The Difficulty of Learning the Sabbath Tango

Here it is July 22, 2009, and I am making my first post for the month! Last year, even with six days in the wilderness of Northern Minnesota, I already had several posts by this time. In fact, by the 22nd of July, 2008, I was on my way back to Miami after the first three weeks of my Sabbatical feeling very refreshed, relaxed and ready for my South American adventure! This July 22 I am finishing up my one-week vacation, enjoying a final full day in Chicago, and wondering where the vacation time went to so fast?!? One-week of vacation is not nearly enough time off to accomplish what a vacation needs to do in terms of restoring the body, mind and soul. For example, I am just now getting over a cold that is trying to become bronchitis. This hit me two days ago, about half-way through the vacation. It took my body 4 days to realize it was on vacation before it could consider whether it wanted to get sick for vacation or not! It took my mind a good three days to realize it was on vacation before it began to shift into relaxation mode. It has taken my spirit about six days to realize it was on vacation to where I was ready to begin engaging in spirit-renewing activities, such as writing in my journal, or my blog, and reading a book just for fun! Of course, I return to Miami tomorrow and back to work on Friday, so body will have had about 4 days of vacation, 2-3 of them fighting illness; my mind will have had about 5 days of vacation, also 2-3 days of that clouded by my body's illness; and my spirit will have had about 2 days of vacation.

And that is how most of my time off this year is shaping up. We had this week in Chicago to celebrate my wife Dianne's birthday (and we had a wonderful time with our family in Chicago, Jim, Erika, and granddaughters, Madeleine & Shelby.) I will next take a 4.5 days early in August to drive with my daughter,Rebekah, to Pennsylvania to help her get settled in her apartment for Law School which begins later that month. Then, after returning to Miami, a week later I will fly with my son, Paul, out to Salt Lake City, Utah, to help him get settled in Westminster College for his freshman year. I will take about 8 days to make that trip, and the last two days will probably be alone time for me as it appears that the orientation schedule does not include parents on Monday or Tuesday. (That is fine with me, at least I will get a little bit of solo vacation out of the trip!) Then Dianne and I are planning to take a 10 day trip this September, probably to California. Perhaps that will be a long enough experience to bring full refreshment and renewal to my body, mind & soul?!

I am not really complaining, as much as I am bemoaning several realities. First, the fact that we expect too much out of too little far too often in our society. We expect a one or two week vacation to make up for the other 50 highly stressful, highly taxing, highly exhausting weeks we spend at work, at volunteer activities, at household chores, etc. We expect one-hour a week on Sunday mornings to renew our relationship with God and to restore our spiritual health to a balanced place to take us through the week. Our bodies, minds and spirits need regular renewal time and periodic intense, extended renewal time, for good health. It is the way we were created. Besides all the medical studies highlighting this truth, God's plan as detailed in the Bible also teaches us the same thing. God established the Sabbath at the very beginning creating the world: after six days of work, God rested. God knew when to take a break and God taught us that we need to do the same thing. Yet how infrequently do we really take a weekly Sabbath? If we are lucky enough any more to not work on Saturday or Sunday we almost always fill both days with chores and other high levels of activity. How often do we stop to ask ourselves if something we are planning to do will be renewing to our body, mind, spirit, or family relationships?

The other reality I find very sad is that there is so little acknowledgement of the importance of family and family relationships in the structure of our employment practices. I remember when the Family Leave Act was passed by Congress back in the '90's that mandated employers to allow mothers and fathers time off work for the birth or adoption of a baby. It was a major battle to get this law passed! Most employers do not allow for separate sick-leave days for caring for a family member: an employee must use their sick leave, which in most cases is pretty minimal for the year, especially when it must be divided between the employee and one or more dependents. Most employers do not allow for time off for attending to other family care situations: like attending graduations, taking children off to college, etc. To do such a parent must use vacation time. Now I realize there might always be people who would abuse some benefit, but I also realize that we as a society are extremely driven to succeed at all costs, especially when it comes to turning a profit. We have very little humane and compassionate practices in our economic, business, and social relationships. And the church gets sucked right into the same attitudes and practices. This is very sad.

