chat in my language. But I’ve kept Ruben in my head as a warning.

Ruben was a smokin' hot Cuban saxophone player I met briefly in Havanna earlier this summer. It was all hot and steamy as we danced salsa and drank mojitos, but in the early hours of the morning, when we all spilled out onto the streets, his English turned out to be as pitiful as my Spansih, and a beautiful new love was thwarted by the impossibility of communication…sigh… (yes, I know what you’re thinking. There are other ways of communicating but I’m not the kind of girl to just launch into that before we have at least a small chat!) Anyway, so I’m not going to let another Ruben get away, which is why I have to keep going with the Spanish. Somewhere out there is a cool, confident (but at the same time sweet and shy) Argentinian man who deserves my “vos querés tomar algo juntos?”

For all you doubters who haven't yet bought your own series, Here's a taste (geddit?!) of lesson 7 from youtube

Day 6: Not feelin' it

2009-09-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it couldn't all be fun and games. Today's lesson was a bit depressing. Jimena, my virtual Spanish teacher, was acting really pissed off. It's not exactly clear if she was meant to be tired of David, or hungover, or just relaxed because in the video it's supposed to be a Saturday - but it's a bit discouraging to be learning with a teacher who seems like she couldn't be bothered, or is sick of teaching. And because of her bored tone, David tried harder than ever to be funny which became a bit irritating. PLUS the whole review thing made me realise that I haven't learned as much as I hoped. It's hard, because if you try to note down all the conversational stuff thrown in, it's overwhelming. But if you just stick to the words and concepts being taught, it's not enough. I mean, I had very little Spanish when I started all this, but even I already knew how to say hello, what's up, counting, and the basics of how I'm feeling.

Ok, maybe I'm forgetting that it's only day six, and there's another 24 lessons to go. I'm a bit discouraged today, but I have to remind myself that with other programs, like Rosetta Stone, I don't think I even got as far as day 6. I had a look at the support material that comes with the Bueno entonces series and saw that there are some exercises to do in there. maybe I'll have a go at those to cheer myself up. And if that doesn't work, I guess I'll be forced to try a tub of ice cream and a massive jar of dulce de leche!

Day 5: Getting the slang of it

2009-09-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing that the apartment was empty this morning as I watched my fifth lesson of Bueno, entonces I was laughing out loud like a crazy person! Maybe I just woke up in a good mood, but David's random musings on Apartheid (sorry, you'll have to watch to class yourself to see how that could possibly fit into a Spanish lesson) just cracked me up. Plus I loved the slang we learned - definitely going to surprise people with that this week - hope I don't get into trouble with anything inappropriate!

But back to yesterday, just to mention something a bit more sincere. I was meeting a new friend for lunch (was fifteen minutes late when I went in the wrong direction from the Obelisk - despite clutching a map!) and noticed that she didn't look all that cheery. I remembered one of my new phrases from lesson four and said, "Te veo preoccupado". Well, I think she was so surprised, and grateful that I had tried to say it in Spanish, that she told me all about how hard it is to find work in Argentina at the moment, and how her parents had lost their house in the last crisis, and how difficult it is for young people in Buenos Aires to be in their twenties and have to live at home, and how travel is a distant dream for most of them...

It struck me that this is why I want to learn Spanish - not to pick up guys or impress the tango teacher or be able to read the Latin version of Cosmo, but to connect with other people my age here. To understand what life is like and to be able to explain a bit about my own life. I'm really hoping that I will make some friendships here that will last a long time, and learning Spanish is the first step towards that. So thanks, Bueno Entonces...

P.S I was also able to make her laugh afterwards with my terrible pronunciation of "Tu mama es una rompepelotas" (your mum is a ballbreaker!)

Day 4: Getting to the good stuff

2009-09-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

Love it! Today was my kind of lesson. Started off with slang, and finished with 'intimate body parts'. I decided it was about time to start practicing, so I watched the lesson this evening, then went out with my two Spanish-speaking housemates (ok, and I had a look over my little notebook, just to jog my memory). Was quite pleased with myself actually! The girls were highly amused when they came home from work and I greeted them with the Spanish equivalent of "Hey dude, what's happenin'?" Then I was able to say "Estoy lista to go out*" when one of them looked at me strangely, and exclaimed "Yo salgo a bailar - want to come conmigo nenita?!"

In the bar, I managed to use "Boludo" and "Que aburrido" numerous times for the typically pushy advances, "Me gustaria un amante" to explain to the girls why we were there in the first place, and "Que raro" to describe the lack of talent in the local establishment. I would have liked to use "Diego/Manuel/Alejandro tiene lo que yo quiero!" but it just wouldn't have been true.

