Project Feedback

I'm getting on great here in Buenos Aires. I have been here 3 weeks now and I don't think I want to leave! The people from B.A. are really friendly and the people staying and working in the hostel are really great too. I am enjoying my teaching placements and my Spanish lessons a lot. I am leaving the hostel this weekend to move in with a family for a month, the reason being to improve my Spanish. I nearly wasn't going to do it because I am having such a good time in the hostel but its hard to improve your Spanish because everyone speaks English here. It will be fine because the house I'm moving into is not far from the hostel so I can call round there whenever I want. I would recommend to anyone who wants to have a really good time and learn a lot of Spanish to stay in the hostel for the first month and a home stay for the second because you can then still meet up with people from the hostel in the second month. Argentina is a brilliant place to go

Friendly, excellent teacher who tailored the course to my level and speed of learning. Nothing negative to say. Learning was fun. Thanks!! I can chat in Milongas and manage to live in Buenos Aires. I intend to continue my studies at home

Which were the most useful and interesting topics, in your opinion? Which ones were not? All were useful. In the final lesson we translated a Tango, including “lunfardo” (colloquial Tango vocabulary) which was brilliant. Great when we played games and did role playing.

How would you describe the studying material provided during the lessons? It was interesting and very useful. Some material was excellent (e.g. real magazines, newspapers, games, maps, etc.).

After a month of lessons I feel able to communicate effectively with locals and understand more than I can speak. This has allowed me to experience the culture of Latin America more keenly and broaden my horizons on the career front

Can you describe a typical day? Wake up at about ten. Have breakfast (croissants, coffee). Spanish lesson 1pm-4pm. Relax at hostel from 5 – 7 and do homework if necessary. Go out to eat, drink or take in the city's nightlife from 8pm onwards. Overall, a very enjoyable month where I achieved everything I wanted to do and more. I love the city!

I'm having a really great time in Buenos Aires! All the other Travellers people are really nice and we get on well. I've done so much sight-seeing in the city, I've been to see a ballet and a football match, I've shopped in the markets, danced the tango (very badly) and been out for dinner every day. Because it is so cheap, it is possible to do everything, which is great! I've only had one teaching lesson so far and two Spanish lessons. My first teaching lesson was in the hospital and it was quite tough, but I'm thinking that it'll get easier as I get to know them. My Spanish teacher is excellent - far better at teaching than me! Actually, having lessons with her is giving me ideas of activities for my own classes, so it's helpful in more ways than one

I am loving Argentina already! We had a walk around the local areas today and have found some nice shops and restaurants. We went past the park with all the sleeping cats in it today which was a bit of a surprise and are going to take a tango lesson  tonight! I am surprised at how cheap everything is as I have often heard Buenos Aires is expensive, so have spent any extra money on cakes and chocolate!Generally I think the city seems lovely and very welcoming! We had our first cups of mate today at a lovely cafe under some trees, which was great. I am hoping to buy myself a new gourd because my old one from home was thrown away! When I originally bought mate from a folk festival, I had no idea it originally came from Argentina, but am well accustomed on how to to drink it etc, so feel like a bit of a pro!

I'm having a great time here ...it's really hot! Spanish lessons are going well, and Andrea, my teacher is really sweet. I'm finally getting to the stage where I can say some things, but I can understand quite a lot. I think that it's helpful that I learned here rather than at school or uni as I'm not finding the accent too difficult to understand. Other than that I've really been enjoying myself here. The area we're staying in is proving rather tempting as there's so many posh shops and restaurants around... I'm trying to resist buying too much as I'll only have to lug it round with me for the next 6 months, (but it's just that bit too affordable)! I've also been going out quite a lot, my lessons are really flexible so I don't have too many early starts which is great when tasting the nightlife. It's really nice to go out with porteños as they tend to take you to really cool places that you would have never found otherwise. Simon, Lucy, Charlotte and I all went to Iguaçu falls at the weekend and we had a great time, we met up with a few other people some of whom have made their way to Buenos Aires and we're meeting with one of the girls tonight. It's such a massive city, I think we're all getting a lot out of it but different stuff. I think because I have a bit more time on my hands during the day, I have got to know the area pretty well and have also met a lot of people, those travelling, as well as Argentineans. Hopefully I'll do a bit more touristy stuff before I leave

The private Spanish classes are amazing...the teachers cater to exactly what you like to do and what you feel you need to work on.  I feel like the classes have helped me tremendously, especially with my speaking, which is exactly what I wanted to improve the most. The salsa classes were great...especially the group classes because I got a chance to hang out with locals and dance. Both placements were great!

Rita was wonderfully patient and thoughtful.  Her examples and explanations were clear and I feel that my Spanish improved greatly when I was there. We read very interesting short stories and discussed relevant political and social issues. Even though my Spanish was somewhat limited, the content of our discussions was still very engaging. Rita directed our conversations in interesting directions, and I enjoyed not only the Spanish I was learning but also the thoughtful ideas we discussed. I have no negative comments! I worked hard during the class to focus on the areas I wanted to improve.  Though my homework wasn’t always 100% complete (oops!) I got a lot out of the lessons!

I really enjoyed my placement! Being able to learn a language whilst living in another country was a fantastic experience. I was able to hold conversations in Spanish after only a couple of weeks! The people I met were amazing and the opportunity to travel at the end of my placement added such value to my trip. Argentina is a fantastic country, I miss Buenos Aires already! All in all a fantastic end to my year out

The placement here is excellent, it’s so much fun. The best thing is that Buenos Aires is so big, and it's packed full of things to do. There's art, theatre, sport, music, dance, everything. I was also lucky enough to get to do one hours conversation class once a week as well. This makes my week perfectly balanced, as I have 7.5 hrs of Spanish lessons and 1 hr conversational. So I have time to see the city and work. The lessons for Spanish are excellent, there are only two students in the lesson, Alex and myself. This means that we get more attention and will learn more quickly. All the staff are very knowledgeable and will be happy to explain or give us any advice…

I'm learning to manage my time much more effectively-packing as much as possible into every day as time is so precious! The best thing about the placement is meeting new people from all over the world and visiting as many sights as possible. And the lessons!!!! I had a really amazing time and would like to thank everybody. I certainly hope to be visiting Buenos Aires again soon

By staying with a family in BA I have got to know some of the real culture of Argentina and the city of Buenos Aires. It has helped greatly with my Spanish and has given me the chance to meet new friends. It is great to have one to one sessions which can then be tailored to your individual needs