Tai Chi in Argentina

I always enjoy a good in-depth conversation once in awhile. It could be about religion, politics, music, art, or even reflections on a certain experience or conversation that day.

Originally, I was going to live with an older lady, Stella, but due to various circumstances, that fell through. Instead, I am living with Laura, Miguel and their 1 yr 8 month old daughter Florencia. I’m surprised at the benefits I’ve already experienced from living with this family.

Both Laura and Miguel are artists/craftspeople. Laura sews and makes jewelry with all sorts of materials. Miguel carves drawings into stone, making plaques, jewelry, key chains, etc.
Miguel even has a stall at La Feria that is held every Sunday for artists to sell their goods.

I’ve found that Miguel loves literature and poetry. He loves all sorts of music, especially jazz, and being indigenous to this community (Laura is from Buenos Aires) he knows all about the culture and history.

With both, I’ve carried multiple conversations concerning Obama, the politics in Argentina, religion, my own religious beliefs, where I’m going with my life, and so on. While I struggle most with my Spanish vocabulary, I’ve been impressed with our ability to communicate so in-depth despite the language barriers.

This morning, to spice things up a bit, I woke up at 7:30 and went with Miguel to a free Tai Chi class held by a Chinese man. I never would have thought I’d being learning Tai Chi, in Spanish, in Argentina. Señor Li is also Miguel’s spiritual teacher in Taoism.

One woman held a small class in the corner for those of us new to Tai Chi. I learned four basic movements (out of 24 total) and I’ll try and practice each day to improve for next Saturday morning! It was unreal.