Breathing in a Foreign Language

Relocation brings challenges that appear in the most unexpected places. One of them happens to me four times a week at the local gym I found right near my house, where I join various workouts. This place quickly became my anchor and made me feel like a local here, because fitness has always been an inseparable part of my life. But when I lie there on the mat, in a Pilates class facing an instructor who speaks fluent Albanian, I suddenly realize how hard it is to simply breathe in a foreign language.

Yes, this is me. Sweaty, without makeup or filters, with a heart rate of 145 in the middle of a step and strength workout, where the situation is much easier. The instructor works out right along with us, so I position myself close to her and just follow the movements.

אני באמצע אימון

אני באמצע אימון

אני באמצע אימון

אני באמצע אימון

אני באמצע אימון

In mat Pilates classes, the reality is completely different. The class is crowded, the instructor walks among us, and I find myself lying on my back, lifting my head every moment to figure out what the woman in front of me is doing. Anyone who knows Pilates knows that it all starts and ends with the timing of the inhale and exhale. I learned how to say these words in Albanian (Inhale: Merr frymë, Exhale: Nxjerr frymë), but in the instructor's rapid flow of speech, I lose them completely. When you add instructions about the pelvic floor (Dyshemeja pelvike) that I have no idea how to pronounce, and the whole workout sounds like gibberish, the challenge becomes especially tough.

So why do I keep coming? You are probably asking yourselves. The answer is because this class simply makes me feel good. I rely on everything I learned from Shiran, my wonderful trainer in Israel, and I fill in the gaps myself. I set out on an adventure with this relocation, and I embrace it exactly as it is, even when it means I have to relearn how to breathe in a foreign language.