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Humans of Wing Chun:
Suhani Bhushan

Suhani Bhushan 1991 The Hague Senior Programmes Manager at Women Win

Year of birth: 1991
Profession: Senior Programmes Manager at Women Win
Place of residence: The Hague

The green t-shirt!

I am originally from Canada and now live with my husband in The Hague, near WuDae. I met my husband while working in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was truly love at first sight and although we have travelled the world together, we have settled in the Netherlands for the past 8 years.

Forming Deep Connections with Others

I think platonic love is one of the most beautiful things in life. The love we share with other people that doesn’t have to be romantic. It can be sharing the joys of life with friends, or that moment when someone does a thoughtful gesture and you realize they really know you. When friends share something that makes them think of me or when they send me a message wishing me luck with an everyday activity I shared with them: “To be seen is to be loved ”. Meaningful human connection is why and how we make it day after day and find the beauty in life.

Suhani Bhushan 1991 The Hague Senior Programmes Manager at Women Win part 2

Wing Chun Kung Fu

I have been involved in sports since I was a kid. Hockey, soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, I tried pretty much everything because I was a natural at most sports (except basketball – that was just embarrassing) and I enjoyed figuring out which one I could take the time to excel at. When I was 13, I wanted to try Kung Fu. I was living in Canada at the time and there were several styles to choose from. I chose White Crane Kung Fu. I was by far the youngest and the training was intense, but I needed the discipline in my life to push myself in ways that didn’t come naturally to me. I trained until I had to shift my academic priorities to go to university, but it was always something I wanted to return to eventually.

Two years ago I was preparing for an important meeting in London when I noticed some problems with my vision. I put it down to stress but when I finally got it checked out I was sent to the emergency room where I was told that I was producing too much spinal fluid and that the pressure was attacking my optic nerves. After draining the fluid with a spinal tap the pressure continued to skyrocket and surgery was required to insert a drain. This process was terrifying for me but I had a strong support system in my husband, my family who flew in from Canada and my family and friends here who were willing to do everything for me. Unfortunately, a few months after the surgery we discovered that there was a problem with the drain and I had to have a second surgery to repair it. Although we were happy that it could be repaired, the fear of it happening again continued to haunt me and I spent another year in and out of hospital.

As I began to recover and learn to live with a mild visual impairment, I realized that I needed to regain control over my body. My sister suggested Kung Fu because it was something I could do individually and I had always really enjoyed training. I signed up for a trial Wing Chun class at WuDae and immediately felt at home. The teachers really protected me in the classes and made sure I felt comfortable with each exercise, that I could make adjustments if needed and that those training with me knew to be careful. It was so nice to know that I wasn’t alone and that someone was looking out for me so I could just focus on training. I took my time building up my strength but soon my competitive nature got the better of me and I started training multiple times a week. I have worked hard this past year to go from the orange shirt to the green shirt and I am so proud of this achievement, especially when I compare myself to where I was last year!

The continuation of the interview with Suhani will soon be available here!

Text and photos by: Robine Hillen

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