¡La vida es una Milonga! (versione italiana e spagnola)

La Vida es una Milonga

Todo el mundo está esperando

mejorar su situación;

todos viven suspirando

con razón o sin razón.

Todo el mundo se lamenta

si en las buenas ya no están;

nadie aguanta la tormenta

si la contra se le da.

La vida es una Milonga

y hay que saberla bailar,

que en las pista está sobrando

el que pierde su compás.

La vida es una Milonga

y hay que saberla bailar,

porque es triste estar sentando

mientras bailan los demás.

ITALIANO:

La vita è una Milonga

Tutto il mondo spera

di migliorare la propria situazione;

tutti vivono sospirando

con o senza ragione.

Tutto il mondo si lamenta

della cattiva sorte;

nessuno tollera il temporale

se gli se dà torto.

La vita è una Milonga

e bisogna saperla ballare,

perché in pista abbondano

quelli che perdono il tirmo.

La vita è una Milonga e bisogna saperla ballare,

perché è triste rimanere seduti

mentre gli altri stanno ballando.

The Sinusoidal Experience

I knew that by choosing to put myself in an unknown country, unknown culture, and sometimes what appears to be a very unknown language, that I was signing up for the most exciting, wonderful, and scary roller coaster that exists. Whoever thought that six flags could come out with that...they are wrong. Just try moving by yourself to a different continent and try to start a life there. When everything is a challenge, trying to buy food, use the clothes washer, navigate public transit....it can be very draining.

I have been here a little over one week now, and I have had some great moments of emotion overcome me when I am just bursting with joy, knowing that this was the right decision to come here, and at times have returned back to my room, thinking, "What have I done?", and lamenting the fact that I won't be seeing American supermarkets, the availability of fresh milk, and juice containers that are larger than 1 liter, until December 21, which at times seems so far away.

Thankfully, that first wave of major anxiety has left me, and now, with all of my energy and drive to fill up my time, I have found too many activities and am realizing that before I know it, my my time will be up here...and then I'll be in a supermarket somewhere in the US, with my 2 gallons of fresh milk, ingredients for a salad, and lots and lots of orange juice in my shopping cart, while simultaneously lamenting everything that Buenos Aires had to offer, and all that I soaked up and learned to love when I was here.

Currently I am signed up for an intensive Spanish course (5days/wk 3hrs/day), which has such wonderful people in it. I am also taking an Italian class at the same university for languages, with all Argentinians! I am taking tango lessons 3x/week, and about to go to my first milonga tonight! I am signed up for a set of orientation classes for aspiring translators with the Colegio de traductores publicos de la ciudad de Buenos Aires. On top of that, while there was more I wanted to sign up for, and probably will soon...there are numerous concerts, plays, dance performances, and cultural events that I have the opportunity to attend with my new found friends...it also may occasionally include yoga and kick boxing classes (with this air pollution, I am very sad, but will definitely NOT be trying to run while I am here)....and while I will not be signing up for that chocolate class, because 12 Friday evenings is just too many...when I don't have many more Fridays than that here....there is so much to do in this city and I feel so fortunate to have landed here.

While I know I will have more lows, when I miss things very dear to me from home, I also know that I have already started to create the groundwork to keep having many great learning opportunities....I finally feel fully submerged in this porteña experience, and confident in myself that I can do it and can create a wonderful experience here.

Un paseo por la ciudad...

Finally Thursday I remembered to take my camera and to snatch some photos while on my grand expedition across the city...what amazes me is how clear the sky looks, but it is deceiving, because this same air made me so very sick, with the worst headache of my life...anyways...

The first picture is a shot taken from the median of Avenida 9 de Julio, which is an extremely wide and long road. I took the colectivo (what they call public pus here) to San Telmo, one of the tango barrios in order to scope a future school where I will be studying tango.. (cost ends up at about $4/lesson!). I am very excited to start tango classes here!

From San Telmo I ventured North and walked up to a more central part of the city...and stumbled in to Plaza del Congreso. where I saw this....see the Argentinian flag?

and this too....
...it was really nice to see some open space in this very congested city..so I enjoyed the pause from my walk and inundation of exhaust fumes for a little while, and people watched and dog watched...Buenos Aires is a very dog friendly city, and it is nice to see dogs of all shapes and sizes.....Oh, I also noticed one building this image, which I assume is Eva Peron...Then as I continued my journey I walked by some lovely old structures, most of which, due to how narrow the streets I couldn't get a decent picture...but this apartment complex looked incredible...
and then this building reminded me of Paris. I guess this architecture is one reason they call Buenos Aires the Paris of South America, and strolling through some of these neighborhoods I swear that the Seine could have been just around the corner...I think I hear la vie en rose playing in the distance....
....or is it a Libertango?

