18 year old coming to learn Spanish

[katti]

I have cousin coming over for a month to study Spanish.
Originally she was hoping to go to (normal) school with my kids, but that seems to be impossible.

So I am looking for something nice/fun, I know it exists but can't really find it right now :
For example all morning class, and in the afternoon some activity. Sightseeing/sports/fun things, whatever.

There is a place next to my house that offers that, but they don't seem to have a lot of students so that seems quite boring to me. It would be nice if it are group lessons for people around her age. So she learns Spanish, meets people and has fun.

Anyone knows/can recommend a good place?

 

[Davidglen77]

I love Argentina and all, I mean I live here full time, have my business and home here, however I dont recommend people come to Argentina to learn spanish. Haven't you noticed that if you learn spanish here you will have a hard time using it anywhere else in the spanish speaking world?

 

[syngirl]

I don't find that true David -- that's like saying don't go to Australia to learn English, you won't be able to use it anywhere else. Or in Katti's case you might as well tell her that French in Belgium is useless to learn because you won't be able to speak it in France...

Sure of course there's different words and accents used, but once you learn the basics in any language you can take that skill with you and build on it in another place.

Besides, even native Spanish speakers from one country to the next have problems understanding each other (Just as Americans get thrown by some of the expressions Brits use -- ie to get pissed has a different meaning in both places, and don't even get me started about fanny --it's akin to the slight giggle you'll get from an Argentine if you say you need to coger a collectivo....)

Just recently we were in Dominican Republic, but I was able to communicate clearly thanks to my Argentine Spanish -- just as clearly as the Gallego beside me for instance...the Peruvian boy on a whale-watching tour ... and the Chileno on the other side (if you think Argentines speak funny, wait until you interact with Chilenos). They all spoke spanish, just slightly different forms of it, but it is understandable.

Speaking of expressions eliciting funny responses... in the DR the Gua-Gua is a minibus... in Chile it is a baby. Tell a Chileno that you're going to coger the guagua.... well you get the picture.

 

[Davidglen77]

I totally get your drift, however I am "native" spanish speaker. My family is 1/2 cuban and 1/2 russian. I have spoken spanish my entire life and have spoken to people with every accent and vocabulary. The problem or difference with Castellano Rioplatense as it is officially called is the actual vocabulary is different, and, if you are living and learning spanish in Captial Federal, there is a great deal of lunfardo used that no other spanish speaker from any other country could possibly know.
For example, when I first came here I had the following conversation:

Me: "Buenas tardes oficial, a que se debe todo esto, que pasó aquí"" (I saw a bunch of police and people outside a restaurant)
Police officer: "Fijáte, entró un chabón y una mina con un fierro, cagaron a trompadas al encargado y afanaron la guita"

This has nothing to do with accents. When I was in England I understood perfectly what everybody said to me and their accents didn't prevent me from understanding them. The same when I've spoken to australians, south africans, and Scots as well.

Here the words and sentences are different, no matter what accent you put on it, if the words are different and you are not familiar with them you will not be able to understand.

Oh and by the way, Guagua is also bus in Cuba and Puerto Rico, it's called that because the sound of the motor of the original buses was guaguaguaguagua, this is a fact.

 

[mobri1130]

I doubt a month of Spanish study in Argentina is going to make her Spanish too Argentinian. The classes I have taken in BA all cover the same 'proper' Spanish covered in classes I've taken outside of BA. Lunfardo is really only heard on the streets and takes more than a month to make its way into one's vocabulary.

 

[JHB1216]

So I am looking for something nice/fun, I know it exists but can't really find it right now :
For example all morning class, and in the afternoon some activity. Sightseeing/sports/fun things, whatever.

Anyone knows/can recommend a good place?

I always recommend Vos for classes because the students are usually young and international, the teachers are really good and they have a lot of free activities in the afternoons, Sightseeing, picadas, tango lessons and usually an evening party once a month. They have WiFi and are social media savy.

Good Luck.

http://www.vosbuenosaires.com/en/spanish-courses-in-buenos-aires/

 

[jb5]

My 20 year old just completed a program with GIC and really enjoyed it. She met lots of students from all over the world in addition to locals. There are lots of activities like wine tasting, tango and cooking lessons plus weekend trips.

 

[PhilipDT]

My 20 year old just completed a program with GIC and really enjoyed it. She met lots of students from all over the world in addition to locals. There are lots of activities like wine tasting, tango and cooking lessons plus weekend trips.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Do not take clases with GIC! Horrible!

 

[Roxana]

What does the 18 years old girl want to do while in Buenos Aires?

 

[Napoleon]

I'm still waiting for a translation of what the policeman said.