But I am thankful for a caring and understanding congregation of people who, while they expect a lot out of their pastor and like for him to be available 24/7/365, still realize he is a human being who needs time away for renewal and refreshment. They are fairly flexible and as long as I am there at the critical moments, for the most part they allow me space and encourage me to find Sabbath Time so that I can be healthy, whole, and a better person and pastor. Finding such is part of the difficult dance known as Sabbath Tango. As I learned in Argentina one does not pick-up the Tango, and definitely not master it, in just a few lessons. It takes years of practice. Even so with the Sabbath Tango.

(The pictures include: A brown bear cooling himself at the Brookfield Zoo, he definitely seems to have a better handle on the Sabbath Tango than I do; Dianne & I with our children preparing to go out to celebrate her birthday with a fabulous dinner; a view of the Chicago River from the boat tour we enjoyed; a photo of me & Dianne and taking a photo of ourselves and the Chicago skyline in the Cloud Gate in Millenium Park; and a photo of Dianne, Rebekah & Paul at the sign for Millenium Park.)

Tango Night in Buenos Aires

In the heart of one of the traditional barrios of Buenos Aires, Balvanera, old place of poets and compadritos, near the home barrio and stomping grounds of the most famous Tango singer from Buenos Aires history, Carlos Gardel, Dianne and I immersed ourselves in Tango, the dance of passion and the music of nostalgia. The evening began with a group Tango lesson at Complejo Tango. The L-shaped room was packed with about 40 people, almost all novices, taking the lesson which made for very tight confines, especially when couples started moving and practicing their dancing. But, it gave us a good taste of what a crowded "milonga," public dance hall, will be like if we venture into that environment. The teacher was very good, the class very enjoyable and helpful and we are getting better, growing more confident, in our ability to dance Tango together.

We received our certificate of completion, which meant we were allowed to stay and enjoy dinner and the show (the teacher's joke that if you did not learn well enough, you did not get your certificate, and thus could not stay!) The maitre d' escorted us to a front row table, right next to the stage on the corner, one of the best seats in the house! The dinner was delicious, with a nice bottle of house red wine (a blend of Cabernet & Malbec), very fresh greens and tomatoes in the salad, a tasty and tender steak, followed by a wonderful dessert. (Dianne had wine soaked poached pear with vanilla ice cream and Steve had a white chocolate mousse with red raspberry and currant sauce!)

During dessert the show began, with three energetic young couples dancing Tango and three smooth voiced singers crooning nostalgic songs. Dianne was sung to two or three times during the show, winked at by one at least once, and the show proceeded on the stage and all around us with action periodically taking place in the midst of the audience. Actually, the show began with the three male dancers performing some solo and group numbers, illustrating the beginnings of the dance as an all male dance performed while men waited for their turn in the local bordellos in Buenos Aires. (Tango has a very checkered past!)

The evening was wonderfully fun. The restaurant and show were set on the third floor of this building in what felt like a converted loft. It was designed with wrought iron balconies overlooking the stage. On one balcony the Tango orchestra of four musicians played the live music and on the facing balcony were more tables and chairs (which were not filled this night). It was an excellent introduction to Buenos Aires culture and history, share in more enjoyable fashion.

Today we will probably enjoy more Tango as we are headed to La Boca, one of the oldest barrios in the city, near the mouth of the Riachuelo River. La Boca was settled by Italian immigrants and is one of the barrios that claims to be the birthplace for Tango. It is also home to the famous La Boca Juniors soccer club, which made Diego Maradona famous. The "Caminito" is a kitschy-tourist oriented location, with brightly colored buildings and Tango dancers performing in the streets for the tourist. It will be a nice, relaxing day. We have been keeping a pretty busy schedule since Dianne arrived and have begun to realize the need to slow down a bit and absorb more deeply what we experience.

Dianne Made It!!!

Dianne finally arrived in Buenos Aires! After her 13 hour flight delay, after taking 40 minutes to retrieve her luggage, clear customs and immigration, we finally embraced outside the doors to international arrivals at Ezeiza Airport in Buenos Aires about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday night. Our taxi ride back to Palermo took about 45 minutes and we had a very Buenos Aires style late dinner together at 11:00 p.m. It is GREAT to have her here.

