Reina at the Mendoza Grape Festival
For those wanting to learn Spanish in an immersive environment, Argentina makes a perfect destination. Not only are the Spanish schools excellent, the local culture is vibrant, the people are warm and engaging, and the food and drink are amazing. When you open yourself up to all the experiences you can have as you learn Spanish in Argentina, you’ll see why so many visitors fall in love with this beautiful country.
The best way to experience the heart of Argentina is to dive right in to its society. During your stay, dine on a meal of “parrillada para dos” – grilled steaks for two – with a local lady or lad, join a game of ‘football’ and pepper your speech liberally with the universally-uttered “che.” Make sure to spare plenty of time for adventures. For a taste of some truly locally interactive excursions, consider the following for some of your sunny days…
Venture down to the south of Buenos Aires Province on the Atlantic coast to “sail the sea” with kite surfers. This colorful coastal sport was born from a uniquely Argentinian marriage of paragliding and windsurfing. Each evening along the gusty coast, rainbows of kites alight from the beach en masse, and surfers of all skill levels plow through the waters on wakeboards guided by their mighty kites and the powerful seaborne wind. Every day brings crowds eager to observe the races or go kite surfing on the open sea.
If your stay occurs during early March, migrate to the foothills of the Andes to beautiful Mendoza and join the revelry of the spectacular Grape Harvest Festival. As much a national as regional event, Mendocinos and curious outsiders gather by the thousands to bless the grapes in this annual celebration of wine-making. The blessing is followed by world-renowned parades and shows, and the wine flows in abundance for days. Attend the famed Carrusel parade for a taste of Mendoza’s wildest traditions. Bedazzled floats roll past with sparkling queens in evening gowns, surrounded by folkloric figures like gauchos. Supporters from each queen’s district turn out by the thousands to catch a glimpse of their own crowned beauty as she passes by.
An excursion abroad to learn a language is meant to be about so much more than linguistic fluency. To immerse oneself in another language is to identify with another culture, to comprehend a entirely different set of symbols and assumptions from what is familiar. The key ingredient for such a task is deceptively simple: Keep an open mind and be ready for adventure! This is a case where work and play coincide, so take advantage of your stay by venturing out into the unknown. Learn Spanish in Argentina, truly the perfect locale for such a transformative encounter.