It’s Friday again!

And I’m back!

Yes, I know you missed me (actually I know you didn’t) but worry not my loyal readers, I am back in town and refreshed and ready to report on everything that happened in the last week plus a few tidbits from the week before that were just too awesome to have them banished to the land of obliviousness.

And like the Weekly News Roundup on Facebook in order to receive weekly updates about stuff.

This is what you need to know:

• 

  Move over Hollywood (and Palermo Hollywood), there’s a new attention whore in town and it will be called Puerto Madero Hollywood, maybe. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  This week President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced the creation of a new audiovisual district located on the southern tip of Puerto Madero. Her goal, as she put it, is to create the South American answer to Hollywood and become the regional mecca of film making. The presentation video is nothing short of impressive and it shows that it is indeed an ambitious project that if finished will revolutionize Argentina by positioning it as a global power player in the movie market. It’s going to be the pinnacle of the Latin American film industry, a majestic scene filled with thriving businesses and fountains and children and powerful beams of light diving into the darkness of the deep space. It’s going to be amazing!!

• Then again, maybe not.

• During her speech, she also said the reason why she loves architecture so much is because in a past life she was probably a great Egyptian architect. I will not comment on this one and let you leave your thoughts below for a change. Ready, set, go.

• No, wait. Finish the column, then comment.

• The Government and the opposition are once again butting heads over a controversial bill that looks to lower the voting age to 16 and… [INSERT DRAMATIC PAUSE HERE] let foreigners vote! Hurray for democracy! I mean, I’m sure you won’t vote because you couldn’t care less, but still! Knowing that we are actually being considered is good for our ego. If the bill is passed you will need to officially be a permanent resident and live for at least two years in Argentina before you get to cast your ballot. Again, not that you care.

• Great news! Since most of you drunks keep forgetting to refill your SUBE card and always end up fist fighting the bus driver because he won’t take you to Palermo for free at 3 AM, the National Government has now ordered a $7.50 additional credit that you can use to pay with if your card has no money in it. Way to go, drunks.

• Even greater news! After much negotiation and backroom meetings, Argentina’s flagship airline Aerolíneas Argentinas was accepted as a member of the SkyTeam global alliance. What does this mean? I’m not sure, but apparently more connecting flights and a new VIP lounge in Ezeiza that I bet my life you will never be allowed to set foot in. Yay!

• No wait, here comes the US to ruin the celebrations.

• Remember Mark Sanford? No, of course you don’t. Mr. Sanford was the governor of South Carolina who went “hiking the Appalachian trail” a few years ago, only to later find out he was actually visiting his mistress in Argentina. Still don’t? It’s OK, I don’t blame you, the Weekly News Roundup did not exist back then. Anyway, despite the public embarrassment and creating a new entry in the American vernacular, Sandorf announced six days ago that he is engaged to his Argentine lover. Were I not a cynical, love-hating bastard, I would say that once again love prevailed. Unfortunately, I am. So no.

• In totally awesome news (the kind that make the conservative movement stab itself with a crucifix), as kids in the Flores N°23 school returned to class after the winter break, they found out that their chess teacher Jorge had turned into Melisa. Other teachers supported his decision to finally become what he always wanted to be, some parents were horrified by his courage to defy the status quo and the majority of children probably didn’t give a shit, mostly because chess is boring. Congratulations Melisa, be happy.

• I always knew those seemingly harmless animation films you go see despite not having any kids (or go see without kids despite having them) were in reality a propaganda machine dedicated to indoctrinating those ranking below humans in the Darwinian food chain. In another case of animals following the terrible example set by that inappropriate movie “Madagascar” (the first case being this one), a lioness escaped from the San Juan zoo after some douche left the cage door open. After the zoo authorities realized she was missing, the terrified neighbors rushed home to escape the menacing, blood-thirsty beast, who obviously responded to the name “Simba”. So yeah, not only they are completely devoid of originality, they also named her after a male character in The Lion King. Nice. Anyway, Simba was strutting down the area, minding her own business when the so-called “Ecological Police” spotted her and enacted their carefully developed plans to bring her back to her cage. So they shot her with a tranquilizer dart to calm her down. Then they shot her with another one, just in case. And another one. Then she finally collapsed and fell asleep so everyone could… – oops, they killed her.

• Speaking of killing animals, you know how those pesky seagulls are always gutting whales and hurling their insides all over the ocean, traumatizing little Timmy for good and ruining everyone’s whale watching experience? No? The Chubut province does, and it has enacted a brilliant plan to get… – Oh, Gawker beat me to it.

• The scandal surrounding the controversial and pro-Cristina youth activist group La Campora continues, as detractors compare it to the Hitler Youth (which is false) and supporters compare it to the Boy Scouts (which is also false). So after several claims that the group was “brainwashing” school children and indoctrinating them with Kirchnerite mantras, the City Government decided to take action by setting up a 0-800 number that you can use to denounce La Cámpora activities. Too bad such a move is blatantly illegal, so a judge had no choice but to intercede.

• Also, in case you care to know, articulate and omnipresent Kirchnerite senator Aníbal Fernández addressed the toll-free number controversy by telling Mayor Macri to “shove the fascist 0-8000 number up his fucking ass.” Insightful and powerful words coming from the mustache man himself. Hopefully we will all sit back and reflect after this.

• There’s a new minimum wage in Argentina, and no matter how much you complain, it’s still not enough to get yourself and iPad.

• Also, if you’re one of the few lucky bastards who get to travel abroad, any purchase you make with your credit card will be charged a 15% income tax advance. If you think that’s kind of a convoluted scheme, don’t worry, you’re supposed to.

• Of course Argentina was going to find a way to make the death of Neil Armstrong all about her. Sure, the great American hero may have claimed ownership of the moon by sticking the US flag there and leaving it for good, but you know which flag also landed on the moon that day? This one. Suck on that, USSR!

