Then I found rap and dance
The drug trade and an ongoing conflict make certain neighbourhoods - or barrios - in the city of Bogota, Columbia very dangerous, especially for young girls. This is one girl’s story.
My name is Leidy, and I’m a 17-year-old Colombian girl. I had a rough start in life. My mother left when I was a baby. I wouldn’t even know her if I passed her on the street.
My dad is in and out of the house, and my life. Once he hit my hand with a hammer to punish me for stealing. After that, I was blamed whenever things went missing at home. I started spending a lot more time outside my house just to get away.
School was never easy for me. I was teased for being chubby. All the bullying from my classmates really took its toll. I started skipping school every other day. Eventually I stopped going altogether. When I felt that tight dark loneliness creep over me, I’d go to a viewpoint and look out at all the poor people there struggling just like me. It made me feel better. I wasn’t the only one suffering.
One day I bumped into a group of young people who didn’t like school either. They invited me to hang out. I was drawn to them because they made me feel like I was one of them.
Before long I was drinking and smoking with them. When my dad found out that I had tried marijuana, he flew into a rage and beat me. He beat me so badly that I left. My grandmother reported me as a runaway. I was picked up by the authorities and placed in a correctional home for teenagers.
At first, it was a place of sadness. I thought about escaping.
But that was when my life began to turn around.
At the home I met a man who played the piano. He was from an organisation called Ayara that helped girls like me – girls who were looking for somewhere to fit in and be accepted.
The organisation taught me how to express myself through rap music and dance. The first time I performed for the group I was embarrassed. I thought everyone was going to laugh at me. Instead, they whistled and clapped!
Singing flows through my veins, but I discovered that dancing cheers me up. When I’m dancing, I forget all the problems and pressures in my life.
There are still bumps in my journey, but I’m determined. Instead of running away from my problems, now I come to Ayara and dance when the stress of life pushes me down. I still want to someday earn a living as an artist and I am breakdancing every chance I get. I work hard and rely on my people to make it happen.
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God bless you
March 20, 2022, 8:04 p.m.
U are bless
March 20, 2022, 8:04 p.m.
Muzik in mah veins
March 20, 2022, 8:03 p.m.
please how do u think I can develop my talents hobbies?
March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Wuralum! Everyone has a hobby. The first and most important thing to do is to discover the hobbies you have. This will help you to know how to develop them. So whether is it talking, singing, cooking, writing, reading or even taking care of little children, all you need to do is to think of the things you love to do and the things you do without stress. Once you identify these things, think of how much passion you have for them. No matter what it is, use it for good things and see how far it will take you. We hope this helps.
big sister, how can I become something with my hobbies.
March 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Aquila! We advise that you some articles about hobbies and future on Springster. You can search for #money at the bottom of the page and you will find the articles that will answer your question. We hope this helps.
big sister I want to go to a music school for proper voice training buh I don't have the money...I want to start from this age to make my dreams come true but it seems my dreams ain't gonna become a reality
March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.
big sis.. I want to be a musician because i can sing very will but how can i make my dreams comes true..?
March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Flowzeey! Your dreams are valid! This question has been answered in the other article you asked the question. All we have to add is that you need to practise a lot and work hard too. We wish you all the best and we hope this helps.
I wanna be both a rapstar and popstar! Because my friends, families and classmates says i have an amazing voice! But when it comes to my mum! I'm not close to her like others are to their mum! Since when i told her what a daughter would tell her mum and she spilled to everyone around me! So i dont know how to tell her about my plight! Please advice me
March 20, 2022, 8:01 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Chalcedony! Thanks for opening up through this comment. Maybe you should give your mum another chance. She probably told people about the first thing out of excitement. Also, you should tell her how you feel about her telling others your personal issues. Maybe she will understand. We hope this helps
I don't really want to be a musician but when I sing people love listening to my song that I wrote music makes me happy more even when I'm angry my sis said that when I'm angry and sing she could feel her heart beating heavily
March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey 1999! Girl, we can only imagine how wonderful your voice is. You do not have to be a musician. Since music gives you joy, you can just write songs for yourself and sing because you love it. There is nothing stopping you. You do not necessarily start a music career because you like to sing, you can actually just sing because you love tosing. We hope this helps
I wanna be a business man but i dnt think i have what it takez,i need your advice.
