Women expats and helpers who live in Buenos Aires have voluntarily given their time to put together ‘Hola, Buenos Aires!’ e-book for those wishing to relocate to Argentina’s capital city. The ladies are from all over the world and, after experiencing the city first-hand, decided to take an old, spiral-bound city guide that they had found in the University Women’s Club of Buenos Aires, update it and turn it into a modern manual for managing the metropolis.

The first edition of the book was published in 1989 with six or seven contributing women. It was then updated, with the last print edition publishing in 2003. The new e-book is a result of the efforts of 23 contributing ladies, including some who no longer live in Buenos Aires, but helped out with editing and proof-reading.

All proceeds from the US$14.99 cover price of the e-book will go to the Association of Sponsors of Rural Students and Schools (APAER), an Argentine NGO that promotes education in disadvantaged rural schools.

The book covers topics ranging from food, traffic, the ‘how-to’ of everyday life (like paying bills, when stores are open), to coping with culture-shock. The Argentina Independent had the chance to sit down with one of the project’s leaders, Michal Leon, who has been living in BA since October 2009. She is an entrepreneur as well as wife of the South African ambassador to Argentina. Although their time in Buenos Aires was up at the end of September, Michal felt it would be helpful to update the book for those choosing to move to Buenos Aires, helping them to have an easy and accessible guide to help them in the integration process. In a way, the digital version of ‘Hola, Buenos Aires!’ is her legacy in Buenos Aires.

“When you move to a country with someone from that culture, the shock is much softer, but for those who do not have that, this book will help them,” Michal explained.

When it comes to the basics, the book also helps out on letting sojourners know things to expect that you are not expecting, like food. The simpler things, like peanut butter, tomato juice, tomato and bean sauce, just do not exist. Hot sauce is also hard to come by, although some foreigners have taken on the challenge themselves.

There is a section on where to find a screwdriver or how to get your laundry done if you do not have a washing machine, as well as sections that have information for those who are bringing pets, or even legal matters that expand beyond the embassy. There is a chapter for those who are choosing to leave Argentina and how to prepare for that, too.

“The book is meant to prepare people who choose to live in Argentina for a month up to forever,” Michal added.

The book was released online on Monday and costs US$14.99. All proceeds go to APAER. To download the book, visit: www.uwcba.com.ar.

University Women's Club (Photo: Melissa Riggall)

It’s 12.30pm on a Tuesday afternoon. The dining room at the Pur Sang club in Recoleta is filled with tables draped in white and the hum of chatter. It’s time for the monthly luncheon of the Buenos Aires University Women’s Club.

The Club was founded in May 1935 and celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. It was originally created for English-speaking women with university degrees, though this latter criterion has since been broadened to include all higher education qualifications. “The best things about the Club are its longevity, its transparency, such as publishing finances, and the way it values women for who they are,” says member Joanna Richardson.

This isn’t your average ‘ladies who lunch’ situation; the initial premise of the club was to further cultural and educational interests and the 2011 Board cling tightly to this aim.

Current activities include a language and music course entitled ‘Italian Through Opera’, French conversation classes and ‘Spanish Through Experience’, where participants make trips to places of cultural interest and learn some associated vocabulary. Cinema and theatre outings take place, followed by discussion, and recently there was a special members-only tour of the Teatro Colón. On the literary side, there is a “lively” Book Club and workshops for budding and established writers to hone their skills. It seems there is a wealth of literary expertise available; last month, member Bonnie Ridley Kraft published her book in the USA, a work set in Czechoslovakia after the fall of communism.

The idea that learning should not stop after university seems to underpin many of the group’s activities. The luncheons, to which members can bring male and female guests, each feature a talk on an interesting issue. In March, for example, the South African ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay spoke about the life of Nelson Mandela.

Marilyn Fogg (Photo: Melissa Riggall)

April’s speaker was Marilyn Fogg, whose talk was entitled: ‘Neuro Linguistic Programming and Improved Communications.’ Despite its scarily scientific-sounding title, the talk was jargon-free and focused on reading body language and the importance of non-verbal communication versus verbal (93% against 7%, apparently).

We were asked to complete exercises in pairs such as experimenting with different distances between us whilst conversing. The floor was thrown open to questions and amusing personal anecdotes were shared. The conclusion: good communication is vital in all areas of life.

As we were treated to a lunch of sole followed by Capellina with ice-cream, I chatted to president Patricia Caviezel, originally from Buffalo, New York. “We’ve recently had a few international members go back home so it would be good to welcome some new members,” she told me. Currently, the age range of the women is from thirties up to 96, but they would also welcome younger women to maintain the Club’s strength through diversity. The 150 members represent 15 nationalities including Argentine, South African, North American, Japanese, British and Austrian. The accents are as varied as the women’s life stories.

Caviezel, for example, came to Buenos Aires in the ‘60s on a two-month art teaching exchange programme and ended up meeting her now husband. She taught for many years at an American international school, where her career encompassed the last dictatorship and the Falklands dispute. She continues to paint and to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Women's University Club (Photo: Melissa Riggall)

There are ambassadors’ wives, doctors, writers and women from many other professions. I meet Beatriz Whiteman, a retired teacher and translator, whose father was English and mother Argentine. She enjoys the club as it gives her a chance to keep up her English. Fellow Argentine and hospitality chairwoman Sandra Affranchino agrees: “I went to English school as a child so our meetings are a good chance to practice. It’s a great exchange. You get to know others from around the world and their different ways of thinking and living.”

The Club’s motto is ‘Friendship and learning through the universal mind’. Here in Recoleta I have encountered a special group of women who are eager to get to know both each other and the world in which they live.