If so, are you wondering how you can have the most successful stay abroad in this beautiful city?

Buenos Aires and the surrounding areas have a population of about 13 million people making this city just what it is; diverse, hectic, and constantly running at high speed. Despite being one of the safest capital city’s in South America, Buenos Aires, like any big city, has its share of crime, petty theft, and more, and it is best to know how to ‘manage’ yourself well when living abroad here.

1.    Always be aware of your surroundings.  When you are out in the city, make sure that you are aware of what is happening around you and take care of your belongings; someone that looks like they are not paying attention are often targets of petty theft.

2.    Avoid wearing high priced and ‘flashy’ jewellery. You can still wear jewellery but it is best leave anything very expensive at home unless for a special occasion.

3.    Use the ATM’s in the day. They are open at night, but let’s be honest, this is a safe move no matter where you live.

4.    Do not walk alone late at night. Keep in a group, or better yet, take a taxi. There are many streets that will be full of people, even in the late hours, but locals here do not walk along so you should not either.

5.    Take registered taxis as often as possible. It is best to get a ‘radio’ taxi phone number and call it whenever you need a taxi. These taxis are registered and more secure than just hailing a taxi from the street.

If you use your common sense, it is almost a guarantee that you will leave Argentina with only the best memories!

Las Canitas
This small and trendy neighbourhood borders both Belgrano and Palermo and features a myriad of restaurants, cafes, bars, expensive boutiques, salons, and much more.  The streets are narrow and tree-lined, the presence of young hip people walking their dogs is ever present, and the overall vibe is laidback yet sophisticated.

Palermo
One of the biggest ‘barrios’ neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires, Palermo can be separated into mini neighbourhoods such as Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Chico, Palermo Viejo, and more. Throughout these neighbourhoods you can find everything from narrow cobblestone roads and old apartments to modern boutique hotels and first rate dining and shopping.

Recoleta
Sophisticated and located near to downtown, Recoleta has some of the cities most visited tourist spots including the Recoleta Cemetery, and is the perfect place to relax on the grass, check out some sights, enjoy some delicious Argentine cuisine, and mingle with the slight higher class of Buenos Aires.

Downtown
Downtown is a mix of cars, buses, and pedestrians, company and bank buildings, historical sites, theatres and cultural venues, street performances and protests, and simply the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires.

San Telmo
The oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires features gorgeous cobblestone roads, antique churches, vintage stores, antique stores and markets, Argentine restaurants and bars, and the best Sunday market in Buenos Aires. This area is known for its bohemian style and where the artists and musicians of Buenos Aires flock, and today, where many tourists find themselves enjoy a very unique flavour of Argentina.

La Boca
The port area of Buenos Aires, La Boca was where once all the immigrants landed, coming to Argentina to make new lives for themselves and find opportunity. Today, only Camanita, a small colourful street lined with people selling art, tango dancers, and restaurants, is really safe for tourists, a must-see in the area.

If you are traveling abroad to Argentina, whether to live or study Spanish in Buenos Aires, there are a myriad of fantastic, interesting, and very Argentine neighbourhoods to check out. However, there are a few that seem to stand out from the rest, and this week we are featuring Recoleta.

Recoleta is considered one of the more glamorous areas in the city, often catering to a more ‘mature’ crowd, featuring antique buildings and apartment buildings, everything from international cuisine to traditional Argentina fair, ritzy and luxurious shops and boutique, fancy hotels, as well as a few of the most visited tourist sites in the city.  Despite its clientele, locals and visitors alike flock to enjoy the scenery in Recoleta, open green spaces, cultural sites, and amenities.

Centro Cultural Recoleta
This cultural centre in Recoleta features a myriad of different events and activities. Everything from art shows, theatre, exhibits, courses, classes, and seminars, can be enjoyed at this centre, just go to their website or drop in and checkout what is being featured now.

Cementerio de la Recoleta
Perhaps the biggest attraction in Recoleta, this famous larger than life cemetery was constructed back in the late 1800’s and graves some of the most influential and important Argentines in history, all housed in the most spectacular graves imaginable, creating the atmosphere of a small concrete city rather than a graveyard.
UBA – Law building

MNBA – Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
This beautiful Museum of Art in Recoleta features some of the most important art colletions in Latin America, featuring 24 exhibit halls, a permanent collection of art pieces, and an art history library.

