Going to Brazil???
Our top Brazil expert and SAE Volunteer, Caroline Major, spent 6 months volunteering in Brazil within and travelled the country during her stay. The records of her trip are invaluable to the traveller about to embark upon their Brazil experience. So, please come in to the clubhouse and read THREE indepth articles about her experiences to ensure you make the most out of your all-important trip.

Made in San Telmo.Come by the clubhouse and pick up a copy of the San Telmo Tourist Guide: a pocket guide to San Telmo that provides quick information on cultural centers and exhibitions, local events, bars and restaurants, and more! You can also check out their website for information at: www.madeinsantelmo.com.

Poke us, befriend us. We're part of the social networking revolution too. Join our SAE BuenosAires clubhouse myspace and/or facebook fan page. Find us online at www.myspace.com/saebuenosaires and www.facebook.com (search for Buenos Aires Clubhouse SAE.)

Pick one up! Get South is a fantastic free guide we have that features pages and pages of invaluable tips and information on life in Argentina. It has discounts on hotels, tours and trips all over Argentina. We also have copies of the latest Traveller's Guru! All you need to know about travelling in Argentina and chillin' in the Capital. Both are free so swing by and pick one up!

Cinema Event at the Clubhouse (2nd run!!!)
Tuesday 19th May 09 @ 3pm in the clubhouse
The film: 'Entre Los Muros' (translated... 'Between the Walls.')

For those of you who missed this event last week, we're running it again. So, at 3pm meet us in the clubhouse where there'll be a lot of information for you to read so you can get clued up about the film. 'Entre Los Muros' is actually a French movie, with Spanish subtitles, which will be good language practice for all concerned. However, the most interesting thing about the movie is that it was filmed by Laurent Cantet using an improvisational style - not too dissimilar from the likes of Mike Leigh (for all you film buffs out there!). The film is set within a French inner city school full of teenagers with discipline problems. The children in the film are NOT actors. They are real children, living lives like the ones depicted in the films and were encouraged to simply improvise infront of the camera throughout a fair portion of the film. Really....this is not an event to miss!!!

After the film, which is being shown in the beautiful Arteplex cinema next door to the clubhouse, we invite you to take part in a discussion about the film in the cinema's fantastically eclectic cafe. All in all, this should be a fantastic afternoon, including culture, language practice and plenty of good, old-fashioned chat! Don't mss out!

Finally, we've decided to run cinema events in the future two times in a row incase members can't make the first event. If Tuesday or indeed the time of these events is not really good for you, please write in to tell me at buenosairesclubhouse@gmail.com Perhaps we could schedule the events on different days and at different times each week, for instance. Let me know!

SPANISH CONVERSATION CLASS* (EVERY) Wednesday.
Next lesson: Wednesday, May 20th at 3:30pm @ the clubhouse.
Learn how to string your words together! Join us every Wednesday for an informal conversation class with a teacher from ELE BAIRES. RSVP encouraged.
FREE for members and $8 pesos for non-members.
Email us at: saebuenosaires@saexplorers.org

Historical Talk with Alem School
The BA Clubhouse is proud to say that we are hosting an event in association with the Alem School here in the BA Clubhouse this week. The details about the event are listed below.

Thursday 21st May 09 @ 2pm in the clubhouse
AR$5 (members)
AR$8 (non-members)

The talk is going to be given by members of the Alem School (information about the school is given below) and will focus on 25th May, why Argentines celebrate the day and when the holiday celebrations first began.

Details about Alem School

Martin Vazquez Grille and Pedro Nazar Anchorena run Alem Spanish School, located on Lavalle 166 5A, just a few meters away from Plaza de Mayo and Puerto Madero. The school has a very friendly atmosphere with a very welcoming and informative staff. They offer both individual classes and group classes and all of the materials are included in the price of the class. They also provide Internet Access, Wi-Fi, Hot and cold drinks during class breaks, and air conditioning.

Think in Spanish
Argentine History Class
May Revolution Day
The May Revolution was a series of political and social events in the nineteenth century in the city of Buenos Aires which installed the first local government not designated by the Spanish Crown in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, which at the time contained the present-day nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Although the Revolution took place only in Buenos Aires, one of the consequences was that the head of the Viceroyalty, Viceroy Cisneros, was ousted from office. Involved in these acts were mostly middle-high to high-class inhabitants of Buenos Aires (most native Spanish ex-patriates or residents of Spanish descent). There was no great violence involved; the term "revolution" has been loosely applied by Argentine tradition to highlight the changing of their governmental system and distinguish the undisputed fact that after the May Revolution, Buenos Aires itself was no longer subservient to decisions taken by Spain in their name.