• A dangerous 23-year-old pedophile that had been on the FBI’s target list for a long time was finally arrested. “Where?” you say? Where else! Salta, obvio.

• Ready for the latest viral sensation that spreading all over Latin America like a weaponized strain of Ebola? Then put on your dancing shoes and leave your chair, because once you are hypnotized by the over-confident charm of Colibritany you will never be able to stop jumping up and down and shaking your body like an idiot. Colibritany (yeah, that’s her stage name) is turning 15 next month, and she is offering the Quinceañera party of a lifetime. In order to do so, she has carefully crafted a video invite targeting anyone in the world who has access to You Tube, announcing in the process that she’s looking for her “sexy chambelán.” Now, I have no idea what a sexy chambelán is because I’m lazy and I couldn’t be bothered to look it up, but I assume she’s looking for a guy to hook up with [UPDATE: It’s actually the guy escorting the birthday girl as she enters the party]. I don’t know what’s more diabetes-inducing: the Twilight paraphernalia, her armpit-shaving, the pink Hummer, praising that her dad got her some earrings in thirteen payments (zero interest!) or when she vows to let her date go “south of the equator”. Did I mention she’s fourteen? OK. Just checking. So if for some reason you have lots of money and are crazy enough to attend Colibritany’s Quinceañera celebration, it’s on September 18th. in some place called “Jardines de Cocoyoc” (country undisclosed, but I suspect Mexico). Oh, and if you need directions it is “right across from the Wal*Mart”. At least that’s what the video says. Make you sure you Instagram the shit out of that thing.

• I may have been gone for two weeks, but Dancing With The Starswas not.
  

  American hero and probably Argentine citizen Neil Armstrong. (Photo/Wikipedia)

  And their crazy shenanigans continued to mar the screen with desperate attempts for ratings and hilarious (in a not-funny way) stunts, such as bringing out a cow on stage and watching it urinate all over the dance floor or forcing a septuagenarian guy try a sexy move over the kitchen counter only to gracefully plummet to the (probably still urinated) floor, cracking his skull in the process. Oh, Argentine TV. I have missed you.

• Speaking of other relevant news, you know how finally joined Twitter? Marcelo Tinelli, Argentine TV legend and current Dancing With The Stars host, not that you care. Obviously he was soon hacked by what I suspect was a cheeky teenager, since of all the relevant topics the hacked could have addressed by momentarily sequestering such an important platform, he chose to go with: “Hi. I’m gay.” Sigh.

• Yes, that is badass sword-wielding Viggo Mortensen starring in the new Argentine film “Todos Tenemos Un Plan.” In case you didn’t know, he spent his childhood here and speaks perfect Argentine Spanish. Which means that, just like Neil Armstrong, he is also Argentine.

• Nouveau riche and village idiot Mariana Nannis is my new unconventional hero. Sure, I vilify her for spawning Charlotte Chantal and Alex, the children of the corn gone wrong. But despite her severe flaws, her gigantic stupidity makes me laugh. You see, rumor has it that the Nannis clan is broke and all those displays of endless glamour are nothing but a front as they try to milk money out of wherever they can. A few weeks ago, she denounced that $300,000 dollars had disappeared from her hotel room in the Faena and demanded compensation (smart move, Mrs. Nannis, *wink, wink*). Unfortunately she forgot about the tough AFIP agency and its army of dollar-smelling dogs, who immediately demanded she explains where that money came from since she failed to declare any foreign currency upon her arrival to Argentina last May. Anyway, long story short she’s now a fugitive and had to escape hidden in the trunk of a car. Ha! I told you she was my hero.

• And speaking of people who are over the hill, remember local diva and international criminal Moria Casán? It seems Paraguay has confirmed its request to extradite her and take her to trial there since she’s suspected of stealing a very expensive necklace. Moria, however, doesn’t care and is currently performing in a play in which she gets to make out with her daughter (as in her actual daughter). Oh, lighten up. It’s a play. If it’s any consolation they don’t get to have sex.

• The local Spanish-speaking media, so savvy and polyglot, spent all Thursday making fun of a Carlos Tévez interview in which he, as usual, struggles to speak English in front of the cameras. You know what, local media? Shut the fuck up. The guy is brave enough to stand there and fend-off questions in a different language, and I’m sure most of those idiots giggling in front of the cameras couldn’t answer half of the questions he was asked.

• Yes, I just defended a football player. Whatever.

• OK, now you can comment on Cristina’s “great Egyptian architect” statement.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Send Adrian your comments, thoughts or tips at adrbono@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @AdrianBono

And don’t forget to like the Weekly News Roundup on Facebook, so we don’t have to keep reminding you about this every Friday.

When thinking of educational plays, one cannot help but imagine bored ten-year-olds trying hard to sit still while Shakespearian characters torture them with endless monologues.

Not so The Performers, the Argentina-based theatre company that produces fun, educational plays in English. They have performed in teaching institutions in more than 200 cities all over South America since 1988. The goal of The Performers? Using drama as a creative and entertaining teaching tool.

The Performers focus much more on entertainment than the stereotype suggests, offering three plays each year, adjusted to suit different age and language levels.

The beginner-level plays are comedies for young kids. They are colourful, playful, and involve a lot of wild singing and dancing. The actors engage the kids in the show, who direct their attention to the stage rather than to their neighbour.

The intermediate-level plays are for an age range of approximately eight to fourteen years. Aware of the interests of hormone-driven-adolescents, the intermediate plays, which are action and comedy-based, involve topics such as love and first kisses.

The advanced-level performances feature a shortened and modernised version of a Shakespearian play each year. This way the diverse interests of students are covered at all times.

Though school teachers would love to make all students attend the Shakespearean play to extract as much ‘cultural value’ from the experience as possible, The Performers have a strict policy: no fun, no learning. If the language and age level suggest that the students will not enjoy the performance, a more appropriate play will be performed.