March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Springster! You need to start by changing your mindset. If you do not think you have what it takes then you will probably never be a successfully be one. Success begins in the mind. If you don't believe it, no matter no hard you hard you work, you will not be able to attain it. So take away every form of negativity, start with you what you have, be consistent, do not give up and we believe you will be the best. We hope this helps
wow she rillu followed her
March 20, 2022, 8 p.m.
I have a dream. . I love rapping and singing.. unfortunately we all know this country doesn't do much to promote young talents
March 20, 2022, 7:59 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Heypriel! You do not have to wait for someone to promote you when you have all the power and skills to promote yourself. Waiting for the country to support you can be another way of giving excuses. How many people in your community know that you are a good singer and rapper? If almost everyone doesn't know then you definitely cannot blame the country for this. Sing well, learn new rap lines, promote yourself, talk to people about your talent. Do your best and then let's see whether you won't get promoted. We hope this helps
i love dancing, acting nd wish to av a computer cafe but hw ahm i gonna achieve dis widout school
March 20, 2022, 7:58 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey kathryn! You have really big dreams and please note that your dreams are valid. What you need to have a successful computer cafe is not necessarily school but rather, for you to know how to operate a computer. You can either practice on your own, learn online or even go to a computer training school. You do not need formal education to run a business like this. We want you to know that you can do this too. Just believe and put your mind in it. We hope this helps
Dear big sister, i am a guy,{a talented guy} i can rap/sing,beat box,draw & am also a funny comedian(though not yet popular) , but aside my multi-talent, i've always love to be a medical doctor(guynacologist) , now i seek your advice please how can i be # resourceful & help my family with my talent ??? please
March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey Henry! Thanks for the comment. It is great to hear of your multi-talent. However, it is good to streamline these talents and stick to your strong point for now. Focus on the part that you are more skilled in and work on it. Remember that practice makes perfect. Don't worry, put in all the hard work and then let people know about your talent. You can still be a gynecologist but just learn to balance. Hard work pays and it will pay off. Just know that you have to be skilled to make it because there is no shortcut to success. We hope this helps
GUYECOLOGIST
March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.
GUYNECOLOGIST
March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.
Hi my name is thelma. Im 16 i live with my mom lost my dad when i was 1. But my mom thinks money,cloths and food is everything a child needs. she doesnt give her time but only sees the wrongs i do and anytime i tried talking to her she says im insulting her most times end up beating me badly. This makes me sad and always want to be alone it got me doing some kinds of bad thing and keeps bring suicidal thoughts to my mind please what should i do? Because i prefer to confide and share my secrets with others and not my mom
March 20, 2022, 7:57 p.m.
Latest Reply
Hey EmpressTi! We are so sorry about this as we can only imagine how hurt you feel. have you tried expressing your feelings to her? Try and make her understand how sad you feel about not being close to her and also how you will love to get closer to her and share things with her too. You can write a letter to her and also tell another trusted adult about this so that they can help talk to her too. There is a Child Advocacy Center where they help and give professional advice to young people in situations like this on what they can do to be safe. You can call them on 08 00 80 080 01. This service is completely confidential - which means they won't share what you say to them with other people. It is free which means you don’t not need to have credit before you call them. We hope this helps
Hi am sia and sometimes am scared to talk to people and when I try It is like there is a lump in my throat
March 20, 2022, 7:56 p.m.
Hi am sia and sometimes am scared to talk to people and when I try It is like there is a lump in my throat what can I do
March 20, 2022, 7:56 p.m.
dancing & rapping really makes me feel happy even when am unhappy sometimes
March 20, 2022, 7:54 p.m.