OK, so I’ve done 5 weeks of spanish lessons here and I have come to the conclusion that learning a foreign language is rather hard. If you’re a very social/chatty person then I think you have a huge advantage at learning languages compared to a more introverted person. Interacting is a big part of developing a language skill. But I haven’t given up. I’ve enjoyed my time here, and I am definitely trying to work out how to come back later in the year to continue learning spanish.

It’s difficult to put a finger on what the actual attraction of Buenos Aires is. Sure its a very big city with some interesting nightlife. Sure it has a very European feel about it. Sure its quite cheap compared to most western countries at the moment. Sure the people seem nice enough. For now, all I know is that I want to come back. I probably need a good 3 months of spanish to make a decent go of it, and it’d just be rude to stop learning now. I’ll take some lessons back in Auckland, but mainly so I don’t forget what I’ve learnt so far.

Interesting things I will remember about this trip

• All the old cars around the city. Citroen 2CVs, and old Fiat 500s that are not collector cars here but seemingly daily transport.
• The atypical comedy shows on TV that seem to consist of two older guys cracking jokes and sometimes dressed in drag while a few scantily dressed young women dance or perform some other distracting activity nearby.
• The impressive entrances to apartment buildings.
• All the bars on windows of apartments, houses and shops
• All the dogs with their professional ‘dog walkers’ and dodging the dogshit on the footpaths
• The very tiny lifts in apartment buildings (3 people is the limit)
• How people take their time and aren’t that rushed. I have had some very long lunches here.
• Dulce de leche
• Soy milk in fruit juice (I won’t actually miss this at all)
• Lots of stuff is ‘made in Argentina’, which is so unlike NZ, Aus and lots of other countries where everything is ‘made in China’
• And of course the lovely teachers at the Spanish Way (just in case they accidentally read this 😉 )

So next week, I’m off to Europe and then Japan before returning back to Auckland. This is mainly to visit friends and family so its a bit of a mad dash.