The most beautiful moment in my life was the birth of my son. Every parent is proud of their own child, of course, but I am convinced that I can pinch myself. He is now nine years old, sporty and has special skills such as chess. In addition, his thinking, knowledge and skills are above the level of his peers. We also sometimes talk about heavy topics. For example, he asks me if I will die. I assure him that I will always be there for him, but that one day everyone will die. For a 9-year-old child, that is of course a tough subject. I am a fan of my own child as any parent should or should be. I am grateful.
I was born in the Netherlands, but I grew up in Suriname. Back in the Netherlands I moved a lot and lived in different cities. For example in the Bijlmer where I lived at the start of my studies. Many people always see the Bijlmer as a place where you cannot safely walk the street, but I have never experienced it that way. I see fear and loneliness as bad counselors. Actually, I have never been afraid of anything in my life. The only fear that exists is that you as a person hope not to make wrong decisions that could be detrimental to your child.
Eight years ago my relationship ended badly. The worst thing for me was that I was unable to see my son for a while. Luckily he was too young to remember but for me this was the most difficult moment in my life. The first 3 years of a child's life are fundamental and enormously important in my opinion. Fortunately, my son and I have everything back on track. I do an awful lot with my child. When he is with me, it is never boring. From cooking together, playing football, watching movies, cycling, gaming, crafting and experimenting. I actually take it everywhere. He looks up to me and I enjoy him, he is a wonderful and cheerful child.
Of all the people who are influential in my life, I think I dread the Dalai Lama the most. When reading his book "The Art of Happiness" I realized how I can recognize and find myself in this. I'm sure this for others is so and recommend it all. The book's spearheads, compassion, understanding, and acting out of love, have changed my outlook on life. It has given me the angles to go through life more thoughtfully and patiently.
That is also the beauty of Wing Chun for me. On the one hand, you work in an almost meditating way which makes you more zen and on the other hand it makes you more energetic. You learn to really feel and anticipate that, so you can easily look a number of steps ahead.
Before Wing Chun I practiced different sports. Boxing, fitness, football, even competitive swimming. Chinese martial arts like Tai Chi and Wing Chun have always intrigued me. I have a love for martial arts. I watch a lot of martial arts films and documentaries in which I see many beautiful and effective movements. I started looking for the origin of this and ended up with Kung Fu.
At Media Markt I came by an older man with Wing Chun touch. I was amazed by his energy and strength and wanted to learn this. After many wanderings, I ended up at WuDae. To be honest, I was quite skeptical, but Bas reassured me. He assured me he would explain everything to me and it would be all right. You can certainly see this in the patience of the teachers at WuDae, WuDae is a school to learn something. Here you get the space to practice until the penny drops, the space to get really good.
For example, I noticed that I initially held my shoulders way too high. By not giving up and repeating all the movements, I am getting better at keeping them low. Of course there is always room for improvement but I am satisfied and everything takes time to master it. As long as the will is there. Giving up is not an option for me.
Contrary to my background, I am a teacher by profession. During my study International Business Management (Commercial Economics) at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, I never thought I would ever become a teacher. My classes vary in different subjects and I teach at different schools so I have to deal with many different children. Intelligent and fun children, but there are also quite cheeky students among them. When I explain my passion for Wing Chun they become curious and because of my enthusiasm they only show more respect. And that gives satisfaction. I think Wing Chun therefore also offers a solution as a lesson in secondary schools, who knows, you might also be able to combat bullying.
Within Wing Chun you can really go in all directions for both men and women, for young and old. It gives you the opportunity to throw your energy out and relax at the same time. Despite the charm in many sports, I think many people can feel at home with Wing Chun at WuDae.
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