Con Sus Pies Debajo de la Espuma

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"Con Sus Dedos de Pie Debajo de la Espuma" (With your toes beneath the surf)

I must begin this entry with some observations about new favorite art form: dance. I've always loved dancing but I feel my appreciation for it grows every day that I'm here. My two favorite types (both to watch and to attempt) are salsa and meringue. Most of the dancing I've been exposed to has been a direct result of the classes they offer to us on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but I have ventured out a few times to see what it's like out in the "real world". The university hosted a party the first week of classes and there was some salsa dancing. That night was almost like a culmination of a lot of my romanticized ideas about what makes nights in Latin America special. There's something about being outside in the warm night air when christmas lights are strung around an outdoor plaza and music is playing and people are dancing....It's almost enough just to watch. It's almost enough to know that there are people who enjoy this kind of atmosphere on a regular basis. It's almost enough. But then there's a part of you that wants to be a part of it. And that's the part of me that keeps me going to the dance classes.

In a way Salsa is a language all it's own. I may stumble, but I'm learning how to speak Spanish. I don't know how to speak Salsa. If ever I am asked to dance I almost feel I must begin with a disclaimer, "bueno, no se como bailar, pero si no le importa, me gustaria tratar." (Well, I don't really know how to dance, but if you don't mind, I'd like to try.) So far my partners have been "caballeros" (gentleman) who were polite enough to stick it out at least until the end of the song. It is kind of funny though. One guy was trying to help me find the beat and he kept saying "dos pasos, dos pasos." Finally he looked up and said, "two steps?" If only he knew. I understood what he was saying in Spanish, it was just that my feet didn't.

All of this took place in Tamarindo, a beautiful beach on the pacific ocean. We spent our second weekend there. Tamarindo was exactly what I was looking for after handing in my Spanish midterm last month. I remember quite clearly feeling as I boarded the bus that Friday that I could have flunked my midterm and it wouldn't have made the slightest difference. (Luckily, I didn't flunk it, but that's beside the point.)

The point is, we had a great time. The weather was perfect and the company was good. We went out together on the first Friday and it felt like the first time we really connected as a group. We really have been lucky. We've gotten comfortable very quickly and we get along without any effort.

When we got back to the hotel that first night, a few of us went for a night swim. I couldn't help but think of various night swimming excursions I've had in other bodies of water....Lake George, the Gardenside neighborhood pool....

I spent the entire day Saturday on the beach. Rose and Tom would have been laughing from their beach towels if they had been there because I went for my customary walk with my ipod and when I thought no one was looking I started to dance as I always do. We'll never be sure how many European tourists witnessed the twirls and spins I did in that liminal space where the sea meets the sand but that may be for the best. It's one of my favorite states of being: "con sus pies debajo de la espuma" (with your feet beneath the surf). The sea surf hides your feet, and if you happen to be practicing your salsa steps and you make a mistake, no one will ever know the difference. The waves will wash away your footprints. And if a wave catches you unsuspecting and sprays up around you and interrupts your carefully choreographed steps, well, maybe it knew better than you did.

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Comments

[Mom]

Keep dancing!
Hi My Carita, I can picture you dancing on the beach... I've got plenty of memories of the real thing to help me imagine you footloose and fancy free on the beaches in Costa Rica ;) I love reading about all you're experiencing. I love the pictures, too. Who are the people in the pics? I'm SO looking forward to seeing you soon. Keep posting- I love you.