BACK IN TIME!

Can't believe I haven't written about this yet! BUT THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP SO FAR - TANGO!!

It has been about 3 weeks since I've been here and I hadn't danced tango yet... that's like a crack addict quitting cold turkey or Cournal Sanders eating vegetables. The time had FINALLY come though. It was a Friday night and half of the group was set on going out to a boliche located on the coast, the other half was sick, and I felt like changing it up a bit/couldn't stand not tango-ing yet. During our weekly "family" dinner Laura mentioned that she wasn't really up for a boliche either so we agreed to make a trip out to Viruta - a local place that was recommended by a local Argentinian that attended the same ballroom studio as me and by the dance teacher from the University.


IT WAS BETTER THAN I EVER EXPECTED!
Literally, it was like walking back in time/into a movie. The building was not a restaurant by any means (more like a government building than anything), but we walked into the basement, and we immediately realized we were the only Americans there. At least 200 people filled the room: about 75 sitting in chairs and oldish/cheap looking tables and everyone else was on the floor. The majority of the crowd was over 30 and many people were in their 70's or 80's -- but these were the best dancers! I couldn't stop watching them because they knew how to tango.. not just the steps but the attitude and the feelings behind it.

Tango is so much different than other dances. It's not a show, it's not flirting, it's just you and the other person (all the while requiring a lot of floor craft!).We  just had to watch for 20 minutes..

We eventually decided to try it out though. Think we caught on pretty fast! Having a floor filled with that many people definitely creates an atmosphere -- there's so many people it's almost as if there aren't any there at all.. if that makes sense??

After about 45min-1hr of open tango dancing (there are different types of Argentine tango by the way, which I never knew -- I have some learning to do!) they had a mini competition! After that they actually started to play a mix of salsa and rock music. Finally something we were a little more familiar with!! Laura danced salsa back in the states so we ended the night with some underground latin dancing.

At the start of the night, it was raining and after walking 15 blocks to get to Viruta we were completely soaked. We dried off a bit but then got covered in sweat. When we left it was still raining so why not?! Another shower -- it felt great though, one activity checked off the bucket list and countless more to come!!

The tango video won't upload but you can see it HERE!

Melissa and Leah are visiting this Sunday and we'll be heading to Mendoza for the 2nd bucket list item -- wine tasting! And lots of it.

STRIKE!!

So here's what's going down - the Argentinian (national) government and the Buenos Aires government are arguing over who's responsibility it is to maintain the subte (subway) system. Over the past year,  there have been a couple accidents -- some minor and some that have caused a couple deaths. In short, they have to be better maintained; however, no one wants to take responsibility/spend the money on it. As a result, there has been a subte strike and everyone is forced to take the colectivos (bus system).

It's not like in the US where almost everyone has a car -- the majority of people use public transport -- many of which take the subte. For a city that resembles Chicago/NY you can only imagine how packed it gets when everyone is forced to take one type of transportation. For the past week, it has taken me 1.5 - 2 hours to get to class, activities, downtown, etc (when it usually takes 35-40min). There is obviously no sitting as you are literally pressed up against the doors to fit into the bus. Yesterday though I struck up a conversation with a couple people on the bus though and this made the ride seem much shorter -- think I'll try to do this more often!

Although it's an inconvenience at times, I still think the situation is a great experience! The way the government(s) are run and the way people function here are so different than in the States. A lot of times I just feel like an audience member sitting in on a movie.

I was just talking to a friend who is in China until November and we mentioned how Argentina is almost opposite in terms of the government/society. In China a person could get beaten up on the street and in front of his/her family for speaking out against the government, but here it is a daily occurrence. It seems like there is always some protest going on. Both situations would be interesting to encounter (think I prefer that of Argentina's more though)!

This was just a quick entry, but now I'm off to the gym, dance, and then hopefully tracking down a tango place for tonight!

Things to come: 

- Tango
- First days of class!
- Mendoza!!

RANDOM ADVENTURES

Okay so only have a few minutes for this one but think it aught to be mentioned because these are the little things I'll miss or what define the culture here! 

