Getting Packed and ready to go! [View Full Entry]

---

---

Getting packed and ready to go! [View Full Entry]

---

---

After spending nearly 4 months in Argentina, I'm back in Seattle. It's good to be home, but it was hard to leave. I made some really good friends during my stay, learned a ton of Spanish and took my tango to a new level. Here are a few pictures of my last few days in Bs.As. and of my first few days at home. [View Full Entry]

---

---

On May 14, I visited the Botanical Gardens with Jayne, a new guest from England (although she currently lives in France). It was a lovely day, very warm - it feels like summer again. Afterwards we came back to the house and had a baby shower for Daniela, the secretary. Her baby is due in July. Baby showers are not an Argentine custom, so Nancy and I had to give instructions to the girls on how a shower should be done. We had cake, played games and of course, Daniela opened her gifts - all pink! Hopefully, the ultrasound was [View Full Entry]

---

---

May 2-4, Claudia, Sebastian (from France), and I went to El Tigre for the weekend. We rented a different house, Melodi - the house in front of Filomena. It’s an older house than Filomena, but was quite nice. A neighbor, Sergio fixed us dinner Friday night. Saturday, I went rowing with my friend Inés, then we had a long lunch at El Hornero. We walked around the island and visited the local feria artesenal. We ordered a pizza from another neighbor for dinner. Sunday, we got up and went for a long walk, then had an asado with Inés and Julian. [View Full Entry]

---

---

On the 30th of April, we were invited to attend a birthday party for Vitillo Abalo at the Café de Los Angelitos, another of the historic confiterias in Buenos Aires. The cafe dates from 1890 and has been completely restored. It is located very close to the Casa de Maria Tango, on Rivadavia. http://www.cafedelosangelitos.com/ Vitillo Abalos is one of the surviving brothers of the Hermanos Abalos, a music group that was an important force in bringing Argentine Folkloric Music and Dancing to international attention during the 20th century. http://users.erols.com/abalos/ http://www [View Full Entry]

---

---

On Sunday, April 27, I went a tour to San Telmo with Julieta, Liz, Bill, Sebastian, & Ravi. We rode the city bus although it’s almost close enough to walk from the Tango House. San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood in the city. It was abandoned by the rich residents in the mid 19th century due to an outbreak of Yellow Fever. Many of the old buildings are still standing and have never been rebuilt. In the last few years, it has been getting a face lift with lots of new shops and restaurants. There is a famous flea market [View Full Entry]

---

---

Maria is starting to have regular cultural events with live Tango music every Saturday at the Casa Maria Tango (where I’m staying). http://www.mariatango.com.ar/e_index.htm Last week, the party was held in the patio, with a group of musicians who sang original tangos - they were funny and very good. This week the party was held in the salon, and the singer was a young guitarist who sang traditional tangos and milongas. He was wonderful! There was also some singing along - it was interesting to see that everyone knows the words to many of these famous tangos. Cacho sang a few [View Full Entry]

---

---

On Monday, April 21, I had the chance to visit a school in a suburb north of town: El Centro Polivalente de Arte de San Ysidro (escuela media #17). I was invited to visit by my friend, Inés Rey who teaches art there. It is a “collegio” or secondary school. The students I visited were mostly 3rd year, or seniors. The school specializes in the arts. Students take their regular, “polimodal” classes in the morning, then take art classes in the afternoon. I visited in the afternoon and saw a painting class, a printmaking class, a music class and a dance [View Full Entry]

---

---

On Sunday, April 20, a group of us took the bus to the famous “Fería de los Mataderos,” a traditional street fair on the western edge of the city. http://www.feriademataderos.com.ar/ The bus ride is a substantial trip - it took about an hour each way - but the price was right - a peso each way. Matadero means “slaughterhouse” in Spanish. This part of the city, historically was where they slaughtered the cattle. The street fair is very colorful - there are gauchos on horseback demonstrating horsemanship. There was an outdoor stage with music and dancing. We s [View Full Entry]

---

---