Alem Spanish School
Studying in Alem Spanish School will allow you to get in touch with the history of the city, have easy access to practical linguistic experience and several cultural activities to enjoy Buenos Aires. Located where the ancient Buenos Aires used to be, a few meters away from Plaza de Mayo and Puerto Madero, Alem Spanish School is connected with the most important metro and bus lines, making it very easy for you to reach popular neighbourhoods like Palermo and San Telmo. All our teachers at Alem Spanish School are very well qualified with Master's Degree in Education. They have many years of classroom experience and are very dedicated to their students and profession. Alem Spanish School Lavalle 166 5º "A" Tel (011 54) 5252-0404 www.alemspanishschool.com.ar

ADVANCED WARNINGS! ADVANCED WARNINGS! ADVANCED WARNINGS!
From now on, we will be giving you advance warnings on the events we're organising so that you can plan your BA experience with time and care. This week therefore we are alerting you to the following:

Deaf Culture in BA Seminar
Tuesday 26th May @ 2pm - 4pm in the Clubhouse is a seminar about deaf culture in Buenos Aires. The talk is going to be given by one of the associates of Villasoles, which is a sign language institute here in BA. The institute gives sign language courses as well as offering a degree course for people interested in becoming deaf interpreters.
AR$5 (for members) AR$8 (for NON members)

San Telmo Gallery Hop and Wine-Tasting
On Friday 29th May (from 5.30pm approx – but we’ll confirm next week) in San Telmo (Mexico 459) you can join us for a gallery hop and wine-tasting evening beginning in a one-off event beginning at the Masottatorres gallery at the above address. The gallery has invited various local contemporary artists from the city and they will be showcasing their most recent work to date. After this gallery, we’ll be heading off to two other galleries close by for more fun and culture through organised talks. The final gallery will be a good place to stop and have a drink too.
AR$10 (for members) AR$20 (for NONmembers)

RSVP to saebuenosaires@saexplorers.org to reserve your place for BOTH!

Lastly, on the first Saturday of June, the BA Clubhouse is hosting an Artesanal Beer Tasting Event. A local Argentine (read about him in the Argentine Focus section) will be giving on talk on how the beer is made, where's it's sold and you can sample the three different varities!!! Listen out for updates!!!

Avenida Charcas

Let's recap. Since arriving at the BA Clubhouse, I've recommended a late night cafe, the best in empanadas and the place to head to for the best of Argentina's meat. This week, therefore, I have decided not to simply recommend yet another place to eat, but an entire street of places.

Charcas, in-between Colonel Diaz and Raul Scalabrini Ortiz, is an excellent place to head to for a number of different treats. There are a variety of pavement cafes, ice cream shops and restaurants along the entire length of this strip and every single one has something a little different to offer. This little pocket of heaven is still buzzing with activity at 9pm on Sunday evenings and full of a more noticeable Argentine clientele.

I enjoyed a decadent dulce de leche ice-cream in Victoria's Cream on the corner of Charcas and Colonel de Diaz last Sunday evening, but wished that I had found out about the different hot-spots on offer earlier on in the day when I could have actually enjoyed a complete meal in one of the parilla restaurants a little further along. The food looked great and the places, very comfortable.

So, take yourself along this weekend, maybe after some window shopping on Santa Fe and write in to tell me which of the many places to choose from was your favourite bite.

Ateneo Book Store on Santa Fe
Are you a book worm? I am! and I love Ateneo's bookstore on Santa Fe. It is pretty famous and all the guide books will have told you about it already, but I feel it is important to reiterate what a great little treasure trove for the wandering book lover this place really is. For those of you who don't know, the Santa Fe Ateneo book store used to be a theatre where the likes of Carlos Gardel used to perform, but is now home to thousands and thousands of books.

The theatre was constructed in 1919 by a young man named Max Glucksman who named it The Grand Splendid. In 1924, he began broadcasting a radio station, entitled Radio Splendid, from the fourth floor of the building and recorded a number of albums with the great tango music makers of the day. In the late twenties, The Grand Splendid was converted into a cinema and began showing the first of the films made with sound. Its final transformation was into the book store as we know it today. Therefore, not only is this bookshop a great place to buy quality music and books, but it also has a beautiful history that oozes from its very pores from the moment you arrive.

