Ice skating
I have occasionally ice-skated when I was a kid growing up in Minsk. All I remember is I liked
going fast, though I could not even stop and would always use borders for that.
In March of 2002 I signed up for group classes at the Belmont ice-rink.
I just wanted to try something new and the rink is only a few minutes away from where I live.
I had no expectations and certainly no idea what effect it would have.
Apparently I took to the ice very quickly and managed to progress through the beginner classes,
even skipping some of them, in a very short time. The coach who was teaching the classes has inspired and motivated
me. When you see an adult gliding on the ice so smoothly and seemingly effortless, no doubt your
mind starts to play tricks with you, so I wanted to learn more and more. I love the first seconds
of stepping onto a fresh ice, the speed and accelleration, and feeling the wind on my face,
and how everything blurs when spinning, and even sitting on the ice after a fall:-).
To me, being on the ice is like for a bird to fly. When I hear the music, all I want to do is just go forward
with the momentum. It gives an amazing sense of freedom. When I am ice-skating, I forget about everything else,
I don't even think, I just marvel at how lucky I am to have found such an incredible thing.
Ice-skating is not a sport for everyone, it requires
a lot of patience. Most of the elements take months or years to learn, so most of the time you practice the same
thing over and over. I get this euphoric feeling when I notice that I have an improvement or that I can
finally do a certain element. Oh, and it makes me smile inside and out:-) I have since graduated from group
classes to private lessons and found a coach who understands my enthusiasm and passion, as well as
unsatiable desire to learn. Most of the time I skate two-three times a week, each session being two hours, and can't wait
to get back on the ice!!!
Dancing - ballroom, swing, salsa
Another hobby of mine is dancing. I was really suprised at myself actually.
After a very beginner's ballroom class at a local college, I got hooked on East Coast Swing which is jumpy
and very energetic. I did not find any East Coast Swing places at the time, so I started
learning West Coast Swing which is more suave and exacting. So in about half a year of weekly lessons,
I learned so many turns and steps, that I wanted to increase my "dance vocabulary" by learning other dances and have done lots of Ballroom since then.
I have found a few very casual places in Bay Area that have good lessons and a good non-pretencious crowd
where your own partner is not necessary.
Of couse, after a while, as with ice-skating, I wanted to learn more and more:) I am doing
mainly Salsa right now and thouroughly enjoy it. When you are dancing with a very good lead, you feel that you
are running on air. Your feet are moving so fast, it's all muscle memory. It's a lot of fun, and all it takes is
some time and desire to learn it:-).
Other
Having fun while ice-skating and dancing is great, of course, but I also leave time for other things.
Currently I am finishing up studying for Real Estate Salesperson License. So in addition to my
usual software job, hopefully I will be able to deal with Real Estate as well, which I found
to be very interesting. Also, it has a potential to grow with time into a more full time job, which is
certainly a plus, since sofware market in Bay Area is not what it used to be.
I like to do many other things, especially camping and hiking, and enjoying
a conversation with a good company of friends. I have found that every person you meet
and have contact with enriches you in one way or another. I get lots of energy from
my activities and it not only makes my life brighter, but also everyone who surrounds
me gets a share of it and hopefully my day has been lived in it's best version.