I’ve been participating in group fitness classes for more than 20 years. During that time, I discovered Zumba and immediately fell in love with it—especially the Latin rhythms. Long before Zumba became a global phenomenon, I was already taking salsa classes. So when Zumba arrived in Malaysia, it felt like the perfect fit. I had found my passion and dreamed of one day teaching on stage as an instructor.

In 2015, I began researching how to become a Zumba instructor. However, life took a different turn. I moved away from Malaysia and became busy raising young children, which delayed my plans. Finally, in 2019, while living in Bangkok, I registered for the training. But once again, things didn’t go as planned. I suffered a knee injury while training for a 10K race and had to postpone the course. The recovery took nearly a year—much longer than I had expected.

In 2020, after recovering, I completed the training and officially became a ZIN member. Unfortunately, the world was soon hit by the worst pandemic of the century. Gyms closed, and there were no opportunities to teach. During that time, our family relocated from Thailand to Germany. After the pandemic, everything moved slowly, and I had to adjust to life in a small town in Germany. Building a social life was challenging, and I couldn’t find opportunities to teach Zumba.

Two years later, my husband received a job opportunity in the United States, and we decided to move again. This time, things finally aligned. I built a stronger social circle, returned to Zumba classes, and found an opportunity to teach. Eventually, I was hired by a gym—five years after completing my training—and began teaching Zumba in a foreign country far from home. The people here are kind and welcoming, and I’m grateful we made the move.

My journey to becoming a Zumba instructor was long. It took nearly 10 years from the moment I first imagined it. But in the end, persistence made the dream possible.