Being an Adoptee
I was born In Jakarta, Indonesia.
According to my document, my mother relinquished me the day after I was born.
This is my first significant loss in life, losing my first mother and all that came with it
—ancestral land, family, language, and cultural heritage.
Survival. Identity. Somatic memory. Grief. Ancestral connection. Compassion.
The Loss of my Dad
I lost my dad to cancer when I was almost 10 -years old. He was my hero.
Grief. Question the meaning of life and purpose of existence.
Dance, Music, Visual Art
Artistic expression is the language that’s been the closest to my heart
ever since I was a child.
Spirituality. Inner wisdom. Essence. Home. Vessel for creative energy. Love.
Racism
I lived with racism in my stepfamily as a teenager being the only
family member of color. I didn’t know how threatened my body felt
until many years later connecting with other transracial adoptees.
Humiliation. Betrayal. Anxiety. Social construct. Knowledge.
Power of history.
Move to New York
I was exposed to a diverse community for the first time in 1997,
allowing me to blend in
something I was not able to do growing up in a homogenous Sweden.
Cultural identity. Relationships. Diversity. Community. Opportunity. Trust. Home.
Writing
Writing personal stories and journaling has been a way for me
to give home to things I can no longer hold in the body.
Sharing my voice. Honesty. Patience. (Lots of patience!) Reflection. Sitting with. Holding.
Pole Dancing & “Unstructured”
I developed my first intentional bodymind offering “Unstructured”,
a prompt-based pole freestyle method that merged
the unpredictable nature of life with wisdom of the body.
BodyMind connection. Somatic clues. Storytelling. Curiosity. Bruises and strength.
Homeland
The first time I dug my feet into Indonesian soil 45 years after my birth,
I instantly knew that my body belonged there.
Validation. Joy. Searching. Sorrow. Fullness, like a meal. Utter pride.
Where I am today
I practice the belief that the body holds a vast amount of knowledge,
and meaningful messages that has a profound impact on our daily life.
I have engaged in grief work, and I have also welcomed healing journeys
such as meditation, reiki, sound healing, plant medicine, and breathwork.
I find solace in movement and artistic expression. I find joy in it, too.
I am in grace of my ancestors. I am human. I am whole.
I continue to seek knowledge while valuing the wisdom of my body.
I am here to offer guidance and support for those whose paths
may too be a bit rocky.
Excited. Being. Open. Love. Present.