RANDOM ADVENTURES / THE LITTLE THINGS

One common tradition that occurring on a very regular basis is talented people singers, musicians, and I've even heard of mini play productions get on busses or other public transport and perform. Yes - most ask for a couple pesos, but 2-5 pesos is less than one dollar and listening to a live authentic tune, helping you pass the time in the same one hour transit every day, and making you smile is worth that and more. This is when I wish I knew how to sing, tap dance, or anything talented of that sort by myself. Jumping bus to bus is probably a better paying job than a lot of others here (especially in the service industry because people barely ever tip here: 5-10%)!

The Clown Who Stopped People... and Traffic!

I returned to Recoleta Market because my homemade shoes were having a couple problems (no worries though because the maker fixed them without a question when I brought them back), but when I was wandering around just enjoying the area I saw a clown on top of a pyramid...

Wasn't sure what he was at first but then realized he was a street performer of sorts. I returned about 30 minutes later after getting some ice cream and he had drawn a crowd of about 50 people. He was directing traffic, getting dragged by cars, getting into taxi's, walking people across the street, and eventually stole my ice-cream! These are Horrible descriptions, but trust me that I stayed there laughing for about 40 minutes straight. Again, it was the little things have started to define Buenos Aires for me.

FIRST RANDOM OUTING FROM AN ARGENTINE INVITE

Okay so it wasn't completely an Argentine invite.. but a couple day ago, I met a young couple on the bus -- the girl was German (even though she spoke with an almost perfect Argentine accent) and her boyfriend was Argentinian. I was an obviously lost and it turned out they were getting off at the same stop and were heading to the same location as me. This led to a pretty long conversation of mostly all small talk.

When the clown stole my ice cream

When we got to our destination though, they offered to connect on Facebook and hang out sometime/tell me about activities they were going to. Obviously I accepted, and just tonight they told me about an English Improv class they attend. It was only a 10 block walk from my class that ended an hour before so I decided to check it out. Although they didn't come tonight because the girl was sick I still met some really awesome and fun people (from America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and England)! It turns out the wife of the guy who teaches the class is a costume designer for Circ du Soleil (but she's on tour now) and another girl works for Time Out Buenos Aires, and she had some great recommendations for various entertainment activities in the city!

We played a bunch of acting/improv games (my THTR133 class from sophomore year might have actually come in handy!) and overall it was a fun and spontaneous couple of hours that I look forward to returning to soon!

DANCE!!!

NO I have not stopped! A major reason I chose Argentina in the first place (there were many reasons though) was because it gave me the most potential to continue dancing. Yes - Argentine

Tango is a must -- I have not taken a class yet, but that is on the schedule for next week. A friend from back home actually connected me with a professional tango dancer who grew up in Buenos Aires, and now she works in New York as a professional dancer. I reached out to her and think I'll do some private lessons when she comes to visit at the end of August. Can't wait!

BALLROOM-wise, I think I got really lucky... In general, trying to find Ballroom/Latin dance in South America is like trying to find a  needle in a haystack.. Latin Dance not in LATIN America -- weird right?? Nevertheless, I did some research before I came down and found one studio that looked pretty legitimate. I planned on visiting once I got down here.. but I just realized what a good location I was in!

I mentioned in the last post that I was about 30min-1hour from most popular locations... but guess where the studio is? IN BELGRANO - where I'm living. It's only about a 10 minute bus ride from my house, and I found out that the current Argentinian amateur Champions train at the same studio... This means the coaches must be good quality too! Moreover, I had just joined a gym a half block from my house that coincidentally had a dance floor on the second floor. They have a lot of classes in it, but I should be able to get some open floor space. I could not be happier with this location!!

MY FIRST LESSONS

My first open practice consisted of doing my own drills for a little bit, then meeting a good number of the other dancers (it was a pretty crowded floor because they have a competition coming up in BA on August 19), and dancing with many of them too. There were many questions exchanged about dance in Argentina, dance in America, what I was doing in Buenos Aires, etc. but overall it was a very welcoming and fun group! Next up was my first group class. 

