its 1am. i am in medellin. it’s raining outside. i was lying in a hammock 10 minutes before i started writing. today is saturday, april 19, 2025, which is holy saturday (s_ábado santo_)—the penultimate day of semana santo (holy week) in medellĂn and throughout colombia.​
​read about semana santo here​
​according to this article here ( in spanish )_,_​
[!] During this day, people reflect on the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Churches do not celebrate Mass, nor do they ring their bells, and no sacraments are administered except for the anointing of the sick and the confession of sins. Many believers fast to honor Jesus’ death and prepare to commemorate his resurrection. Previously, it was customary to throw water over oneself, as some people believed it purified their souls and thus atoned for their sins. However, thanks to sanctions implemented by various governments to prevent water waste and misuse during Holy Saturday, this tradition has ceased to occur, and instead, many believers go swimming with their families, either at beaches or in spas.
the timing of semana Santa and my arrival in medellĂn - a city i have come to love as my own, a city that has started to feel more and more like home. so much that i am called back here every 3 months, for the last 3 times now - is not lost on me.
something about this city feels deeply symbolic to my path. and today i became aware that i was called back this time to observe the entire city pausing to reflect on death, resurrection, and renewal, while I, myself, am being stirred awake.
i have landed in a place known for its resilience, reinvention, and rhythm, ah medellin, mi amor
aligning with the time in my life, when the mind, body, heart and spirit are all syncing up. maybe i was meant to be here now, shedding the final old skin, and ready with all my heart to start a new chapter.
chicas, i have never been the religious one.
but lately i have come to appreciate and honor the indigenious cultures, especially in south america so much. and i am starting to see the beauty in the teachings of all religions, when approached from the place of love.
one day remind me to tell you about the magic that happened when i went for zouk hour in florianopolis brazil and how i found msyelf in the middle of a ceremony circle. and the unexpected events that followed.
today, i want to tell you about the magic that happened today, an hour before i went to lie down on the hammock, an hour and 10 minutes before i started typing this email.
you see, i couldn’t stop crying in the morning today. this is the message I sent to mayan in the morning.
mayan is my zouk teacher, founder of ​_medellin community_​, my future roommate, new mama to baby mayan, a single mother not just doing it all, but showing us along the way how to do it.
i shared in the stories that I’ll be offline for a week and after some on and off cycles, commited to doing ​random explorations​ for the next while.
one thing led to the other, and things started becoming more clear. it’s been 2 months that i have killed random movements now and one month since i last sent an email.
it’s not that i don’t know what to do. everyday i wake up knowing deep in my heart that my body will tell me exactly what to do today or i adapt based on the path i foresee for myself.
but i am relentlessly stubborn about doing it the right way this time, and by right i mean, following the ​first principles thinking.​
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
i recently learned about this concept but it’s something i have been a practioner of, for atleast my entire tech corporate career. so much so, that it would clash with the “profit at any cost” model adopted by the companies i worked at.
no wonder i was laid off twice.
all good though because now i get to create based on my terms, my values and my guiding metrics. in this home, we don’t rush things. ​_it’s important to slow down to train your intuition._ ​
my word for Q1 2025 was patience, and ah, how much I needed it. we set a word for the year, quarter and month to remind of what we need the most to take a step forward.
as Q2 came to greet me, i knew it was time to bid farewell to the ​period of isolation in brazil ​and welcome the inner spring, in the city of eternal spring - medellin mi amor.
this second quarter, ​the second phase of this cycle​ of death and rebirth comes with some calm hope, sustained energy, and new tiny renewals. after the death, this feels like a first inhale. a time to step back into the world, like spring buds peeking out of the soil.
so my word for q2 is audacity, the kind that doesn’t scream but stands tall, rooted in truth. the audacity to trust my timing. the audacity to create from love, not fear. the audacity to be seen, not as someone who has it all figured out; but as someone willing to walk into the unknown, barefoot and open-hearted.
and today, april 19, 2025, the day where I couldnt stop crying, s_ábado santo,_ welcoming the inner spring.
and today, i felt it. after months of patience, today I had the audacity to take a step back, to once again, beleibe in myself and merge all that i have been and everything i want to be.
today something clicked.
it’s 2:30am now and i should sleep. i will tell you the rest tomorrow now.
love,
your chica đź’‹