Expectations

Ok, I'll admit it, I DO have expectations, even though I'm trying to stay open to all possibilities, including going to the pampas to a gay bar for gauchos (cowboys) who work on the ranches....Larry, the guy I know who teaches ESL in Phoenix and will be in BA during the exact same time I'll be there and who will be staying in an apartment a few blocks from where I'll be staying, went ahead and made reservations for the two of us to go on this overnight bus tour to this bar. I think we leave around midnight and return at some ungodly hour the next day. Really not my cup of tea at my age (I over-did that kind of stuff when I was in my late teens - not that I ever went to a gay bar for gauchos, but we had the Village People back then)...anyway, I told Larry I wasn't sure about this, since I'm planning on going to bed early and getting up early (even though Larry tells me people in Buenos Aires don't even eat dinner until 10 p.m. -- about the time I plan on getting in bed with a book), but I figure I might not have an opportunity like this again, so I might as well at least go on this bus tour. My future husband may be waiting for me on the pampas!

So, this was about expectations, right? Yeah, and I was saying I have some but I'm trying to stay open to possibilities (like gay gaucho bars).

But to be honest, I do have expectations. I am going to Argentina because I want to improve my Spanish and learn to dance tango like a pro. I found a video on you-tube of a couple dancing tango the way I expect to be able to when I get back. (I'm so excited that I was able to figure out how to include the video on this page, check it out by clicking on the pic to the left.)

Well, to be honest, I don't expect to be able to dance like that, but close to it.

I also expect to be able to speak Spanish fluently, and even with a little Argentine flavor. I feel like an immersion experience will be good for me after nearly 25 years of trying to learn how to speak Spanish fluently.

But the other day I was standing in class watching my students with their electronic dictionaries looking up something simple like the word "book" (or something like that) even though they had seen the word countless times, and reality hit me. They've been in my class for four months , coming every day of the week, and living in an English-speaking environment (some of them have been in this country since before I was born), and I honestly can't see any improvement in their English. Maybe it's because I've been with them every day and seen how they switch immediately to Chinese the moment they have something they really want to say, so I don't see any improvement? Am I expecting too much from myself?

And about the tango dancing, can I really improve that much in a two month period? I'll probably only be taking class twice a week if that much. Even if I studied everyday, could I be as good as that couple that probably has been dancing for years, or at least started learning before they were in their 40's and their arteries had started to harden?

So again, I am back to no expectations, though I do have some moderate goals I'm working towards. Maybe dancing one tango song straight through without saying "wait a minute, what do I do now?", or being able to express myself in Spanish without worrying that I'm not saying it like a native.

I guess the one thing I AM expecting, which I definitely hope to have my expectations met on, is that I'm going to have fun. Going to school every day, taking trips, meeting new people, taking tango lessons, trying new food, and going to a gay bar in Patagonia and seeing gay gauchos. How could that not be fun??!!!

Getting Ready

One month from now I'll be in Buenos Aires.

Evita, dirty wars, tango. I know so little about what to expect. I've heard many things. The economy is still in a shambles after the economic collapse several years ago. Good for tourists, bad for Argentines. Crime is a problem, even in broad daylight. People are friendly and know how to enjoy life. The city has a very European feel. Still, I don't really know what it will be like, what it will smell or feel like to be in that grand city that is now "down at heel".

All I know for sure is that I have found a Spanish program that I am happy with, and I have a place to live. I know someone who will be there during the time I'm there. My school will provide me with help on things like banking, shopping, finding a gym, taking classes beyond Spanish, weekend trips, conversation partner, cell phone.

I expect to be able to speak Spanish more fluently when I leave. I expect to be able to dance tango more confidently, and I expect to have experiences and learn things which will alter the way I see my world and my life in the United States.

Other than that, I am trying not to have too many expectations and simply be open to the experience.