catherine crain

Getting Packed and ready to go!... read more

Getting packed and ready to go!... read more

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 correct! ... read more

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.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/2002/santiago_del_estero/madre-de-ciudades/habalos.htm At the birthday party, there were live performances from many musicians and several dance exhibitions from authentic tangueros y tangueras. It was a very different kind of "tango show" than what the typical tourist migh... read more

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 tangos as well - he has a lovely voice. There was food and drink for sale, an lots of people came. It was a lot of fun. I have some friends here from Seattle, Bill and ... read more

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 class. In the dance class, I watched the students practice two dances for an upcoming performance: the Chacarera and the Zamba. The Zamba is also a traditional Argentine dance - it is very different from ... read more

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 saw lots of traditional dancing, primarily the Chacarera. The prices here are lower than the street fairs in the city, and the goods are more authentic. We had lunch at a parrilla and were serenaded with traditional Argentine folk ... read more