The levels in Latin America are different than those in the United States (B,S,G, novice, pre-champ, champ, professional) and in Europe/Asia (alphabetical system). Here they have various levels of bronze and then various levels of silver. The highest amateur level (so far) is silver II. However, this level has a wide range of abilities -- in my opinion everywhere between the US gold and Champ divisions. The reason for this is that Ballroom dance is still very young here. There are a few couples who have committed A LOT and could definitely compete against Champ dancers in the US (i.e. the Argentinian Amateur Champs) and others that are still working to get there. Nevertheless, the resources are here to achieve a high level. 

That being said, my first silver group class was with the Amateur champs and about 2 other couples. This time, I switched in dancing with the pro (Yanina) and at the end of the lesson she mentioned she might try and ask/find a girl for next time. This would be extremely convenient as we all know it is much more efficient to advance if you have someone to practice with. 

Everything is in Spanish too. At first I thought it may be hard to learn dance terms (never taught in Spanish class), but we've been able to figure it out!

MY SECOND LESSON(S)

For the second lesson, I went to standard class as well. I was definitely Embarrassed in the beginning because they were practicing quickstep (and all I had been working on so far this summer was foxtrot and walz). It took about 20-25 minutes to get the rust off but eventually it started to feel a little better! Latin and Standard REALLY do help each other/over-lap though. The new concepts I've been implementing in my Latin have already made my standard posture/frame improve a bit (or at least I hope!). 

Oh and there was a girl for me to practice with this time! And she was actually at a pretty advanced level. We started off doing standard.. gosh I am going to be doing so much work on this this semester. I really want to improve! Ha! But as we were talking one thing we had in common was that Latin was our preferred style. During the Latin class we just warmed up and then I taught her one of my old routines just for time's sake. Overall it was really fun!

PASO DOBLE

LOVE AT FIRST STOMP! This was my first private lesson! I have NEVER had an official lesson on Paso Doble... All I have ever done were some fun dances that consisted of marching around, acting aggressive and rolling on the floor. However, unlike in universities, all levels of dancers here dance it. I've always wanted to learn, and now I have to! It'll probably take a while but I'm looking forward to the 5th and final Latin Dance!

Some Places Haven't Lost It!

There are so many places that have lost it... we go go go, make it on time, get the job done -- and not saying this is bad at all. In actuality this is a main reason I chose Argentina-- it's hard for me to stand still (reference Footloose: click and check out the song stuck in my head) and this bustling city helps me do this, BUT what we Should Not lose during all of this commotion is basic tradition/manners.

In Argentina they have definitely not lost it. The main location I see this is on the colectivos and subtes (public busses and trains). I travel at least 2-4 hours every day on public transport (literally- because I live in Belgrano which is north, and most of the activities, other students, and schools are further south). I can probably count the times I have sat down on any form of transportation on 2 hands. This is because whenever there is an older person or woman standing, EVERYONE offers them their seat. Kind of refreshing at times. Somehow standing up on a bus and constantly bumping into people makes it pretty easy to meet people too -- it all works out!

CAFE'S

No one should really worry too much about all that standing though because over the past couple weeks I have probably sat, eaten, or drank tea/coffee in at least 40 cafes. I'm serious! There have been multiple days when we have spent 1-2 hours in a cafe, gotten up and walked 20 minutes just to find another one. It's amazing! I don't know how they are all successful with so many of them around.. Nevertheless I'm happy they're there! Most stops include some coffee, tea, empanadas, or a small hand-made sandwich. One thing I still have not done but plan on doing once I have a somewhat fixed schedule is finding a "regular" cafe around my house/schools. Then I can meet the workers and get to know the city and life through their eyes. Probably get some good recommendations too!  Some friends and I just started planning our trip to Mendoza in a couple weeks in a cafe that seemed like a big home with 3 floors. All the food was organic (which seems to be an increasing trend here like it is in the US and not badly priced) -- will definitely return!

My take away from Cafes: They're delicious, relaxing, and even though I like to be active all the time, this atmosphere can actually make us more efficient (because of the comforting atmosphere).