Even though the emphasis is on entertainment, the educational aspect is not forgotten. The Performers produce activity books, songs, and transcripts to prepare students for the play and for follow-up language work in class. This way, many students are able to sing-along to the songs in the play and make the most of the one-hour adventure. Moreover, the actors are exclusively native English speakers, giving the children an understanding of how the language is spoken abroad.

To maximise the learning experience, the plays integrate social topics such as environmental protection. In ‘The Green Kitchen’ for example, cook Alfred and his friends Ms. Fridge, Mrs. Cooker and Mr. Bin explain to the kids how a kitchen becomes more environmentally friendly. They sing their ‘recycle-reuse-reduce’ songs while greening up the kitchen to satisfy the strict Mr. Ecology Inspector.

After the show the young audience gets to meet and talk to the characters. Aside from the excitement of taking pictures with their new heroes, for many students it is their first interaction with native speakers in a foreign language.

Meeting foreigners in Buenos Aires is easy enough. There are many expat or gringo organisations that arrange regular drinks and networking events in various bars around the city, but everyone inevitably ends up speaking in English and discussing Buenos Aires and Argentina from a foreigners point of view. All of this is fine, but for those looking to indulge in local culture, to meet porteños, to practise and improve their Spanish, and to take part in trips and events more off the beaten track, then Mix Up Exchange provides answer.

Mix Up was founded in 2009 by Argentine Félix Diaz De Elizalde and is run by himself and Alejandro Chacra. With many years spent travelling the world and his background as a travel agent, Félix knows what his customers are looking for when they come to Buenos Aires.

Félix works closely with local businesses and institutions provide various supplemental services to their customers and students. He partners with language schools to offer accommodation to pupils, either with local families, fully-furnished apartments, or a room with other students. He offers hostel guests trips and excursions in and around the city, and he works with Buenos Aires universities to offer their students the opportunity to meet foreigners. All events are intercambio and allow all parties to practise their Spanish and English and to learn about different cultures, but most importantly to socialise and have fun.

In fact, fun is central to all Mix Up events – the company’s slogan is ‘The Funniest Concept Of Exchange’. And the effervescent Félix manages to bring everyone together to ensure they feel part of the event and have a good time. The two regular social events are Wednesday and Saturday drinks held at a variety of bars and clubs across the city allow just this. Through its relationships with bar owners, Mix Up offers its guests free entry and promotions on drinks in a VIP area and allows the mix of guests, locals and foreigners, to chat and learn about each other’s cultures in a very informal way. In the summer months these events are supplemented by hugely popular boat parties in Puerto Madero.

One other popular summer activity are trips to the campo, to a large house with gardens where visitors get a taste of life outside of Buenos Aires. Asados, football, mate, pool and ping pong are the order of the day, and in the relaxing atmosphere it is easy to forget only that morning you were in the hustle and bustle of central Buenos Aires.

Given the popularity of football in Latin America, the recent Copa América was a very important event in Argentina and an ideal opportunity for visitors to partake in the passionate atmosphere of matches. Mix Up arranged transport and tickets for each of the six matches in La Plata, a city 60km south of Buenos Aires, and for the final match at the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires itself. During the domestic season, there are regular trips to matches at La Bombanera, the stadium of Boca Juniors.

Next year is an important one for Mix Up as Félix plans to build on his success so far by adding further activities. Mix Up Towns will offer excursions to nearby places such as San Antonio de Areco and Chascomus – both of which can be difficult to travel to independently and are off the typical tourist route. Mix Up Beaches will offer summer weekend excursions to Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires province, while its obvious what Mix Up Carnival will cater towards each February.

So, if you’re in Buenos Aires for a week, a month, or six months, getting in touch with Mix Up can envelop you in local cultures and events and introduce you to local people who are as keen to find out what they can about you, as you are about them.

Earlier this month I found myself in the middle of hundreds of screaming, running children at the Lycée Franco-Argentino Jean Mermoz. I was there to attend a storytelling session organised by Buenos Aires based ‘Dream On’. The storyteller would be Katrice Horsley, from Birmingham, England. With a wealth of international experience telling stories in situations ranging from prisons in North America to the slums of Nairobi, she seemed undaunted by the task ahead.

Booked in for four 50-minute story telling workshops – merely one day in a gruelling, month long schedule of 64 presentations at 33 schools – the task was to find a way of telling stories in English which would entertain, fascinate and educate schoolchildren of ages ranging from nine to 18. I was intrigued as to how successful she would be.

One flaw in this art form perhaps is also its biggest strength: the individual nature of the storyteller. Head of English, Catherine Ollier-Taillandier, seemed to be as curious as me about the impending performances. She explained to me that despite being well received by the school in previous years, each storyteller is so unique that one can never be entirely sure of what the sessions will actually be like. This slight worry though failed to douse the flame of enthusiasm which she had for the organisation.

Taught in both French and Spanish, this first group were not comfortable with English. The story about the origins of the wind vane was too complicated. Question time at the end descended into complaints of “I don’t understand” and demands for the story in Spanish. What was fascinating however was that the children wanted to understand, they were desperate to know what the energetic English lady on stage was telling them. On some level too, they had all engaged with the storyteller. What emotion the characters in the story were feeling, Horsley’s skill meant that it was translated into the atmosphere of the room.

After the slightly shaky start with the youngest group we then welcomed an older and more linguistically advanced one. More confident than the first, they interacted better with Horsley. The use of songs was especially effective – to get 100 kids singing “I love you baby” was not only conducive to a great learning atmosphere, it was simply impressive.

Flexibility and universality is what the Dream On website describes as the real edge which storytelling has over other forms of interactive education. The test for the organisation therefore came after lunch – the teenagers. How could the art of storytelling be adapted to a tougher audience? Songs and silly actions would not work on these young adults.

