Lifestyle : Life Lessons You Learn From Dancing.

2018 Marks 10 years of dancing here in the UK, and I thought I should dedicate a blog to celebrate it ;) , sharing the important life lessons I learned during this time.
and without further ado, let's begin the blog.

Dancing has always being part of my life since I was a little girl, I came to the UK to study and kept taking dance classes, in street dance and hip hop, until after a couple of years later... I went back to my roots.. Bolivian Folklore..

I was on my way to meet my first Bolivian friends, and I remember coming out of the Elephant And Castle train station, I felt like I was on a different place ! ( because I live outside London, and there isn't anything latino here ) just listening to people speaking in Spanish, listening to Latin music, felt amazing and changed my life !!

I reckon there is opportunity in anything and everywhere, if you put your mind to it, and if you are determine you can accomplish anything.

With dancing.. most importantly you learn valuable life lessons, that will help you grow as a person and be a better version of yourself.

Be Brave, take risks, and be positive.

Everything new might be like a challenge, I was dancing Bolivian folklore for a while, and wanted to do something different, I love Colombian folklore, but had no experience in dancing to Colombian music, only perhaps the admiration for the music and beautiful dance outfits, which made me take a risk in joining a Colombian dance group, and dance with them and eventually other groups, little did I know that I was going to fulfil a dream of mine (to wear a beautiful outfit) and to dance to Colombian music.

So yes, in life...be brave, be positive, and take risks..

Take the Negative criticism and turn it into a positive. (Don't Give Up)

I have heard quite a few times, "I don't think it's a good idea if you do that", or more straight forward " you can not do that" " you will not be able to do that".

yes in dancing and in life in general, people might tell you many things that might lead you to doubt yourself, but its important to take that negative criticism, and turn it into a positive. I have had people telling me that I wont be able to do certain things, I thought about it, and always though "why?" why wouldn't I be able to do certain things?".

It took me determination and positive thinking to say, well If it hasn't been done before, then I shall try my best to do it, at least I knew that I was going to try and found out by myself whether it can be done or not....  And … It CAN be done.

Believe in yourself, take all the criticism , negative, positive, to learn and build yourself, to allow yourself to grow, as a dancer, and as a person.


Be Positive.

Ok, this one might be similar to the one above, but overall it summarises that in dancing and in life you need a positive approach, for everything and anything.

Which means that if you have a positive outlook on things you can work towards finding solutions, or different ways to do something, having an open mind and positive approach can benefit you, and take you far.

Also it gives you the encouragement and motivation to do what you want to do and to do things that you might not even thought of doing.
It also benefits people around you, your dance team, your friends. And helps you achieve your goals.

Team Work

You get to meet many people and learn form them, and when you dance, team work is crucial, and I would say specially within the Latin American community in London, I have met and dance with many people from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, etc, and everyone has different customs, and you got to be open to different ways of doing things, communicate better, share your own opinions, be understanding and learn.

You get to learn from different cultures and different ways of doing things, and its amazing. It helps you to understand your dance team and to work together as a group.


Be creative, Think Outside the Box

Dancing, encourages you to be creative, and more creative, not only in customs, but with everything, hairstyle, make up, choreographies etc. And you might be thinking how can this be helpful on a daily basis?
Well being creative, allows you to think outside the box, to think in different ways to do something, and it inspires you to improve.,doing something ..but better, different ..adding something , making it stand out.

Creativity allows you to innovate and do something different and original.


The Show Must Go On.

Something that you learn and you get used to in dancing is that sometimes you have to adapt to different situations, in different events, etc. and sometimes, you have to do something else, or dance another song, or replace someone, or maybe change choreography when someone can't make it, etc.. there are different things that can change.

However, as they say "the show must go on", and you perform with the same smile and energy on the stage, regardless of any inconvenient situation that may happen.


And that's exactly what you get used to do, regardless of some difficulties that you may encounter in life, you (obviously think positive, as mention above) and you carry on, smiling and with the same enthusiasm, thinking positive, and finding a different way to continue and to carry on.

