My First Week at Elebaires

Last week was my first very interesting week at Elebaires. I started as a student on Monday morning, when I was instantly welcomed into a very warm and friendly environment. The teachers and staff here at Elebaires are not only professional, but have the best intentions of each individual student at heart and are all incredibly friendly.

As well as providing excellent Spanish teaching in the classroom, Elebaires prides itself in providing the students with a well-rounded experience of Buenos Aires and all that it has to offer. Juani acts as Elebaires´ very own tour guide and takes the students far and wide across the city on cultural visits, tours and activities, which are a good way of socialising with the staff and fellow students and getting to know the wonderful city in whose very heart Elebaires is located.

On Tuesday Juani took a group of four of us on the colectivo (bus service) to the beautiful barrio of Recoleta. Here he showed us the oasis hidden between tall French-style buildings that many citizens call “The Island” due to its tranquility and stillness, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the centre. We walked through the green parks to the “Floralis Gerenica”, a large stainless steel flower sculpture. The magnificent petals of the flower open in the morning and close at night, and the pool of water under the sculpture reflects against its petals.

After having taken many photos by the flower, we were led by Juani through the Plaza Francia, a green park which becomes a market at the weekends with artisans selling authentic goods. We took a quick tour of the “Iglesia Del Pilar,” the oldest church in Buenos Aires, and ended up visiting the fantastic site of the Recoleta Cemetery.

Here lie the family tombs of wealthy and renowned Argentinean citizens. Each family has an elaborately decorated marble mausoleum indicating the family name. We were struck by the sheer scale of the Cemetery, whose network of tomb stones continue for almost as far as the eye can see. There we visited, along with the multitude of tourists that day, the family tomb of Eva Peron.

On Wednesday Jauni organised a football match for the students to play with his Argentinian friends. I chose not to attend this particular activity since football is not a gift of mine! At Elebaires, students are able to pick and choose which activities best suit them.

Finally on Thursday Juani took a group of us to the “Museo MALBA”, the famous museum of Latinamerican art in Palermo, which currently celebrates its 10th year anniversary.

We saw the first large scale exhibition of Carlos Cruz-Diez entitled “El color en el espacio y en el tiempo,” displaying more than 120 of his works in which he experiments with the perception of colour.

Both the Elebaires team and Juani gave me the perfect first week to settle in and to get a feel for Buenos Aires and its magnificence. Being here for a good three months more I look forward with anticipation to what exciting experiences Elebaires has to offer me in the future!