Highlights from the last week of 2016: Visiting my husband’s cousin and taking an hour-long walk around her neighborhood on a chilly, sunny morning Eating the rest of my Christmas cinnamon rolls Dancing about 15 hours of tango to inspiring music, with lovely leaders, on a well-behaved dance floor Eating really excellent fish tacos! Walking … Continue reading Goodbye, 2016!
Last night we headed just over the border to a milonga in Belgium. One of the hosts made every announcement in three languages—German, French, and Dutch—which impressed me. I am always entertained by (and, I admit, a little apprehensive about) the language negotiation that happens at milongas. Because there are so many languages spoken in … Continue reading The Language of Tango
After another weekend trip in Brussels, I think I can safely say that I would never want to live there. Which isn’t to say that it has nothing to offer — we had a great time! But I prefer living in a smaller city with a little more charm. Here’s an example of what I … Continue reading Weekend in Brussels
Tonight, while talking about tango, my husband asked me about the phrase “mala junta.” There is a tango song entitled “Mala Junta,” and like many tango songs there are tango-related things named after it. My husband thought, based on his limited knowledge of Spanish, that this might be an odd choice. I agreed. And then I … Continue reading Fun with Words: “Junta” and “Joint”
The weekend after New Year’s Day is ending, and that means I have no excuse: I need to get back to my regular routine. There are just a couple of problems, and they both stem from celebrating the new year with a tango marathon. 1. Illness When you bring together 250 people from all around … Continue reading Recovering from a Tango New Year
Expat Linguist 