Who We Are
Gateway Argentina was created to fill the need of study abroad and Spanish language learning programs in Buenos Aires that is dedicated to enriching its participant’s experiences. Based on our understanding of your expectations we have created a business that students from abroad can trust. The staff members of Gateway Argentina have been carefully chosen based on their understanding of and connection to Buenos Aires. The Gateway Argentina team knows what it means to be a foreigner living, studying or working in Argentina. Our staff is comprised of a dedicated mix of “locals” and “expats” which, for you means better local programs with a North American standard of professionalism. We are proud of the relationships that we have forged with individuals, businesses and organizations in Buenos Aires because of our dedicated staff. We are proud to have the opportunity to welcome new participants to Buenos Aires and to witness your successes in our programs. We hope you’ll join us!
Name: Lauren Guptill
Title: FounderDegrees: Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton Ontario, Canada
Specializations: International Travel, Cultural Immersion, Program Development
Favorite place to spend an afternoon in Buenos Aires: On the lawn of the Hipodromo racetrack located in Palermo, with a cup of Café con Leche, picking her horses by the color of the jockey’s shirt, and watching them race past the finish line.
Favorite “not in the guidebooks” spot in Buenos Aires: If you asked her to take you to her favorite restaurant, don’t expect to end up in a fancy place in Puerto Madero. La Rosalia Parrilla located on Honduras and Scalabrini Ortiz may just be the best place in the city for Parrilla (Argentine BBQ). Lauren is hoping the Lonely Planet Guidebook takes a while to discover this gem.
Did You Know: The second floor balcony of the Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo is the famous spot where Eva Peron addressed the people of Argentina.
Lauren grew up with a professional summer stock theatre in her backyard and her early fascination with Buenos Aires began at the age of 11 when she heard the actress playing Evita belt out “What’s new Buenos Aires” for the first time. Some may say that moving to Argentina was a pilgrimage of sorts. If you asked her, she’d tell you that certain balconies do indeed make her break into song. While she has a deep appreciation for all the unique barrios that make up Buenos Aires, she prefers to live within walking distance to either the Casa Rosada or Museo Evita.
Name: Marcela Bianchi
Title: Spanish ProfessorDegrees: English, Cultural Inglesa, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Specializations: Professor of Spanish and English
Favorite place to spend an afternoon in Buenos Aires: Marcela loves the outdoors and is happy to live in a city with so much green space. On weekend afternoons she heads to the Palermo Lakes to soak up the sun and watch the boaters and runners.
Favorite “not in the guidebooks” spot in Buenos Aires: Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Marcela does not need to read the guidebooks to find the good spots. If you ask Marcela about different guidebook locations around the city, she will tell you she was there before the craze hit. Her advice, head to the corner of Costa Rica y Nicaragua, there is a buzz about this hot spot.
Did you Know: On average 20,000 students come to Argentina a year to study
Marcela has been a professor of Spanish and English for 8 years. Close to 1000 students have come through her classroom. In recent years she has taught numerous students from China. Marcela finds teaching students from the Asia language family the most challenging and rewarding aspect of her job. She enjoys doing her part the help bridge the linguistic gap.
Name: Gustavo Irizar
Title: Spanish ProfessorDegrees: Journalism, Circulo de la Prensa, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Specializations: Argentine History and Politics, Argentine Sports, Boca Juniors Futbol
Favorite place to spend an afternoon in Buenos Aires: For Gustavo there is only one way to spend an afternoon in Buenos Aires; watching his team, Boca Junior. When he is not able to head over to La Bombonera Stadium in the heart of Boca, you will find him in the closest café showing the game.
Favorite “not in the guidebooks” spot in Buenos Aires: Gustavo believes that all the good spots have already been “discovered” in the guidebooks.
Did you know: The Futbol team, Boca Juniors has won a record 17 international titles and 22 Argentine Professional championships.
As a young child, Gustavo created his own fantasy futbol teams by cutting famous players out of magazines and pasting their heads on to figurines. It was at this time he grew to really dislike American football, as he felt it got way too much exposure in the magazines. It’s a secret if Gustavo still has all his childhood futbol figurines, but with his passion for sports, I would not doubt it.
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