a)       A is for Architecture: Buenos Aires is an historic city, with old European style buildings everywhere (over 400 buildings in Buenos Aires have “cupulas” (domes)). At the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, Argentina was one of the wealthiest countries in the world – and the architecture of the city reflects that history;

b)       B is for Boliches: Buenos Aires is big on nightlife, and has some of the best “boliches” (nightclubs) in the world. With many cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs open all night, you won’t have to look hard to find the action. Everything starts and ends late in Buenos Aires. Dinner starts at 9:00 pm till midnight, bars and pubs fill up at midnight, and boliches start happening at 2:30 to 3:00 am. Buenos Aires is the other city that never sleeps.

c)       C is for Coffee: Buenos Aires is known for its “café culture” and has a coffee shop on every street and every corner it seems. People socialize over coffee throughout the day (sometimes you wonder who’s working?!) and into the night….it makes for a very casual, friendly and social city. Many cafes now have wireless internet access, including the Aroma and Café Martinez chains;

d)       D is for Dulce de Leche: It’s everywhere, you can’t escape it, don’t even try. Sort of a creamy caramel that seems to be in nearly all things sweet. Rivals futbol as a national pastime.  Delicious (until week 3);

e)       E is for Exchange Rate: After the devaluation of the peso in 2001 (from 1:1 to the US dollar to 3:1 to the US dollar), the cost of living or traveling in Argentina dropped tremendously. Buenos Aires went from one of the world’s most expensive capital cities to one of the world’s least expensive capital cities. It’s not just eating out in restaurants that is an amazing bargain – but everything in the city, from going to live theater, to music concerts to nightclubs to taxis to shopping is inexpensive at the moment. If you are studying in Buenos Aires, you can take up windsurfing, kiteboarding, photography, yoga …you name it, at a fraction of what it would cost in North America or Europe;

f)         F is for Futbol: “Futbol” in Argentina is more than a national passion – it’s insanity. It’s a real cultural experience to go and see all the fence-climbing, object-throwing, obscenity-shouting ritual which is futbol in Argentina. River Plate and Boca Juniors are the two main soccer teams in Buenos Aires. You might want to go with an organized group, but you’re sure to have a memorable experience;

g)       G is for Gauchos:  “Gauchos”, the cowboys of Argentina, are a symbol of traditional Argentine character and virtue. They can be seen in Buenos Aires most easily at the Feria de Mataderos (in the Mataderos barrio of Buenos Aires) performing stunts on horseback among other things. This feria (street fair) is held every Sunday and also has folk music, folk dancing, crafts and great food. Gauchos can also be seen in more rural locations on a visit to one of the many historic estancias throughout the country, including a number reachable within a few hours by car from Buenos Aires;

h)       H is for Helado: “Helado” or ice cream, is a national pastime in Buenos Aires, no matter what the season. Ice cream is made in the Italian gelato style, from scratch, in a huge assortment of flavors. Best of all – you can have it delivered by motorbike. Persicco, Freddo, Volta and La Veneciana are some of the best;

i)         I is for Iguazu: OK, technically the Iguazu Falls are not in Buenos Aires. In fact they are over 1000 kilometers from Buenos Aires (but only an hour and a half plane flight). But, being a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sight, and surely the most spectacular natural attraction in South America, no trip to Buenos Aires would be complete without a side-trip to visit Iguazu Falls;

j)         J is for Jazz (and Blues, Rock, Folk and other live music): Buenos Aires is full of live music venues. Whether your interest is in “rock nacional”, “tango electronico”, “folklore”, jazz or blues, there are hundreds if not thousands of venues throughout the city to choose from, and too numerous to mention – including live outdoor concerts during summer months sponsored by the city of Buenos Aires;

k)       K is for Kite-surfing (and Windsurfing, Wakeboarding, Sea Kayaking and other outdoor sports): Being on the enormous River Plate, Buenos Aires has a number of opportunities for water sports – kite-boarding (or kite-surfing) currently being one of the most popular. Take advantage of the city’s riverside location to pick up a new hobby or sport while in town;

l)         L is for Learning Spanish: No time spent in Buenos Aires would be complete without learning Spanish via one of GIC Argentina’s Spanish school programs (of course!);

m)      M is for MALBA, the most-excellent museum of Latin American art in all of Latin America…always has good permanent and temporary exhibits….if you're hear for a number of months, it's worth stopping by every month to see what's new;

n)       N is for Naptime: Hey, you’re not going to live in South America and miss out on taking a guilt-free siesta, are you? Admittedly, siestas are less of a thing these days in Buenos Aires compared to smaller towns around Argentina (due to the larger distance between home and work), but that shouldn’t stop you, should it?

o)       O is for Opera: Everyone hates opera, including us, but the Teatro Colon opera house in Buenos Aires really shouldn’t be missed. Ornately decorated, with excellent acoustics, it’s considered one of the best opera houses in the world. Interesting expansive underground rooms for set and costume designing stretching under Avenida 9 de Julio. Turns 100 years old in 2008;

p)       P is for Parillas and Pizza: Parillas (grilled meats Argentinean styled) seem to be on every corner. People who tend to eat little red meat at home, will find themselves eating more beef in Buenos Aires (and enjoying it more too).  Pizza places too are ubiquitous (and typically very good), with a huge number of delivery services (check out Romarios if you want your pizza delivered on roller blades). If you can’t decide between parilla and pizza, try “pizza a la parilla” (grilled pizza). Awesome!

q)       Q is for Quilmes: The Argentinean beer. OK, maybe not the best Argentinean beer of all time, but its decent, inexpensive, and everywhere. For microbrews, look in stores for Otro Mundo, Jerome, El Bolson, Antares…or check out the Buller Brewing Company in Recoleta and downtown; 

r)        R is for Recoleta: Somewhat of a hang-out for wealthy old ladies and tourists…but the sprawling outdoor arts/crafts/jewelry etc. market on the weekends is excellent;

s)       S is for San Telmo: Another place with a great outdoor arts/crafts/jewelry etc. market – stretches from Plaza Dorrego down Defensa these days almost to Plaza de Mayo (on Sundays). San Telmo at night also has a large number of great bars and restaurants to check out too;

t)        T is for Tango (of course): Buenos Aires is the birthplace of tango. It’s a sultry, sensual dance that is enjoying a resurgence in popularity among the younger crowd in Buenos Aires. How better to get to know those nice looking Portenos (the name for the people of Buenos Aires)! But if you’re not much of a dancer, and don’t care to take a few lessons, there are hundreds of tango shows throughout the city to give you a taste of tango in the city where it all began;

u)       U is for Ugi’s: Very popular with students, Ugi’s is a pizza delivery/take-out chain with great value pizza. Maybe not the best in the entire city, but you can’t beat a tasty large cheese pizza for US$2.75;

v)       V is for Vino: Argentina is a country of "vino" (wine) drinkers, and its wines are becoming very well known around the world. Malbecs are a favorite red wine, but many Argentinean Cabernets and Merlots are excellent too. White wines, including those made from lesser known Torrontes and Viognier grapes, are also worth trying. Wine prices are not high, and you can easily add a great bottle of wine to your restaurant meal out for less than 10 (US) dollars;

w)      W is for….did we mention the excellent Wine?

x)        X is for um….we’re still working on this one….

y)       Y is for Yerba Mate: Always accept an offer to share a mate (“mah-tay”), somewhat like green tea, but drunk in a gourd with a specially shaped metal straw. There are a lot of rules about who makes the mate, who sips first, stirring, water temperature and hanging onto the gourd too long….just do what everyone else does and you’ll be fine;