This is where the story begins...

First things first... I think you got to know a little bit about me before you can understand the way I look at things.  
 
My name is Adaliz and I am a born and raised Boricua.  Raised as a city girl, never interested in the country side.  To give you an example, for one of the things Puerto Rico is mainly known is for the extensive Rain Forest that goes across the entire island, people say is amazing. Ask me how many times I've visited this place....NONE!  Never interested... too much green, too many mosquitos and lizards all over.  Thanks... but no thanks!!!!  I'm the kind of a girl that prefers to hike in a museum or an old town filled with history than actually hike in the woods. Looking at trees, plants, birds and God only know how many other creatures is not something I would even consider doing.
 
However, since I was very young I've always been interested in the world outside Puerto Rico.  Don't get me wrong... I love my island.  However, I've always said that Puerto Rico is a great place to go visit but not a place to live in.  So, one fine morning in 2007, I woke up, bought a ticket to Atlanta GA, gave my resignation letter at work and left the island. 
 
While in Atlanta, lot of things happened.  Made great friends and today I can even refer to some of them as family.  Got to continue my passion for dancing to the point of performing on stages around the United States.  Met a lot of people throughout my 5-year journey in Atlanta, GA but for some reason I always knew that Atlanta wasn't my last stop in life.  It just couldn't be, I always wanted more.  I'm the kind of person that can't be in the same place for too long.  Life gets boring and it becomes a routine rather than a continuous adventure. So, at this point in my life I already had decided that 2012 was the year to move out of Atlanta.  Where, you may ask... well, my mind was setup in New York City.  But destiny had something else in mind for me!
 
In November of 2011 I met my other half at a Cuban Salsa Concert in Atlanta.  I was working at a promotional booth for an event that was coming up and he was there to enjoy the concert.  We introduced each other and so it happens he is from Finland. For me ,that was very interesting and after talking a little bit about Finland, I started giving him the information for the event and also of Paso Fino Latin Dance Studio, dance studio where I use to take dance lessons and teach some classes as well.  Several months past and finally he came to the studio, at the time we were looking for a new dance partner for me since my old partner moved to San Francisco.  So, between the girls of the studio we gave him an "audition" on the dance floor and after that we asked the director to approach him with the offer to become part of the Bachata Pro Team.  Even though I've always said that I don't get involved with my dance partners, this time was different.  We are attracted to each other in more ways that you can imagine, so it was obvious that we would end up together even if we resisted at the beginning, it was just meant to be.
 
After a few more months we started dating and even though he traveled a lot and had to return to Finland for long periods of time because of his visa status, our relationship grew strong and steady.  Since we were together I always heard about his trips to Finland and got more and more interested in this country, so for the Christmas of 2012 we decided to go together to Finland and spend the holidays with his family.  Very interesting country indeed!!!!  Everything was new to me and everything was weird.... I had never seen so much snow in my life and never thought I would be experiencing -30C temperatures either.  But still the country seemed to me like brought out straight from the pages of a magazine.  Covered with amazing white snow, is no wonder they call it Winter Wonderland!
 
 
 
 
We spend a month in Finland and to our return the melting process started, coming from -30F to 60F was a feeling of excitement.  Finally, I was home!  Home, where I felt comfortable, at ease with my surroundings. But this feeling only lasted a few months since I knew that soon he needed to leave the US and return to Finland.  At that moment we didn't know if his prompt return was a possibility but we were making the necessary plans for any possible scenario which included moving to Finland. 
 
For me, this was an option and since nothing stopped me in the US, it was something that if it needed to be done it would be done!
 
So the time came when I received a Skype call and he said the words "start packing".  At first, it freaked me out for a minute not for the fact I had to leave behind everything and everyone I know but because of the fact that I would have to do all this packing and moving arrangements by myself and in a short period of time.  That alone was the experience of a lifetime, but with the help of some of my good friends it got done.

 
During the month I had to pack everything, my boyfriend and I continued communicating as usual, as we always do when he is away.  He was very excited of the fact that I was taking this big move for us, so he started sending me various articles about Finland, but one of them was more peculiar than the rest.   He started the message with: "I'm not suggesting anything but found this article to be rather interesting".  At that moment I got a little worried and when I red the name of the article I could not avoid laughing out loud.  The name of the article is "Best place in the world to be a mother is..."  At that moment I didn't think much about it other than funny, so I started reading it.  Half way through the article a thought popped into my head... When was my last PMS cycle?  I put down my computer and rushed to verify my calendar and so it happened, I was a month and a half late.  As anybody can imagine, I couldn't sleep that night.  Once I got up and had some breakfast, I waited for decent time to call Finland and talk to my boyfriend to give him the news.  When I told him that the article that he sent me turned out not to be that funny to my surprise his reaction was one of relief for me.  Surprisingly he wasn't freaking out... which at the moment it made only one of us, because I was freaking out like there is no tomorrow.  

It took me a while to embrace the new adventure that was growing inside of me.  The support I found from friends and family around me was what gave me the strength to finish my life's chapter in the US.

And this is where the story begins....

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