Day 30: A cliffhanger!!

SPOILER ALERT: Ok, so if you’re planning on buying the Bueno, entonces… Learn Spanish series or are working your way through it you should probably skip this post.

Was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected ending to the dramatic love story between Jimena, the hot but uptight Portena teacher and David, the feckless, funny young Brit who’s been trying it on for five weeks. Turns out it was Jimena who tried all through this class to close the deal (what’s ‘rebound guy’ in Spanish?!) but at the last minute her plan was foiled (or so it seems) by another woman. Pathetically, it makes me really want to get a hold of level 2 – which isn’t even made yet!! Oh the suspense…

Back in my real life, I’m delighted by the progress I’ve made, but I have to admit, I’ve been studying my notes after each class and that’s made a big difference. I’ve organised for a private teacher three times a week to pick up from here, and It’s great to start with a good solid base already. I have a feeling he won’t be as entertaining as the odd couple I’ve shared the past month with, but hopefully I’ll keep moving at a good pace. Now that I need it more for work and other classes, I have a reason to do my homework! Plus, well, there may be a little love story in the air for me too, with one of the guys from kung fu. We’re going on a date at he end of the week, and he speaks very little English, but he seems to be the only guy in the city with enough sense to play it cool, so I’m interested already! Time to go back through all the going out and small-talk vocab I’ve been learning – I guess you’ll have to be in suspense about what happens, much like the end of this series!!

But if I had to do a little summing-up, it would be this: Buenos Aires is an amazing city, with something for everyone. And although the people (contrary to their reputation) are great, and will speak English to you if they possibly can, having some kind of Spanish ability is so incredibly valuable if you want to get the most out of this place. Indeed, any Spanish-speaking country.

I’ll be honest, there were certain moments where this Spanish program moved too slow, or too fast, or the plot got in the way, or the characters were annoying. But at the end of the day, Bueno entonces is the ONLY Spanish learning system that has kept me interested and entertained enough to stick with it. It’s completely different from anything else out there, and made me laugh more than most ‘hilarious’ films and TV shows I’ve seen. The combination of two likable people, funny animation, colour-coding, spanish immersion, and the whiteboard system means that I have learned more Spanish than I ever expected, and all from sitting in bed with a cup of tea for a half hour every morning! So if you’re considering it, and want to learn Spanish with out being completely bored and frustrated, I’d say buy Bueno, entonces. Really, give it a try – you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

Good luck, hasta luego!
Jess

Day 29: Champagne (and Irish tea) flowing

Well, the corks were popped in the Bueno, entonces offices today (ok, not today, but today on the video!) as we sat in the cabina acoustica one last time. Luckily, the party atmosphere didn’t distract Jimena one bit and we still had a good class packed with useful stuff. Not just Castellano, but a cute little section on the geography of Argentina and a great bit about ‘Nahuelito’, their version of The Loch Ness monster! I love it when they add stuff like that – because what’s the use in being here, totally fluent in Spanish, if you don’t know anything about the history or geography or culture? Hopefully if there’s a second level we’ll get more on Argentina’s battles, the financial crisis of 2001, the history of tango etc. We should have most of the vocab by then!

I have to admit, I’m going to miss the bumbling old ‘MC Grammar’ too. Here’s a little pic in tribute to him, and a video in remembrance below. Yes, his jokes were really bad, and yes, he did desert us a bit near the end (we didn’t need him as much), but he was like the embarrassing old uncle at a party – kept popping up with dodgy innuendo when you least expected it! Plus, he said it was ok to be completely lost, so I’ll always love him for that.

As for me, I’m still loving BA, but a bit homesick because I got a big care package from my family today! Highlights included tea (because the common black tea here is like ‘dishwater’ as we say in Ireland), organic chocolate (cue two extra sessions with personal trainer), pajamas and fluffy socks (even though it’s getting HOT here now!) and books and magazines (for when I’m not, ahem, reading Borges int he original language). So now I’ve decided, it’s not that I want to go home, but to fly the whole family out here instead. Better send them a copy of Bueno, entonces… Learn Spanish to get ready!!

Day 28: Oh I see where this is going…

Things are getting interesting between Jimena and David – I think we’re gonna get a happy ending here! (Still can’t believe I’m rooting for two semi-fictional people in a language learning series!) So I’m looking forward to the last class to see that finish up nicely. Also looking forward to being free of the most annoying voice in the world – I don’t know who that girl is that narrates the intro and summary at the end, I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but man, does she have an awful, awful accent. I have to skip it most days (hopefully for her sake she’s exaggerating the accent for the show….!)