A lunchtime conversation with some teachers about body issues facing some students at the school was interjected into the session seamlessly. The relevance and impact of the inclusion of this difficult to broach topic evident in the eyes of some students. The tales of the bothers’ Grimm resulted in a calmer and more intense experience. The afternoon showed the strength of storytelling, and the level of attention and concentration was striking.

Storytelling can be used in an enormous variety of situations, as the CV of Horsley aptly demonstrates. My day at Jean Mermoz showed me that storytelling certainly deserves its recent resurgence. Juliana Acosta, Horsley’s manager, explained to me that it can still be a challenge for many teachers to gain funding to put on storytelling workshops, as its value is often questioned. However storytelling never claims to replace traditional forms of teaching. What it does promise is to install confidence and enthusiasm into students. From the groups of students who swarmed Horsley after every session to the genuine passion of the teachers to return to the classroom, the impact was evident. English became a relevant tool for the students, which they wanted to use, for some maybe for the first time.

And what of the storyteller – “what is her favourite story?” asked 16-year-old Uriel at the end of the final session. The answer was Rapunzel. A classic, which matches the long tradition of the art she practises, and one that I am happy to see the return of.

Buenos Aires rivals New York for having one of the world’s highest ratios of therapists to inhabitants – one for every 30 porteños. In recent years, practitioners have started to cater for English speakers too. The Argentina Independent meets two such therapists to discuss their varied approaches, how different it is to practise in Argentina and whether the mother tongue really is the language of heart.

Having worked for 25 years in the States, Steven Nissenbaum set up his ‘concierge’ psychotherapy practice here in January 2011. This means he limits his number of clients in order to “invest more, physically and emotionally.” He believes sessions should not be ruled by the clock, that a therapist’s personal disclosures are sometimes appropriate and that sharing in patients’ rites of passage is desirable. To this end, he once jumped out of a plane at 13,000 feet with a group of clients.

“I was considered a non-traditional therapist back in the States and that’s magnified here,” he admits. “I’m a life coach, a therapist, a physiologist and a nutritionist. The body-mind connection is far more profound than most people realise.” He aims to treat holistically; in addition to talk therapy, sessions can include visualisation and meditation and patients must adhere to a diet and fitness programme. “But I practise what I preach,” he adds, “because I know I wouldn’t go to a healthcare professional who was overweight and looked like a slob.”

Marisa Apostolidis, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, studied both anthropology and social work in the States. She became interested in the discipline of psychoanalysis through attending classes with Argentines in Madrid. It was there that she heard of Buenos Aires’s reputation as one of the world’s psychoanalytic hotspots. She decided to move here several years ago and now thrives on the city’s active and flourishing psychoanalytic community.

“It’s not a case of getting a degree and being done: you are constantly revisiting texts, attending both clinical and theoretical workshops and rethinking with peers,” she explains. She admits that sometimes people have misconceptions about this branch of psychotherapy. “Psychoanalysis is not a case of ‘this means that’. It’s not so much explanation but interpretation; that is to say, giving an alternative reading. Patients will talk about whatever they like and I ask questions as they occur. There are moments of insight as the client unconsciously presents material for the therapist to read. But what they present is just the tip of the iceberg, especially as adults are more self-conscious and will censor their own expression.”

Both Nissenbaum and Apostolidis agree on the need to be directional when helping to heal. Nissenbaum argues that effective therapy shouldn’t last more than two to three years, or else the therapist-patient relationship has become unhealthy and dependent. “I believe our second most powerful instinct, after survival, is a resistance to change. Sometimes people aren’t ready to do the work. They want a therapist for five or six years to support their being victims. I don’t work with sick people – I’m in the business of change. Normally, part way through the first session, I get the ‘deer in headlights’ look when the patient realises they’re going to be set specific goals and do homework between sessions.”

Apostolidis concurs: “You shouldn’t stay isolated from the world, holding hands with your therapist. You work so you can go back into the world and not keep doing the same thing. No-one gets to be how they are in one day and it can’t be undone that quickly either but you should gradually feel something shifting.”

Are there differences between practising in the States and here? “Actually, no,” says Apostolidis. “When I started practising, I thought I’d get all these cultural differences. Perhaps the one difference was with the ex-pats, some of whom had attempted a geographical cure for their problems. Generally, the issues are parents, kids, relationships – all the same stuff.” Nissenbaum expands: “It doesn’t make a difference what the culture is – people are people. Problems include life transitions, relationships, family, health or addictions. I’ve noticed that people are going through what we used to call a mid-life crisis 10-15 years earlier. This phenomenon knows no cultural barriers and is occurring in men and women across the board.”

What, then, of the question of the best language in which to do therapy? Nissenbaum doesn’t believe it makes a difference whether or not someone is a native English speaker, especially as many Europeans and South Americans begin learning English at such an early age. “I have two or three Argentine clients who are basically as fluent in English as I am,” he says. Perhaps what matters more than the client’s mother tongue is that of the therapist. “Some of my clients had tried to go to Argentine therapists who claimed they spoke English as a second language but found their level just wasn’t good enough.”

On the other hand, Apostolidis recalls an Afghani patient in New York who tried to see an English therapist but didn’t know enough language to communicate. She surmises that, whilst a certain level of fluency is essential, “it’s not necessarily better to do therapy in your own language. The assumption that a person would always rather speak their first language is wrong. I know German and Swiss people who don’t know much Spanish so choose to do therapy in English, their second language. Equally, some speak Spanish very well but still choose English. Someone understanding you doesn’t have to do with whether or not they speak your first language.”

After all, in spite of the great emphasis placed on Freudian slips and suchlike, it is worth remembering that around 75% of communication is non-verbal. This includes body language, gestures and pauses as well as the literal meaning of ‘non-verbal’ – that which is not said, such as when a client forgets or purposely omits a detail. This non-verbal, however, requires the verbal in order to give it context and meaning.

