Forget Exams Tonight, I Just Wanna Dance!

27-2-09 3:06
Mi cama (My bed)


The rest of my week after Uruguay consisted of preparing for my final exam for my Spanish class, which was on Thursday. I was a bit worried because 66% of my final grade depended on the written and oral exam and the grading is a lot tougher here (also, they use a scale from 1-10 instead of letters), but everything turned out fine in the end.

To celebrate the end of our class, we went to tango and salsa class again at La Viruta! I realized that I have yet to actually write about the history of tango. Though accounts have slightly varied, tango originated in the poor barrio of La Boca during the mid 19th century. I was told it actually originated as a dance between two men as they waited in line for the brothels. Of course, it later spread, and I suppose the prostitutes started dancing with their customers as well (hence the characterization of tango dancers), but tango didn’t hit mainstream until it was introduced to Europe and became popular there. I love listening to live tango music here, distinguished by the orquesta típica made up of two violins, piano, doublebass, and two accordian-like bandoneones (thank you wikipedia). The dance itself is rather complicated compared to most, with about 7 steps in the basic steps and lots of footwork, but its lots of fun once you learn and you have the right partner.

Today (Friday) was the last day of classes, and since we were just reviewing our exams, we got out early and headed to Palermo Soho for lunch, shopping, and a nap in park (one of my favorite activities, if you couldn’t tell). Unfortunately, my wallet was pick-pocketed from my purse while we were on the crowded Subte back to Belgrano, so I was a bit upset after that. Luckily, my friends were good at cheering me up that night as we went back to Palermo Soho for dinner at Pablo Picante, a restaurant that has no prices. That’s right, there are no prices – they are so confident in the amazingness of their food, that they let you pay what you think it deserves. Though I didn’t get anything due to my sudden lack of funds, everyone filled me up trying their food, which was delicious. It was a unique experience to say the least. We capped our night at an ice cream parlor to satiate everyone’s addiction, and now we are headed back for a few hours of sleep before we leave for the Argentine version of Carnival - hopefully we will be more successful this time!

Coli