This is the story of an evening at a rave party.
I've never been to a rave in France; I've been to a few in the Netherlands. But today I went to my first rave in Argentina.
The place is called La Fabrica! A big nightclub, far from the city, in an old factory. If you want a taste of the night I was there, it was this very night.
If you find me, well done to you!
It all began on Wednesday at an event created by an organization that can be found everywhere, called Mundo Lingo. I write about it in this blog: https://juliensebire.fr/fr/comment-rencontrer-des-gens-a-letranger/
I arrive at the event alone (It's a little trick to learn when traveling, do things alone). As soon as I get out of the cab, I see a group of 6 people outside smoking with flags on their T-shirts. So I go up to them, suspecting that I'm in the right place and that they're part of the event.
Great welcome from them, we share and enter the bar together.
I leave them to go and get a glass of water mom... And I meet a very cool Brazilian in the queue with whom I have a chat. We come out with our orders. Barely out the door, we find ourselves separated with different groups. One girl grabs me and says to her mate "vas y parle français avec lui".
We chat, he's a ski instructor who travels to Europe and Argentina, to ski both seasons in the year. He speaks pretty good French. We chat a bit, then his friend who caught me joins us. She's Argentinian, speaks only Spanish and doesn't spare me at all. She speaks fast, articulates very little for me and assumes that I understand everything. She looks adorable, and fortunately her friend helps me to understand her.
We exchange our respective contacts.
After 20 minutes of conversation, I continue to lose myself in the crowd until I break into other groups. I meet lots of people with different stories.
A couple aged 35/40 who tell us about their family life with their 5 children! They have a whole Instagram where he shares their family life. I'm sharing their Instagram with you, because it's pretty cool: https://www.instagram.com/catipinero/
I meet a lot of Brazilians, Argentinians and Uruguayans. And finally, I meet up with my Brazilian friend for the 4th time that evening. He introduces me to his buddy, a Brazilian who's also on a trip, but who's staying in Cordoba for a while yet.
On this last meeting, I go home and work early the next morning.
That evening, I thought back to Argentina, and sent her a message thanking her for introducing me to the ski instructor I thought I'd be meeting again in his next season in Argentina. Objective: to do a 360 on skis! And I apologize for making her repeat the same thing 10 times.
And we start chatting a bit, she tells me she's going to a party with the ski instructor on Saturday. I think that might be cool. I like the music, the place was recommended to me. We're off.
I try to get a ticket for the event, which has sold out. She helps me find a ticket. All I had to do was pay a guy on a motorcycle down the street with a ticket for the evening.
We meet up on Saturday night to go to the party. And that's when I discovered another way of partying.
Police at the entrance to the festival, searching everything in my case. It's forbidden to bring anything in, including drinks, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.
The festival begins, and as has often been the case in the past, we're in front of the stage. I look at the DJ, then at my companions, and then surprise! I see the whole festival... A very strange sensation... I'm taller than most of the people. So when I turn around, I see everyone, and everyone sees me.
The evening continued, more and more people arrived and everyone was dancing. But here's a new surprise: everyone dances the same way... except me, of course. I'm in 4-count, they're in two, so it's much sportier.
With so many people, I have to learn their dances. The friend who invited me kindly tries to dance with me. But I clearly haven't found the rhythm yet.
Every group of friends seems to have developed a technique for staying safe. In other words, everyone moves in groups, at least two at a time. As if wolves were in the crowd on the lookout for lost sheep.
As soon as someone got separated from the group, like me, because I like to dance on my own. They'd bring me right back into the group. Having discussed it with her afterwards, I think it's quite unconscious. But I really thought it was a wonderful spirit of solidarity.
In the same way, people are pretty tactile here, so even more so at a rave. Let us understand each other. But not being in the same state, nor Argentinian, I had the pleasure of discovering this regular hugging side that I can do with a group of friends but not with complete strangers.
It's 4am, the main DJ has just arrived, and the crowd is closing in. I don't have much room to dance. Fortunately, I've taken to their way of dancing, so I'm a little less jostled. Or I push others around a little less. A question of perspective.
And then I see something I've never seen before. In this spirit of staying in a group, lines form to dance together and at the same time stay with the same people. Vertical lines towards the DJ, dozens of people in a queue going nowhere, dancing in unison.
Looking back, it was an impressive and wonderful experience to observe and participate in. Except that, at first, I understood absolutely nothing. So one minute I was between two lines, the next I was in the right line, the next I was in the girl next to me. After 1 hour, I'd finally got the hang of it.
As the evening draws to a close, the fireworks just above us accompany us in our final dance steps. Day breaks, and 1 hour later it's time for the after-party. This is another place where the party goes on until midday.
It turns out that I had spent the evening before with Daniel, who was singing for the University of Psychology. And we'd already got home at 3.30am the night before. On Saturday, we woke up at 9 a.m. to go for a Jeep ride with Daniel Anisah Kevin and Barbie near Carlos Paz. The program included Argentinean bbq, a walk and a swim in the river.
Anyway, when the proposal for the after-party comes up, I quietly head home because it's 8am. The Uber drops off my evening partners and takes me home.
An impromptu weekend with meetings made a few days before. That's my advice to all travelers, but not only: leave things to chance and jump into the unknown. These are often my best anecdotes.
I had the chance to chat with Argentina again, and share my impressions of the evening.
Thanks to her for helping me get organized to come, to our two other companions that evening, and to all the people I didn't talk to but who made me feel safe. By taking me in their arms, bringing me back into the group, and sharing with me.
To Argentina! I swear, I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave!
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