For all that and much more.. thank you for this 10 years of dancing !

#Free burritos, come and say Hola at Benito's Hat in St. Albans

Yes!! at last a place in St. Albans where we can say Hola Amigos ;)

Benito's Hat St Albans will open in the site previously occupied by Jamie's Italian Deli on Chequer St. and will feature the full Benito's Hat menu of burritos, tacos, salads and quesadillas as well as a separate bar area serving their renowned margaritas, traditional agua frescas and fresh coffee.

Benito’s Hat opens this Saturday 1st of December at 12noon, in St Albans, and they will be giving away 200 burritos. Come and say hola! 🌯

St Albans, 24-26 Chequers Street, AL1 3YD
https://benitos-hat.com/

#Free Eclairs in Chelsea.. merci beaucoup ..Maitre Choux

Maitre Choux is to celebrate its launch on the King’s Road, Chelsea, by giving away 100 free freshly baked eclairs on Friday 30th November and Saturday 1st December.

The first 100 visitors through the doors of the new 59 King’s Road branch – from 11am on both days – will get a delicious choux pastry FREE.

The new location, just down the road from the Saatchi Gallery, will bring Maître Choux’s modern version of a French patisserie to the iconic shopping destination. Think Spanish raspberry pink eclairs, salted butter with homemade caramel eclairs, pistachio perfection and more…

Three Michelin-star experienced chef Joakim Prat is the genius behind the choux pastry specialist – which currently has branches in Soho, South Kensington and Piccadilly – baking perfect eclairs, choux and chouquettes daily.

59 King’s Road, Chelsea SW3 4ND

FRIDAY 30th November

SATURDAY 1st December

http://www.maitrechoux.com/

Events: Celebrate Bolivian Day of Love and Friendship in London

“Dia del Amor y la Amistad” salteñada party on

Sunday 23rd September 2018 from 1.00pm to 5.30pm

Come and join Friends of Bolivia to celebrate the Bolivian DAY OF FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE with delicious salteñas, traditional Bolivian music, dance and family games.

St. Mark’s Church Hall, Compton Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 7ND    

Entry: £1  ~  Children under 12: Free

As well as feasting on the delicious salteñas on the day, you can order some to take away.

for more information and to book your salteñas check Friends Of  Bolivia website:

www.friendsofbolivia.org.uk/  

Lifestyle: The Power of Being Positive

A Woman's Lifestyle and Wellbeing:
The Power of Being Positive

I'm going to start this blog with perhaps, something not so positive (ironic I know) but it is necessary, as many women, including myself, can sometimes struggle to be positive, thinking that we are not able to do something, whether its going for a dream job interview, having the courage to actually take the trip to the country we always wanted to visit, even taking up class, language course, etc. Why? because we don't think we can do it, for various reasons ( I would say excuses) right ?

Because our mind its so powerful, can sometimes lead us to think all the negatives, instead of the positives in a situation, we focus so much on what could go wrong, what would people think, we can even doubt our own abilities, and that can lead to something even worse, it could actually make us feel stressed, anxious, nervous and with low self-esteem, that ultimately makes us loose valuable opportunities.

I had experience a situation where I was feeling just like that, I only had to talk about an issue, express my views, reasons, exchange ideas, and accept whatever outcome (hoping always that it would be a positive one) but then with all the anticipation, pressure I put on myself, overthinking and suddenly all the negative thoughts blurred my mind, In a way that hasn't happened before.

I consider myself to be a woman who always focus on the positive, in every situation. I do like to take on a project, even if I might not be so experienced in the field, but if the opportunity is there, I'll take it, because I know, I'll learn as I go along, I'll do my best, and I will put 110% of my effort and motivation to achieve that end result.

