The Best of Both Worlds

Now that break is over, I have to find a way to fill up my Saturdays.  So yesterday I dropped by the salsa class in Coyoacan that Enrique sensei had recommended for me.  It is a bit removed from the center, just off of division del norte and a bit north of miguel angel de quevedo.  A really cute neighborhood with lots of trees and greenery, a far different picture from the gritty, urban Mexico city vibe that my last school in Garibaldi gave off.  Cant say whether this effected my mood going in, but I felt pretty upbeat about the lesson before going in. 

Me and two other guys were roped off into the beginners group.  Our instructor was a cheery Mexican girl, short and plump, and all smiles and laughs.  So she starts to teach us our passes, and everything is going great.  She compliments me about how well I am dancing– ah, wonderful, I think.  How nice it is to have some confidence in yourself and enjoy what you are doing.  But then her partner came over to help us out, and I was soon made to realize that I had let my guard down too soon.   

Claudia, the other instructor, was a cute girl of about the same age, but considerably slimmer.  Usually its the bigger girls who cop the attitude on you, but this time Claudia was the one to get bitchy.  “Don’t hold my hand like this, all flimsy and lose, you got to lead me! I don’t know what I am supposed to do if you dance like that!,” she started to critique me; “Well, uh, sorry.  I am trying…Ahh!” was my typical response.  Then she started to yell at her partner for teaching me wrong.  All of a sudden I had flash backs to my English classes with Saori, I didn’t want to go through that hell again.  And by this point I couldn’t concentrate, was red in the face, and wondering how I could get out of there. 

But its only one dance class; just two hours of my life; and I began to rationalize my way out of the dilemma.  I cracked a few jokes, got her to smile, and soon I was back on track, or at least enjoying myself again.  When class ended I walked away with a few new moves to my repertoire, and the desire to come back next week, so I was satisfied. 

It has been a goal of mine to come away from this year in Mexico with the ability to carry myself well on the dance floor.  The music, salsa, is great, and it represents the life in this country so well.  Just full of vitality and happiness.  Salsa isn’t actually a Mexican form of music, it came from the Caribbean, and maybe what I am feeling is actually just the general feeling you get from any Latin country, but it doesn’t matter to me.  Learning how to dance salsa lets me take part in this country, and it give me something to take home and enjoy in the future.  Another great souvenir to bring back.