Getting us online

So for the last few weeks, Jessica and I have been brainstorming about incomes and how to go about getting funding.

We learnt, the hard way that fundraising is hard work and that most people don't care too much about an adults dream for wholeness.

We learnt, that of all things, we do care about wholeness, about completeness and working with the women in our circle to help them meet those dreams!

Last year, we did a "lay" counselling course. Our aim was not to become counsellors, much to the relieve of the man in charge! But to better understand ourselves and curb "for me, my fix it" philosophy. My first instinct is always, how do we fix this, where most of the time I just need to be still and listen. Offer a hug!

You will laugh, I really struggle to offer that hug! My love language is touch, but because I was severely hurt in this area, I don't like people I don't know in my personal space. (A blog all on its own, and maybe something I'll be brave and do sometime soon - seeing as Alison has been brave enough to make a movie of her ordeal!)

With, our small dance studio getting smaller. A norm in winter for us, we have started to pursue various online avenue's, a little scary.
But with the help of our wonderful guru, you can check her out as well - foxandowlmedia.co.za
We have managed to work up the nerve...

If you have not yet started following Jessica @ belly.life then you are missing out!

We are also launching a YouTube channel, super exciting and super scary as well.

Other fun things that are happening at the moment, include putting together our annual year end show. Always a charity awareness or fundraiser - we have the ladies brainstorming charity choice's and venue options and oh my gosh the ever dreaded first time performance....

Nurture

How do we nurture ourselves?

This is something, I've felt very challenged by these passed few weeks!
If the question had been how do we nurture our kids, our husbands or our students - I have quick easy answers right and ready for you.

How do you nurture one's self?

Now I'm not so much a girlie girl. I'm not into make-up and hair and nails and quite frankly those kind of things cost money, which is pretty tight at the moment!

So, when asked recently how I nurtured myself, I was quite blank - UM?
What had I done recently that nurtured me?

I dance, but can I call it nurturing at the moment, when every minute is spent working on a new project. I recently started working in the mornings again and all that free time (45min to 2hours) I had while my daughter napped is gone. By the time I get home after work and errands, her nap is usually done and she is ready for her mommy and me time, before we start supper and I get ready for evening classes.

I do have a lovely long bath, where I read and add hot water till I'm all wrinkly. (Don't judge, I'm aware of the lying in your own filth thing!) But currently those books are not easy readers, as in my spiritual walk, I've been really challenged by what I'm reading.

I've not picked up a sewing needle to do any quilting (my current skill I'm learning), my knitting is happening on the rare occasion I do get to sit still and watch some TV, I've not had time to practice any of the new stitches I've learnt recently. Sewing - well other than some alterations I've not sat down to do any of that either...

Yes, I'm totally the crafter - I love to work with my hands and see things grow and it helps with my very impatient nature, as making a blanket takes time and effort!

So, how do you nurture yourself?
Somewhere, I need to find the time to get back to my projects, so that I can nurture me, while I create fun stuff for family and friends.

Oh what a week

It's been a week of learning for me.

Starting on Sunday evening, we watched War Room in house church. It's crazy how small  things, can make such a big difference, both for the good and bad. I'm really challenged to watch out for those small things, that steal our joy and doing those small things that adds to someone's joy.

Other things happening, besides my new job and Jessica launching her Belly.life website!
We have been learning all about social media, how to manage, create brands. I have been introduced to Pinterest, oh dear! So many things out there.

Follow us on Pinterest :)

https://za.pinterest.com/bellydancepe/

Other than being banned from the studio, Rose has a cough and isn't feeling her best. Ever time, I enter the studio in the afternoon, I get an emphatic NO, COME!
Rose and I survived the few days without Dad, I made it to work on time every day. Besides her cough and my blocked ear we are whole and hearty!

With our big retreat coming up our diets are being overhauled and juices of various combinations are being tried out, going vegetarian for a weekend is super challenging. Especially for me, with my crazy strange digestive issues! Going vegetarian, when you can't do raw or skins and seeds or nuts and legumes, is going to be super interesting. I'll be taking my cereal with, along with my protien shake!

Then of course, I've been really challenged these last few weeks about the content of my blog! How personal do you go?
Then of course I chat to our resident media guru and realise that, it's normal wondering if it's relevant, is it interesting, will anyone read it?

You can follow our guru too, @

foxandowlmedia.co.za

Life

Looking at the date of my last blog post! I'm shocked, life just kind of went on full steam ahead.

We are starting to stress and prepare and get our bodies ready for our Master's Retreat end of September. Quickly followed by a mad dash back to Western Cape two weeks later for Theatrical Oriental Dance Festival...

Our 2nd 10week beginners course is coming to an end and we are gearing up to meet a whole new set of ladies in September! Always a highlight for us, sharing this amazing dance style with new ladies and extending our community into their lives. Wether just for those 10weeks or a little longer, each lady being in a different season.

I started working in the mornings again and Jessica has her website up and running - (hope my link works; otherwise do it old school and copy and paste)
HTTP/WWW.Belly.life

So interesting new things going on in our lives, the transition back to work has been relatively painless. Mostly thanks to great advice from my friends, Rose does school like a professional. I think finding the right fit can be hard and we have been incredibly fortunate and wonderfully blessed. Hubby is away soon, so we'll see how confident I am about the new job then!

Rising to the challenge

This year, has been full of ups and downs!
At its start, Jessica and I decided on a few goals;
Our main dance goal (for ourselves) was to become zill proficient, then we encouraged our students to save for travelling to Festivals and for workshops.
We also decided it was prudent to start raising funds, not only for our own training, but also to help those ladies who would love to travel to Festivals and do more workshops.