For example: Little did I know that I would end up modeling for the longest catwalk in the UK years ago, I don't consider myself a model, I was one of the last people to audition, and was just for fun. When I found out I was selected, I was shocked, and I did hesitate whether I should do it, having absolutely no experience. But I had to take the opportunity, it was there, and I focussed in all the positive benefits I would gain from it, because I do like to learn about events management, and business in general, I thought that it would be a great opportunity to gain knowledge and experience. And I did, one year I modelled, learnt a lot, the next year I wanted to be more involved in the managing, and behind the scenes, learning about the industry, hospitality, the business, and how it all comes together when organizing events, and I did just that. ( I will write another blog on this!)
The point is, if I hadn't thought of all the positives of the situation I wouldn't have that experience and gained all the knowledge.

Why did I focussed on the negatives then?

Going back to the situation where the negative thoughts took over my mind, to this date, I wonder myself why? ..why did I let it happen? how did I bombarded myself with negative thoughts? why I couldn't speak ? why I wasn't able to feel confident enough to handle the situation, in a positive and graceful manner.

It's not like I am afraid to express myself, all the opposite!! I can be in a event with business owners, diplomats, etc, and confidently express my views, opinions and ideas. I did once talk to a friend who was starting his business, about how he can marketed it, 3 years on, to this date he uses the words and idea I gave him. I can be humbly proud of that!
I can stand in front of a group of people and give a talk about a subject, prepare and organize a presentation, I can deal and negotiate with people when I have to, whether it is for social media/blog collaboration or events, etc.

I'm also a dancer ( you can check it out if you wish) so before the performance, there is the events negotiation, planning, logistics of the venue, organizing etc. And dealing with all the unpredictable things that can happen at an event. Plus I do have to feel confident to put on my dance costume, smile and dance in front of many people. Sometimes representing other countries like Colombia (I'am from Bolivia) yes I do like to challenge myself to do something different and gain knowlegde.

I "should" be able to face anything, having mentioned everything above, but the truth is sometimes we do struggle, many women would relate, when I say: that sometimes it can be too much for our mind, the stress, the nervousness, anxiety, pressure, etc. it can be draining.

I reckon that I've let my mind focussed on the negatives in a particular situation, because it was very, very, very important for me, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the right thing, and I did struggle .
Our mind its so powerful that can take control of us sometimes, but we can, and we must ( I shall say) learn to control our thoughts, only ourselves can do that.

You Have The Power to be Positive 

We must always remember that we are capable of doing everything, and anything we want. We have the power to control our thoughts, to think positive, to challenge ourselves, to achieve our goals. And that can only be done if we think that we CAN do it, instead of "I'm not sure". Only ourselves can change the way we think.

As women, whether working mums, single mums, independent women, it doesn't matter where we come from, where we live, what we do, etc. We might not be in an ideal place, moment in our lifes/careers etc. But remember, you have the heart, passion, drive, patience, motivation and determination to achieve what you want.

I would love to launch a project next year, which I have been working on years back, gaining experience, confidence, and base on the positive response and feedback I received so far, it motivates me even more! I know that nothing can be "perfect", but its how we adapt our mind to deal with everything.
Some people may say that I wont be able to do that, the market its too crowded, there are people already doing that, etc. But I know that I CAN do it, if I have to face any challenges, I'll learn along the way ;)

Having goals, determination and positive thinking, can improve our lifestyle and wellbeing.

By being positive, we can inspire others to have more self-love, self-esteem and to be a better person everyday.

Think positive, don't miss out on an opportunity.

Reflexiones: ¿existe el amor a ciegas o es que te ciega el amor?

El corazón, es quizás, lo mas imcomprensible, inexplicado..que muchos puedan definir..
En el amor, el corazón no mide lugar, condición social, no elige.. no busca.. no espera nada, mucho menos sufrir, sino lo que espera es que éso que es tan inexplicable que siente sea correspondido y pueda superarlo todo para tener un final felíz.

¿existe el amor a ciegas o es que te ciega el amor? Llegar a amar sin ver, amar sin ver al amado, amar sin verse a uno mismo. ¿Al punto de perderse uno mismo?