Why might someone choose to do therapy in a language that is not their first? Apostolidis has some ideas. “In New York, I worked with Hispanic children and teenagers and for them, English was a way of separating from their families and finding their own identities. Also, Argentines who have lived abroad and returned sometimes choose to do therapy in English because they’ve been used to communicating in a language other than Spanish. They’ve lived a different experience and want to speak to someone who knows where they’re coming from. The unconscious is always finding ways to express itself and when you give it another language it takes advantage of the new material. It’s like the menu gets bigger and we have more choices of ways to say things. There’s a certain thrill that comes from adopting another language as a new currency of expression.”

Two years ago in Seattle, I had a three month love-affair with Bikram Yoga – then I ran out of money. Since then my life has become considerably less healthy – I’m not exactly in peak physical condition after so many smoky boliches, dancing the night away, and watching the sun come up on the ride home. Not to mention the innumerable choripans…

I decided to return to Bikram Yoga to give me some more stability – both physically and in my general life. It felt amazing and awful to step back into that sweltering room and sweat like there is no tomorrow.

Bikram Yoga is a 90 minutes series of 26 postures plus two breathing exercises – all performed in a hot room, exactly 42 degrees hot. The space is lined with mirrors and most participants are as undressed as prudently possible. Even I exposed the soft and dimply parts of my body, in tiny shorts and a sports bra, to stay cool.

The good news is: I had no time to be self-conscious. It was an hour and a half challenge to control my breathing and to bend that way. The sheer effort and focus required to follow the instructor’s directions quickly dissipated my nerves and I resigned to the torrents of sweat sliding off of me.

Jay Fairbank, from the US, co-owns Bikram Yoga Buenos Aires with his Chilean wife Carla Cristofori. They began practising Bikram in Texas in 2002, and were hooked right away.

Always athletic, Fairbank had conquered and become bored with many other forms of exercise before he found Bikram. He says he knew right away that it was the type of exercise he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Within six months he decided to become an instructor, and moved to Los Angeles for the nine-week training programme taught by creator Bikram Choudhury.

In 2009, they opened the first and only Bikram studio in Argentina – right off of Parque Las Heras in Buenos Aires. Fairbank said it started slower than he expected but class sizes have grown exponentially over time – with over two thousand visits in March.

“It’s been fun. It’s been hell. If it was easy, there would not be the value. And I think that goes with your practice also – if Bikram Yoga was easy you would not value it.”

The classes are for all levels of Bikram Yogis, but that doesn’t mean it is painless for beginners. With the overwhelming combination of heat and physical exertion, Fairbank explained that just one class is “not enough to really understand what is going on”.

First timers promotion is seven consecutive days for $65, the price of one walk-in class. They encourage people to go to everyday that first week to familiarize themselves with the series.

As Fairbank says, “Come with an open mind. No expectations. Just come.”

My first class in over two years was as brutal as it was enlightening. I was forced to realise how little control I have over my muscles, as some positions that had been easy, challenged my strength and flexibility again. When I started to panic about the heat, I had to look back on the peace of mind I used to have.

Fairbank became emotional when discussing how much people gain from Bikram. “I still don’t believe it,” he reflected, “Just by going in here for an hour and a half, and working out, people don’t realise, it’s so physical, but something happens in your metaphysical.”

The idea is that you push yourself farther than you think you can – challenge your body to override your mind’s limitations. At the end of the session, as they turn off the lights, and I lay on my mat soaked with sweat and fully exhausted, the most surprising sensation came over me. Gratitude. From myself to my body for taking on the challenge and doing something so good. This is the feeling that will propel me back tomorrow – regardless of how sore I’m going to be.

Rick Powell was homeless in Prague. Gib Wallis and his father bonded over burping. Kate Sedgwick got her eighth grade revenge. Last month, these three told their stories on a street-art backdrop, in front of an audience of strangers.

In a world with social networking and online dating – it feels like computer screens have taken over human contact. Second Story is a monthly opportunity for lovers-of-the-spoken-word to listen to and share some of their experiences publicly. It is shot of person-to-person interaction and sometimes even a dash of too-much-information.

Sedgwick, the creator of Second Story, is a writer, with background in performance. When she moved to Buenos Aires from the U.S. two years ago, she found a void in the city for English speakers who wanted to express themselves in person. According to Sedgwick, it was a partially selfish impulse because she didn’t feel her Spanish was good enough to try a local open mic. Finding inspiration from the myriad of story telling groups springing up in the United States, she created her own in Buenos Aires.

“It’s a performance. I think people enjoy listening to other people’s stories. I think we kind of miss that aspect of story telling – and that’s a human tradition. Oral histories of people. Not that any of these stories are approaching mythology or anything like that but it’s something the people bond with each other, that they get to know one another,” Sedgwick said, “It’s one of the oldest forms of entertainment. So I hope people get entertained.”

Participants are not beatniks with turtlenecks and bongos – they are real people telling true stories. The narratives don’t have to be autobiographical, but most are, and they can be equally hilarious and heartbreaking.

There is a bohemian vibe but that could be more due the venue – a high ceilinged apartment-turned-office in Recoleta. Home to art blog, Juanele, the office walls are multicolored graffiti painted by Argentine street-artists. There are dramatic images of skeletons riding horses, stencils of submarines, and a cat’s head on a snake’s body. With a space like that, it’s hard not to let out the inner artist.

The project has two parts. Workshops for participants and monthly shows – last time around 40 people came to watch.

The workshop for next week’s show was as social as it was productive. Four of the seven performers in the upcoming event sat around, eating crisps and brainstorming ideas. They provided feedback for each other and discussed the motivations or challenges that inspired them to perform.

At the last event, Powell, editor and founder of Juanele, presented an old blog entry. This time he is writing something specifically for Second Story, focusing on the performance aspect of the spoken word. To him storytelling events can be like “live blogging”.

