Accommodation: We’re Here to Help Part 3

So our Accommodation Series continues… this time to tackle the topic of Home-stays, one of our many accommodation options for you to choose during your stay in Buenos Aires. In our first two blogs of this series, we discussed Hostels and Student Residences, and the advantages and potential disadvantages to each option. The purpose of this blog series is to ensure that you are well informed before making your decisions so that you make the most of your time in Argentina.

What does that really mean, to make the most of your time in Argentina?! At Elebaires, we believe that your Argentine experience can not be measured solely by your level of spanish language acquisition (although it is really important!) but also by your ability to immerse yourself in the culture and traditions of the Argentines, such as their passion for futbol (soccer), family, beef, wine, tango, gauchos, literature, politics, mate, folklore, polo, and of course, a great party. The majority of these cultural expressions can be experienced through the plethora of extra-curricular activities that Elebaires provides like tango classes and shows, tickets to futbol games, day-trips to an estancia (ranch), polo lessons, after-hours events and the hottest bars in town, wine-tasting classes, cooking classes, the list goes on… But one thing we can’t share with you in these activities, is how a real Argentine family live. That is where a home-stay comes in.

When staying with a host family, not only will your Spanish improve out of sight (as it is not as easy to default to your native language) but you will also be able to see what it means to be a family in Buenos Aires; from how family dynamics differ to yours, as well as how the social, political and economic circumstances within the country affect the household. At Elebaires, we have worked hard to ensure that our host families will be a good match to our students as well as being within a reasonable distance from our school and in the nicest neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. These families range from those who have young children, children in their early 20s, to no children. Whatever your preferred situation, we will do our best to match it. All students will have their own bedroom with shared bathroom. All home-stays come with breakfast provided by the host-family. It is an option to ask for all dinners provided as well, at an extra expense. Students have full access to the kitchen and living room and have complete freedom to come and go from the apartment as they please.

When trying to think of some of the possible disadvantages to a home-stay accommodation arrangement, we were stumped. Even if you only have part of your stay in Argentina with a host family, it will definitely add to the depth of your experience here. If you have some more questions about opportunities for adding a home-stay component to your time in Buenos Aires, contact us! Also if anyone would like to contribute their thoughts on their home-stay experience in Buenos Aires, please share with us on this blog or on our facebook page.