More than a simple book shop, Ateneo is in itself a tribute to the arts and literature in particular. I love the lights, I love the balconies (where you can sit with a good book and spend almost half of the day reading quietly without distraction), I love the colours and the grand nature of the layout as well as the range of literature on offer. There are authors from across the globe and books in many languages. There's also a little cafe situated on what used to be the theatre's ample stage and it's a lovely little spot. It is rather expensive, as it is serviced by a waiter and they regularly have a pianist playing during the early evenings – only the best for the Ateneo elite! However, if you fancy an after-work treat, this café will make you feel like royalty catching up on that all-important new best seller (whether you've bought the text or not!...Oooops.....did I really admit to that?!)

What's more, now that the rain has finally come to Buenos Aires, those long mornings or afternoons that can be whiled away in the comfort of a warm and snug environment need to be sought after. Ateneo provides one of those places and the store on Santa Fe does so with magic and grace. Indeed, that really is the only way to truly describe this city attraction......magic and grace.

'Nat Beer': Artesanal Beer (black, red and Amber) made locally and coming to the SAE Cluhouse
Last weekend, I was invited out by a couple of Argentine friends to sample some artesanal beer here in the city. The beer, called Nat Beer, is an oatmeal stout made by a local Argentine called Hernan Francisco Natalichioand sold in a couple of ferias close to the city as well as a few outlets within the centre itself.

To be honest, I'm not a big beer drinker. I much prefer a good shot of rum or vodka to sail briskly into the weekend with style, but as an invited guest I felt it important to sample what was on offer and I have to say that I actually liked the taste. In simple terms, the beverage is similar in many ways to a Guinness (at least, the black beer variety is...I didn't try the red or the amber). It’s fair to say that it’s a little less heavy and far less bitter, but as a crude idea of what’s on offer the comparison serves well enough. Also, there's no tacky after-taste in your mouth (something that I don’t like from most beers on the market) and it’s very smooth, almost silky.

My introduction to the drink was in The Gibraltar in San Telmo, a well-known expat/foreigner hang out that now serves all three varieties of the beer from the bottle. In addition, Viamonte 334, the almacen (small shop) of beers and spirits, called 'Cervelar', stocks the artesanal product too. You could buy a couple of beers to try and enjoy a quiet night in, watching a little sport on the tv....I know you like the sound of that idea! Failing that, if you want to take a trip further afield, there are two weekend ferias (El Galpon and Bonpland) that sell the beer too. Web links to these ferias are listed below for you to check out.

www.buenosairesladob.com.ar/?p=1821 - La feria el galpon
www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-98894-2008-02-14.hml - La feria de Bonpland

However, the best news about this artesanal treat is that here at SAE we are in the process of organising a FREE-tasting session. Hernan has offered to give a talk (in Spanish, with a translator on hand to make sure that you understand everything said – alcohol is very important, we know!) about the process of making the beer and how the business has grown since its beginning. Therefore, hold out for a week or so, try the beer for free and then head on out to stock up on your own supply when you've decided which variety of the beer is to your liking. Don't say we never do anything for you!

Looking for a good English bookstore??? - Walrus Books
Frequently, SAE members pass by the clubhouse and want to know where to go in Buenos Aires to find a decent English Book Shop. Therefore, to one and all, I announce 'Walrus Books' on Estados Unidos 617, as one of the best in the city. In the great central location of San Telmo, this bookshop is excellently placed to meet all SAE members' needs and offers a wide range of books for the intrepid traveller and expat to choose from.
English bookstore http://baires.elsur.org/archives/walrus-books/
The bookshop sells used books in English and there are approximately 6000 different titles, including literature, Argentine and Latin American history, classic and modern novels and poetry, all in English. It is a very quiet environment, with good music and a friendly service provided by Geoffry and Josefina. This bookshop opened this year and is looking to become a permanent fixture here in the city.

Boludo means 'dumb, stupid or idiotic.' It can be used to refer to a person who holds these traits and is used frequently, so you should hear it all the time.... let's hope it's not aimed at you!

By all means, remember the word and add it to your Argentine Word List, but I don't recommend using it!