To that end, we started Zahra's Fun Events and started hosting different kinds of fundraisers each and every month.
We started off with a Music, Art, Literature Trivia evening, followed by a Ladies Afternoon.

The shocking news of our studio founders sudden death, sent us spinning and we barely pulled off our annual World Belly Dance Day, but still managed to raise R3600 for the chosen charity.

We are hosting in conjunction with a local hockey club a Casino Night this month, with a Golden Oldies and Musical Evening in the planning.

Sadly, our little big city has been slow on the up take and although our students have jumped on board, with planning, promoting and helping, we have barely covered costs!
Between, family drama and winter blues, we are marching on, ever optimistic!
Honestly, I believe the ladies might even do me in, if I try find the silver lining one more time.

Enthusiasm has started to wane and moral is low, our economy in the Eastern Cape has never been amazing, but it's at an all time low.
We continue to plan and hope and work hard. Driving our husbands, boyfriends, fiance's and parents a little crazy, we tighten our belts a little more and try squeeze out an extra penny from our budgets and come up with another idea to share an event, find a venue, put together something fun.

We have contacted various markets and requested permission to do some time honoured busking.
Putting up posters and dropping leaflets, sending out emails and sharing, sharing and some more sharing on Facebook.
Press releases and diary events are sent to our local newspapers. Each event sees us holding our breathe and soothing each others strung out nerves.

Months of planning, over in hours and we plunge ourselves into the final prep of the next event!  Exhilarating, stressful and we do enjoy ourselves at each event, regardless of how much it has brought in!
Having said that, well it would be really nice to say, guess what we have covered the cost of the nicer accommodation, to our ladies, you can use your portion of the so so accommodation money for that other workshop or that outfit or that silk veil you have been eyeing!

Having drawn no salary from our small dance studio, so that we are able to attend an amazing retreat, hosted by our two favourite master teachers, has been hard, but being able to say to our husbands, we've got this covered has been worth the sacrifice! Especially when winter dawns and jeans need replacing or we discover last year's winter wardrobe no longer fits, here I proudly celebrate our community of ladies. Everyone stepped in and shared the little excess we have, I read a blog a while back about a random lady shaming another because she had not bought from a fancy boutique and here I tell all and sundry most days, of how my new "jeans" came from a bag, my mother-in law was clearing and how my daughter's whole winter wardrobe is hand me downs.

The show must go on

As another week comes to an end, with another show being marketed and promoted. I'm struck at once by how amazing our students are, putting in extra time and effort with practices, bugging family and friends to buy tickets and also the complete apathy of our extended community!

From raising funds for additional training and various charities over the years, this year has been the slowest ever or maybe the fastest. May seems to have sprung up and caught us unaware, the economy is, it seems is strained to breaking point. With plenty of interest, but no action.
There are of course plenty of exceptions, so again we ask what do we need to do different?

After months of hard work, practices, costume making and the lot! Our amazing ladies, pulled another amazing show out of their hats. With our amazing friends from Port Alfred and East London.

Behind the scenes, each of the dancers family's offered up, valuable time with their loved ones and helped in many small and large ways.
We couldn't be more proud of the dancers and thankful to their families. As we contemplate some rest and our next challenge, we bask in the post show glow.

In remembrance of a beautiful soul

As I sit in absolute shock, I know my very dear friend, mentor and teacher would prefer we celebrate her life and not mourn her passing.
My heart feels as if its breaking, as I slowly accept that it's not a cruel prank. That our world has lost a bright light, heaven has a new angel!

I remember meeting Janka for the first time in February of 2006, her soon to be mother-in law was with, helping translate when she struggled.

As I type this, I'm finding it hard to choose the story that best describes Janka. I know those of us who's life's she touched are forever changed for the better! You could not help, but be captivated by her gentleness, enthralled by her effortless beauty, a beauty that shone from within her. 

Her memorial service took place on 26 April in her home town at 1pm. We hold a remembrance today, with as many of her students as we could reach this week.

A dear friend and mentor suggested I share my story, so as I sit here waiting for my daughter to fall asleep for her nap and listen to Rose's jabbering, I realise that during my last conversation with Janka, she emphassised how precious she held these moments with her own daughter!

So I've decided to tell a Mija story, it's one of many, that I was so privileged to be part of. 

Mija had been at school almost a year already, and had made some friends. Janka, had phoned me to come and look after Mija, while she gave her bi-monthly Saturday class. It was a lovely spring day, so Mija and I went for a walk. We chatted about the things we saw, the colours of the cars that passed. Eventually we spoke about school, Mija was at this stage about 3yrs old. She told me all about her friend at school, who had taken her (placemat/blanket?), I struggled to understand the concept, but apparently each child had their own. Mija, was hurt by the action, as no amount of asking could get the other child to return it. Mija, had decided that she would hide this object from now on, and would no longer be friends with the other child. She told me matter of factly, that she didn't shout like her pappa, but she did cry. That she didn't take the other child's thing away, like her "grandpa" (Mija used the Slovak term here, Janka had to translate it later). But that she went to the teacher for help, who then gave her another one, so that Mija could do the class activity too. 

Although, my dear friends diplomacy drove me a little insane, I'm much more a tow my line or show me a better way to achieve the goal, type of person! I drive many people insane with my "just get it done " philosophy. Plus, I'm super bossy, (I delegate well you see!) I can look back and see how that characteristic, enabled Janka to love and forgive time and time again, enabling her to touch such a diverse set of people!