I can almost pinpoint the moment when I decided that I was going to leave everything to go and dance tango everyday. I even thanked my teacher for helping me find part of my soul. The part that when i listened to it, I felt the most balanced and happy within the universe. That was over 10 months ago, and now I am in buenos aires living the adventure from that planted seed.
I wasn't sure what I wanted from the adventure before i left. All I knew was that it was important to be open and entirely dedicated to what may be. Now I sit here, almost three weeks into my adventure and I realize that it wasn't just coming here to dance or learn to dance. It was simply to come here and 'be'. It's a privilege that I have, to be able to leave my job and support myself in a foreign country with no income or plans to continue moving.
My Spanish teacher taught me a lot that had nothing to do with conjugating verbs (although her patience at explaining the subjuntivo tense is to be commended). She made me realize that every opportunity of interaction with others is a chance to learn about the language, culture, the people and the world. She taught me how to laugh at my mistakes and press on with trying to communicate with others. This is the only way to move past the first level of 'information exchange' to beginning to express opinions, emotions, sentiment and understand humor and cultural slang.
Surprisingly the tango has not been my main reason for getting up in the morning. I love tango, it is the main reason I am here yes, but there has been so much to experience prior to this, which I think is important to understanding the roots of the tango. Who is it that dances it here? What is it about tango for other people that makes them dance it? What is the every day life of a porteño who dances tango? If I don't have exposure to this, then I am simply another tourist coming to a beautiful city to walk between my house, the classes and the Milongas. What else is it that makes this city tick? If I can find parts of myself in this city, then surely I will be more open to the lessons I have to learn within the classes, to embrace not only the steps but also the sentiment.
Of course, this has become more than just learning tango. I dont want to just learn how to dance. I want to learn how to be in the dance, and without stopping to understand my surroundings, I fear I may miss the opportunity to understand more about the passion I have.
So I haven't limited myself to tango, instead taking the opportunity to experience folk from Argentina too. I remember when I first saw the chacarera at a Milonga in 2008 and since then it has remained a curiosity. As chance would have it, i have been given opportunities to dance and learn about this dance from those who love it.
Despite my body taking several weeks to adjust to the sensory overload that buenos aires gives, I feel myself settling into this strange but beautiful city. I have grown to love that it is only quiet for two hours a day, the old buildings, the strange feeding times, the erratic and exciting driving, the subte and the street venders. Having finished my spanish lessons, I'm now able to take on the tango focus and meet with those contacts I have here - some of which do not speak English.
Chau chau