spanish is intriguing

"We speak Spanish.. mainly because it's the language that we speak."

Jaja.. great commercial for Kahlua, using Spanish, an "intriguing language..."

back in the usa

First stop in the States after 7.5 months away: Miami International Airport.

And so far… not much of a difference.

Everyone speaks Spanish and English, all the signs are in Spanish and English, it’s warm outside, it’s an airport…

BUT – I see English magazines (Time, Newsweek, Cosmo, People, Us!), American candy (Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers!), Dunkin’ Donuts, and most importantly – bagels!

Although, I’m waiting until New Jersey for the real thing. I've waited this long, I can wait a few more hours...

spanish in argentina

Argentine Spanish is not easy. Even native Spanish speakers from other countries sometimes have trouble understanding the Argentines. Coming here I had to throw out some of what I learned in high school Spanish, such as:

• "You'll never need to use vos, don't even study it." You'll never need to use vos... except in Argentina.
  

• Pollo, me llamo, tortilla... all pronounced with the ll as y, right? wrong. ll = sh.

Add to that some unfamiliar vocabulary (ex: strawberry = frutilla, not fresa), it's no surprise that after 4 months of living here I find it easier to speak with my Colombian roommate of 1 month than anyone on the streets of BA. I have fully adjusted to pronouncing the ll the Argentine way, but understanding it is not always easy, and I'm still using tu instead of vos. Of course, I do learn more and more everyday, and am thankful that I am (almost) fully immersed in the language.

Like a lot of other cities, BA has its own dictionary of slang, but unlike a lot of cities, I think it's thicker than normal. Courtesy of my fellow-DC-friend-who-also-quit-his-job-to-move-abroad, here is a guide to some BA slang.