To stay/not to stay in BA: Tango fever x the economic crisis

[Ana Luisa]

Undecisiveness is taking a toll on my ability to carry on with my life.

The political, social and economical indicators clearly put me on track as to be sensible and go back to Brazil. Still an undergrad student, lost precious time in med school. Never felt passion for it. Am now at CBC at UBA for Ciencias Matematicas. I have definetely encountered my true academic passion. Better late than never.
I could easily be receiving an education just as good (or better) back in Belo Horizonte, my hometown in Brazil.
Also completely and utterly addicted to tango; cannot live without it. Tango takes away my reasoning and makes me want to stay in BA.

Is wanting it all too much?

I can't weigh in the factors since they are of completely different natures:

the political-economical time bomb that was set;
the notorious lack of courtesy, civility and elementary standards of higiene among portenos in general;

x

the obscure culture I simply adore and relate to in a way I've never felt about Brazilian culture;
the well-educated people (at least compared to the disseminated niilism among the majority of people back in Brazil's 3rd city);
the love for tango.

I lived a life deprived of passion for many wasted years in med school. Now, I have Math and Tango in an instable country. Passion or reason? I'm already 26, to continue pursuing tango, it can't wait and it won't happen in Brazil.

Anybody out there with Tango fever midst going crazy about everything else happening in Argentina?


P.s. :Listening to Osvaldo Pugliese - Gallo Ciego Tango while writing this...

 

[trennod]

Tango is good, but samba is better - bit biased from my years latin competition dancing but its true!!

 

[jamila]

I have tango fever too. so i understand, but i just arrived a week ago so I have no intentions of going anywhere. why can't you finish your studies here?

 

[Ana Luisa]

Tango is good, but samba is better - bit biased from my years latin competition dancing but its true!!

Ironically enough, samba from latin dancing competitions is quite different from Brazilian samba. I actually like it better (to watch), though there's no beating tango!!

 

[Farenheit]

Tango dancer here too. Been here 6 years. Have kids now so not much time for dance but would 100% def stay and not be put off by other issues if I was free to dance all day/night every day/night.

 

[Ana Luisa]

I have tango fever too. so i understand, but i just arrived a week ago so I have no intentions of going anywhere. why can't you finish your studies here?

I want to, but I just started. That would mean at least 4 years in BA. All reasonable predictions reveal the crisis will get even messier. Subsist like that, not knowing the future of an unstable country run by unstable Cristina (still deciding between "nutcase" or just plain unscrupuous), while Brazil is doing infinetely better ever since the people finally gave Lula a chance.

What I most see is everybody here in BA Expats saying they're leaving soon. And for plausable reasons. Brazil is no UK (yet! ), there is lots of room for improvement. There are some civility issues as well, but things definetely function better than here. In Brazil, I have stability. In Argentina, I have my drive. Again, in doubt. Sigh... Somebody tell me what to do...

Is there anywhere else in the world where one can pursue tango JUST AS MUCH?

 

[Farenheit]

Tango just isn't tango anywhere else. It's not the same thing. I taught in London for years before moving here and attended many festivals in other european cities. Much as I hate it here I still love Buenos Aires.

 

[Ana Luisa]

Tango dancer here too. Been here 6 years. Have kids now so not much time for dance but would 100% def stay and not be put off by other issues if I was free to dance all day/night every day/night.

Thank you, that kind of input from someone who's been living here that long is truly helpful. My biggest fear is eventually not having money to survive decently or having to work long hours (that is, if I actually manage to get a job) and either not have time to tango or study properly.

 

[Ana Luisa]

Tango just isn't tango anywhere else. It's not the same thing. I taught in London for years before moving here and attended many festivals in other european cities. Much as I hate it here I still love Buenos Aires.

By "Much as I hate it here I still love Buenos Aires", you mean that you don't like BA for the city, but strictly for tango?

I feel a bit like that. And it seems a bit akward, as if it didn't make sense. Putting your livelihood at stake for tango. Crazy addiction...

If there's no hope of tango like in BA in Europe, then there's nowhere else to look for. I thought maybe Milan (Geraldine Rojas!), Berlin or Paris (Mariana Monte, Sebastian Arce, Titio!). I'll take your word for it...

 

[Farenheit]

You could learn tango better by living in Buenos Aires for a year and not dancing, than by living in Europe for a year and taking classes every day...trust me, my tango has improved so much, even though I now dance only 90 minutes a week! In London I danced for up to 10 hours a day.