Argentina Study Abroad






Blog Argentina Study Abroad 2008

Study Abroad to Argentina Website

First Class Information (Powerpoint)



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Business Culture (MSWord)

Economy (MSWord)

History (MSWord)

Politics (MSWord)



Introduction

Argentina is one of the most important economies of Latin America. Its association with Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (with the possible additions of Chile and Bolivia) in the Mercosur , created one of the most important markets in Latin America. Furthermore, the wave of privatization and market deregulation in the last decade had attracted foreign investments to the country. Nonetheless, the recent economic and political crisis has generated uncertainty on the direction of the economic policy of the country. This study abroad trip is a wonderful opportunity to understand the business culture of Argentina , their points of views on the crisis and the role of the country and the Mercosur in the World Economy. Furthermore, the richness of its culture provides an incomparable personal experience.


City of Buenos Aires


Located on the side of the River Plate, the city of Buenos Aires is one of the most impressive cities in the world.




With over 10 million people living in the city and suburbs, most of the industry, businesses and financial sectors with headquarters in the city, you will have an amazing opportunity to understand the business and economic situation of the country. Downtown Buenos Aires is the most important financial and banking center of the country. The main banks headquarters, the stock exchange, the Central Bank and most of the offices of the most important business groups (Repsol-YPF, Telefonica, Telecom, Molinos ,Siderca) are located within walking distance. Furthermore, the Ministry of Economy, the Argentine National Bank, the Tax Agency, and the rest of the ministries are located in the same small area. This concentration of economic and political power of a country in downtown Buenos Aires is unique.



Cultural Life

The cultural opportunities in Buenos Aires are beyond any previous preconception about the city. Buenos Aires has the richest cultural resources of any other city in Latin America. It is the birthplace of the Tango and you can find it everywhere in the streets.


You could enjoy an evening with a Tango show and dinner, or find a photograph of Carlos Gardel , the most popular tango singer in Buenos Aires (Tango by Gardel), in any café. If you want modern tango, then you should ask about Piazzolla and its revolutionary impact on this musical genre. But, Buenos Aires offers more than Tango. Among young people, Argentine Rock, and their many groups and singers (Charly Garcia, Calamaro, Los Redondos, Soda Stereo, Ratones Paranoicos Las Pelotas, Divididos, Fito Paez, Leon Gieco, among many others), are very popular. The music coming from the blue collar suburbs that surrounds Buenos Aires can be even more popular.

As for classical music, Buenos Aires offers you one of the most exquisite opera houses of the world, the Teatro Colon(Colon Theater). Furthermore, opera singers, performers and ballet dancers are popular celebrities here.


Walking around the city you will find an impressive mix of architectonic stiles, from the palaces and apartment buildings of late XIX and early XX centuries (the golden era of Argentina),



to the modern financial downtown of the city, reinvigorated in the 1990s.




Furthermore, the different neighborhoods of the city offer many possibilities of entertainment, from the antique and flea markets in San Telmo,
,

the parks in Palermo,


the performers and impressive gardens in the Recoleta,

to the colorful neighborhood of La Boca


and the crowded shops in Florida Street.


Buenos Aires is also the center of the National Government and the political power of the nation. Government buildings and monuments offer a wonderful history lesson to the visitors. The office of the President of the country is called the Pink House (Casa Rosada), and it is actually pink!!!


From the Casa Rosada you can see the Plaza de Mayo, which has been the gathering point for Argentines to demonstrate for or against the government. The richness of the history of this place for the people of the city and the country is impressive.

If you look from the Casa Rosada, through Avenida de Mayo, you will see the Congress of the Nation. Over there is where the Deputies (like the Lower Chamber in the U.S.) and the Senators (Senate) meet.


Walking from the Casa Rosada to the Congress, you will find an impressive architectonic style of massive buildings and offices and magnificent old trees in the sidewalks.


There are numerous public buildings, which are major atractions in Buenos Aires like the National Library( Photo) and the Cathedral



For an excellent expresso and some good time with friends, Buenos Aires is the perfect place. You can find Cafés all around the city, and you can enjoy the main pastime of the Porteńos (as the people of Buenos Aires are called), which is to sit in a café for hours and talk and discuss almost any topic, although politics and soccer are the main ones.

Some of these cafés are very old and have historical and cultural value, like the Café Tortoni , founded in 1858. The Tortoni was the meeting point for intellectuals in the first decades of the XX century and is now one of the most important icons of the city. There are many cultural activities in the Tortoni, including a live radio show that runs every day at 12 am. That’s right, in Buenos Aires, and all of Argentina, people stay up late, enjoying the evening, even though they will go to work early the next morning. That is why what used to be the main theater street of the city, calle Corrientes, was called the "calle que nunca duerme" (the street that never sleeps).


In terms of sports, Argentines are very proud of their soccer national team, which won two World Cups in 1978 and 1986.
If you ask Argentinians, Diego Maradona is considered a national hero. Furthermore, his immense popularity gives him authority to talk of any issue, generating controversy almost immediately. You can even hear some of the many songs dedicated to "el Diego". In Buenos Aires you will find the two most popular and archrival soccer teams, River Plate and Boca Juniors. The former is located in the well-being neighborhood of Nuńez in the north of the city, and the second one in the popular and poor neighborhood of La Boca, in the south of the city.



Other Cultural Activities

Argentineans are very proud of their writers. You can enjoy the writings of some excellent authors, like Borges, Cortazar, Bioy Casares, Sabato, Eloy Martinez, Soriano, just to mention the most popular, which have been recognized internationally. Traditional literature from the Pampas includes the famous work El Martin Fierro, written in the XIX century by Jose Hernandez.
Even humorists have been internationally successful, like Quino with his genial creation Mafalda,

Mafalda 10 (1974) Man: "Changing the world! Ha! Kids' stuff!"
Man: "I, too, had such ideas when I was young, and now you see..."
Mafalda: "We're doomed, guys! It turns out, if we don't hurry up and change the world, the world changes us!"

Caloi and the very popular Clemente.



Food in Buenos Aires

Argentina is well known by the quality of their meat, coming from the roaming herds of cattle in the Pampas. Restaurants that especialize in preparing argentine meat abund in Buenos Aires. International award winning wines are also part of the Argentine experience.



Furthermore, you can enjoy many other types of foods, from Italian and Spanish cuisine, to the delicious breads and pastries in the Argentine bakeries.

The Pampas

When leaving Buenos Aires you will find one of the most fertile lands in the world, the Pampas, the main source of wealth for the opulent city.


This region has a rich culture and customs, which are embodied in the figure of the Gaucho.

There is a very rich culture in the Pampas , reflected in their customs , literature, music, the Asado and the Mate. The Mate is the most popular drink in Argentina, Uruguay and south of Brazil. It is prepared with Yerba Mate, a small gourd (mate) with a straw (bombilla) and hot water. This is a social drink, since the same container is refilled and passed around among the group.