Search This Blog

Monday, February 08, 2010

American Idol Argentina

Sept 15/09

The more I spend time in this city, the more I am realizing that tango is not just a dance but it is a way of life. For me, my dance with this city had begun and I must say, but nevertheless our dance has been nothing other than interesting. And yes, just like in any social dance, sometimes we step on each other's toes.

If this city and I were in a dance together, yesterday would have been a definitely a day in which we would have been stepping on each other's toes. What really can you say to someone on a day where they've dropped off their laundry for the first time, then headed to the bank machine to draw out cash only to find out the ATM card they are trying to use isn't applicable in this country. Having then to explain this situation in another language and being told that the other branch 8 blocks away can help you. Getting there and having the same problem and at this point freaking out that one cannot access their funds here in a foreign country.

All the while, having to be back at a meeting at the school and them telling you that they need emergency contact info. So having to walk back to your residence and while you are there, one of the employees asks you what you did with the towels. You then explain to them that you took it to the laundromat and they tell you that you don't need to do that because they take care of it for you here at the school.

Then walking back to the school to give them the contact info and the finding out that they were suppose to get copies of one's passport so having to walk back to residence and getting all that. Then after that's done, realizing that one's valet ticket for the laundry that one thought was just in their pocket is now missing. And after explaining this to the girls and the laundromat, hearing the answer "Sorry we cannot help you. Please come back tomorrow."

What does one do on a day like this? One realizes "I love my life!" Sure, there are days here in BA that seem more like a bad soap opera than a happy fairy tale. Or that somehow I'm on American Idol Argentina, a reality show where all the mistakes and blunders I make are in plain sight for all the world to see (and I do want to interject here that I did get a little bit of redemption that day when I found my OTHER bank card allows me to draw out money. Redemption is always nice!)

And yes, there are times where due to a miscalculation in direction, that my tired feet have had to walk 10 more blocks than I needed or wanted. But if I had a choice between having my feet tired or my heart tired, I know what I would choose. There is no comparison with my old life. Back in North America, I had to walk each day with my heart tired with no rest in sight. But here, as my dance with the city progresses, I am finding that rest for my weary soul is in full supply.

You see, here in BA, tango is a part of all that we do. You see, tango represents the dance of life. If you asked people from our tango community in Victoria, they would tell you that Argentine tango is a conversation between two people. It represents life and all that happens in it. The ups and downs, the spontaneity, the quiet moments as well as the dramatic and expressive moments.

But I want even my friends that do not dance tango to realize that tango can be a part of all that you do. When you choose to embrace all of life's moments, both the ones that are bold or subtle, you are in a sense dancing a tango. Tango comes into every part of my day here in BA and tango has been part of my life whether I'm in a tango lesson or a milonga or outside doing regular day to day activities.

Tango happens when Gladys and I are having a laugh while sharing a herbal maté together. It happens when you receive a letter from a child you're sponsoring telling you how much you've made a difference in their lives. Tango can happen when find yourself looking into the eyes of a friend and somehow in that moment, you feel like a bond is being created and another fibre of friendship is being forged that will strengthen and deepen those ties of intimacy.

Whether you are a tango dancer or not, you can choose tango as a way of life. Life itself is a dance. It is the one dance that you don't need to wait for sometime to ask you whether you'd like to dance. In fact, I would say that it is waiting for YOU. So what am I saying? What I am saying is this...........DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

Amorous Alpacas

Amorous Alpacas