Arriving in Argentina can be compared to the excitement of Christmas morning. Every student, teacher and pro-crew member had a sense of anticipation in their eyes while waiting to get off S.V. Concordia and explore Buenos Aires.

Walking off the boat was a complete culture shock; Argentina is filled with so much life and entertainment. The expression that is often used to describe Buenos Aires is it is like the "Paris" of South America. Especially being from Canada, where on an everyday basis there is little to no street life, in Buenos Aires it is quite the opposite. There were outdoor markets every block you walked on, traditional Spanish music being played throughout the streets and artists painting the scenic views of Argentina. One of my favourites was the tango dancing. It was performed throughout the streets, town squares, outdoor stages and the lush green parks. As our friendly bus driver/tour guy once proudly said, "Tango is the pride of Argentina, it is our traditional dance which helps bring the Argentinean community together."

Lucky for us, one of our port programs was to learn the Tango. After seeing tango in the streets you could tell that this particular dance is very romantic and you are in extremely close quarters with your Tango partner. It is safe to say that some of the students were a little nervous and were not quite sure what to expect out of these lessons. Later we were greeted by Julio, one of the four instructors. The girls and guys were separated to try to conquer some of the many steps of this romantic dance. At the beginning there was little confidence amongst the room except for Adam, our first mate, an experienced tango dancer who would have been able to teach the class if he wanted. The students and teachers slowly but surely learned the basic tango steps and after practice, most of us were dancing like pros... or at least we thought we were, until our tango instructors performed in front of us. Every jaw dropped with both astonishment and amazement. The couple moved so gracefully across the dance floor you could feel the heat projecting off them. While watching some of the steps I was blown away, I did not think that the human body could possibly bend in that particular way.

Julio mentioned that "tango is all about feel and working with your partner." The instructors were perfect examples of this expression. Learning to tango was a highlight for many of the students and many laughs were shared. Participating in part of the Argentinean culture was an amazing experience.