Diversity

So despite the homesickness I've been feeling as of late, one of the best things for me in moving here has been the opportunity to take ballet up again after a 20 year hiatus. And it's been awesome being able to do it in a place that focuses on adults doing it. And when I say "adults", I mean anyone. When I tried to find classes in Sydney, the only things I could find were schools that: A. Were for kids/teenagers or B. Were run by places like The Australian Ballet or Sydney Dance Co., which sounded awesome, but also sounded like you needed to have had some recent experience, or they were only workshops that went for a certain period of time. I tried the next best thing a few years ago which were these fad barre classes which was like a cross between pilates and some ballet exercises. But it got boring and repetitive and just wasn't the same. I was just always too intimidated to take proper classes because they're so geared toward experienced dancers. And I was too scared that I wasn't experienced enough, I was too inflexible, fat or just something else that didn't seem "right". The classes I've been taking here have been awesome; they literally cater to anyone. The ones I've been to lately have had a few men in their 50s or 60s, as well as women who are much older than me. Some people are on pointe, most aren't (at the basic level, anyway). So it's just great to be able to walk into a dance centre that is suitable for everyone. Heck, even my husband (who is the most physically inflexible person I've ever known) could take a class and no one would bat an eyelid. It's also totally OK when I screw up and fumble around and make a few things up! Haha... (I would also love to build enough strength to be able to get to pointe, but we'll see how that goes!)

The other thing that I've been loving about this city is its diversity in general. With the current rise of Donald Trump and his racist party in this country, I'm happy that I feel like we're living in a little bubble of diversity in this city (and perhaps state?). As you may or may not know, some years ago I had a blog that focused on adoption. It was a great way for me to vent some feelings and come to terms with my own emotions and thought processes. In starting it, I didn't actually realise that it would become as popular as it did and gain as much traction as it did, and it ended up being quite informative and insightful to some of today's new adoptive parents. I also gained some camaraderie with other adoptees, which was great for me. I was often contacted by some of the parents with questions and queries, and some of the most common advice I gave to them was that if they were caucasian parents adopting children from Asia or another non-caucasian country, they should move somewhere that was quite diverse (if they weren't already living in one). It was a big piece of advice to give, but one that I was completely serious about. So in having my own family, I've always been very conscious of where I bring them up based on my own experiences. 

Thankfully, San Francisco is very diverse, and I feel like my little family fits in here quite well. Our child is (apparently) one of many mixed race children. Plus I feel like English is spoken only as much as either Spanish or Chinese are. (Heck, I feel like I need to learn Spanish or something!) Before we moved here, I was really worried that we'd be living in a place that supported the likes of Donald Trump's beliefs, and that we'd face a racist lifestyle. I feel like I can cope with people's narrow views as a 30-something, but I would never want a child to grow up in that. So if we decide to stay here for longer than the minimum 18 months, I'm happy that he'll be in this little bubble of diversity that clearly hasn't spread across the entire country. Racism is not fun as a child or a teenager. 

So if anyone knows Spanish, feel free to teach me some basics! Haha...

Anyway, I think that's about all from me for now. Thanks for reading (if you have!). 

xoxo