Anyway, back from that tangent – third last class was cool and really useful for the traveler. We learned about different types of lodging, hotel vocab and role-play (yup, D milked it!) for talking to receptionists and the like. I still feel like there’s too much English going on though – surely by now 90% of the class should be in Spanish, but Jime did reprimand our British troublemaker for that so tomorrow might be better.

We learned how to say ‘go to hell’ – Andé a cagar - which would have been REALLY useful last night. Myself and the girls headed out to Amerika – BA’s biggest and most popular gay club. Thought it might be a welcome night off from the aggressive men in all the other bars, but it was twice as bad! I think that because the place is pretty raunchy (there’s a ‘black tunnel’ where you can go and have…well, whatever you want) that the straight guys who go there think that the girls will be easy. I almost had to break out the kung fu!! Entrance was expensive because there was an open bar, but the drinks were, naturally, abrasive as toilet cleaner, so i couldn’t rely on them to dull the painful electronica music and later, a terrible floorshow that was like ‘The Village People massacre Cirque du Soleil’. Que noche loca!!

Day 27: Thank you Bueno, entonces…!

Yaaay, I knew having Spanish skills would pay off! So, I hadn’t really intended on working here in Buenos Aires, but I realised that having a six-month hole in my CV isn’t going to look too good when I have to go find a job in January, so I dragged myself out of bed this week to meet with the editor of a local magazine. It’s an English publication, but obviously some Spanish is necessary for gathering all the content that fills the pages. Anyway, I had a lovely chat with the editor and she’s happy to have me on board! So for the next two months I’m hopefully going to be putting my 30 days of Spanish to good use writing articles and compiling listings and flitting around as a journalist in Buenos Aires – result!

But still a few more days to go before I’m done with my basic course. Today’s class was good, with a little history lesson on the liberation of South America from Spanish colonizers, but it seems to me like David is speaking more and more English. It’s mostly stuff to do with the storyline (his parents, her boyfriend, his trying to get into her knickers), which sometimes seems to overshadow the actual Spanish learning, but they use it to flow smoothly from theme to theme, and to practice the new vocab. Let’s hope that he gets a second wind for the last three lessons – we’ve learned so much David, time to start using it – open your wings and fly!!

Day 25: More useful stuff

Just when I think, “yeah, I’m pretty sure I have everything I need for basic conversations now”, we do something new and I’m like “oh yeah, I forgot about that…” Today was prepositions – and it’s actually surprising how often I have needed the words for behind, under, on top of… (hey, I know what you’re thinking – not for that!)

It’s undeniable now that I’m using more and more Spanish – with the girls at home, with the guys in Wing Chun, with the dancers at Tango. The real test will be when Erick arrives next week. He’s an old friend from Costa Rica, and I’ve instructed him to only speak in Spanish when he comes to visit. He was a bit surprised because last time we saw each other a few months ago I had zero Spanish, so I hope I’m gonna surprise him (no, not with the prepositions…!!) Plus, he’s from Central America so whenever he says something I don’t understand or I say something ridiculous, I can just say nonchalantly, “oh, that’s the Porteno dialect…”

So, not much else to write today. I’m pretty pleased with my language skills, and a bit sad that the classes are almost over. They’ll have to make a Bueno, entonces… intermediate, so we don’t suffer withdrawal symptoms. Hey, maybe they could find a hot Porteno and I could be the cheeky student. So much potential for prepositions…..!

Day 25: I want to give you cuddles

Mmmm, I love how having a personal trainer means you can have chocolate mousse for breakfast (what?? it’s the unwritten rule!) I’m in pain and it’s the only thing that seems to help…

So today was a bit of verb conjugations, which was more pleasant than it sounds, and I’m delighted to have learned how to say “I have the desire to give you cuddles” – I can’t begin to tell you how often I have needed that phrase here (ok, none, but now I’m well equipped for the future. In case I meet a bunny, or a granny or something).

The storyline of the lessons seems to be taking up a lot of the time these days, but they’re throwing in new words and phrases all the time so it’s useful if a bit surreal (you have to check out the series for yourself – her boyfriend is cheating on her with a hotdog, his mother is sleeping with an underage tanguero) We learned good vocab to do with relationships and being hearbroken, so I’ve got everything I need for a quick fling and the painful aftermath, should I so need it!

Day 24: Que buena onda!