The schedule I had become used to keeping though is being adjusted. Right now we are still trying to find a schedule. I have not written in my journal since she arrived. I have not posted to the blog until this morning (and only at her insistence, so you could all breathe a sigh of relief that she has arrived safely). She has been catching her own breath after her hectic travel schedule since last Friday. (She flew to New Jersey where she officiated at the wedding of a life-long friend's daughter at Bear Mountain, New York on the Hudson River. She returned to Miami Sunday evening and was supposed to fly to Buenos Aires on Monday night, but didn't leave until Tuesday morning.) We had a Tango lesson with Guadalupe (my Tango teacher) yesterday and then ate lunch at a Pizza Cafe dedicated to the memory of Carlos Gardel, the well-known Tango singer from the 30' & 40's. We then walked to Plaza Congresso an witnessed the ending of some demonstration before the Congress building, down Avenida de Mayo to Plaza de Mayo to see the Casa Rosada (the Presidential Palace) and the Metropolitan Cathedral. There were the remains of another demonstration taking place in Plaza de Mayo (the people here certainly exercise their right to free speech to express their opinions!) After all that walking (we did stop in Cafe Tortoni for a coffee and break) we caught a taxi back to Palermo, picked up some of the best gelatto this side of Italy, and retired to our apartment.

Today we are off to the Parks and Gardens and maybe the Cemetery Recoleta. It is a beautiful day with sun and almost no clouds. It is SO NICE to have the love of my life and my companion and best friend with me to share this amazing city.

Still Waiting for Dianne

The way life has been going recently, this is no surprise. It is 11:15 a.m. in Buenos Aires and I am still waiting for Dianne's arrival. For some reason, she was not told why, her flight from Miami was delayed 13 hours. That meant she spent last night in the airport Marriott in Miami (courtesy of Lan Argentina, with dinner and breakfast on them) and her flight is scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires now at 8:25 p.m. local time. Complicating her life beyond that event yesterday was the fact that there were terrible thunderstorms in Miami on Sunday night, one of which knocked out the power at our home for several hours. It also messed up the Internet connection and the telephone lines, (even after the power resumed) all of which complicated her efforts to prepare to leave. But I just spoke with her 15 minutes ago and she was sitting on the plane which appeared to be on-time for departure. So it will only be 9 more hours!

In spite of this glitch, life is returning to normal and my outlook is definitely improving. This morning I was finally able to pick-up the locks to the closets in my apartment from the locksmith with the new keys. I had been very bothered about this because I did not return in time on Saturday to get them and he had closed. He remained closed not only Sunday (which was expected) but also all day Monday (which had me very nervous). On top of the anxiety it added to the fact that every time I had to go out since Friday's trauma I could not secure my computer and other valuable inside the apartment. Nothing happened (actually there is pretty good security on the apartment building itself), but after Friday, my paranoia is definitely on level orange if not red. (I think that is the order for the Homeland Security alerts?) The locksmith was also able to open the lock on my suitcase so I could put a new lock on it (the keys to that lock were also in the backpack) and again have access to my passport! So, the suitcase is now accessible again and the locks are back on the closets. I learned you can use a steak knife as a flat-blade screwdriver. (All sorts of things I am learning on this sabbatical!)

I am listening to the two Tango CDs I purchased this weekend as I write these words, so my attitude toward Buenos Aires is growing more positive as life slowly returns to normal. I was able to reschedule the taxi driver late last night when I found out about the change in Dianne's arrival, which was quite an accomplishment. He speaks almost no English. Plus I had lost his telephone number in the robbery. But I found it on my Skype history. I was able to find a late night locutorio (public telephone shop) to call him. He answered his cell phone so I did not have to leave a message. I was able to communicate what happened and renegotiate when he would pick me up to go to the airport, all in Spanish! (I did write it out before I called, but still...) So I am feeling more capable, more positive about things, than I have for several days.

I also want to say "Thank you" to all those who reached out to me during this difficult time with kind words of support and encouragement. Some did so through my blog, and some through direct emails and some on my Facebook page. All of your comments were strengthening to me and it was good to know I was truly not alone in this situation and, even though distant from me, I was still surrounded by a community of love, support, and concern. God is good and God does provide, almost always in ways we do not expect, but always God demonstrates we are not alone. Thank you all.

La Boca Barrio

Today I went to La Boca barrio, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. First, you may be wondering why I went there and not to school on Monday. Because today was a national holiday celebrating General Jose de San Martin, the liberator of Chile and Peru from Spain in the 1800's, which helped solidify Argentina's Independence as well. So we had no school.

