Trava-língua é uma espécie de jogo verbal que consiste em dizer, com clareza e rapidez, versos ou frases com grande concentração de sílabas difíceis de pronunciar, ou de sílabas formadas com os mesmos sons, mas em ordem diferente. Os trava-línguas são oriundos da cultura popular, são modalidades de parlendas (rimas infantis), podendo aparecer sob a forma de prosa, versos, ou frases. Os trava-línguas recebem essa denominação devido à dificuldade que as pessoas enfrentam ao tentar pronunciá-los sem tropeços, ou, como o próprio nome diz, sem “travar a língua”. Além de aperfeiçoarem a pronúncia, servem para divertir e provocar disputa entre amigos.

Veja a seguir uma série de trava-línguas e tente pronunciá-los rapidamente:

O rato roeu a roupa do Rei de roma, a rainha com raiva resolveu remendar.
	Trazei três pratos de trigo para três tigres tristes comerem.
Num ninho de mafagafos, cinco mafagafinhos há! Quem os desmafagafizá-los, um bom desmafagafizador será.
	A Iara agarra e amarra a rara arara de Araraquara.
Em rápido rapto, um rápido rato raptou três ratos sem deixar rastros.
	Bagre branco, branco bagre.
O padre pouca capa tem, porque pouca capa compra.

Even if you have only been living in Argentina for a couple of weeks, you will have noticed the effects of inflation (which is now reported at annual rate of 9.5% by the government). The fee tacked onto your ATM withdrawals has increased from $16.40 pesos to $17.25 pesos, the taxi fares have increased by about 26%, and restaurant menus throughout the city have prices scratched out and rewritten with adjustments for inflation.

But if these things have some how eluded you, then the lines and petitions outside of the subte this week must have certainly caught your attention. Wondering whats going on (besides the 127% price increase, of course!)?

This Friday, the Kirchner Administration turned over control of the subte network to the capital city government, while simultaneously halving the subsidies to $360 million pesos (or $83 million USD). These combined actions are what lead to the ticket increase from $1.10 pesos to $2.50 pesos.

Portenos waited in lines almost 60 persons deep on Thursday in an attempt to purchase bulk subte tickets before the price change went into effect. Unfortunately, it was not worth the wait as tickets were limited to two per person.

Outraged by the sudden change, the public has taken to protesting the price increases with signature petitions at major subte stops (such as 9 de Julio and Catedral). So if someone approaches you with a clip-board and pen in hand, you know what they are asking for!

Post any photos or thoughts that you have on the subte crisis in Buenos Aires!

Empanadas are everywhere in Argentina. In fact, you would be very hard pressed to find a street corner that doesn’t have a small hole-in-the-wall pizza/empanada shop. There are an endless number of flavors and regional cooking variations, so there is literally a perfect empanada for every occasion and time of day!!

We recently did a post on our favorite empanadas in Buenos Aires (click here to view), and it seemed to get a lot of attention from our followers. As a result, we have decided to sponsor an event (with the help of Bs As food-blogger, TheGrubDaily, and expat foodie forum, KitchenParty.org), teaching you how to make your own empanadas.

The event will take place on January 20th, 2012 at 8:30 pm near the Alto Palermo Shopping Center. To RSVP or receive more details on the event, please click on the link below:

http://www.kitchenparty.org/en/kitchenparty.php?p=MTA5

Hope to see you all at our 7pm conversation night before the dinner party!! If not, we still want you to join us for empanadas!

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En Argentina, las empanadas están en todas partes. De hecho, no hay una esquina de la calle su una pequeña tienda de pizzas y empanadas.    Hay muchas sabores y métodos de preparación, por lo que es una empanada perfecta para cada ocasión y momento del día!!

Recientemente, se hizo un post en nuestro empanadas favoritas en Buenos Aires (clic acá para leer), y recibió una gran cantidad de atención por parte de nuestros seguidores. Como resultado, hemos decidido patrocinar un evento (con la ayuda de Bs As food-blogger, TheGrubDaily, y forum de expatriados, KitchenParty.org), que muestran cómo hacer su propio empanadas!!

El evento se llevará a 20 de Enero, 2012 a las 20:30 hrs cerca de Alto Palermo Shopping Center. Para reservar su lugar, clic en la link abajo:

http://www.kitchenparty.org/en/kitchenparty.php?p=MTA5

Trivia + Beer + Spanglish = Beerlingual

Are you looking for a great way to meet new people and practice language outside of the classroom?

Then sign up for a Beerlingual Trivia night, hosted weekly in the heart of Palermo at Sugar Bar (a favorite among local expats!). A designated quizmaster will ask various questions, linking American and Argentine culture, and groups will compete to respond in a mix of Spanglish. You’ll have fun, learn a little but about Buenos Aires, and the win cool prizes such as bar tabs, event passes, and delicious treats!