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Sorry, but this is actually a question about Cuba; reasons for which would take to long to explain here and aren't really important. However, the question is 'Do you know why it was forbidden for so many years (about 30) in Cuba to celebrate Christmas, even enjoying traditional things such as Christmas trees?'

Write in at buenosairesclubhouse@gmail.com and let us know. Write 'QUESTION OF THE WEEK' in the subject heading.

Maraya Loza-Koxahn, last week's winner has been kicked off of the top spot. Sorry Maraya! This week's winning photo was sent in to us by Graham Newell of a woman hosing-down the ground inside Recoleta's Cemetery. The picture, we thought, was beautifully shot and captures the ordinary, working nature of BA, even amid one of the most visited, touristy hot-spots in the centre. Graham has been living in BA since February, teaching both primary and Secondary school children. Taking photographs has become one of his hobbies here - a plus point for us here at SAE, for sure!

To enter our weekly competition, simply send in your pics to my email address buenosairesclubhouse@gmail.com (please put PHOTO COMPETITION in the subject heading) and be sure to include a little info about the photo along with your details so that we can give you credit.

Remember, the aim is to take a better photograph than the previous winner (this week Graham). If we don’t receive any worthwhile contenders, Graham will stay in our newsletter next week too. Can Graham and the sparkle of Recoleta win us over next week too???

Interested in putting a classified ad in this e-newsletter? Our e-newsletter goes out to over 2500 people weekly, in and around Buenos Aires. Contact me at buenosairesclubhouse@gmail.com for more information.

APARTMENT FOR RENT
Description

The apartment is 71 square meters. Maximum capacity: 4 persons. It has a full kitchen with breakfast room, living room with dining area, one full bathroom with bathtub, two bedrooms and huge balcony -6 sq m. Amenities: paddle court, swimming pool, yard, security 24 hours and laundry, cable TV, stereo, A/C and ceiling fans, central heater, local telephone, High Speed Internet . Kitchen with kitchenware, microwave, gas stove and oven, coffee maker, bed linen and towels, iron and ironing board.

Contact Details
ccukier@cponline.org.ar

Location
Palermo. Two blocks from Botanical Garden, two blocks from Santa Fe Avenue.
Close to Subway line D (3 blocks, Scalabrini Ortiz Station), and buses. Restaurants, cafes, shops, supermarkets all within walking range as well as movie theatre, Alto Palermo Shopping.

Rent
Rental: 850 USD pr. Month plus 1.000 pesos expenses.
1.000 USD refundable security deposit
The rental includes all expenses. The rental includes monthly maid service.
Owner, no commission, no extra charges.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT
I'm planning to build a catamaran sailboat out of discarded PET soft drink bottles which are littering the ecological reserve next to Puerto Madero. I'm borrowing the idea from a British environmentalist who is sailing across the Pacific in a PET bottle sailboat that he calls PLASTIKI. If there are any people from SAE who are interested in forming a crew to construct and sail it, or know of anyone in BA who would be interested, please contact me at: greganchors@yahoo.com

I need people to help gather and convert soft drink bottles in the reserve and to help me build it into a catamaran form. I then need people to help me sail it after construction. Experienced sailors are a must.

FOR SALE
The SAE shop has expanded! Guide books from $15 pesos to $80 pesos (Lonely Planet South America on a Shoestring $60 pesos), Hiking Maps of Patagonia and road maps of Buenos Aires are now available. Come by to see more, or email us: saebuenosaires@gmail.com

EXPAT INFO
www.livinginargentina.com is an online publication for expatriates in Argentina. It is written in English, Spanish and French. It covers almost everything that an expat might need to know and offers some interesting articles to read at the same time. Check it out!

LANGUAGE CLASSES
Learn Spanish with Elebaires!!!
We offer a variety of intensive Spanish courses for all levels in both private and group classes! All Elebaires teachers are university accredited and will do everything they can to help you meet your linguistic goals. Contact us via email at info@elebaires.com.ar or visit our website: http://www.elebaires.com.ar.

TOURISM
BA: Mallory Outdoors - Located in Palermo, Mallory offers a plethora of camping and ski equipment as well as custom knives and outdoor clothing. Stop in and browse the selection and receive a 10% discount on any purchase with your SAE member card. English and Spanish spoken.
Open Monday-Friday 10:30-21 and Saturdays from 9-15