The word “che” is ubiquitous in Argentina. Sure, before arriving, I had seen Motorcycle Diaries. I was privy to legacy of the famous revolutionary Che Guevara, but I honestly had no idea why Argentines seemed to constantly refer to him. I remember thinking to myself, “Why is everyone talking about Che all the time?” Upon …
I’m in a room with approximately 20 people, all of which are staring at me, waiting for my presentation. A bit nervous, I cleared my throat and began. “I need a volunteer.” Hesitating slightly, I saw random hands creep their way up. “Great. You there, in the pink shirt. Please come to the front and …
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Argentinians, like their Italian and Spanish ancestors, are a touchy feely bunch. That personal space bubble you have in your home country (that is, if you are from the U.S., Germany, or England), will be popped the second you touch ground in Argentina. “Wait, so, I’m supposed to kiss everyone?” a new student studying at …
It occurred to us just recently that, while we can attempt to share important tips and pieces of advice for our future students, the best way to do so is by asking our past students to share their experiences with us. There is no experience like that of the first hand. So, each month we …
The expression “dar bola” has a long debatable origin. Here in Argentina, we use it to express something similar to the the English phrase “pay attention to”. No le des bola or don’t pay any attention to him/her, however, is more complex than you would imagine. According to Héctor Zimmerman in his book Tres mil …
Although the commonly used phrase “meter la pata” originated in Spain, it is used extensively throughout Argentina and much of Latin America. Pata means leg and foot, not that of a human’s, but of an animal’s (although you will hear many Latin Americans using pata for a person’s foot too). If I were to literally …
In most countries, using laziness is not a justifiable or acceptable excuse to decline or cancel plans, unless however, you happen to be in Argentina. Ah, good ol’ fiaca – or laziness in English. That feeling of wanting to do absolutely nothing. In my country – The United States – being busy and wanting to …
We asked Nick Williams from The United States to reflect upon his experience here in Rosario, Argentina. We know that putting experiences into words is difficult, but if you had to sum up your time here, how would you explain it? Phenomenal connections made with phenomenal people. Wow Nick! That is great to hear. What …