Quizás pueda ser posible, llegar a idealizar a la persona de la cuál te enamoras, entrando en un estado emocional que te vuelve ciego, sordo y mudo. Lleno de sensaciones que no te dejan reaccionar. Entonces sí, posiblemente, te enamoras, te quedas ciego y sólo ves lo que quieres ver, una persona perfecta, en lugar de ver que al igual que todos tiene defectos y errores.

Posiblemente la manera menos indicada para llegar a enamorase, ya que uno puede llegar hasta perderse uno mismo, llegando a cometer errores, hasta ¿locuras? Comportándose como no lo habia hecho antes.  Porque estando ciego de amor.. no se puede ver más allá de lo que uno piensa que es el amor perfecto.

¿Qué es el Amor?

El amor tiene que ser de dos, (obvio dirán) pero se trata de una balanza..que hay que saber mantenerla en armonía, con la responsabilidad de ambas personas. Teniendo paciencia, ganas de todo lo que uno es capaz de aprender del otro y de todo lo que él puede aprender de ti. Comunicación, es la palabra clave, también es importante el respeto, comprensión, apoyo, confianza. Pienso que son los pilares para poder fortalecer el Amor.

Amar es construir, es encontrar a alguien para hacer equipo y resistir valientemente los golpes de la vida, sin dejar de tener en común la misma meta.
Porque en el amor también hay problemas, dificultades, quizás la prueba de que juntos se hace un buen equipo para sobrellevar todo obstáculo.. porque en realidad es el amor lo que importa.

¿Cuándo se encuentra el amor?

El momento en el que encontremos el amor será aquél en el que nos sintamos completamente aceptados y libres de ser quienes somos y buscar lo que queremos llegar a ser.

"El amor, según el Principito, se trata de entregarlo todo sin esperar nada a cambio. Cuando actuamos con amor, lo único que esperamos es que el sujeto de nuestro amor viva con plenitud, no importa si nos corresponde o no; nuestra única recompensa será su felicidad. Por consiguiente, cuando nos damos cuenta de que su sonrisa es sincera y llena de vida, la felicidad que transmite ese gesto en combinación con nuestro amor, nos lleva a sentirnos contentos lejos de todo deseo difícil de alcanzar."

Muchos dicen que se pierde el amor por orgullo, enojo, sin razón, o posiblemente porque los pilares que conforman ese amor no estaban fortalecidos...no comunicación, respeto, comprensión, apoyo, confianza. Por diferentes razones.

Se dirá que el amor te ciega.. pero irónicamente:
En el Amor, cuando ambas personas se quieren, los ojos no mienten.

Reflexiones de la vida. 

Migrateful : A cookery initiative in London with a social conscience

Migrateful is just that: a new series of events where participants don’t just taste cuisines from around the world, but are taught to cook them by asylum seekers and refugees who have migrated to London

Migrateful is a cookery and language initiative where asylum seekers, refugees and migrants struggling to access employment in the UK due to legal and linguistic barriers, teach their traditional cuisines to the public.

It sees those struggling to access employment in the UK due to legal and linguistic barriers teach their traditional cuisines to the public. The chefs bring their home cuisines from countries across the world including Syria, Iran, Nigeria, Eritrea, Cuba, Ethiopia and Pakistan.

The aim is to improve their own wellbeing, aid their England speaking skills and in turn improve their confidence. But it also broadens their social network and improves their employability at a time when they are unable to work for other reasons. It was also created to enable positive interactions between Brits and the migrant community in the UK.

Each chef receives professional training and English tuition with Migrateful, as well as the chance to practice their language skills through the teaching of the classes.

Each Migrateful class lasts three hours where participants cook and share a three course meal made from their chef’s home country. For one person to pay for an open class it costs £35, £70 for two people. A private cookery class – for up to 8 people – costs £245. That price can be split between the group, making it just over £30 each.

For more information visit :
https://www.migrateful.org/