Today’s lesson was really funny! I was worried they had used up all the humour in the first two weeks but today was really good (I knew the Falkland Islands would come up eventually!) Plus, we played a few games which actually made me feel like I had got the hang of the whole por/per ser/estar conundrum. Or maybe Jimena just used easy examples… Still, I’m feeling good heading into our last week of classes.

And I really am using my Spanish a lot more now. The other night I went to my first Argentinian hen party (nope, sadly no strippers) and managed to chat to the Portenas about all kinds of stuff. Well, they talked and I threw in a phrase here and there, but I definitely wasn’t as lost as I would have been four weeks ago. I feel like I started out as a 1.5/10 in Spanish, and now I’m a good solid 4. Maybe if I go back over my notes a bit and concentrate hard this week, I might even finish feeling like a five. And that’s pretty good for a few weeks of laughing at a computer program! Tomorrow is going to be a typical day of shooting class, personal trainer, wing chun and then tango. Thank God these nifty Spanish classes are only half an hour or I’d never fit them in!

Day 21: Home sweet home

Ok, so I know I’m supposed to be practicing my Spanish, but I ended up in Chinatown this morning, speaking Mandarin (like, once!) and eating noodle soup for breakfast. I love BA, it’s got everything! But seriously, I thought I was confused before – I’m two steps back now! I really think the brain can only process like one and a half languages at a time! Next time, I’ll have to go with a Spanish person, and speak to them as we stroll the isles picking up ingredients for caramelised beef and spring rolls (I’ll make them tonight and post a picture!)

Back to the progress in Castellano, today’s lesson was incredibly useful for anyone who wants to buy or rent an apartment here. Luckily I took the easy way out, and I’m just sub-letting with English-speaking housemates, but it seems like renting is pretty complicated in BA, so all the vocab in today’s lesson is invaluable. For the rest of us, I was glad to learn words I find myself searching for all the time to describe things. Now that I’ve learned some of them, I feel like my Spanish is a jigsaw, and the pieces are finally falling into place.

I find that taxis are the best place to practice. Once you start a conversation with the driver (those guys will talk about anything), you have nowhere to go, and most of them insist on speaking Spanish, and will help me with my pronunciation. Getting me to where I’m going is just a bonus now!

Day 20: Fast love

Entonces, we’re into the fourth week now – doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun! Had a cool lesson about telos, basically the pay-by-the-hour places Argentinians go to have sex. Apparently it’s pretty acceptable here – good for them! I feel sorry for the kids my age though, who still live with their parents and have to rent a room to have fun. I suppose we all took our grubby student houses for granted…

But that’s another reason why I really like this program. Just when you’re getting frustrated with grammar (we moved right on to the mystery that is Por and Para today – I’m longing for the good old days when I only had Ser and Estar to cry over) there’s a great little section on stuff that you need to know if you’re coming to Argentina, like mate, telos and reversible words. I wish I had seen this before I got here, I would have been so much more knowledgeable! But anyway, it’s these things that make the difference between giving up in the first lesson and getting to class 20!

I went to my first session with a personal trainer this morning – it’s the only place in the world where I could afford such a luxury! Ok, so luxury may not be the right word, given that I can hardly walk, and I know enough to know that the day after is ten times worse, so trying to get out of bed tomorrow should be fun…! But summer is coming, and all that dulce de leche has to go somewhere!! Plus, it lets me use all my cool new Spanish phrases like “I’m destroyed!” and “It’s worth it!”. Two birds with one stone – result!

Day 19: The most confusing thing about Spanish

So we’ve finally got around to tackling Ser and Estar. It had to rear it’s ugly head at some point.

For those of you lucky enough to not know what I’m talking about, this post refers to the fact that Spanish has two different ways of saying ‘to be’. I’m totally with David on this point, it’s ridiculous, impossible to learn, and there seems to be no rules whatsoever to help guide us.

But in today’s lesson we made a start, and I think I’m kind of a bit clear, or getting there, on some of the many different situations which take Ser and Estar. Apparently one is for characteristics and one for location. And one depends on temporary objects and one on permanent states. And one is for events and one is for people, or emotions, or maybe just for cities. Ok, so I have no idea. But today at least I learned a few examples of phrases and sentences which use both, and so I’m hoping that if I learn enough of these, then a pattern will start to appear. I think that’s what Jimena is hoping too, because David was as lost as I am, but more vocal about it!

I guess if you have to tackle Spanish grammar though, this is the least painful way to go about it. Yaay Bueno, entonces…; My brain is fried but I’m still smiling!!