Buenos Aires at a Glance
Living in Buenos Aires
The "bandoneon" has become a musical symbol of Buenos Aires.
Living in Buenos Aires may be a dream come true for expatriate ‘culture vultures’ with an appreciation for the rich heritage and contemporary highlights of Argentina’s capital. The city’s nicknames, like “Queen of El Plata” or “Paris of South America”, indicate that living in Buenos Aires has always been considered to be for the sophisticated, glamorous, daring even. Whether you love music and dance, literature and art, or bars and clubbing, living in Buenos Aires has something in store for you.
Living in Buenos Aires: City of Books
The porteños (port people), as the inhabitants of Buenos Aires are called, did not only build a bustling hub for trade and commerce; their attitude – urbane, liberal, upwardly mobile – also transformed living in Buenos Aires into a cultural experience. Today, Buenos Aires boasts about 180 theatre stages, allegedly more than Paris or New York.
The annual Buenos Aires Book Fair is one of the top five global events for publishers and literary circles. Its success proves that Argentine literature doesn’t end with the late Jorge Luis Borges, the doyen of Latin America’s high-brow brand of fantastic literature. While living in Buenos Aires, you can explore the many shops and libraries in the “city of books”.
Life in Buenos Aires: Birthplace of Tango
If reading isn’t your cup of tea, there’s always tango bring some excitement into living in Buenos Aires. The times when this former dance of gangsters and brothels shocked Argentine society are long gone. In 2009, the UNESCO declared the art of tango part of the world’s cultural heritage.
Of course, tango has become a commercialized tourist attraction in some respects. Living in Buenos Aires, you will run into quite a few open-air tango shows put on for visitors. However, tango stays alive and well in the urban life of Buenos Aires. Present-day musical arrangements and dancing styles, such as Electrotango or Tango Nuevo, adapt a national passion to the 21st century.
Even if you refuse to set foot into a milonga (tango school) during your stay here, expat living in Buenos Aires will be anything but dull. The city has thousands of restaurants, with numerous cuisines for every palate, and younger expats in particular enjoy the hip nightlife in the Palermo neighborhood.
Living in Buenos Aires: International and Bilingual Schools
Expatriate families living in Buenos Aires will be interested in tips for their children’s education. Fortunately, Buenos Aires has a number of schools that foreign children living in Buenos Aires attend. Many of them are bilingual institutions teaching both in Spanish and English; they also cater to affluent Argentines who’d like their offspring to have a bicultural education.
Most international or bilingual schools in Buenos Aires include a kindergarten, an elementary school and a secondary school for their students.
Life in Buenos Aires: Choosing a School
Ask yourself if your school of choice has a religious background that your family is comfortable with, which diplomas your kids might obtain, where the school is located, and how much it costs. Quite a few schools for international students living in Buenos Aires are expensive private institutions with campuses in the northern suburbs.
Some other international schools are situated in Buenos Aires itself, especially in Belgrano or Parque Norte. Choosing the right school is extremely important for your kids’ well-being!
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