Don’t speak Spanish?

Don’t worry! Some questions will be in all English and the purpose is to meet people and have fun. Let your group members help you!!

The check-in opens at 7 pm and continues until 7:30 pm. Be there early and bring exact change (30 pesos) to avoid the line! Please, just remember to RSVP before the event by sending an e-mail to info@beerlingual.com.

The events are normally held on Tuesday nights, but there will be one tonight, January 5th, at Sugar Bar @ 7 pm. We will be there and anyone that is interested in attending can meet us there!

Hope to see you tonight!

Did you know that UNESCO has officially declared Portuguese as the fastest growing European language behind English and Spanish, estimating that it has the highest potential growth as an international language in South America and Southern Africa?

We couldn’t ignore this startling statistic, so we have decided to add Portuguese to our list of course offerings at LV Studio! Portuguese classes and translations are now available with our native Brazilian teachers, coordinated by our head of department, Jose Texeira.

To ring in the new year, LV Studio is offering a variety of intensive English, Spanish, and Portuguese classes beginning mid-January of 2012. We have had a great deal of interest so far and we are starting to form group classes with enrolled students. We don’t want any of you to miss out, so please contact us if you are interested in taking classes!!

Below is a link to our new website with course descriptions, dates, and prices (be sure to check out our promotions!!):  http://www.lvstudioweb.com

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¿Sabías que la UNESCO declaró que el portugués es el idioma europeo que más está creciendo en el mundo, luego del inglés y el español? Se estima que el potencial de crecimiento es más alto en Sudamérica y el sur de África.

Es imposible ignorar esta estadística tan sorprendente, por eso decidimos agregar el portugués a nuestra lista de cursos grupales en LV Studio! Ofrecemos cursos de portugués y traducciones a nuestros profesores nativos brasileños, con la coordinación del Departamento por José Teixeira.

Para dar la bienvenida al nuevo año, LV Studio está ofreciendo una variedad de cursos intensivos de inglés portugués y español, desde mediados de enero 2012. Hemos despertado el interés de varios y ya comenzamos a formar grupos. No queremos que te lo pierdas, así que comunicate con nosotros si te interesa tomar clases!

Abajo está el link a nuestro nuevo sitio web, con la descrpción de los cursos, fechas y precios (fijate en nuestras promociones!!):  http://www.lvstudioweb.com

Getting to and from the EZE airport without paying an arm and a leg can be quite a challenge these days. Taxi is the most common transport method taken by travelers, but the cab fares in Buenos Aires seem to be increasing steadily on weekly basis (and my paycheck certainly isn’t keeping up!). In fact, my newest budget tactic is staying out until morning when I do go out at night, so that I can take the subte back home rather than pay for a cab (subte opens at 5 am by the way!).

However, today I find myself facing the airport dilemma–asking locals for the cheapest remis companies, Googling alternative routes of transportation, and seriously contemplating the idea of hitch hiking. But good news….

There IS a cheaper alternative to taxis!!!

If you need to get to the EZE airport, take a bus to the Manuel Tienda Leon Station in Retiro. From here, a bus shuttle leaves every 30 minutes for the airport. You can make a reservation online (click here) or show up 30 minutes in advance to book your spot. The average cost is approximately $60 AR pesos for the shuttle, which is a steal compared to the $160+ cab fare it would cost (and of course this is the native Porteno cost, not factoring in the tourist tax that many cab drivers will hit you with!!).

Happy travels and safe flights for New Years everyone!!

One of my favorite aspects about traveling is witnessing things that get lost in translation–inappropriately named products, billboards with crude implications, song lyrics that make no sense at all, and my personal favorite, English menu translations that are either repulsive or inanimate objects.

Much to my delight, I am not the only traveler that takes pleasure in such translational errors and The Huffington Post has compiled a hilarious photo slideshow of the best texts lost in translation around the world!

Here is a sneak peak at my 3 favorites but to view the rest of the list, click on the link below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/15/funny-signs-from-around-the-world_n_763727.html#s156821

“Soy Porteño.”

Residents of Buenos Aires distinguish themselves from other Argentines by referring to themselves as Porteños, meaning people of the port. This strong cultural identity dates back to the 1880′s, when millions of immigrants from Italy, Spain, France, Poland, and Germany entered the country. The immigrants became concentrated in the Norther section of Buenos Aires and while living in such close proximities, their different cultures blended to create a new art forms–Tango was one of them.

Originally, tango was the soundtrack of the immigrant slums. It was the music that provided a little cheeriness and an outlet of escape for dancing. Eventually, it became popular among the middle-working class and then even more refined as it worked its way into the upper-class social circles. The theme of tango though, remains unchanged–love.