Pizza, Café, Nossé...

That is the name of a little place I stumbled in to Tuesday at 3pm, starving...and awkwardly, like any foreigner in a new place, had to figure out how I get food...

Thankfully the two gentlemen working there, the barista and camarero, were both friendly and helped me out and I ended up with agua con gas, and a tarta de verduras con queso....which was amazing and delicious.

Then the next day, Wednesday morning, still unable to find the trash in the kitchen at my house, and afraid of the weird coffee maker, I tried venturing out for my coffee and figured I´d try this place again....and again the confrontation with the awkardness of figuring out how to order what I want, at least this time both gentlemen were ready for me with smiles and patience...

After my order attempt, I don´t think they pronounce cappuccino the same here, and brioche, was completely not understood....but after some confusion and pointing I now have learned that it is media luna here...one more vocabulary word down..now to adjust to the form of vos instead of tú, which is a totally different form from vosotros or ustedes....and throws me for a loop every time I hear it...but I digress...

This beautiful locale, which is my beacon of hope because they will feed me, and the many other´s like it in this city, for some reason are confusing to my brain because I walk in and always want to speak Italian to the waiter...It has been a challenge not to say Buon giorno as a greeting, or cuant'è when asking for the price...perhaps the ambience reminds me so much of Italy...though when I order a cappuccino here it is definitely a different experience and Buenos Aires most definitely is not Italy...

It is still just the beginning of my adventure and I have a lot to learn and a long way to go...at least moving forward I know I stumbled on to a gem, this little café, Pizza, Café, Nossé...

El viaje...y un poco después, la llegada

After a 12 hour delay of my flight...arriving at 9pm instead of 9am on Monday...I finally made it to Buenos Aires, safe and sound, and very happy to have the act of traveling behind me...I had a wonderful send off in Chicago on Sunday with gorgeous coffee, breakfast, weather, and company.

Upon arrival, I met my driver, who was a hilarious man, originally from Sicily. He was so delighted to speak Italian with me, and tried teaching me some Sicilian as well. This only majorly confused what Spanish I could muster at the end of a long trip...I don't know by the end what language I was speaking, but at least we understood each other.. :-)..

I enjoyed his "relationship advice", which he felt qualified to share because he was 38 and had been happily married for 14 years...He explained that the problem here (in Buenos Aires), is that there are many more women than men, and so the men like to try out many different women. He adamently expressed that it is demasiado lío (too much of a mess), when men try to have 3 or more women...but he thought 2 was perfectly ok. He doesn't think they should be greedy and go for 3.

...and all of that to tell me that the most important aspect to keep a relationship going is communication...even in the bedroom, he emphasized....good to know....grazie Alessandro...

After a delightfully interesting conversation with Alessandro, I made it to my new home for 4 months...in the barrio Caballito...where I met my landlords, including a german shepherd named Fidel, and found my room with a lovely bed and internet access...Ahh, life is good....now to explore the city, stumbling along in Spanish and with some Argentinian pesos...

Finally taking that step forward...

Why do they always teach us that it is easy and evil to do what we want and that we need discipline to restrain ourselves. It's the hardest thing in the world--to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage. -Ayn Rand, in The Fountainhead

It is very easy to daydream about traveling and all the adventures that I could have while pursing my passions, but when it is actually time to jump, to act, it suddenly seems dizzying and overwhelming. For so many years I was absorbed in all that I should be doing, getting good grades in science classes for medical school, going to medical school and trying to convince myself I needed to be there, that I lost sight of myself and what drives me. I was living my life for other people, and that "selfless" act everyone respected, saying it was noble, but it meant however, that I was losing my "self", which is a high price to pay.

Leaving medical school was a traumatic event in my history, with family that was not supportive and did not understand. However, listening to what feels right for me, I learned that my internal compass will not lead me astray. I finally feel certain that I am on the right track, and while I think I took my "first step" a ways back...as I prepare myself for my flight this Sunday to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which will be my home for 4 months, I feel like I am about to take another first and important step toward pursuing my passions and dreams.

As every experience in life can teach you a lesson, I learned that I will no longer let other people tell me what I can or cannot accomplish, what is or is not a feasible goal...Life after all, is a safari, and it is not only the destination that is important but the journey and path that we choose that leads us there. With that in mind I carry with me my previous experiences, all that has influenced me and helped shape me, and continue forward, ready to experience, and learn as I go....

This blog is my experiment and attempt to capture my journey, wherever it may lead me...Thanks for reading, and enjoy it as it develops...

First stop Buenos Aires!

¡Adelante!