Moving to BA and Looking for Input and Future Community

[BeeVee]

Take it easy - you'll probably begin by understanding Spanish; speaking comes later, and take longer. You'll find that gradually whole Spanish phrases will start springing up in your mind. No more painfully trying to paste together subject, verb, etc. into a whole weird sentence.

Don't be afraid of sounding like Tarzan - "Me Tarzan, you Jane"- at the beginning. Generally, locals take it as a compliment when a foreigner tries to speak in their language.

Take it easy - you'll probably begin by understanding Spanish; speaking comes later, and take longer. You'll find that gradually whole Spanish phrases will start springing up in your mind. No more painfully trying to paste together subject, verb, etc. into a whole weird sentence.

Don't be afraid of sounding like Tarzan - "Me Tarzan, you Jane"- at the beginning. Generally, locals take it as a compliment when a foreigner tries to speak in their language.

Your message made me smile, laugh actually. I hope I sound more like Jane than I do Tarzan, which I get well take a lot of effort. That said, it's great to hear that locals might even appreciate me attempting to communicate in the beginning. I have a feeling I will be dreaming in short Spanish phrases for quite some time. Thanks so much for your response!

 

[BeeVee]

There's Spanglish Exchange on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7pm at Rabia Bar in Palermo. This is a structured event where groups rotate, with half the time spent speaking in English and the other half spent speaking in Spanish.

Mundolingo has a bunch of events and is helpful for meeting people. The Friday event has a lot of people, but is more of a singles mixer than a serious language exchange.

On Saturdays at Tavern 1747, a language exchange from 8 pm to 11 pm. Super relaxed, I get the sense there's a bunch of regulars who go. It could be a good option as you get more confident.

Thursdays at Queen's Ale House at 7 pm in Palermo/Villa Crespo. They also have karaoke, which starts around 10pm.

I'm sure there are tons of other events I'm not aware of. MeetUp can also be a good site to find them.

Wow! This is excellent information. It is definitely a relief to know that there's an organized community to tap into once I am there and settled. I will be sure to check out all that you've mentioned. I still have to close shop here (for lack of better terms), but look forward to arriving there in the spring. Thank you!!!

 

[BeeVee]

I started from zero at 41. This school gave me a great base to go off and continue my studies.

The biggest suggestion I can give you is to accept the fact that you will feel stupid and think you sound childish - just know that it will get better in time. Just take a breath, relax and focus. The more focused you stay and the less worried you are about how you sound, the better it will be.

Also- this one is big- do not try and relate everything to your native language. There are things in Spanish that don't exist in english, instead of saying "Well in english it's like this, this makes no sense" just accept that it's a new way of expressing yourself

Hola! Your suggestion is a good one, accepting that I will feel stupid is a reality that I will not be able to avoid. This will be one wild ride and I need to buckle up and remember to laugh at myself in the process. Thank you for your very genuine and honest feedback!