This has been posted already on numerous blogs in the past, but I wanted to share it here anyway as it’s one of my favorite things.

August means that everyone in Italy is on vacation, which includes my clients for the most part. So, apart from last week where I was inundated, it’s going to be a slow month of work. Last month was slow too. To fill in some gaps, I’ve taken on two English students of my roommate’s boyfriend who is on vacation for a couple of months. This has provided me with more excuses to leave the house, and I’m having a good time teaching two very interesting and friendly people.

Since spring is only a month away here in Argentina, the weather hasn’t been too bad so I’ve been walking to meet both students - one isn’t too far, maybe about 15 blocks, but the other is probably 25 blocks away or more. I could easily take the bus, but getting around Buenos Aires on foot is always the best way - not only is it good for me in terms of health, but I also get to experience sights and smells and sounds that I would miss otherwise. It’s a city you have to take in with all of your senses when possible.

I’ve also been getting out in the mornings for exercise and I have a usual route that takes me to Parque Rivadavia (in Caballito), which has a nice path for running or walking. I love this walk because getting to the park takes me through another neighborhood and the park is in a nice area that at times makes me think of Italy. Lately I’ve seen more joggers and walkers like myself, though last week, perhaps with spring not being too far off, the park was full of couples everywhere, enveloped in each others arms, covering each other with kisses.

Since I don’t dance every night (I only dance a couple times a week normally), I am able to get up in the morning and enjoy my days like this. With all this walking I am discovering cafes I’d like to try, interesting architecture, and I get to people-watch. What I’d really like to be doing is working, but come September I’m sure my plate will be plenty full with translations and I will yearn for my previous walks and outside explorations. I’d better savor this now.

Technically I was supposed to fly out of here the day before yesterday. To go to Seattle and await a move to Italy in late September.

Instead, I’m still here in Buenos Aires.

The thing is, I just wasn’t ready yet.  I’ve settled in here and I like my life.  And I now realize I wasn’t doing a thing to prepare for Italy - apart from reading my favorite Italy blogs and monitoring the expatsinitaly forum.  I realize that inside I was resisting the thought of ending this part of my life story.

So I’m staying.

I couldn’t write about it right away because I needed to speak with a couple of people that should hear it from me and not the internet…and also because I had startled myself with this decision and was looking around myself thinking, “What have I done?!”  in between gleeful giggles.  I needed to take it in myself.  I think I already knew that I was staying, but to make it a real, concrete decision - well, it was pretty last minute so I needed to just take a day or two to absorb it.

I had asked myself the question, “If not now, when?”

If I don’t stay here now and continue this life, continue to learn, settle into la vida porteña, when will I?  Probably never.  Is that alright with me?  No.  If I have to leave this city I will feel empty and strange inside.  I can’t leave just yet.

So I’m here.  Most decisions are reversible so I am not afraid or worried about this being “right” or “wrong”.  It just is what it is.

Italy is still there.  I just have to do this right now.  Italy will wait for me.

I have so much I want to say right now but I don’t really have the words.

I’ll post soon…

There will never be a step, sequence, or trick in tango that will come close to matching the power of the embrace. -Ney Melo

(photo taken by Helen Ahn a couple of months ago while we were dancing in Peru 571. Altered by me on mi computadora)

I didn’t want to be one of those people who posts videos of themselves, for fear that you would all find me snobby, but I love this video so much because of who I’m dancing with in it:

Pedro Sanchez, a good friend of mine for the past year and a half. I don’t write here about people I know in the milongas, but he’s different. He’s been a genuine part of my life (and he said I could talk about him). He is 72 and has been dancing more than 50 years. Dancing with him, as my aunt once said after a lesson with him, is like being swept into heaven. His interpretation of the music is so literal and beautiful, and oh my, que cadencia!

We made this video last Thursday during the class he was teaching prior to the milonga he’s been hosting, Asi Se Baila el Tango. Sadly, that milonga is no more - it is hard to start a new milonga in the winter season and in San Telmo at that, so in the end he and Ale had to call it a day at Peru 571. But I see those Thursdays as some very special times, with opportunities to learn from a true-blue milonguero. When will I have that chance again? How many people are lucky enough to have that opportunity?

