Learning, Adapting, Striving and Thriving in these times
Life really feels different at the moment. I say this knowing that in Taiwan we have so far been in a very good position to continue to work, leave our homes and go about life in only slightly limited ways. In a growing number of places, the disruptions have been more severe, and it’s really hard to know how long that will last for. How can we help ourselves LAST through this period of time and into whatever the new normal might look like after this?
L
Learn : All of these challenges are giving us new opportunities to learn new skills. How many of us learned more about other countries, medical practices, or technology in just the past few weeks. Personally, myself and Anna spent hours this week learning about how to livestream, checking internet connections, researching platforms and testing out streaming dances. (Results were not very successful , but more on that below ;) )There is still a whole lot more to learn!
A
Adapt: Humans are incredibly adaptable and can survive under so many different circumstances, but it’s often what goes on between our ears that struggles the most to keep up. We’ve got to be willing to accept that we will have to change when the situation won’t change for us. Yes, it’s frustrating to rework our habits, but when we are willing to adapt, new solutions become apparent and innovation can happen. While I’d much rather teach classes in person, I’m trying to keep adjusting my desires so that I can still connect with students even if it’s in different ways.
S
Strive: We’ve got to keep trying. I’m telling this to myself and as someone who wanted to throw her computer out the window multiple times when I couldn’t figure out some tech glitches this week. One of the biggest assets during this time is having other people to keep one another motivated. I get overwhelmed, stressed, or irritated, but then I see just how hard other people are working to keep us all afloat. Noticing how much people are doing inspires me to let my moments of feeling down pass, and then I can get back to the work of doing my best as an instructor and person.
T
Thrive: With all of the limitations currently in place, what are some of the things you know help you thrive or feel your best? How can you keep taking care of yourself physically or mentally? For me, this looks like dancing with others, connecting via video chats with the people I love, and taking breaks from worrying to watch a comedy and just laugh. If I do these things for myself, I am better equipped to be able to handle the moments of worry. Knowing that dance is just as important to many of you and your abilities to thrive is what will keep me committed to finding ways we can connect even when things are tough.
As I mentioned above, the primary way that I’m trying to keep us connected is by attempting to move some of our classes online while people are unable to attend
class. This past Tuesday we experimented with ZOOM, and I want to thank all of you who showed interest in this free trial class. Unfortunately, after all of the preparations and having moved ALL the furniture out of my living room, it was more than a little disappointing to have the ZOOM link I was using made unavailable to all of the students who wanted to try to live class. I apologize to everyone who was waiting for the live stream to begin, or who was locked out of the live stream room (My Pro US account for 100 participants was overridden by the Taiwanese account limiting participants to 10!).
I’ve got to look at the bright side of all of this. I’m learning new skills that will hopefully eventually allow me to connect with more people around the world. I’m prioritizing my students’ safety and comfort to the best of my abilities. The fact that over 40 people signed up for the free trial live stream means that people need to and want to keep moving. Also, Zumba announced just yesterday that the company is working on their own live streaming service to help instructors all over the world who still want to teach. I’ll continue to keep you updated on what options I have and what I am able to do for our classes.
Finally, I will get word on Friday regarding whether TDC will reopen for next week, and will wait until then to have the calendar and sign up forms for April’s classes. In the meantime, know that you have me and we all have one another in this community to help us LAST through these trying times.
Keep moving!
xx,
Katie
非常時期，
繼續學習 (L) 、適應 (A) 、奮鬥 (S) 與茁壯 (T)
現在的生活真的感覺起來很不一樣，我知道台灣到目前處在一個還不錯的狀況，在一些小限制下，大家能夠繼續工作、可以離開家裡出門走走。疫越來越嚴重的國家數目繼續增長，也越來越難得知何時才緩和下來。從這段非常時期到之後的新日常，我們能如何幫助自己持續地生活呢？
L
學習 (Learn) ：所有的這些挑戰都是我們學習許多新技巧的不同機會。在過去這幾周，我們之中有多少人對別的國家、醫療與科技有更多的認識？就我個人而言，我和 Anna 這周花了很多的時間學習如何直播、網路測速、研究不同的直播平台和測試我們第一堂直播 Zumba 課。（結果並不太成功，下面有更多說明;)）還有許多需要學習的地方！
A
適應 (Adapt) ：人們有極高的適應能力，能存活在許多不同狀況下。但是我們的頭腦常讓「繼續前進」變成一種掙扎。在無法改變環境的情況下，我們必須願意接受自我改變的必要。沒錯，要重新建立習慣是很麻煩的，但是當我們願意適應，新的解決方案就會浮出水面、創新接踵而生。雖然我比較喜歡面對面上實體課，我嘗試調整自己的渴望，這樣能讓我和學生們在不同層面上繼續互動。
S
奮鬥 (Strive) ：「我們必須要不停地嘗試。」這是我這周好幾次找不到解決方案，想把電腦丟到窗外時，一直告訴自己的話。在這個時候，最大的資產就是有其他人和你互相鼓勵。每當我覺得不知所措、壓力過大或是被激怒時，一但發現其他人是如何地盡他們所能認真工作來維持一切順利，總能給我轉念的鼓舞。看別人的努力鼓勵我讓我的沮喪過去，然後再繼續回去做我最拿手的自己以及指導員。
T
茁壯 (Thrive) ：面對現在種種的限制，有什麼事是能幫助你茁壯或感受到最佳狀態的呢？你如何繼續把自己的身心照顧好呢？對我而言，這些事是和別人一起跳舞、透過視訊繼續和我愛的人保持聯繫、暫停擔心看個喜劇大笑一下。如果我為自己做這些事，在面對擔心時我能有更清晰的處事能力。知道對大部分的你們來說，舞蹈也是一個讓你們繼續茁壯的重要元素，也因此讓我下定決心繼續探索不同的方式，讓我們在艱難的時刻能保持聯繫。
如上述提及，當現在有些人不能參加實體課時，我現在嘗試持續保持聯繫的主要方法是進行線上課程。昨天我們用 Zoom 測試我們第一堂的免費線上課程，我想要謝謝所有對這堂課有興趣的人。不幸地，在所有的準備以及移動客廳所有的家具之後，傳給大家的 Zoom 連結不能用真的很讓人失望。想跟所有在等待課程開始的同學，以及因為 10 人限制無法進入第二個連結的同學們道歉（因為付費申請的美國帳號（可供 100 位與會者的方案）被我台灣的帳號複寫，所以變成只能讓 10 位與會者參加！）
面對所有的這一且，我選擇看到好的一面。我在學習新的技能，希望這幫助我之後能與世界上更多的人互動。我盡我所能將學生們的安全與舒適放在第一優先順位。事實上，超過 40 人報名這堂免費測試的直播課，表示大家需要、也很想繼續舞動。而且，Zumba 昨天剛宣布公司會開始著手他們自己的線上直播服務，來幫助世界各地的指導員們能夠繼續教學。我也會盡我所能繼續讓你們知道我手邊的資源與其他的替代方案。
最後，周五將會得知 TDC 教室下周是否會重新開放，所以4月課表公布與開放報名延至3月30日。在此同時我要讓你們知道：你們有我、我們有彼此，在這個不停嘗試的時期，壤我們在這個社群中互相幫助持續 (LAST) 下去！
繼續前進！
愛你的 Katie
( Anna Liang 譯 )