The rain was pouring this morning but that was no means to opt out, not a cop out, it was time for ZUMBA regardless of the weather out. This was the first of many excursions the USP cohort will get to do, and trips of this sort are always fun. I picked up my carpool group around 8:50 in the morning and we drove to Bayside Community Center; a place to get the community together and obviously a place for unity and community fun!
We started ZUMBA almost immediately upon arrival; we jumped right in to the dances which were being taught/instructed by Linda. The tempo and range of motion started off easy, and in my mind I was thinking it was going to be no sweat...…..HA!..........the sweat started dripping of my shirt about 30 minutes later. By the halfway point, we were getting in partners and swinging around the dance floor, getting in lines and doing follow the leader dances, increasing the pace of the dances, and taking "air" shots of pretend liquor each time the song said "TEQUILA."
It was great to see that the elders who were participating were (more than) holding their own, as they completed each of the dances and never took a break! This was a great way to connect with the elder community of Linda Vista through a fun activity that benefits the mental and physical health of everyone in the room. It was great to talk to a few of my fellow classmates/colleagues after the ZUMBA session, as we talked about socioeconomic disparities, inequalities in healthcare access, policy that is impacting the environment, etc. It is great to be surrounded by so many people who are like-minded--people who are mindful of other people's situations, know how to empathize with marginalized populations, and know how to stay positive throughout it all.
It's hard to see a path through the eyes of the marginalized/ But we can't write them off in the margins like other guys/ Our philosophy is to write their names in big letters in the center of the page, it's how we prioritize!
We started ZUMBA almost immediately upon arrival; we jumped right in to the dances which were being taught/instructed by Linda. The tempo and range of motion started off easy, and in my mind I was thinking it was going to be no sweat...…..HA!..........the sweat started dripping of my shirt about 30 minutes later. By the halfway point, we were getting in partners and swinging around the dance floor, getting in lines and doing follow the leader dances, increasing the pace of the dances, and taking "air" shots of pretend liquor each time the song said "TEQUILA."
It was great to see that the elders who were participating were (more than) holding their own, as they completed each of the dances and never took a break! This was a great way to connect with the elder community of Linda Vista through a fun activity that benefits the mental and physical health of everyone in the room. It was great to talk to a few of my fellow classmates/colleagues after the ZUMBA session, as we talked about socioeconomic disparities, inequalities in healthcare access, policy that is impacting the environment, etc. It is great to be surrounded by so many people who are like-minded--people who are mindful of other people's situations, know how to empathize with marginalized populations, and know how to stay positive throughout it all.
It's hard to see a path through the eyes of the marginalized/ But we can't write them off in the margins like other guys/ Our philosophy is to write their names in big letters in the center of the page, it's how we prioritize!