He said bloggers have been online for the last 15 years, “exposing all forms of craziness to complete strangers, now people are standing up in front of live audiences and doing the same thing.”

The first Second Story event was held in January. By the second event, extra chairs had to be brought in. The positive response has made it mandatory for willing participants to RSVP.

On the first Thursday of every month audience members an opportunity to connect with strangers who are sharing personal anecdotes. It is an intimate interaction between spectator and performer for $10.

Amy Scott is an editor and translator who has been to the last two gatherings. She said, “It’s one thing to just read somebody’s blog every week or whatever, but having someone say the same experience standing up in front of you, it takes it to another level. You can see the person, you can hear their voice, you can talk to them afterwards. It puts a live, personal touch on the blogging.” Scott is currently preparing her own story for the upcoming show on 7th April – themed ‘The End of the Road’.

Lead Image by Sebastian Santana

So you are in Buenos Aires for a long-term stay and decided to apply for a job. As soon as your CV gets within arms length, reality strikes: it is in English and you need to translate it into a language you might not entirely dominate. After various failed attempts and particularly long Google translate sessions, the task becomes almost infuriating.

But if you can’t tell the difference between work experience and a work placement, and if you have no clue of their Spanish synonyms, don’t panic. The Audiovisual Translation staff may save the day.

As the name implies, Audiovisual Translation is a small company specialised in translating the audiovisual world. Run by Argentine literary, technical and scientific translator Janice Winkler and audiovisual specialist Simone Calbi from the US, it offers a wide variety of services. From TV, documentary and film scripts to adverts and websites, Audiovisual Translation’s main feature is that of a multifaceted, cross-cultural business. And their newest addition – CVs and resumes consultation and translation – looks most promising.

Language: a cultural surrounding

When Janice translated and adapted Simone’s and contributor William Wright’s resumes, the idea morphed into a new project. It soon became apparent that expats struggle when introducing themselves and communicating their knowledge to potential employers. And, as Janice and Simone explain, this is not a problem exclusively for non-Spanish speakers.

In fact, CVs and resumes vary enormously according to the country and the predominant usage or style. Therefore, translations might as well be necessary to adapt a Colombian Spanish CV to an Argentine Spanish version and vice versa. As Janice explains, it is a matter of formats and of giving “importance to the language as a cultural surrounding”.

For example, did you know “college” is a synonym to “university” in the US but refers to a tertiary level in the UK? Or have you noticed that in Argentina every CV must present an applicant’s photograph? As Simone clarifies, to someone from the US this would ring discrimination alarm bells, given the country’s history.

Hence, Audiovisual Translation is not about merely translating words, but keeping the essence and uniqueness of each client and their cultural background within a new cultural and linguistic perspective. Therefore, the first step to a successful resume is the consultation stage.

Clients can contact Janice and Simone and schedule a free of charge interview. The idea is to get to know them and specify the services they require. They will come up with a personalised and suitable plan, bearing in mind their client’s full requirements.

Resumes may need a format adaptation, a complete translation or restructuring. They might as well be created and written from scratch. And, as far as the linguistic aspect is concerned, possibilities are endless. The final outcome will vary depending on the customer’s profession, personality, trajectory, nationality and potential employers.

Additionally, it’s not just about resumes or immediate presentations. If the client’s profession and interests demand it, Janice and Simone will also build their blogs, write a biography or confection a portfolio that is appealing and suitable for a specific market.

An on-going learning process

Janice worked on her own as a translator from 2006 to 2007, specialising in TV and film productions. With time she realised the need for a native eye to ensure the accuracy of her work. That was when William Wright stepped in, later succeeded by Simone Calbi.

They have worked both with the independent circuit and with mainstream productions with a consistent professional stance: their main focus is people and not just documents. They understand the importance of a collaborative perspective on translations and regard their work as a “constant learning process”.

Above all, Audiovisual Translation stands out for its young, enthusiastic and creative take on translations. Most importantly, they offer customized services which adapt to their clients’ needs. This criterion is effectively reflected in the range of services they provide.

So how do they manage to even out cultural and linguistic differences? Audiovisual Translation embraces them. In Janice’s words, the secret is to “never, ever, be literal”. Success guaranteed.

In recent years English has become a desirable language to learn in a variety of industries across the world. As a result, TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) courses have sprung up around the globe, providing expats with a great way to earn some much needed money during their travels. Buenos Aires is no exception and hosts a plethora of such courses, making it hard to know where to begin. Here is your guide to the TEFL courses in BA that promise to get you off to the best start in teaching English abroad.

1. TEFL International Buenos Aires, Recoleta

Situated in the stunning former presidential manor of former president Carlos Pellegrini who presided over Argentina during Buenos Aires’ Golden Era at the end of the 19th century, TEFL International Buenos Aires is undoubtedly a tip-top place to start your career in English Language teaching.

What is now part of the Recoleta Institute, the manor has been completely transformed into a state-of-the-art setting to complete your studies. As well as retaining the beauty of the building that exemplifies the rich heritage that Buenos Aires has to boast, the school is fully kitted out with the latest resources to make the most of your time on the TEFL course. With a modern café, a multifunctional event space, technologically equipped classrooms and a relaxing lounge space that all open up to striking, mature courtyard style garden, TEFL International Buenos Aires is the perfect place to start honing your skills.

The course itself is just as impressive as the setting. No stone is left uncovered, offering students a variety of pathways to the successful completion of their qualification. To ease students into the TEFL course, a preparatory course is available as well as training in a foreign language, which helps to assist them on their time abroad, all culminating in creating a confident English language teacher.

With a focus on grammar, phonology and teaching techniques, which range from using theatre and reading activities to teaching young learners and classroom management, TEFL International Buenos Aires provide the student with a firm foundation.

