hotshots in sicily, part deux

...aka, italian drivers. i'm sure you've all heard about them. (apparently they're bad as a species, affreux in rome, and unimaginable in naples) i can't compare, but judging only by what i saw in palermo and trapani, the word "ape-shit" comes to mind. they're maniacs. or else they're incredibly calm... i saw very few screeching stops, violent swerves, fiery collisions...
you can start breathing again, mom. i didn't see any of those. i did learn to cross the street against the light while cars and motos continued to come towards me; that's the only way to do it.

but where was i? wednesday night, oct 31, the opening festival milonga. quick vocab note: "milonga" has many meanings (style of dance, style of music, event). here i am using the third meaning, milonga as a social dance where instruction is pretty much not allowed, songs are played in sets of 3, 4, or 5 (each set is called a "tanda"), separated by a short song of a non-tango style (the cortina). this structure allows for dancers to become accustomed to each other and build their connection with each song that they dance. of course, it's permissible to say "thank you" and leave your partner after one song if you really don't like them. men generally ask women, and many dancers (men and women) are wary about dancing with someone before they've seen him or her dance already. this made me a little nervous as i prepared to go to the first milonga because i didn't know anyone...
it was supposed to start at 10:30, but i should have known that being on time would mean being early. waiting in the lobby, i met a british guy (OH, how jealous i am of the pound! and annoyed by EU citizens who whine about the current exchange rate for them... between the euro and the pound. thank goodness i'm not studying in britain!) and overheard a USian tell him about the amaaaaaazing trip that his wife and he had just made along the sicilan coast (the resort pool was too cold to swim in, but the ocean lapping at their private beach was warm enough for a barefoot stroll). it sounded lovely, but i'm sorry, he was a tool.
eventually i seated myself in the milonga room (a basketball gym, but fairly ambient, with candles and flowers on the tables, fabric draped over the hoops, decend acoustics...for a gym) (the festival milongas and classes were held in a fancy sports center),waited to be invited, and scoped out the crowd. most of the dancers there were italian, and many were actually from palermo. i saw eugenia parrilla and the other masters come in (she was the only one i recognized at first). i was unequivocally impressed by the quality of dance on the floor. fernando, my partner for the classes, arrived from madrid around 1 am. he and i danced a lot, to get comfortable for our classes the next day. when the milonga ended at 3 am, we walked back to the dance school, dodging doggy doo doo with his roller suitcase. getting ready for bed, i cut the tip of my left index finger with my razor and started bleeding profusely. we heard the doorbell ring. distracted by the blood spouting from my finger, we decided to hope that it was for another door... but a few minutes later we heard someone walking in the hallway of the school and then a figure appeared.....Gabriella Riccio! (this is her website : www.gabriellariccio.it )
and this is where i leave you, until next time
(because, although my university is on strike, i still have my wonderful methodology and grammar class! woo! for 2 and a half hours this afternoon)