Modern Tango World N° 10 (Athens, Greece) | Page 8

An Argentine in Athens
Fabian Ballejos
One winter day in Buenos Aires, I decided to move to Europe, specifically to Greece. It was a very difficult deci-
sion, but I knew it would change my life altogether. I left behind my family, my friends, my dreams. But, I left to
search for my destiny
When I arrived in Athens in 2002, the city was under-
going a complete transformation process due to the
coming Olympic Games. Initially, it seemed to me that
it was not a very nice city. But over time, I got used
it and started to discover some things that began to
charm me. I took long walks in Athens that allowed me
to see her beauty in depth.
The language seemed about as difficult as Chinese. The
food wasn’t bad, although Argentine meat could not be
found anywhere. The people looked like the Latins, but
they were ve ry loud and not very polite. I was impressed
that they could drink coffee at all hours. Although the
language sounded bad to me, it did not bother me very
much. In fact, I found it appealing. Everything was new and
part of my introduction to a new way of life. I always felt
safe in Athens, unlike Buenos Aires where you learn to be
alert because of the dangers around you. In Athens I felt
and feel safe. I have never felt that I was in danger.
Once I became established in Athens, having learned
the basic words and phrases of everyday life, I started
teaching tango lessons. I did not want to speak English, I
preferred to learn Greek. It was difficult. But after eight
months, I managed to communicate without problems.
At that time, there seemed to be no lack for money
in Greece, People were happy, Businesses were full
of customers spending money. The banks were issuing
credit cards by phone. All this seemed familiar to me,
I had lived them in Argentina during the years of the
bubble.. I knew that at some point it would burst. The
crisis came, as I knew it would Nevertheless, I decided
to remain. The inhabitants of Athens had to make diffi-
cult decisions. Some left Some were destroyed. Others
restarted their lives from the beginning. Many of us im-
mersed ourselves in creative actiity.
Today, I still live in Athens. Fifteen years have
passed since I arrived here. This city gave me
what I really was looking for. I found a partner
for dance and for life. Together, we created
our little world, to which we are not alone:
we are now three.
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