Back to La Boca. I went with Rhys, a young student from Wales and England whom I met at the language school these past two weeks. He has finished his time here (5 weeks for him) and this was his last day before returning to England, and next month beginning his law studies at Cambridge. We went to La Boca to take pictures of the brightly colored buildings and enjoy the art fair and Tango dancers in the street.

La Boca is the "Little Italy" of Buenos Aires - the place where the Italian and Portuguese immigrants settled. It was the working class barrio - filled with tanneries, meat packing plants, paint factories, etc. It was because the people used the left over paint from the factories that their houses became such a bright collage of color. La Boca was also the birthplace of Tango and of course is the home of the famous La Boca Juniors futbol club - the club that produced the great Diego Maradona. The community definitely has spirit for their soccer team, wherever you go you see "oro y azul" (gold and blue) (the team colors) as well as many shops that sell La Boca Juniors memorabilia.

La Boca is still a very rough neighborhood. At least according to the rumors, stories, and guidebooks. They tell tourists not to wander away from the tourist area and suggest you should not bring expensive cameras into the area (but it is such an interesting place that I had to take out my camera). They also say the police only patrol the tourist area during the daylight and then leave at sundown. It seemed safe enough to me, but we did follow the stories and took a taxi in and out of the tourist area, instead of trying to walk in from outside and passing through the regular neighborhood of La Boca. If you want to see pictures of the barrio or of the Tango dancers, follow these links to the Kodak Gallery Albums I created. This link goes to pictures of the neighborhood: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.ciq7wl0a&x=0&y=m7jvcc&localeid=en_US

This link takes you to pictures of Tango dancers in the street: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.470in80q&x=0&y=-7pah57&localeid=en_US

Tango Classes!

My Tango classes have begun. Actually, my first free class, (part of my registration fee to the Language school) was my first Monday in Buenos Aires. This past Monday I started the classes I am paying for and had a class Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. My teacher is Guadalupe Garcia, a young, vivacious woman who is a very good dancer and an excellent teacher. Last Friday she had invited Philip and I, her two students on that first Monday, to be her guests at a Tango Show in which she was dancing. It was a "History of Tango on the Radio" in Buenos Aires. There were 8 dancers (4 couples) and 4 Cantare (singers) and a Tango orchestra composed of two bandaneon (accordions), a pianist, a violin, a bass, and another instrument which I am forgetting at this time. It was an excellent show. Phillip and I joked that is was sponsored by AARP of Buenos Aires, because when we arrived at the Theater there was a long line of elderly patrons waiting to enter and more getting off a large tour bus. Upon entering the theater almost all the seats were occupied by older portenos (residents of Buenos Aires). We were clearly the youngest people in the audience. They loved the show, I am sure because it brought back many memories. I loved the show as a tourist, because it gave me a taste of Tango through the years.

Anyway, Guadalupe has been teaching Philip and I the basic steps of Tango, which begins with the idea that you are basically walking to music. Then you start adding "box" type steps in sixes and eights. And then it becomes more complicated from there. The first night she was working with just the two of us, so all she had to do was teach us the man's steps and she would alternate dancing with us as a partner and let us each practice alone the other time. Then this past Monday a new student showed up, Eve, from Paris, France, and so we had two men, two women but at the same time she had to now take time to show Eve the woman's step and then show us the man's steps. On Tuesday, Guadalupe was not well, so she sent a friend, Emiliano, to teach. He was excellent as well and gave us a different perspective, emphasizing different aspects of the Tango. Tonight Guadalupe returned, but Eve was not there and this time Guadalupe did have Philip and I dance together, one taking the man's role and the other the woman's role. (That was not fun, but it was instructive and actually helpful to get a feel for what the woman is experiencing.) But mostly she alternated again between the two of us.

The Tango is a very intimate dance, as almost all dancing is. It is a simple dance in some respects, but very, very complicated in truth. That is, you can learn to dance the basics quickly and simply, but there are so many options and the longer you dance it and the more you study it the more you learn and the more variations on the basics you can add. I think I will take some more private lessons next week with Guadalupe and then when Dianne joins me in October, maybe we will take some lessons with her as well. Argentinians take their Tango very seriously and there are milongas (dance halls for Tango) each open for dancing on different nights for different hours. Many of them don't start until 10 - 11 p.m. and go until 3, 4 or 5 in the morning. Tango is definitely something one must experience in Buenos Aires if you are to taste the full scope of life here.