Dancing in the Rain

Yesterday it rained. A lot. Hunger eventually overcame my inertia and I left the flat in search of food and to complete my 2 missions for the day:
1. Get a city map
2. Buy a SUBE - A sort of equivalent to the oyster card system in London.

I walked until I found a shop with a bright "SUBE" sticker on the door and was pleased to find that I could indeed purchase a card, this swiftly turned to mild irritation when I was asked for my passport, which I didn't have with me. I resolved to return later after completing the rest of the day's tasks. This went fairly smoothly and I was back at the flat, slightly soggy, but pleased to have achieved something. After a light lunch I spent a long while not doing a lot a mustering the will to go back out into the rain, not long after I returned triumphant with my SUBE. No more collecting change and getting strange looks on buses.

It was the sort of day that normally would be spent chilling, reading, or killing time on facebook. So that's exactly what I did. Until 6.30...

I'd found a local event on CouchSurfing for a beginners tango class, so having nothing better to do, I went along. The bus ride was uneventful, though nearing the destination I was slightly concerned that I might have to wade through a lake to get to the pavement!

I found "la catedral de tango" without any issues, the square layout of the city really does make finding your way very simple(btw it is actually a converted church - huge on the inside)! It didn't take me long to find the rest of the couchsurfers! A mixed group of italian, german, swiss, australian, english, danish and american. It was great to meet some other young people and do some socialising and it seemed that although the majority spoke english, the language of choice was often spanish! Tango is an amazingly sensual dance to watch, but the execution is anything but. Very measured with all control lying in the arms of the hombre, so getting the opportunity to dance with someone who knows what they're doing is a steep learning curve but very rewarding for the girls! Pairing up with a newbie is equally as enjoyable - stumbling across the floor and rewarding yourselves for not having tripped up!

Once the class was over, we sat and chatted over wine and empanadas - a sort of small pastry snack filled with a variety of flavours. I opted for one pumpkin, one veg. Delicious! Another class followed from ours and we sat at the tables laid out around the edges.

The real show started when the classes ended and the real pros got on the floor. It's an amazing dance to watch, especially when there's a live band playing!

I was pleased to discover that a few of the couchsurfers were sticking around for a while, studying or working. I think I've made my first friends in Buenos Aires (apart from Scott, the other volunteer) and we resolved to do another class sometime soon! I was also happy to meet a native French speaker (the Swiss girl) who said that she'd be happy to let me practice with her at some point as a way for me to maintain my languages. :)

It was a brilliant night and great to meet people with similar interests, in similar positions and I can't wait to see them again.