I like that they were kind enough to really go to the limit of informality with the body parts, but I really hope my mother would never come across a language programme like this! I would probably put a warning on the box: Not for devout Christians! But definitely a good idea for young singles heading to Buenos Aires to sample the local social scene. And anyone attending a kinky business meeting, I suppose!

*For the translations, you're just gonna have to look it up in a dictionary. Or download lesson 4 from itunes. Here's a taster on youtube: lesson 4

Day 3: Time to get serious

2009-09-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm, seems like we jumped into the big leagues today. After two nice lessons with 'how are you' and the numbers from 1-10, we've just moved onto conjugating verbs and using pronouns and suddenly it's a lot more real that I'm actually learning a language and not just watching an amusing cartoon. But I suppose it had to happen sooner or later - and at least makes you feel like you're definitely getting your value for money (in case you were wondering about that, check out the little price comparison chart).

Also, in keeping with the 'serious' theme, I learned some things to say in a business meeting. Was a little disappointed that, given the nature of the lessons, we didn't start with 'picking someone up in a bar' etc. but then realised that the formal vocab they were giving me was going to be useful for talking to people like my Tango teacher, Kung Fu master, Landlord, and potential boss (if I ever feel inclined to get off my ass and find a 'real' job here...!)

Really good aspects of the lesson included the fact that I learned all the different currencies of South America, which would have been really bloody useful when I was traveling around the continent earlier this summer, and an explanation of why shopkeepers look at you with a mixture of horror and disgust when you hand over a 100 peso note here.

It still cracks me up when David imitates Jimena, and there was a wonderfully random moment when he somehow linked verb endings to McDonalds milkshakes. Plus - it was inevitable - when we continued with the numbers, he milked 69 for all it's worth..! Ok, ok, I'm gonna stop giving so much away - you'll all just have to get your own!(Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish)

As for using what I've learned in real life...well, I'm doing really well with the basics like hi, how are you, spooning, and numbers but will have to watch a few more classes to get the hang of comprehensible sentences. It may be my imagination, but I do think I'm understanding more - oh, and I've started to watch the videos with a notebook and pen, jotting down stuff that I'll probably never read over again, but at least it might trick my brain into absorbing more...

Day 2: and counting....

2009-09-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Man, there is something lovely about learning Spanish in bed with a cup of tea! Thank God for portable technologies.

But today’s lesson was soooo fast. I think I’ll have to stop being so passive (i.e. lazy) and start watching the classes with a notebook, pen and the pause button to take down all the stuff I’m supposed to be learning. Because I keep coming across sentences I really want to use but they move on so quickly.

Thankfully, just to give us a fleeting sense of hope, they then go back to doing simple greetings and the numbers from one to ten so you feel like all is not lost. But it’s a bit weird that they jump from “I don’t remember anything that happened last night” to “1,2,3”. Still, it keeps things interesting and I have to admit it is genuinely, really funny in places and that’s what makes me want to get straight to the next lesson. It seems like David is slowly getting more bold and pushing the innuendo a bit, which is great. Today he asked his teacher if he could eat her!! And given my experiences with Argentinian men here so far (let’s just say, they’re not shy!) it might be useful to recognise that one…

Well, I’m off to a tango lesson. Will try my best to use some of my new vocab (I’m sure I can get an “uno, dos, tres” in there somewhere)

Chau

Day 1: Useful kitchen implements!

2009-09-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, feeling pretty good after my first lesson with Bueno, Entonces... (Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish) - and I promise, I'm not getting paid to say that!

I have to start off by admitting that I have tried one of those Rosetta Stone-type 24 CD sets that you listen to in the car, which always starts with ‘hola’ and then seems to spend the next five lessons on reserving a table at a restaurant. Today, I learned ‘magic whiteboard’ before ‘how are you’, continued on with the word for ‘spooning’ and finished up learning how to say ‘accumulative’! Hmmm, ok, so two out of the three might be less useful during my time here in Argentina, but hey - I feel super-smart already (and worryingly, I have the urge to go out tonight and put my newfound vocab to use…!)

The lesson was pretty darn fast though, they pack a lot into 35 mins, and there were a couple of moments where I felt like I was back at my first tango class, trying to get to grips with the walking part while all the others were already onto those sexy embellishments. But it was geniunely funny, so listening to the first lesson again, just to get the hang of the system, wouldn’t be a big deal.

David tries a little too hard to be the ‘cheeky chappie’ at times, but you forgive him for his hilarious impressions of the way Jimena talks, and the way he dismisses complicated grammer with a stern “that’s ridiculous”. It’s exactly what you want to say to every teacher who has ever taught you anything over your head!

So, feel like we’re off to a pretty good start, though I’ll need a few more lessons (or a few repeats of the first one) to feel like I’m keeping up. Definitely beats “I would like to reserve a room for two” sixteen times a day for two weeks...

P.s. Just to give y'all an idea of what I'm talking about:
Lesson one