Nearly two months ago, I began a six month sabbatical from my job for the purposes of moving to Argentina, learning Spanish, and exploring South America. This is my first time living overseas and so far it's been an amazing experience. The purpose of this blog is to share some of these experiences . . both the good and the bad. Living in a foreign country where you don't speak the native language is quite an adventure and at times can be very challenging. Almost every day I have some type of new experience that leaves me thinking. . "this is really going to be hilarious when I reflect back on it in a few months." Being forced to walk 2.5 miles to Spanish class in the rain with a malfunctioning umbrella due to a subway strike is just one example (actually . I'm going to need some more time on this one).
Attempting to learn Spanish has been a different challenge that has been at times both rewarding and frustrating. I still have plenty of work left before I've reached any level of "fluency", but I've tried many methods of learning Spanish over the years and am hoping to use this blog to share my experiences on what methods worked/didn't work for me. The key words are "for me" since everyone learns differently . but more on that topic later.
By the way, Google Translate won't tell you this but "Al Punto" is how you order a steak in Argentina if you want it cooked medium. If you want it rare, you would say "Jugoso". Perhaps the greatest thing about Argentina is no matter how badly your day goes, you can always end it with a very affordable steak & wine dinner. If you feel really adventurous, you can order one of those mysterious menu items that produces a huge smile whenever you ask an Argentine "so exactly what type of meat is this?"