Recoleta Crafts Market
Every weekend, the grass hill just outside of the cemetery and the cultural centre, is home to a huge public market that sells everything from little tourist souvenir, to clothing, crafts, leathers, jewellery, and more.

Interested in more neighborhoods, check out last week’s neighborhood!

Chimichurri

Chimichurri is a popular spice filled sauce in Argentina, the name coming from an Irish man who invented the sauce, Jimmy McCurry, that is used for mainly as a sauce for grilled meat. The name changed from Jimmy McCurry as it seemed too many people had a difficult time pronouncing it, and was shortened to Chimichurri not too long after.  Chimichurri can be found throughout Argentina, in both restaurants and supermarkets, however is best served when it has been home prepared, as it is at its freshest form.

Ingredients

(Amounts of each ingredient depend on how much or how little Chimchurri you would like to prepare, and of course the strength of the garlic, parsley, and chilis. In general, the olive oil and red vinegar should be similar amounts, for the rest, experiment with your chimichurri and find out your own preferred recipe!)

Olive oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Water
Freshly chopped oregano
Freshly chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, chopped into thin slices
Chili pepper (for more spicy)
Salt

Instructions:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on low until the consistency is quite smooth.

Chimichurri is best to be left at room temperature for a few hours in order for the flavours to settle.

What is your favorite way to enjoy Chimichurri?

Argentina has a single-phase voltage of 220V. That means, all you foreigners from the United States, Canada, Australia and many countries in Europe, you can not just plug in your equipment here, unless it has its own adapter (some laptops, ipod’s, etc.).  You must buy an adapter that will change the voltage to correspond with the voltage in Argentina.

Argentina has two different ‘socket’ types.  A socket is the part that gets plugged into the socket in the wall.
1) The first socket is often referred to as the ‘Euro plug’.  Here is an example of what it looks like:

2) The second socket has a ground pin and two diagonal prongs that make a V shape.
Here is what it looks like:

*3) This is sort of a rip-off of #2 but you can find the same above, without the bottom ground pin.

Remember, the photos above are of adapters however, these do not change the voltage! You will need an adapter that changes the actual voltage of your equipment from abroad.

If you have any comments or tips about electricity in Argentina, let us know!

Traveling through the major cities of Latin America, in Buenos Aires Star Wars The Exhibition will be featuring more than 200 original props, costumes, life size models, movie artefacts, drawings, vehicles, and character models from the first three Star Wars movies, displayed in a Star Wars themed atmosphere. Character models such as Chewbacca, C3P0, R2D2, Jaba the Hut, Yoda, and many more of the alien creatures will be featured, as well as the costumes from Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Obi-Wan, featured in glass enclosures.

The original life size props from the movies will also be displayed such as the ‘Imperial Speeder Bike’, ‘Jedi Starfighter’, ‘Anakin’s Airspeeder’, and more. The exhibit will also have 9 rooms dedicated to the different ‘worlds’ that the Star Wars movies were set, along with interactive activities for both children and adults.

Star Wars The Exhibit will take place at the Centro Cultural Recoleta, from July 2nd until the 30th of August, Tuesday to Friday (9-21pm), Saturday and Sunday (10-22pm).  Admissions is 35pesos, free for children under 3 years of age. Tickets can be bought at the doors of the centre or directly at TICKETTEK.

If you were any sort of Star Wars fan back in the day, or still are, this is both a bizarre and unique exhibit to see and a must-see event in Buenos Aires. So put on your Jedi face and head down to the Centro Cultural Recoleta this winter!

If you are traveling abroad to Argentina, whether to live or study Spanish in Buenos Aires, there are a myriad of fantastic, interesting, and very Argentine neighbourhoods to check out. However, there are a few that seem to stand out from the rest, and this week we are featuring San Telmo.

San Telmo is the oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires and today, one of the hippest to visit for its bohemian themed stores and restaurants, art galleries and cultural spots, antique shops, theatres, and more.

