Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Why I Was Gone in 2019, But Now Back This 2020

My life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Honestly an amazing experience right here!
I deeply apologize for being away for more than a year from writing. It's not that I didn't care, but rather because I was busy doing things that didn't involve me sitting down on my laptop all day or at least for a couple of hours, typing and writing up stories. Believe me, I have sooo much to say with unwritten stories, all in my head! You see, this 2019 was a revelation for me. A revelation that I need to stop wasting time doing things people think I should do, and I do what I actually love to do instead, despite other people's opinions about it. It's not just traveling, but also involving hobbies I just missed doing as well as getting rid of things that don't spark joy for me anymore, and is possibly toxic in my life! I keep telling myself that people come into your life for two reasons: one is a blessing, and the other is a lesson.
Dance has taken up so much of my life, and has made me so much more happy and confident as well!
So a little story telling about my year 2019: I had a goal of going to a different country every year, or if I am going back to a certain country, go to a city or certain area that I have never been to. I decided to go back to one of my favorite countries in the world, YET AGAIN: Japan! But however, I went to different cities at the beginning of the year in Hokkaido at Shikotsu and Asahikawa, and to Hiroshima prefecture as well! And another achievement off my bucket list as well: to make it to Australia! This is my 15th country that I've technically set foot on, as well as the second to the last continent that I've set foot on (the last one I haven't been to is Antarctica). And another thing that I went back into that took over a big chunk of my life: dancing!
The dance lessons I took here, made me so much more comfortable with myself because of the love and support!
You see, I was dancing for a while now since 16 years old. I'm turning 30 this year 2020! It started out by accident, but it ended up being something that I just loved to do because it gave me a outlet where I could express my weirdness, as well as feelings that I just kept to myself. I took classes, did recitals, and even did street jams where I would just dance in public with a boom box or just simple speakers with friends. However in 2013, I left Philippines for a year to live in United States to do my internship as a culinary arts student. That took up a big chunk of my life, and the only times I got to have dance sessions were when I would dance with my roommates at the gym during day off or after work, with my Peruvian boss who introduced me all these styles like bachata or latin ballroom (hence why I love a lot of Latino food, culture, and things), and at the club where my friends and I would just go out and celebrate having a great time! 
Seeing Machu Picchu in person makes you very appreciative with life. I am so lucky to be alive and healthy to explore Peru!
So when I got back to Philippines after being gone for a year, I decided to go back into dancing again, even though the dance studio was pretty far from my home because I was waiting for my graduation ceremony from college. I took up the dance style popping since that's one of the first dance styles that I actually took seriously, apart from contemporary in high school, and hip hop in college. After doing lessons and the recital, I left again for Japan. I traveled, explored, fell in love with the country, and had the time of my life. But when I got back, reality hit me. I needed to start working. Family business, kitchen life, etc. The dance studio I went to a lot was all the way in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, and my work was in Makati City, which is considerably far from each other (around 2 hours drive, given the unbearable traffic in Manila). So I had to give that up for a bit. I did take dance classes sometimes, but it was more of the dance workouts like Zumba or 360 Body Jam.
Hokkaido, Japan during the snow festival season was such an amazing experience for all!
So working and then falling in love with traveling from 2014 to 2018, I completely forgot about taking dance classes because most of the great dance studios are far away from me. I did have moments where I did take up some dance sessions at certain events, but not one where I was consistent at it. I got into the Couchsurfing community in 2018. The friends I made there have been so amazing, loving, and supportive, and they are part of the reason towards why I decided to go do the things I wanted to do. They complemented me, and just encouraged me. While I was traveling from Europe, to Japan, to all the way to South America in Brazil and Peru, I saw many street dancers there. Performing just randomly on the streets with a boom box. I kept thinking to myself: I really miss dancing, jamming and taking dance lessons and classes. Should I go back? I'm sure the people I met would still accept me back, and go back again. So getting back into Manila, I decided to take one dance class, and the teachers were surprised cause I knew some of them. I realized that I should go back because it just kept sparking joy into my life!
Experiencing Fushimi Inari orange shrines in Kyoto, Japan is a must for all travelers and explorers!
Fast forward to 2019, a friend of mine in the dance community that I took classes with said that there is a dance studio opening up in Makati, which is not too far away from where I am working. I took up the pop up class randomly, and fell in love with the classes so much. I decided to go back, use majority of my Saturdays to go and have fun there, and try doing more things that spark joy in my life. Forget what other people would say, and forget what negative people and complainers have to say about it. This is what made me happy, and this is what I wanted to keep doing because it made me happy. Cut out and ignore those people who think it's a waste of time, and it won't go anywhere. They don't spark joy, and not everything you do has to be something that will make you rich. How about doing something just solely just because of the fact that it makes you happy, right?
The Twelve Apostles in Great Ocean Road in Melbourne, Australia was so breathtaking for me! Absolutely incredible!
So throughout 2019, I did dance classes every week most of the time or hang out with my Couchsurfing friends at least twice a week! I did a lot of soul searching, finding out what really makes me happy instead of doing what I think others would expect me to do. Being back at dance life, I became more comfy with myself. I have met some amazing people through dance, and through having that kind of lifestyle, I have decided that this is something that I would like to keep doing for now because of how happy it's made me. These two things made me so comfortable to be okay with myself, as well as to forget those who think otherwise. Even in other countries, I would like to keep on dancing, and keep on being more and more myself. That may have kept me from writing and posting new content here, but there are more outlets where I could express my life experiences online such as Instagram*! I have come to realize that I shouldn't be so hard on myself, and that I need to surround myself more often with people who spark joy into my life, even though they are not my classmates in high school or college or even the same race! So maybe this 2019, it was all about being able to do more of what makes me happy, and learning to love myself more. 
Appreciate the smell and appearance of mother nature like these flowers in Hiroshima, Japan during Cherry Blossom season!
So far at the current condition of 2020, it's not exactly been the most happiest or the most positive experience, given the situations going on in my country Philippines, as well as the whole world (Bush fires, death of an amazing icon, Coronavirus, etc.) But I realize one thing: life goes on. And you can choose to either keep looking back the past and dwell on it, or appreciate the little beautiful things in life, and hopefully have a positive outlook in life for a better future. It's really difficult to be positive in a city where traffic takes up almost half of your life, and you constantly hear complainers and toxic people everywhere. But having those outlets such as dance, travel, friends through the community  of exploring and dancing for me makes life so much more worth living! I hope that you find what sparks joy in your life, pursue it, and hopefully inspire others to do the same!
Looking at the amazing view of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, Japan! Admire and appreciate the beautiful nature!
*To see my travel pics, special moments, or just my day to day life, follow me on Instagram @yrwinty.  Please and thank you so much!

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