“Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away” 

-Carrie Bradshaw. Sex and the City. 

The thing about a city is, you are never quite sure where  you will end up. Plan it out, get a map, google it to your hearts content, but the streets have a bigger say than you do in your destination. This past week has been a week of failed plans. A circus we missed, a bar we never found, a museum that was closed. The beauty in mistakes, is what you find when you should have taken a right. 

As one prone to mistakes, misinformation, and a lot of left turns, I'm learning that in the city, it's important to understand that whether you reach your destination, or just wander around a Jewish synagogue (these things happen), the pieces of adventure we share, make the mis-adventures worthwhile.

This week, I turned 21. A monumental number to many. Spending a birthday not only away from home, but away from those people who make birthdays special for me, was difficult. All the things I would be doing in Moscow and Spokane, here, seemed unimportant. My left hand turn had taken me to Argentina and I would have to walk into my twenty first birthday surrounded by those I had known only a short while. The beautiful thing about people, is how we are wired to slip into each others lives, seamlessly filling the holes and the gaps the heart has created. The distance from my family was still there, my best friends still absent, but there was no doubt that we had, amongst ourselves, formed a family of our own. Perhaps it's a want of experiences, or perhaps it is out of necessity that friendships like these form, creating a blanket of protection from loneliness in a city of this size.

Maybe Carrie is right. Maybe mistakes do make our fate. In a jungle the size of Buenos Aires, a day without mistakes does not exist. and all those left hand turns? I think eventually they'll take you in the right direction. Following the map, can only get you so far, after that, you have to trust that what has slipped into your life, will lead you to the right road. And sometimes, wandering the streets with no destination at all, is the best way to find what you're really looking for.

As always,
Besos,
Hil

Expectations #3

#3 Tango

Typical as this may seem I may certainly say that tango is one of the things that most entices me about BA. I have danced tango and taught tango in the past and I am beyond excited to see how it differs and the social role it plays within the city. I assume there is a world of tango that I will never see, and I do not expect to. I am not fooled to think that the milongas (tango clubs) that I would find are the real thing. The true heart of tango in BA will be hidden from me I am sure. If this is something that is truly special to the hearts of the porteños, I will never see it. It is their secret and I expect them to keep it. What do I want? What do I expect. I want stories. I want to hear the people talk about their connection with the dance. How the movements are interpreted, and find out what it all means.                                    photo credit click here

We Dance Tango because we have secrets...

To dances and stories, 

Hil

Expectations #2

#2 Commuting 


I have been on several subway systems in my lifetime, and have always glorified the pedestrian lifestyle, but growing up in suburbia has not allowed me to fully experience one. I am fascinated by daily subway rides and look forward to the tedium of catching 'my train home. Call me crazy but I feel that if I master even a small portion of the expansive subway system (called the Subte in BA), I will begin to feel more at home. The more I can feel like a porteño (local) the more I expect I will gain from my experience. Cinematic as it sounds I'm sure my first attempt and flawlessly navigating Subte lines will be more youtube worthy than oscar worthy, but I'm ready to give it a shot.

                                           Photo credit: Phillipp Klinger Photography on Flickr


Here's to maps instead of iphones... yikes,
Hil

Expectations #1

#1. Street Art
I have read that the street art of Argentina is both beautiful and rich in political, cultural, and social thought; that the artistic heart of Buenos Aires lies not within its walls but on them. I love street art. I find it fascinating in the way it allows for communication, revolution and art simultaneously.

Antigua Alhambra store in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Photo credit: Jim Patton via Flickr