Hi, I'm not new here ... :)

Hi, I'm pipa, or should I say "the artist formerly known as pipa"  😉 Let me explain the reason why I've chosen this nickname in the first place: in portuguese, pipa is an oak barrel that is used to store wine. This means it's a large vessel, round shape. That was me a few years ago  🙁 I joined SV several years ago, and during this time, I went through several changes, physically and emotionally. I was a very shy and kind of low profile person, who liked to be behind someone so no one would see her. Well, I'm still shy, but now I have the confidence to stand out when I need to. I no longer need or seek the approval of others because I stand for myself. I should say that this confidence grew in these years because of you, Veena, and all you lovely Veeners, that without knowing, helped me through a lot !! I thank you all with all my heart! I'm a 48 y old woman, that is not 100% in shape, but it's getting there, who loves to pole and owes it all to you guys! I can say now that I'm no longer a "pipa", that's why I changed my name. Love to you all Maria Joao