The love for the “barrio” and the porteño lifestyle, despite the hardships. The love between a man and a woman, despite the complications. And unfortunately, the lack of love that results from prostitution and sexual slavery, which was quite common in Rio de la Plata until the 1920′s. Love and sadness are very closely related, and their relationship is examined in the music and dance of tango.

Luckily, the breathtaking art of Tango is still preserved in Buenos Aires today with street performers in San Telmo, Milongas located all over the city, and dance schools eager to teach both residents and visitors, alike.

To give you a true Porteño experience, LV Studio has partnered up with one of Buenos Aires’ elite tango schools, DNI Tango, offering a package that combines Spanish language classes and Tango dance classes!

The package includes:

• A four week Spanish language course, which meets for 2 hours a day, 3 days a week.
• 10 Tango dance classes at DNI Tango School
• 1 evening Tango dance show, which you watch
• 1 milonga night, which you can choose to participate in

The price for this exclusive package is just $500 USD!!! We can also arrange for you to have lodging accommodation, if you need.

For more information on the package, please contact us at info@lvstudioweb.com.

If your backpacking your way around Argentina or South America, you know what it is like to eat on a budget. It means A LOT of bread!

Backpacking = Carb-overload.

You make sure that you get up in time for the hostel’s free “breakfast” (which seems to keep ending earlier and earlier) and you force-feed yourself baguette after baguette, washing it down with intermittent sips of instant coffee (which often tastes unleaded). Then there is lunch, where you find yourself grabbing a slice of pizza or a sandwich on the go to save time and money (precious money). And then it’s dinner time–maybe you and your friends at the hostel decide to go to a moderately nice restaurant but everyone orders the cheapest dish on the menu, opting to gorge on the complimentary breadbasket instead. You might even find yourself stuffing the left over dinner rolls into your to-go bag, so you can sleep through the hostel breakfast the following morning (what a treat). By the end of the trip, you feel like a walking baguette.

But traveling on a budget doesn’t mean that you have to compromise good food and nutritious meals. In Argentina, empanadas prove to be a cheap and delicious alternative to the redundant traveler’s meal plan of  pizza and sandwiches. They come filled with meats (chorizo, beef, chicken), cheese, and all sorts of vegetables. Two or three will cost around 12-15 pesos and keep you satisfied for hours.

Some places will have a selection of 8 different flavors and others will over 40 kinds to choose from (yes, I have actually a menu offering 40 different kinds of empanadas here!). Here is a short list of some of our favorite empanada spots in Buenos Aires:

1. La Cocina

Located just off the D-line at the Puerrydon subte stop, La Cocina is serving up authentic empanadas typical of the Northern region. The menu is very limited, but they are the best at the few that they do make. Try the Pikachu, which is filled with cheese and spicy sautéed onions (6 pesos) or the Carne Picante, which is filled with spicy mixture of chopped steak and ground beef (6 pesos). If your really hungry, take a bowl of their incredible Locro, which is a hearty beef and bean stew (27 pesos). You could sustain yourself entirely, eating just one bowl of this each day!

2. Na Serapia

Na Serapia is a very small restaurant located in Palermo on Avenida Las Heras. They have been in business for several years serving food typical of the Catamarca & Salta region of Argentina (Northern). Try their Saltena Empanada, made with chunks of beef and potato in a flavorful sauce (5.50 pesos) or their Chicken Empanada with shredded chicken, onions, and spices (5.50 pesos). Still hungry, try out their Tamales, which are sweet corn stuffed with meat and served with a side of spicy sauce (19 pesos). 

3.   Romarios

I know, I know….it is a chain restaurant. But I must admit that the empanadas are delicious! They have  pancetta with onion and cheese that is out of this world. I also love the Carne Suave, which is pictured above with ground beef and spices (6 pesos). 

If you want to try some very unique empanadas, there is a great little spot located next to our Palermo office and we love going with students for lunch after our Wednesday afternoon conversation class. Come to our FREE conversation class at 3:30 pm and join us for some empanadas afterwards!

Oxford College Campus

My English Studio te ofrece la oportunidad de viajar a Londres, Oxford, Cambridge, y Stratford-Upon-Avon con el fin de que sigas aprendiendo inglés en un prestigioso entorno multicultural. Al mismo tiempo, podés recorrer y hacer todas las actividades interculturales que ofrecen nuestros colleges en estas ciudades llenas de historia, dinámica y glamour.

Hay opciones para estudiar por dos semanas y cuatro semanas, depende en la universidad.

Para obtener mas información, visite www.myenglishstudio.com.ar!