Plaf!

...and other things uniquely Spanish.

Salsa and bachata and merengue have been livening up my last three evenings here in Spain. Wednesday night I headed out to a salsa club with Marina and Gabriela, in search of free lessons. We arrived at 10:30 and hoped to find a group of classmates, possibly Spaniards with two left feet (if there even is such a thing) or at least Americans that, like us, did not know how to dance. I swear, some of these people here must have been dancing as long as they've been walking. Unfortunately for us, the class was over, so we thought our ignorance was to be prolonged indefinitely. I did not want to have walked all the way to Nervión from Triana (a 40 minute journey) only to leave without a single dance. And perseverance paid off. As I glanced around the room for someone, anyone, to re-teach this American, I happened to see not-so-tall-because-I'm-in-Spain, dark and handsome man who after a moment, beckoned me over. Then I had to answer, the first of a million times, that "I'm learning" when I was asked, "¿Bailas?" (Do you dance?)

This Argentinian taught me bachata and dusted off my vague memories of salsa. Now, a friend of mine had been a good and patient teacher and I remember learning salsa and merengue with him, but Costa Rica was a long two-and-a-half years ago. Therefore, my new friends that evening were perfectly correct in telling me I was just a little oxidada (which just as it appears, does mean "oxidated," or oxidized; essentially--rusty). It was a compliment in disguise though, or so I shall call it, because they thought I had had real lessons before that evening. I'll cling to that hope, when I nurse my wounds and embarrassment after spinning when I'm not supposed to, or completely missing the cue to do so. There's much to learn, but I've got an entire semester to dedicate to it!

Plaf! (exclamation): used to describe something falling, bumping into another object, an assortment of motions, etc. I love the way languages vary. Even our exclamations use such different sounds. Do you know how a dog barks in Spanish? Guau guau! Some precious class time has been spent barking like dogs and chirping like birds and neighing like horses, only to reach the conclusion that cats are the only animals that can converse internationally: both Spanish and American cats meow, but with slightly different accents, I'm sure.

In addition to animals, we have talked about movies. A really, really interesting fact: Saw IV was only shown in adult movie theatres here. While in America, pornography may be hidden away in those certain shacks with covered windows littering the sides of highways, the same is the case in Spain with Saw IV. Yet surfing the channels in Spain is a risky move if you want to avoid explicit nudity and other such things. I find it fascinating what cultures will shut away as taboo and what they will permit for public access.

But I do not watch TV here nor will I ever watch a Saw movie. I would much rather be dancing! Let's hope it's rather like riding a bike, no matter how rusty it may be.