My first week here in Sao Paulo, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to substitute for my Zumba teacher here.  She went to Chile for the weekend, and I got to teach her morning and evening classes at her gym.  The experience, not only teaching my first Zumba class in Brazil, but my first Zumba class EVER, was great.  It re-kindled in me the passion to teach. Her students had a great time, and so did I. With this clarity, I then began trying to locate a place to teach Nia and Zumba.

Being the forever-optimist, I hoped that my sunny attitude, experience, and enthusiasm would land me a teaching gig.  Or at least a demo class to prove myself.  I sent emails to the contacts I’d been connected with at gyms, dance schools, and yoga studios. I offered to teach a free demo class. Each time I pressed “Send” I felt optimistic, knowing I had acted boldly towards my desire, not letting obstacles stop me.

That was almost a month ago.  I’ve had only one reply, a kinder version of brushing me off, if my Portuguese is right. Never mind the details of what happened and why, the point is that I realized that I am a little fish in a BIG BIG pond.  No one seems to care that I have unique skills that I am eager to share.  My friend here tells me that underneath the warm reception that Brazilians give, there is a sense of mis-trust of others.  Maybe a fear of being taken advantage of.  I am not willing to conclude this yet, however my experience so far has been humbling and disappointing in this respect.

The good news is that I have received multitudes of support from my Nia students back home. I just finished my last note of gratitude of the many that were given to me at my going away party in a beautiful, handmade gratitude bowl.  I will now start to refill that bowl by noting things I am grateful for each day. I have also received amazing words of wisdom from fellow teachers who have walked the path I now am on, which have enlightened me and lifted me up.  I have begun deepening my own practice of Nia, for myself, which has been both a challenge and a gift.