SLO Tango -- diario #4

[Beth Sweetwater]

hola chicos y chicas,  A day of sun and all feels glorious again.  Whew! The weather here has been brutal, with lots of cool days and clouds.  I am hoping that I get a few weeks of spring before I have to come back and start winter all over again!   I am now recovered from my nose infection and swollen face and my bout of stomach flu.  Nothing works like sun and feeling good.  The good times keep on rolling though.  I am starting a folklorico dance class on Monday evenings - I really enjoy the Chacarrera and want to learn the Zamba and the Paso Robles.  I hope the group will be interested in learning as well because it does make the milongas a lot of fun.  If there is interest I will by the handerchiefs here for the zamba.
  I have surely taken advantage of the bad weather and the good prices for cashimere and leather. I just hope that I can fit everything in my suitcase.  I am shopping as well for Christmas time.  The family is going to luck out this year.  I am adapting to life here pretty well. I just cannot eat the amount of meat and drink the wine that the Argentinians do.  I think that is why my stomach went beserk.  However, my friend Delia said it was because I made my first mate way too strong.  She has a point.  Now, I drink the mild mate with orange peel and enjoy it in the morning.  When you are with friends they can either knock you out with the bitter version or put a mountain of sugar in it.  So the gringa is learning slowly.
  My tango lessons are going well and I just really lucked out in that department.  Our final lessons I will try to put some of the imprortant points on my camera and then share them with anyone interested.  The most important thing I have learned is that although your upper body stays straight, the movements of the walking and turning are a flowing motion and not a straight line.  Monday night there was a special milonga with a live orquestra to celebrate indedpendence week in Chile.  A ton of Chileanos are here in Mendoza to enjoy the cheaper prices while they have a week of vacation.  
  The car situation here is bad and getting worse. A growing city with too many autos and people crossing the streets when and whereever....The word is that no one respects anything in this department. I am sometimes terrified when I cross and the other people that meet refer to it as a terror.  Terrorism lies in wierd places!  
  The bad news too about Mendoza is that it is growing and prices are rising, and now there are 2 Wal Marts around.  Not in the city center, but they exist and people need jobs and so the scenario goes on... I  do hope they have a small effect on the life here which I really enjoy.
  The washer in my apartment broke and I could not get the water to leave so I opened the door and out came all the water!  I didn´t realize how much was in there. It is a front loading machine.  Anyway, I had to use a laundramat and the landlord had it fixed.  It took some waitng around and some inconvenience, but all is well and today with the sun some clothes are hanging outside on the patio drying.  I am off to eat lunch now, which is my main meal of the day.  I do go to an internet cafe almost everyday because there are so many around the city center.  This weekend I am going to check out the other shopping center and may do a wine tour. Friday is the official start of spring and there will be an outside milonga.  But I have heard spring is leaving us for the weekend once again. 
   I bought a pair of red tango shoes.  They are from Flabella from Buenos Aires.  There is only one tango shoe store here.  The shoes are lovely and I saved about $100 dollars by buying them here.  Suerte!
  My girlfriend is in Venezuela for 10 days.  She is an engineer for a petroleum company and is managing something there.  The weekend after this, I am going to have a guest from the north.  I met a very nice man while I was there with Delia and her family.  I don´t know him well , but we are going to spend a few days together and enjoy ourselves I hope.  He sings folklorico and has a wonderful voice.  I am hoping to learn some songs. You may or may not know that I love to sing.  (Nope, tango is not the only thing!) Delia has a boyfriend and it seems the 2 of them are coming together. Now, this is going to be an adventure!
   My neigbor across the street has turned out to be a real sweetheart.  I went to see her after reading that she does foot reflexology.  She was great and so I have visited her a few times for that, and now I go over and we talk and drink mate.
  Everyday, I just have to get out there and talk and listen etc. Speaking of talking, I have a 3 hour class today and so I going to close with a big kiss and a small boleo!  Hope you all continue to enjoy yourselves.  Hope the practica went well.  I will see you sooner than you think!  Besos,  Beth

       
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