Salsa Lessons

Last night was really fun. When I left the house I wondered what I was getting myself into, taking salsa lessons, but it was a great time (and I was a lot better at it than I expected!). The lessons were at a Cuban bar called Bodegita del Medio near Centro Magno. It’s a really cool old building with dark furniture and white walls covered in messages from past patrons in thick black marker. We either had to pay for the class or buy a drink, so I bought a mojito, and dedicated it to Jessica, Melissa, and Sarah!

First we learned the basic footwork all lined up in rows behind the instructor. I felt like I was back in a dance audition for some musical with the instructor adding new things quickly and me stumbling over my feet. I figured it out pretty quickly, though. Next we partnered off to practice twirling (yes, that’s a technical term). It was mostly CEPE people in the class but there were a handful of Mexicans, and Jessica brought her roommates too. Every once in a while the girls would rotate partners which made it even more fun. Some of the guys were really good and some were pretty bad, so I would get a little rush of excitement when I got to a guy who could dance (aka keep up with me). I got mini dancing lessons from the good dancers (step with this foot, hold my hand this way, twirl now). It was also fun dancing with the guys from CEPE and just get goofy with them. Every time I changed partners I would say something like “¿Cómo estás?” or “¿¡Estás listo?!” After two hours, the class ended and we all agreed to go out to a salsa club together soon.

I left the bar around 9, and as I was walking by Centro Magno I saw Linda, Ashleigh and Kristen (three girls from CEPE) going into the mall to see a movie. I went in with them and we decided to see Up in the Air (which is called Amor Sin Escalas in Mexico). We had an hour before the movie started so we sat in the food court while I ate a delicious Subway sandwich and they munched on the popcorn they accidentally bought too early. The movie was even better the second time around. It was midnight when we got out of the movie and said goodnight. Then I had to go home and do my homework. It was worth it!

Tomorrow I have midterms and then I'm going with a big chunk of the CEPE population to Barra de Navidad, a beach about a six hour bus ride from here. Most people are renting cars and going together, but we ended up having an odd number of people, so Minori and I are taking the bus together and meeting up with everybody at the hotel. We're all leaving right after classes so there will be a lot of beach equipment at CEPE tomorrow. It's going to be a good time!