17th
Yesterday was unusual because it hailed here in Turkey. But it was also unusual because it hailed while I was doing salsa in a steamy room of 18 other dance/fitness instructors. I’ve begun collaborating with a studio here and they’re working to popularize ZUMBA. If you’re into latin + hiphop, it’s a fun workout. Friends of mine in the US had been encouraging me to teach this and so I was excited to get on board here in Turkey. But, honestly, I don’t have a background in latin dance and I knew the class would be taught in Turkish (harder for me to follow). Also, my good friend here is a 4x national salsa champ and while I knew I was lucky to have him dancing beside me, I began to fear that I’d prove totally inept in front of my new friends and colleagues. But we began and it was all kinds of fun and the hail provided extra percussion battering the windows. In the middle of a song where we’d already established the rhythm and routine the electricity went out for 40s. No one missed a beat, they whooped in time and when the music kicked back in I giggled happily at the seamless transition. Afterwards we had some meetings and I walked home taking a few photos before the sun set. Maybe it was the endorphins, or the sky after a storm or something…but even when I walked through the dark area by the lake where I usually get a little apprehensive I felt all bouncey.