Founded in 1998, TEFL International is now the largest course provider for teaching English as a foreign language in the world. Their qualifications are recognised all over the world and with schools in 27 locations in 18 different countries, alumni of are exposed to a wealth of opportunities across the world with their new qualification.

For more information on TEFL International Buenos Aires’ course, click here.

2. Expanish, Centro

A highly comprehensive course offered by Expanish, a leading Spanish language school that strives to make your experience in Argentina as smooth as possible. Now, the school offers a TEFL course that is completely to the same standard of their Spanish learning and study abroad programmes.

With a 150 hour course that is carried out over four weeks, the Expanish course provides students with thorough training that well exceeds the international requirements for certification, ensuring that students’ confidence is at a peak before they start teaching in a classroom.

Expanish also have the capability to organise accommodation with other TEFL students, making it a firm favourite amongst students that want to meet like-minded people in a sociable environment. Also, there is the option to be placed with a homestay family, allowing students to have an authentic experience in Argentina, learning the customs and culture of Buenos Aires and helping them to pick up some Spanish in an informal setting.

The school also offers travel excursions and offers courses in Tango in order to make the most of your time in Argentina. Expanish comes highly recommended for its organisation, breadth and sociable aspects.

Expanish School is located at Tte Gral D Perón 700. More information on their TEFL course can be found on their website www.expanish.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: AS OF MARCH 2011 EXPANISH NO LONGER OFFER TEFL COURSES, BUT REMAIN A LEADING SPANISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE IN THE CAPITAL.

3. EBC, Recoleta

EBC, also accredited by the British Council, provides a competitive course to those wishing to teach English abroad. Dedicated to producing superb teachers, EBC celebrates the variations of the English language and advertises their course accordingly by stating that students are trained to teach in whichever dialect they feel most comfortable.

Situated in the fashionable barrio of Recoleta, EBC also has a marvellous location on its side, which is continually attractive to students wanting to experience Buenos Aires at its best.

Providing training in techniques that help to teach an abundance of topics from vocabulary, grammar and classroom management, EBC’s TEFL course is aimed at making students feel comfortable in leading classes for a range of audiences. Group work and individual tasks are employed by professors in order to hone all of the skills developed on the course.

The course also has a brilliant practical side with at least eight, one hour practice lessons that students will lead themselves. Peer assessed, these are made to easily to iron out any flaws in teaching technique with friendly feedback.

The EBC TEFL also introduces students to ESP (Business English), which proves invaluable to those wishing to teach English in multinational companies. EBC also provides students with support in realising their potential in roles that their TEFL qualification can lead to with workshops that explore their different pathways and interview techniques, teaching students how to best take advantage of their new skills.

For more information on EBC’s TEFL course, click here.

4. Íbero School Argentina, Centro

Situated a stone’s throw from Buenos Aires’ famous Obelisk monument in San Nicolás, Íbero School Argentina is fully capable of providing a fun, interesting and original TEFL course for students that want to be in the thick of the city.

With a constant attitude aimed at improving their courses and ensuring that their resources are of the highest calibre, Íbero certainly is a brilliant place to receive your TEFL certification as they strive to expose students to the latest techniques in language teaching. Having trained a whole host of alumni and worked for various companies such as CNN, British Airways, the BBC and The Washington Post, Íbero has unbeatable experience in its TEFL training.

The TEFL is taught in a practical way with many games and activities that help the students engage with the course. It has also been designed by leading linguists in their fields and is accredited internationally by a variety of bodies including the British Council.

Another option which Íbero offers is a combined TEFL and Spanish Language course, which helps students to grasp the Spanish language as well as gain their teacher training qualification, allowing them to hit the ground running in whilst living in Buenos Aires. This is also a great opportunity for those that wish to travel around Latin America to teach in various locations.

With a brilliant ethic that continually focuses on the needs of students, international accreditation, competitive rates and an innovative course, Íbero comes highly recommended.

For more information on the Íbero School Argentina’s TEFL course, click here.

5. Mente Argentina, Recoleta

Mente Argentina provides a programme that is completely all inclusive, providing accommodation, a mobile phone for your time in Argentina, excursions, tango lessons and of course, an internationally recognised TEFL certificate.

With a detailed TEFL course that starts every month, Mente Argentina has flourished as one of the city’s leading TEFL providers for people that want to study towards new qualifications in Buenos Aires. The course covers the essentials in teaching English from grammar and vocabulary and the institute even offers supplementary classes in photography, tango, cooking and bar tendering, allowing students to hone several skills and explore new interests all under the same roof.

According to their website, their TEFL course is certified by the University of Cambridge, highlighting its stature as a qualification in the eyes of future employers.

With friendly staff that endeavour to help each and every student, Mente Argentina is a great place to gain the TEFL passport to working and living abroad!

For more information on Mente Argentina’s TEFL course, click here.

A much needed rest for Spanish-weary ears, tune into the growing number of English language radio shows in Buenos Aires. Everything from expert horologists to the true meaning of ‘boludo.’ A combination of new music, roundtable discussions, and stimulating interviews, the Buenos Aires airwaves are host to a number of programmes posed to take you behind the scenes of the city without the use of a Webster’s.

The Typical Mistake, Palermo Radio 94.7

Consider ‘The Typical Mistake’ your alternative education while in Buenos Aires. Perhaps slightly inane, this English language show will take you to places you wouldn’t usually go. And you don’t even have to leave your room. Easy to find on Palermo’s main station or online, the three co-hosts will introduce you to the Indonesian ambassador, a professional poker player and an horologist – a specialist in big clocks who studied at Big Ben; incidentally, show founder and host, Guillermo Ruben’s, favourite guest. “Also the bagpipers,” he adds in, “they really bought down the house. The phone was ringing off the hook.”

