I celebrated the start of a new year the same way I did last year: I piled into El Corte in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, with about 250 other tango dancers. This photo is from one of the quieter moments on the dance floor. I think it was about 2 PM on New Year’s Day.
The dancing started at 10 PM on New Year’s Eve, and the music didn’t stop until 2 AM on January 2. Of course, that wasn’t enough, so it continued for a few more hours later that afternoon. In total, there were 31 hours of tango. I didn’t dance all of those hours, but there is something luxurious about knowing that I could have. Dancing, stumbling to the hotel, sleeping, meandering back, dancing some more. El Corte is a special place.
Now, two days later, I am still recovering. Still piecing my days back together. I have been going to bed too late and waking up in a fog. Can’t I just go dance? No, I have to do laundry, wash dishes, translate. That’s right. And I’m doing it, slowly. But my mind is still lingering a bit longer on that dance floor. Hello, 2013. It’s nice to meet you.
Expat Linguist 
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