hollisandbeyond2015: Spanish Lessons

We are having a lot of fun trying to learn Spanish while here in Buenos Aires. We are taking private lessons from a lovely woman, Leila. We have had four lessons already and we take the metro or Subte, as it is called, to her home in Palermo. Palermo is a particular area of the city as is Recoleta where we are staying. Palermo is farther from the centre of the city. We travel west about 6 or 7 kilometres to Leila's home. The area of Palermo which we have seen is very pretty with lots of tree-lined streets and elegant houses. The ride on the subway can sometimes be very crowded if we travel in rush hour; however, we seem to be managing fine. We are encouraged to learn Spanish as almost everyone with whom we have interacted thus far only speaks Spanish or is extremely limited in English. And, even when shopkeepers know some English, they usually ask if we would prefer to converse in English or Spanish. When we say "español", they seem happy to carry on in Spanish, demonstrating patience while we search for the proper vocabulary. All in all, we are very impressed with the people of Buenos Aires who seem polite, friendly and helpful.