Reflecting + a book about Argentina

I’ve been here over three months now.  Almost four.

My first months here consisted of just getting comfortable, getting reacquainted with the tango here, figuring out where to live, and just being excited in general.

Now that it’s worn off, and in winter no less, I find myself sitting here, half-bored, half-reflecting.

I’m just now able to start processing all of my time spent in Buenos Aires.  I just now feel like I really live here in Italy.  I just now am reaching a point where it’s time to do some serious self-reflecting and understand not only my heart’s desires but also some of my own patterns.  It’s an interesting time right now.  It sounds so sad, doesn’t it?  It’s really not.  It’s just time for me to make some inside adjustments, ponerme las pilas and build my life, now that I’ve settled in here.  Not easy, but very worthwhile.

I’ve been rather nostalgic for Buenos Aires lately.  But, I’m also settling into the groove of Perugia and enjoying my neighborhood.  Once the winter passes I’ll be able to get out more.  Most of the time I’m working inside, huddled by the heater.

I can finally listen to Fresedo again without sobbing, thanks to a wonderful book I read in Italian recently, called ARGENTINA (by Renata Mambelli) about Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires in the 1930s-40s, particularly one woman who goes in search of two sons who left her behind in Italy ten years prior.

It’s situated mostly in the barrios of San Telmo and La Boca (and later, way down south in Ushuaia), and imagining the streets I know so well being walked upon by new immigrants who would make Buenos Aires what it is today, made me appreciate my beloved city in a new way.  I found that I enjoyed listening to Fresedo while reading the book – perfect mood music.

I don’t know if there is an English translation available of the book, but if there is, I recommend that you read it.  It was refreshing not to have to read yet another “my boyfriend dumped me so I suddenly decided to learn tango and run away to Buenos Aires and never leave Palermo Hollywood” novel.  This book doesn’t even mention tango – but it sure made me feel differently about tango and the stories behind the songs.