Buen Dia! (Argentine Dialect)
by Chad A. Wright
posted April 25, 2007

Karina and I recently returned from an amazing experience at Karina's first home: Buenos, Aires, Argentina. For her, she was making her yearly visit with her family. For me, it was meeting her family for the first time, immersion into Spanish Language, immersion into Argentine culture, and learning to appreciate both the awesome qualities of Argentina and the US in ways I couldn't possibly without leaving home.

As a non-Latino who has experienced the friendly, communal quality of Latin culture via salsa dancing, it came at no surprise to me how very friendly Argentines were toward me. Between my 6' stature, glowing Caucasian skin, and the electronic Spanish translator I constantly used to help me communicate better than I would have otherwise, I stood out. But rather than find it a nuisance to try to communicate with me, most people I encountered approached me with curiosity and a desire to learn about me.

A great example of that is the day I decided to walk to the neighborhood gym by myself to work out. They happened to be teaching a salsa class that day. I got talking to one of the people there, and before I knew it, all the people in the gym were encircled around me, waiting to see what words would come out of the translator next. When Karina and her brother returned to walk me home, the owner of the gym invited Karina and me to be guest salsa instructors later that week. We took him up on the offer, and had a blast. I think we made some lasting friendships there.

Like Guernica, the quaint suburb where Karina's family lives, where everything you need is within walking and bicycling distance, downtown Buenos Aires was that times ten or so. It was a huge city. We couldn't begin to see it all, but we saw what was most important to us. Most of the two days we spent there was in the "microcenter", which is the most happening part of the city. While there, we saw a few streets that had virtually nothing but stores for tango dance shoes and dancewear. And of course we went to a tango show. It was a musical called Tanguera, which acted out the story of how people immigrated to Argentina and started tango. It was possibly the most amazing live dance show I'd ever seen - and I was at last year's world salsa championships! - I must learn tango!

And, yes, we certainly checked out the salsa scene. Apparently there is salsa dancing in Buenos Aires seven days per week. We went to a club on a Sunday night, and it was packed! We think there were about 500 people there. The club itself was bigger than all the Indianapolis salsa clubs put together. The level of dancing was equally impressive. There were a handful of pros, lots of intermediate dancers, and a handful of beginners. Some people danced on two, but most danced LA Style Salsa. Almost no one danced cumbia at the club we went to. And the music - PURE SALSA! They must have heard about the Red Room. Ha. Ha.

Ironically, the most enjoyable and educational part of the trip was not in downtown Buenos Aires, it was at Karina's family home. The best parts were the authentic Argentine food prepared fresh by Karina's mom, and the sobre mesa we shared with Karina's family after every meal. For non-Latinos, sobre mesa is a word that describes the traditional talk after the meal. This is a way for the family to share what their day was like, what is going on with them, to connect, etc. If the entire world lived this way, I think there would be a lot more peace and a lot more happy relationships.

My time with the Marcelo's taught me about the sacredness of food, and the sacredness of family. I will always be grateful for the special way they treated me. After a week and a half in Argentina, I was simultaneously sad to leave my adopted family and the slow-paced life of Argentines; and looking forward to speaking English again and getting back home to my routine.

I would definitely recommend a trip to Argentina for anyone wanting to expand their world. Go for the natural food (including empanadas and the best beef in the world), the dulce de leche (a traditional dessert), the friendly people, the tango, the salsa, the slow-paced life (though they work long and hard, three hour lunch breaks are common), the quaint houses and neighborhoods, the night life, and the shopping. And if you are lucky enough to know a local family who will give you a first hand look at the culture, go for the sobre mesa!