In Case of Pain, Dance

In town this evening running errands, I walked past this sign. The message hit me over the head. The sign must be a sign.

IN CASE OF PAIN, DANCE

I've been in a bit of a funk lately in pondering the planet, ecology, humanity, our communities, our discourse with each other, and my own place. Perhaps I should blame it on over-consumption of news as I think that if my head were in the sand and I were more oblivious, my mood would not be contaminated. Perhaps I should blame the dry examination and brooding that happens after the holidays when I set out to tackle a new year. Perhaps it is that very sentiment of "tackling" life that is to blame, whether a personal or cultural mindset. Perhaps we're just in a very heavy moment of history when there is more cognitive dissonance and discord than I can handle. I don't know. But, sometimes, we have to be in the moment that we are in to examine and work beyond it. There isn't another way...

...unless we might dance! One of my tacklings this new year has been to find community in Brasília and to learn some Brazilian dances. These endeavors both bring me distraction and joy. We are attempting some Forró and Samba de Gafeira at a local dance school, and the entire community has embraced us with friendly welcomes and chit-chat during lessons.  Maybe the secret is turning my funk into a bit of toe-tapping Bruno Mars.

Post #47: Tango

Tango was everywhere! We stumbled upon an international festival and snagged tickets to a wonderful concert at an open arts center. The artist was wonderful and there were even dancers who switched seamlessly between lead and follow.

The city is so obsessed with tango that even the crosswalks embrace a leg flick or two -- they appear to dance rather than simply march across some of the massive boulevards of Buenos Aires!

Post #18: Salseros Brasileiros

It seems like it is useful to pick a couple of things that you do as a normal person and to continue with those things you enjoy in a new setting. It is a great way to make local friends, for one. It also maintains your identity as a person and not just as an itinerant. One of our things has been dancing, and, after doing so much dancing in the DC area, we are hoping to be regulars here in Brazil. So far, almost any social event has involved dancing, which is a good sign that this hobby will be easy to pursue here.

We tried to tap into a community and organized with a group of people to go out on Friday. The information was not all that clear, but we were committed to giving it a go. However, just as we were about ready to leave the house, one of the members of our group sent a message to let us know that there was no music at the venue and there would be no dancing. 

We were all dressed up with nowhere to go.

So, we looked up a recital flyer we saw earlier for a dance group associated with the university. We took an Uber there and arrived more than half way through the performances. Nevermind, we were also only charged half price. The recital was mostly young people from the university who were learning a variety of Latin dances. It was excellent. The mood was positive and there were a range of different levels and abilities of dancers. At the end of the performance, the emcee invited everyone to go dancing at the venue we were originally supposed to go to.

Of course, we went. And we found a really nice group called Corazón Salsero. One of the members recognized me from another event with the embassy (we are discovering that sometimes this city of 3 million feels like a very small place). We are now in the loop and hope to do some more dancing in the weeks that come!

Hardly a wink during this long winter's sleep

Howdy friends and family! My blogging activity has lulled to a slow, and you might have wondered if the bitter blasts of cold air on the Steppe had finally driven me to a hibernating slumber during spells of more than -40 this winter. Nope! Rather, I've been busily meeting new friends (and reuniting with some old ones) and trotting around the region. My Nomad Club Card is worn with use, my feet have covered a lot of territory, and I have been richly blessed. Here are some highlights just to catch you up.

In early November, I zoomed south after a trip to northeastern Kazakhstan to visit Turkmenistan. It's a 2,000 mile journey and the difference was palpable as I went from frigid Pavlodar, where it was -20 Centigrade to +24 Centigrade in Ashgabat all in one day!


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Turkmenistan was the biggest, cleanest marble city I have every seen. White buildings lining spotless boulevards lined by fountains and statues in every direction. It was spectacular, particularly as the city emerges from a desert. From the plane window I only saw desolate sands in every direction as far as you can see. There are camels being traded at the market and, I've since been told, cobras swishing around in those deserts (ai ai ai). My highlights included visiting markets and marveling at the beautiful handicrafts and carpets (see pictures, below) with new co-adventurers I met along the way.

Carpet and hat escapades brought me back home just in time for the Annual Marine Ball in Astana where I got to glide around the room with my husband and feel fancy for an evening.

From 2012-11 Marine Ball

From 2012-11 Marine Ball

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In December, I once again escaped the cold Astana temperatures and ventured south to Uzbekistan. I fell in love with cosmopolitan Tashkent and felt surrounded by history in rich tapestries, the old city of Khiva, and even in the dust of Urgench. The trip was spectacular and I felt at home (after all, there was still a hanger with my name on it in the coat closet at the Embassy!) in the green city. I cannot wait to go back next summer and hope to visit Bukhara and Samarkand while I am there.

One quirky detail about Uzbekistan: The national currency, Som, come only in denominations of 1,000 (2,000=$1 USD). Here's what it looks like to pay for dinner in a restaurant!

My final travels in Kazakhstan last year were up to the northwest in the city of Aktobe, where, among other things, I had the pleasure of viewing traditional dances, songs, and dombra performances by local school children.


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A whirlwind of new faces and new places, and I do have to admit that it did leave me dizzy and tired and very much in need of a long winter's nap.

Tartu Happenings

Once back in Tartu, we celebrated the University of Tartu's Anniversary with a wintry torchlit procession and plenty of dancing at the annual ball.

From UT Anniversary December 2010

The only unclear part (for me) is how many years to celebrate. The university webpage celebrates 91 years as an Estonian language institution, but I distinctly remember celebrating 375 years when I was here in 2007. One thing I am sure of, however, is that this ball is definitely the anniversary of Uli & Jenn. I guess it is best to just say, Happy Anniversary!

UT Ball 2010

From UT Anniversary December 2010

UT Ball 2007

From UT Ball Dec 07

UT Ball 2006

From DrUlno

Anniversaries, Traditions, and Torches

This past Friday was the 87th anniversary of the University of Tartu as an Estonian Institution. Full of tradition and celebration, the university shut down at noon to commemorate. The president of Estonia visited... there was song... there was torch carrying and processions... there was dancing. Unfortunately, I did not attend it all (or understand it all probably), but I did enjoy parts and managed to snap a few photos of some of the highlights. Here are pictures of the torch-carrying ceremony on Friday when fraternities, university staff, and local businesses processed through town to the university main building where they were met with greetings by the university rector. An impressive site, as you can appreciate, even from my shoddy photography!

Another part of the festivities included an anniversary ball, the Tartu Ülikooli Aastapäevaball. Unlike formal dances in the States, this one included fancy dress AND formal dancing with the dance card printed for all to preview ahead of time. Highlights included live orchestral music, a performance by a well-known choral sextet, fireworks, cake and cognac, and of course the spectacle of everyone out for an evening of fun and dancing. I was no exception and enjoyed getting gussied up and breaking out my dancing shoes. My spirit did get caught up in the fantasy of the event; smiles didn't leave me the entire evening. It will remain a great memory of my time so far here in Tartu. Apparently, the event has been captured by others better than by me, so perhaps pictures will be forthcoming. The community of Tartu is rather small and everyone seems to be aware that I appeared at the ball (bit of a Cinderella story, no?) -- apparently some of images, hopefully flattering, of me dancing were captured by the local TV station and aired the other night!