Well, once again I arrived at the Teatro Astral with my dance shoes and cough drops, all warmed up despite the wet and chilly weather outside. This time there definitely were auditions going on as there were tons of tiny girls and flouncy boys running around in rehearsal wear. I could taste the nerves in the lobby air, and they tasted just like the ones that buzz around my belly in auditions north of the Equator. And just like so many of those, today's audition was behind schedule. But because its South America, the disorganization, like everything else down here, was only magnified! So they told me and everybody else in my group to come back NEXT TUESDAY and MAYBE we'll get in to audition. So its just another week of waiting, building anticipation, and memorizing Spanish lyrics. I suppose I can do that.
But instead of going back to class, which I'd already resolved not to do today, I went exploring downtown in the light rain, had lunch at a cafe, and stumbled upon El Ateneo, an old opera house converted into a huge and lavishly gorgeous bookstore. Gold embellishments all up and down the cream colored walls, a mural of goddesses and angels in the expansive rotunda hovering overhead, a rich red curtain shading the old stage area that now acts as a cafe, and my favorite, comfy armchairs in the areas that used to serve as opera boxes for anyone to settle in and read the hours away... which is exactly what I did! My reading in Spanish has gotten so fast, and yet still I managed to sit there for over 4 hours. The afternoon was far from wasted in my opinion.
So that's how my today went. Come to think of it I should really recount my weekend too!
I spent Saturday and Sunday in Rosario, the third largest city in Argentina that lies a few hours Northwest of Buenos Aires on the Rio Parana. It's the birthplace of renown Argentine revolutionaries Che Guevara and Leo Messi, and it was lovely. It still retains the busy beat of a big city but is so much more laid back and friendly than the monstrous BsAs (honestly I think any city by comparison would be). I hypothesize that the calm amicability of the city is due to its cool refreshing breezes from the river, but being a SoCal native I tend to invest tranquil qualities in large bodies of water, so I'm kinda biased.
We arrived Saturday afternoon much later than scheduled due to a strike on the highways that forced our bus to take an alternate route, turning a 2 hour drive into a 5 hour one. We lunched at a tenedor libre, or as we know it in the States a buffet, and lazed away our resulting food coma on a cruise on the river. On the little islands and marshes across from the city, we floated by kyakers, fisherman, amigos drinking mate, a few dilapidated houses that I'm sure still serve as someone's shelter, and herds of cows grazing freely on the river banks... what a life, huh?
Saturday evening us girls went out for imitation Mexican food and margaritas... eran no buenas, lamentablemente. And Sunday we went on a bus tour of the city, seeing the view of the skyline from the great silver suspension bridge, the tiny fresh fish markets, and finally we ended at El Monumento de la Bandera, a gargantuous tribute to the place where was raised the first flag of Argentina. It is an awe striking, jaw dropping, neck craning, camera flashing, cartwheeling down the multitude of steps (which yes of course I did!) kind of beautiful that simply dwarfs any kind of artistic achievement you think you may have had in your lifetime. Plus it was a stunningly gorgeous day with lots of sunshine, so we wandered through the monument and over to the parks on the riverbank where city people were gathering for picnics and kites alongside the many artisan street vendors. That's one of the things that I've decided I really do love about city life. Cities are so populated, so concentrated with people that its impossible to live in one and not be social! You share all the same space! You can't dry your laundry on the balcony without your neighbors knowing what kind of underwear you prefer. And if you wanna get out of the house, enjoy the weekend sun, walk your cooped up dog, then you go to the city parks! It's like everyone shares the same backyard! In the suburbs you can exist solitarily for weeks or months on end without ever talking to your neighbors. I mean privacy is great... but so is human interaction!
I bought a necklace from a Rasta named Chaman, and ended up sitting a chatting with him for about an hour. He told me about how he spends all the money he makes selling his jewelry, traveling around with his reggae band, but that he still loves to come home to his little hut on the bank of the Parana inside the Rosario nature preserve. He also told me that the stones in the necklace I bought symbolize friendship and protection. Well, maybe its a little late in my travels to attain such assurance, but at least now I have a token of international friendship that'll forever harken my memory to the immensity of good fortune I've been doused with down here. What more could I ask for??
(hmmm... well on second thought maybe just a little punctuality??)
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