The neighbourhood is stunning to the eye, featuring narrow cobblestone roads, colonial buildings, cafes and tango parlors, historical churches, and a few beautiful city statues.  The artistic vibe that fills the streets today, came from a few local artists who began to infiltrate the area in the 1950’s, setting up art galleries, art walks, and cultural spots throughout the neighbourhood which later drew in a wide range of local and immigrant artists. The immigrant population in this area soon led to the popularity of Tango and over the years, San Telmo became one of the most famed tango neighbourhoods in the city.

Tango Shows
Historical Restaurants
Music Bars
Antique Shops
Trendy Clothing Shops
Churches
Bars and Nightclubs
Famous restaurants and cafes

Every Sunday, San Telmo also features a street market that extends for more than 10 blocks and ends up in the very popular Plaza Dorrego where cafes, bars, and a centre market can be found. Be sure to sit around and watch the street performers along the way!

**If you venture into San Telmo at night, be sure to walk on highly lit streets and always in a group.  If it is late, try not to walk at all and take a taxi to your next destination.**

On July 9th, 1816, the Congress of Tucuman officially declared the independence of Argentina, gathering its surrounding provinces and establishing Argentina as a country, and cutting all ties with Spain.  Before this declaration, Spain had a wide control on the regions and provinces which today are what make up Argentina and South America, and continued to attempt to keep or regain control over its colonies throughout the Americas.   In 1815, delegate deputies were summoned from the surrounding provinces in order to hold a congress in the city of Tucuman in order to establish Argentina as a country and stop the rule of Spain. In 1816, deputies from the surrounding regions came to Tucuman and on July 9th, 1816, after much debate, a vote was taken, a decision was made, and Argentina was born.

If you are interested in celebrating this national holiday, just take to the streets this Thursday July 9th and take part in the many celebrations that will be held in the downtown area of Buenos Aires, the Avenida 9 de Julio, and close to Plaza de Mayo.

** Downtown Buenos Aires sees thousands of people on this day of celebration, so just make sure you stay with your group, hold your camera close, and just keep the money you will need for that day/night. Better safe than sorry!**

A very traditional, easy, and delicious recipe from Argentina is the famous Milanesa.  A milanesa is a thin piece of meat (pressed), often oval in shape, coated in bread crumbs and then either fried or baked.  This traditional Argentine treat can be found in almost any Argentine restaurant, supermarket, or family home, and is easy to make, easy to prepare, and hits the spot whether you are hungry or not.

Milanesas

Ingredients
4 meat patties (any meat of your choice, thinly sliced or pressed)
3 eggs, beaten
Salt, garlic powder, lemon juice
Bread crumbs
Vegetable oil

Instructions

1.  Flatten your chosen meat by pounding with a meat mallet until thin.

2. Beat the eggs lightly with the salt and pressed garlic.

3. Take each piece of meat and coat it with the egg mixture and then press it into the breadcrumbs.

4. You can cook the milanesas in either a frying pan, filled with a little bit of oil, or in the oven on a baking sheet, also oiled.

5. Depending on your taste, add as little or as much oil when cooking the milanesas.

6. You can serve it with mustard or on its own, with eggs, or beside a salad. Just make sure to enjoy it with friends and family!

Interested in more Argentine recipes?

This fabulous and full of life festival will offer unique performances and experiences to the people of Buenos Aires, showcasing artists from around the world including, France, Spain, Brazil, and Israel, all placing a special focus on contemporary circus. The city of Buenos Aires is especially enthusiastic about this event as it has never been featured before in the city, and considering the wide array and colourful Buenos Aires arts cultural, this funky circus event is sure to be a complete success.

The circus will be held at Combate de los Pozos between June 29 and July 5th and each day will have its own schedule and fixed performances.  Each day the venue will feature circus performances, music shows, clowns, and other various presentations between 16:30 and 19:30, for free.  The other times of they day will feature specific artists, galas, short shows, and lively presentations.  During the festivals dates tickets can be purchased at the door (Combate de los Pozos 1700, 2:00-21:00) or can be picked up at the following venues beforehand:
(Advanced Free Tickets: Casa de la Cultura (Avenida de Mayo 575: 11:00-17:00)
Regular Tickets:
Lee-Chi – Avenida Santa Fe 1670, local 42-43 (Monday – Friday 12-21:00)
Lee – Chi – Avenida Cabildo 2316, local B17 (Monday – Saturday 11-19:00)

Are you interested in Studying Spanish in Buenos Aires this winter?