Please let the video load all the way first so it’s not choppy, and then enjoy. Published with the kind permission of Pedro. I am so lucky to know him. And lucky that I can share a bit of him right here with you.

On February 2nd, I landed in Buenos Aires for a one month vacation. Six months, many milongas and two short trips (one to US and one to Chile) later, I’m still here! Shoes & all.

Needless to say, I feel really at home here.  I’ve gotten to know the city well.

I’m happy.

This is a cafe I stumbled upon a while back while wandering through Palermo Viejo with my friend M on her last day in town. We were immediately taken by not only the details in the beautiful facade of the building and the gorgeous iron over the windows, but also the name of the place - El Ultimo Beso (The Last Kiss, L’Ultimo Bacio) - as well as the cute display in the window. This was a place we had to try. Upon entering, we found the place had a romantic, chic energy and a brightly lit tea room that was separate from the actual restaurant area. We sat ourselves by a window decorated with little hanging cards, each of them containing an adorable quote on the subject of besos, kisses. The presentation of my coffee and her tea was lovely. This was a totally enjoyable experience and I would love to come back here with girlfriends to sample from their impressive list of teas.

It can be found at Nicaragua 4880. Website here.

Reading Melinda’s post about her ortolano, green grocer, in Florence, I was inspired to write about mine in Buenos Aires.

Here we call them verdulerias. They are all over the place here, in just about every neighborhood.

On my block there are two verdulerias that I like, depending on what I need. One is right downstairs (well, on my street anyway) and one is around the corner. I mostly go to the one downstairs because the verdulero is just wonderful with me. He helps me learn the Spanish names for the various items and he is patient with me. I never touch the produce, he picks it out for me - and he really knows what he’s doing. I’m always happy with what I get.

He also will sometimes suggest things that are particularly good right now, or steer me away from something that might be just average. He always knows where something came from. If the price of a particular item has inflated a lot (which happens here), he will tell me right away and give me a chance to decide if I really want it (or that much of it).

It’s something I’ve always loved to do. In Seattle there is Pike Place Market which Seattle residents enjoy in the winter and avoid in the tourist-filled summer. Pike Place can get expensive though, so there are also local farmers markets in most Seattle neighborhoods that I found a lot of times to be more affordable (and delicious!) than the supposed “organic” sections in the supermarkets.

I always try to buy produce from markets/ortolani/verdulerias because it’s fresh, in season, (mostly) local, harvested when ripe, rather than supermarket produce that lacks luster and is kind of sad to look at under fluorescent lighting.

There is something romantic and so human about being able to walk a few steps down the street, and make contact with another human being as they personally help me pick out fruits and vegetables.

There is something quite satisfying about coming home with colorful vegetables that still have their dirt-covered roots in tact. Something so natural and real about having fruit that has seeds (read: non-GM) and tons of flavor. (Might I add that the grapefruits here are the possibly best I’ve ever had?)

Since getting over my linguistic shyness that prevented me from going into verdulerias and finally taking advantage of the ready availability of delicious, nourishing produce, my energy level has gone up, my skin is clearer than ever (a side benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables) and I have been more inspired to cook interesting things.

We also have a butcher in the same location (I’m finally over that linguistic fear too and have started going), and across the street there is a panederia, bakery, where one can buy some different kinds of bread and various facturas, pastries. I realize that this way of food shopping is not possible everywhere (at least in most cities in the U.S.) so I feel fortunate, grateful, that I have it right at my fingertips.

Dear readers, you may want to refresh your browsers as my friend at Roam2Rome made some small changes (to margins, etc.) on my blog, to make your experience that much more enjoyable. ;-)  Isn’t she great?

Also, if you have IE6, the blog should be fully visible to you now - meaning, you’ll be able to see the sidebar items.  So refresh, refresh, refresh!

Happy Weekend!

Tina