Cristina

Yesterday, while reading the newspaper, I came across something that struck me as odd. The newspaper kept referring to the president, who happens to be a woman, as Cristina. They used only her first name never her last and never referred to her a "presidenta". It was just Christina. I was curious to find out if it was because she is a woman or if there was more to the story- so I asked. The answer that I received initially is " oh, we consider her to be one of us. We are very informal so we call her by her first name. Oh really? This coming from a people that have a whole special tense for formality. After digging deeper, I discovered what is more likely the truth. There seems to be a lack of respect for people in office and the police. And given the history of this country, that is probably a good reason. There were military dictators who used the police as there thugs. This may also explain why people are more likely to stick together here because they had to band together to deal with the government and police.

The milonga

After attending my first milonga, I am more than convinced that we can learn a lot about culture from dance. I watched with great interest as the couples glided across the floor. One thing that struck me is that neither person was a "star". The couples were a couple- together moving as one across the floor. The movements were subtle in a way that we don't normally see in other dances. The man was in charge but the woman was there to put the emphasis on the dance. She was allowed to be beautiful, sensual and elegant. In the U.S., we pride ourselves on being individuals - being able to stand on our own two feet. This beautiful dance, where in many cases the couple is practically intertwined, highlights the beauty of being dependent on each other. In most other cultures, there is more of a dependency on each other than we experience in the U.S. I am starting to really understand that inter-dependency is not necessarily a bad thing! In Argentine tango, the hold is very loose- it allows us to go with the flow. In ballroom tango, the hold is very rigid, the head is held at a certain angle. In the U.S. we are used to things working a certain way all the time. One might say we can be rigid in certain ways. What a breath of fresh air it is to let down the stiffness and go with the flow!

Tango as a metaphor

So tonight is my first milonga - all night tango party. For me, the excitement/anticipation is akin to finding a designer pair of shoes for $10 and running a 7 minute mile. To say I'm excited would be an understatement! I've done my research and have practiced my steps. One item that was mentioned is the idea of cabeceo. Cabeceo is when the dancers eyes meet from across the room and there is an unspoken "hey are you interested in this dance " thing that happens. A woman would never ask a man and the man wants to be sure when he asks the woman that she'll say yes. There is something very traditional about this ritual and I like it. Years ago, it was the man that took the lead in just about everything. Please don't misunderstand, I'm grateful for all the progress that women have made in the work force. It's just that when it comes to affairs of the heart- things seem to function best when the man takes care of the woman. So, my discovery this week is that while machista can have negative connotations- it can be something very positive as well!

Que te dedicas?

The reason that I love studying Spanish is that it seems that there is always a way of putting the words that make the good seem better and the bad seem not so terrible. Today, the first question that I was asked is "que te dedicas" to what do you dedicate yourself to or as English speakers would say " what do you do". Maybe it's just me, but I think starting to ask people the question " to what do you dedicate yourself to?" could be a good way to get people to think about choices that they make perhaps we would have people who are pursuing careers for more than just the money. The idea of making as much money as possible is something that is associated with Americans. Maybe instead of worrying about making as much as possible, we should think about how we want to dedicate our lives.

It's Tango time!

Here I go again! Another summer, another trip! This time I'm going to learn the Argentine tango in Argentina! My premise is that if language is the gateway to the heart of the culture, learning the local dance is a window into the soul. I've already read how it was the younger generation's embrace of tango that helped the country whether the economic crisis of the early 2000's. I'm excited to not only learn the steps but to gain a better understanding of a proud country that has had more than its share of ups and downs!