MONDAY 02/08/10
Got some work done in the morning and then headed out to a yoga class that I had heard about from a friend of a friend. (The yoga instructor is a Vietnamese-American tango dancer, married to an American who used to dance tango and is now a professional bandoneón player.) I decided to walk there, even though it would take about an hour, just to be able to see more of the city on foot. As I was walking, however, I definitely learned the streets that are more populated, and those that are just lined with construction workers and car washers who are not discrete in the least bit if anything with boobs walks by (this may be one of the problems with the lack of repairs in the roads and infrastructure – the workers get too easily distracted).
I stopped in a nice little bodega for some homemade spinach ravioli and continued on my way (with 15 minutes to get about 30 minutes away, due to a delay in receiving & paying the bill again). I arrived at the yoga class late, but the instructor was okay with it. She does it out of her apartment and there were only 3 of us. It was a great class, but she’s right on a busy street and there wasn’t any music, so it cut the ambience a little bit.
Returning home, I went down a few wrong streets, but did find my way back just in time to leave for a concert with Tyrone and Agustín (Vanessa’s roommate). It’s a drumming group, Bomba de Tiempo, that plays every week at an outdoor club, Konex, for a rather international crowd. It was really amazing! The night started with a group of students and then went to Bomba on a stage. They played an array of different rhythms with a group of 15 drummers and a “conductor.” A guitarist & accordion player joined them halfway through to play some folkloric Argentine music. People were dancing, on each other’s shoulders, just enjoying it! I did start to feel a bit ill toward the end – dehydrated from the day and the crowd, and the crowd and smoke started to get to me (not sure I’ll get used to people smoking so much again), so Tyrone and I went home after the concert.
Got some work done in the morning and then headed out to a yoga class that I had heard about from a friend of a friend. (The yoga instructor is a Vietnamese-American tango dancer, married to an American who used to dance tango and is now a professional bandoneón player.) I decided to walk there, even though it would take about an hour, just to be able to see more of the city on foot. As I was walking, however, I definitely learned the streets that are more populated, and those that are just lined with construction workers and car washers who are not discrete in the least bit if anything with boobs walks by (this may be one of the problems with the lack of repairs in the roads and infrastructure – the workers get too easily distracted).
I stopped in a nice little bodega for some homemade spinach ravioli and continued on my way (with 15 minutes to get about 30 minutes away, due to a delay in receiving & paying the bill again). I arrived at the yoga class late, but the instructor was okay with it. She does it out of her apartment and there were only 3 of us. It was a great class, but she’s right on a busy street and there wasn’t any music, so it cut the ambience a little bit.
Returning home, I went down a few wrong streets, but did find my way back just in time to leave for a concert with Tyrone and Agustín (Vanessa’s roommate). It’s a drumming group, Bomba de Tiempo, that plays every week at an outdoor club, Konex, for a rather international crowd. It was really amazing! The night started with a group of students and then went to Bomba on a stage. They played an array of different rhythms with a group of 15 drummers and a “conductor.” A guitarist & accordion player joined them halfway through to play some folkloric Argentine music. People were dancing, on each other’s shoulders, just enjoying it! I did start to feel a bit ill toward the end – dehydrated from the day and the crowd, and the crowd and smoke started to get to me (not sure I’ll get used to people smoking so much again), so Tyrone and I went home after the concert.
(student group of drummers)
(Bomba de Tiempo with the guitarist & accordion players behind them)
(Tyrone and I - a bit warm)
All in all, it was a good day of getting out and about and starting to see different parts of the city. Again, it’s still going to take some time for me to feel really comfortable here, but I’m really making an effort to appreciate and experience everything that I do. There are just times when the fact that I’m here long term hits me, and I remember to breath and just take things slowly – nothing has to (or will) get done in one day – friends, routines, new experiences…they will all come with time.
Bigger pictures PLEASE! I need to breathe everything in through my computer screen. :0)
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