Here we are, at the end of the infamous 2020’s sequel. This year I won’t post a record of most of the days of 2021 like I did last year. This year I just want to offer a brief reflection about what this year has brought to me.
Let’s admit that pandemic wise it hasn’t been as bad as 2020 thanks to the blessed vaccines. It’s true that here in the UK the first months were tough due to the strict lockdown we were under. During the first half of the year, I took the challenge of teaching Playback Theatre online and it has brought me experience as a practitioner and as a facilitator. Also being in a small tiny flat all I could do is to build wider spaces in Virtual Reality. I even started practising Tai-Chi.
And then the year took a brighter turn. As soon as the lockdown was lifted, we started to look for a better and bigger flat to live. We found it. We changed Camden for Islington. We got the first dose of the vaccine. I finally met ISL Improv members in real life and started practising in person. I reprised tap dancing and singing lessons. I started to apply for a lot of facilitator jobs but by mere luck, I found the opportunity to meet Blink Dance Theatre. In the summer as well, I also got the chance to attend my first ever Playback Theatre intensive among the UK PT community near the lovely town of Totnes, which allowed me to gather with my fellow True Heart Theatre members. And, back in London, I attended the very first in-person rehearsals with London Playback Theatre. I was able to debut on Hoopla! Improv stage doing musical improv after an amazing 8 weeks course with Dreamweaver Quartet. Oh, and meanwhile I became secretary of the International Playback Theatre Network.
Autum came and it brought international travel for me again. I got to visit Austria and Hungary, two countries I have never been before. The best thing was that I was able to facilitate a couple of workshops in Vienna and attend a Diversity and Empowerment project in the dreamy hungarian village of Hollókő. Those were the best days I had since the pandemic started almost as if didn’t exist… that’s why I tested positive for COVID when I came back to London. Luckily, the vaccines worked and I spent my isolation without any symptoms whatsoever. Unfortunatelly though, I wasn’t able to attend the Iberian Playback Theatre Gathering.
The last ray of light that I had this year was my attendance again to an improv festival. In a more reduced version, Improv Fest Ireland came back and I had a blast during the two days reuniting again with old friends and devirtualizing new ones. I was able to go back to Spain before coming back to London and finally I finished the invisalign treatment. Yay!
Summarizing. I feel lucky and blessed for all the new people I met this year and the opportunities they brought. I’m happy I got to spend another year with my wife and lovely cats.
I hope 2022 bring more amazing people, opportunities and experiences.
Not just for me. I wish all of that for you next year.
Stay safe. Get vaccinated.