Studying Spanish Abroad

Learn Spanish in Buenos Aires outside of the classroom!

Learning Spanish in the classroom is the only way you are going to learn proper Spanish (grammar, verbs, tenses, etc) and learn the fundamentals of the language. The trick to learning practical Spanish, slang, expressions, conversation, etc, is to combine your Spanish classes with ‘classes’ outside of the classroom.

Take your Spanish lessons in Buenos Aires to the streets…

5 Ways to Learn Spanish Outside of the Classroom

1) Activities & workshops: Activities such as city tours, art and museum exhibits, soccer games, and more, will expose you to locals, forcing you to practice your Spanish and improving you language skills in no time! Workshops give you the chance to learn a new skill, in Spanish, plus practice your Spanish with the instructor and other students in the workshop.

2) Make local friends: Speak with your roommates, your homestay family, Spanish students, Spanish teachers, or any other local that could be good conversation or a friend. The best way to learn Spanish quickly is not speak it 24/7!

3) Join a local group: Sign up for a local gym, dance class, theatre group, book club, etc, and speak Spanish with your other group members. This is not only a great way to meet locals who have the same interests as you but will allow you to practice your Spanish on a consistent basis plus participate in an activity that you enjoy.

4) Go to the movies or theatre: Going to a movie or the theatre in Spanish will help intermediate to advanced Spanish speakers improve their Spanish in a hurry. This will give you the opportunity to combine your listening skills with actions, improving the way you listen to Spanish and the pronunciation of words.

5) Only Speak Spanish: Only speak Spanish outside of the classroom will guarantee you to learn Spanish more quickly. Often, it is easier to just switch back into your native language and forget about Spanish. Train yourself to only speak Spanish, using a dictionary if necessary, and remind yourself how important it is to be patient during the process!

Decisions about traveling abroad and studying spanish.

Backpack vs Suitcass: This is one of the most talked about items on a travel abroad experience. There are some travelers who swear by the ‘traveling backpack’ and others who still stick to the ‘trusty suitcase’. Let’s see the pros and cons of both:

Backpack
- Very typically suitable to traveling for its ‘take-me-anywhere” attitude (pro)
- If it’s too big for you or two full, this thing can turn you body into a question mark (con)

Suitcase
- The trusty suitcase, just grab it by its handle, pop it on its wheels, and get going. Lightweight! (pro)
- If you have to go up and downstairs or walk along cracked (or non-existent) sidewalks or pavement, life gets tricky. (con)

Living Abroad: Independent or Organized: Whether or not you plan to organize your trip, studies, etc, before you go is entirely up to you. Some traveler’s prefer to have a plan and other’s not! Pro’s and Con’s:

Independent
- Live life by the seat of your pants! Wake up when you want, study Spanish went you want, hop on a plane when you want, the world is your oyster! (pro)
- You may be too late to sign up for Spanish classes, there may be no more seats on the plane, and the oyster may have closed its shell. (con)

Organized
- Planning your flight, accommodation, Spanish classes, etc, is a good way to have your life organized when you go abroad, leaving out any headaches and giving you ample to just enjoy your travels. (pro)
- Too much organization can leave you with no room for change, meaning once you are abroad and settle in, you may want to change your accommodation, time of stay, etc…If everything is booked you will have to work around this. (con)

Bring or leave electronics: Many traveler’s today or students studying Spanish abroad are taking their valuable electronics from back home on the road with them. Items such as ipod’s, mp3 players, laptops, Macbooks, and digital cameras/video cameras are just a few of the fairly ‘pricey’ electronics that make ones life ‘easier’ and ‘more connected’ but carry the risky of theft, breakage, etc. Pro’s and con’s:

Taking electronics along
- Having your ipod or laptop can make those long bus rides, nights at home, or subway rides to your Spanish classes much more enjoyable and give students the opportunity to stay in contact while abroad. (pro)
- The weight, electric conversion, and possibility of breakage or theft are high; is it worth the risk? (con)

Leaving electronics at home
- You don’t have to worry about any of your very valuable items getting stolen, lost, or broken, or the cost that comes with having to replace any of those items. Plus, no extra weight, no electronic conversion=no responsibility. (pro)
- You will not be able to listen to your favourite song, email your parents at any given time, Facebook your friends, etc, without your laptop, Macbook, ipod, etc. (con)

Tourist or traveler?: How do you like to travel? Do you prefer to fade into a crowd or stand out as a foreigner? Is cultural immersion you thing or foreigner events?

Tourist:
- This is a smooth transition into another culture; you speak your native language, you apply for foreigner tours, and you meet other interesting people from around the world. It may be the easiest way to travel abroad. (pro)
- You won’t learn Spanish, you won’t meet local Argentines, and you probably won’t get a good understanding of the local culture. (con)

Traveler
- You will find that speaking Spanish with the locals, eating the local food, living with locals, and participating in daily life will open your eyes to entirely new way of thinking. (pro)
- Be prepared to work your butt off; practice the language, put yourself out there, be social, try new things, and be adventurous. (There really is not a con to traveling like a ‘traveler’, so we will label this one a “difficult pro”)