A new challenge in my life .....ZUMBA!

Well when you are writing a blog, unless you get feedback of course you never actually know if anyone reads it, although thankfully my stats say you do, so thank YOU very much. I must admit it can be incredibly therapeutic although I'm not sure how interesting a read it is. Anyway of course whoever is reading this now may or may not know, I used to be a dance teacher in my past life .... BS (before Spain) A bit of a health problem meant I could not give my pupils the energy they deserved from me, so now, four years later, I was in need of a bit of a "fix" for want of a better word.

Our life in the summer here enables us to earn a bit of money to tide us over, although without a lot of luxuries. We often say how if we were still living in Brighton, I am sure we would have had the latest in phones, possibly an ipad, whereas our poor old pay as you go is now held together with duck tape, and our very basic laptop thankfully keeps us in contact with family and friends! However apart from, of course, missing the family, I would not change it for the world. Anyway, I am digressing as usual, but we could do with a bit of an all year round income if I'm honest, plus I was needing a bit of dance, exercise, plus choreography challenge in my life, and I was considering teaching some style of dance or fitness style in our local town. I have to admit when I saw the zumba media hype I felt it was just what I needed, especially having a background it Latin American as a style taught I was champing at the bit, desperately wondering if I could make it work, in our sleepy little traditional town.

We decided I should give it a go, and I managed to book into an instructors course whilst I was in England for Kaci's birthday. I was so concerned that I would be twice the age of the majority of others on the course I decided to try and get as fit as I possibly could leading up to it. This did mean buying a wii zumba game, and shutting myself away in the casita when it was not rented out and jigging about in temperatures of sometime over 40 degrees. I told myself if I could do that I would keep up with the "youngsters" fairly well! I don't mind admitting having done very little apart from the odd wii fit sessions and walking the dogs I was extremely unfit. My first attempt of a 20 minute session did not even last the full 20 minutes.... oh the shame! I stuck a it though and now can do an hour every day, if I wish to.

Mark very kindly gave me a lift to Billingshurst at some ungodly hour in the morning of the course, and I immediately met up with a shy little "girl" and we went in together. I sat waiting for the other "zumberies" to arrive and was so surprised to count approximately 50 of us! The instructor was Naomi, and she was such a star. Straight away putting us at our ease and yet within seconds on beginning to warm up I realised I had a huge smile on my face, due to her infectious attitude and the great music. The course lasted the day and I staggered out with a huge smile on my face and my hair very unflatteringly stuck to my face.... haha, I loved it. I had done the course, it was now up to me to try and make a go of it in my sleepy Montoro.

With the help of my good friend David who helped with my website translations etc I ran 2 free classes in December. This classes were great with 20 - 25 in each class. Since them I have to admit I am struggling rather. I don't think the Spanish put Christmas onto a credit card, and very sensible too, from what I have been told, no one does anything in January, apart from stay and home, keep warm, and save money, and hopefully it will pick up again in February.

Fingers crossed they will be flocking in soon!

My very first class!