Tango!

---

Last night, I got my first taste of genuine Argentine tango. We went to the cultural center, where they have a club that offers lessons and dancing in the basement. The lesson was crowded with people of all ages (I especially enjoyed all of the little 12-14 year old couples who appeared to be there on dates) from all over. Many were locals, but I heard English spoken here and there on the dance floor. I learned a tiny bit, but not nearly enough to do the amazing things that the real dancers can do. I was very impressed with the boys in our group. They all gave tango a go and weren't half bad.

We were lucky enough to have accidentally picked a night on which the lesson was followed by a dance competition. There were couples of all ages, and let me tell you, even the ones who were up into their 70s still had "it," that sexy, mysterious tango quality. Even the elegant white haired ladies had the most amazing legs I have every seen (which were shown off by their sparkly dresses with high slits...I suppose all that dancing in super high heels does wonders for your leg muscles), and the men of all ages danced with a mixture of women ranging from early 20s to grandparents. One of the guys with our group who's originally from South Korea told me that he wants to learn to tango so that he can dance with pretty 25 year olds when he's in his 60s. I think he might be onto something....

Today in class, I tried traditional mate for the first time. To put it bluntly, it looks very similar to an extremely runny green cow pie, which can be offputting at first. When prepared correctly, it tastes sort of like drinking a good cigar. It actually isn't half bad with a bit of sugar. The caffiene content is much higher than that of coffee, though, so I'm pretty sure I won't be falling asleep any time soon. I need all the caffiene I can get to stay awake when we go out. Nothing here even gets going until 2 or 3 am!

We're going to a bar tonight (with some Argentine men we met at the tango club) that is supposed to have a largely American crowd. On the 4th of July, we might as well find some other people who want to celebrate with us.....

---