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 – not to mention the innumerable choripans…

Let’s get this straight: there are two kinds of pole dancing – pole for strippers and pole for exercise. And the latter could be the perfect remedy for a failed New Year’s resolution, as Jessica McGovern discovers.

Overdone it during the holidays? Feeling the need to kick-start the new year back to health, but the heat making you reluctant to go for a run or do anything too strenuous? Why not make yoga one of your new years resolutions… and if your Spanish is not feeling up to it, fear not! There [...]

Spring is here, Buenos Aires is heating up, and everyone is already thinking about where to go in the summer. But how do you shake off the effects of all the malbecs and milanesas that got you through the winter?

Food has always been a huge part of my life, and when I decided to come to Argentina, just one word came to mind: empanadas. No stranger to the kitchen but a novice in Argentine fare, I decided it was time to strap on an apron and finally learn just how they make those little pockets of heaven.

Too many options can be overwhelming. This applies whether you are standing in the supermarket staring at a wall of 13 different brands of dulce de leche, trying to decide which omnibus company will provide the least painless 20-hour journey, or searching for a Spanish school because your broken Castellano has been met with blank stares.

Whether you are a hardcore yogi or a curious beginner there is no shortage of yoga classes in Buenos Aires. Walking around Palermo or Barrio Norte, it sometimes it feels like you see a studio on every block. But if you want to get in on action, yet still don’t feel confident following instructions in Spanish, there are now two classes on offer especially for English speakers.

“Está Porteñosiendose” assure musicians when they explain the presence of a Californian saxophonist turned bandoneonist in their tango orquesta. The cultural oddity they are referring to is Ben Bogart, who alongside playing for the high-profile Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce, gives bandonéon lessons to students based in the US or Europe over Skype.

When I think about the art of mime, the first memory that springs to mind is of a Marcel Marceau show I saw when I was a child. This image, combined with the miming performances I have seen on the street, made me think that mimes were provided with special skills I will never have. Going to Alberto Ivern’s class proved I was wrong.

Spanish schools are now using new technologies to make their classes even more flexible. As it is often difficult to accommodate our lives to an intensive course, as it often involves moving to a Spanish speaking city and put our life on the side for some time. It is also sometimes difficult to find native teachers where you live. More and more, Spanish schools start giving online classes to accommodate to their students lives.