Guillermo Rubens started The Typical Mistake 11 years ago with the idea that there were no other English language radio shows in Buenos Aires. Since then, the weekly talk-show has blossomed, welcoming in a number of co-hosts who hail from every corner of the globe and cover every obscure information niche imaginable. The show also conducts interviews with specialists based in Buenos Aires, inviting diplomats and the heads of Argentine scientific societies; as Guillermo enthusiastically informs me, “the cartographers are coming!”

The show is aimed at tourists, but Guillermo, being a teacher by profession also makes the show of interest to English language classes. “But what I like about it the most, is that people listen online from other countries.” Indeed, Guillermo never fails to give an international shout out each time he is on air.

“I try not to have the show be all that ‘current’ because that’s not what its about; the idea of the show is culture, to dispense knowledge that you didn’t have before and that’s interesting.” As Guillermo and co-host Mark Shaw explain, the show is made up of small episodes that focus on interviews with interesting characters rather than providing an up to date agenda of what is going on in the city. However each show promises something unique. Though you may never have asked, The Typical Mistake will leave you one step ahead of the crowd, nevertheless.

Tune in, Mondays at 3pm, online www.ipradio.com.ar/asx/fmpalermo.asx or 94.7 FM, Radio Palermo

BA Live, Urbana 89.5

In a very different vain is Sorrel Moseley-Williams’ BA Live on Urbana 89.5. A welcome break from the stale 80s pop that drifts in and out of taxi windows, and still haunts many dance floors in the city, BA Live offers the latest beats selected by in-house DJ Rama, who runs some of the biggest club nights in Buenos Aires.

The idea was born last June, as a result of a hazy night at a Los Alamos gig and a chance meeting with a woman who works for BA Metro 95.1 and is also involved with the electronic music festival, Creamfields. “We got together, knocked a few ideas around, and came up with the show.” Sorrel, who also works for the Buenos Aires Herald, sees the broadcast as an extension of her time on the entertainment desk. “I wanted to bring in some news, but also really, just what’s going on, because there isn’t really a format for that.” Interrupting the music which runs almost solidly, Sorrel introduces gigs, gallery openings, new restaurants and other local events.

“The idea is to have different guests, English speakers, but also Argentines who can talk about stuff that is going on – for example, Jonah from Los Alamos talks about the latest gigs, and Liz Gleeson from Buenos Aires Time Out comes in a lot.” Anything from chefs to film directors, depending on what’s happening in the city. “Bite size information, broken down into sections,” she explains.

“The show is not aimed at foreigners, but is for anyone who speaks English and wants to know what’s going on.” But spoken information is kept at a minimum. Instead, Sorrel and DJ Rama focus on bringing in music that isn’t often heard on the other radio stations of Buenos Aires. A perfect place to tune into the city, BA Live will keep you in the know and up-to-date, all to the beat of freshly spun rhythms.

Thursdays 9-11pm, Radio Urbana 89.5. www.urbana895fm.com.ar

Public Radio Foreign Service (RAE): English Language News Broadcast

Part of Argentina’s Public Radio Foreign Service (RAE), Fernando Ferías works hard to keep a dying tradition alive. In the 1940s public radio was the foremost source of news throughout the country and short wave radio once projected the central image Argentina across international seas. However with the rise of FM, television and the internet, short wave stations are now only picked up by ‘DX-ers’ or “hobbyists who search for short wave radio on an instrument which is no longer made.”

Still, show host Fernando Ferías remains committed to the station which makes up part of the international service of Argentine radio.  “Each country is given a number of airwaves,” he explains. “Its part of a nation’s sovereignty and in order to protect it, you must also preserve airspace.”  

Searching the airwaves for RAE with an old-fashioned radio device is an exercise in sepia-toned fascination. Wondering who else, across the globe or at sea is witnessing this live piece of weekly history from the other side of the world. However, beyond the romantic remnants of old-time radio broadcasts, RAE also presents an overview of the national news, provided by a team of journalists and translators who are devoted to the numerous foreign language short wave stations of Radio Nacional.

The news presented casts a broad eye over Argentina, as it is aimed “at listeners in other countries.” The straight-forward national headlines, illustrated with Argentine folk music and profiles of historical figures, offers a classic take on radio that harks back to the beginnings of the BBC World Service and some of the earliest international broadcasts: An uncluttered round up of current-affairs, with an eye to the political and cultural history of Argentina.

Stream the episodes at www.radionacional.com.ar, Aired over shortwave, daily 3-4pm

Dan and Fernando’s Podcast

Dan Karlin and Fernando Ferías like to think of themselves as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, though they are unclear who is who. Indeed, their two-man show is an exercise in duality as they drift between expat and local, expert and novice. But neither is right or wrong. Instead, they aim to examine life in Buenos Aires as a fusion of culture; a study in the new direction of a shared global existence.

“I don’t think there is any one who is doing anything like this; we see these podcasts as a way to fuse many different areas of life, not only Spanish with language, but music with language, film with language, left with right, right with left.” Their podcast is built around group discussions that examine foreign words, unfamiliar concepts, the intersection of ideas. “Real dialogue, real discussion,” explains the enthusiastically gesticulating Dan. What does ‘intellectual’ mean in Spanish and English? The bus stop as an example of Argentine culture. How to use ‘boludo.’ What would happen if an Argentine joined the US Army? And they’re finding new answers everyday.

The free-flowing roundtable discussions, populated by experts or people with a unique point of view, are edited into twenty minutes shorts, perfect for the morning commute to work. “People are busy in Buenos Aires,” chimes in Dan. “They don’ have time to tune in to the radio. You need a car for that.” Instead, the portable podcast format promises an education on the go. And Dan and Fernando’s tireless search for a sound-bite of truth will keep you entertained for the length of a bus ride. Depending on the traffic.

Download or listen to the weekly podcasts at, http://bacast.com/ or subscribe on iTunes.

Lead Photo by Jessie Akin