MY STORY Wed May 5 17:44:10 US/Eastern 1999 Community is very important to me, and my practice is about community. I was raised in different parts of different countries, with a variety of cultures. I have taken this experience and applied it to helping me understand people from all over. Here in my business, I try to help people from all backgrounds relax and feel pampered. I do not do this alone, I do this with God. To me, it is important to bring this peace and love to as many people as I can. I do not advertise. People find me through word of mouth. I love what I do because it allows me to meet people from all over, and supply them with a little bit of serenity. That is why I love San Francisco so much, because of the different cultures it is home to. Everybody comes from somewhere. I feel a sense of freedom here in the United States because we are people from all over the world. I am blessed to be here and to work here. I don't want to go anywhere else. Being a U.S. citizen just feels right. All of the cultures present here in the United States contribute to my own cultural identity. I don't feel my traditions come from other cultures. They come from within. I feel a lot of love from my heart, and that is how I live my life and what I try to spread to others. When I look at my life, I see myself as more westernized than when I was younger, but that is not what I call tradition. Tradition for me is more about honesty and integrity, and less about external cultures. I still enjoy going to different neighborhoods in San Francisco -- Russian Hill, North Beach, the weekend market where you actually make conversation with the farmers -- but I think that the traditions that are important to pass on come from within. Ancient ways are important, but I believe in mixing the old with the new. My father was an antique collector, so I was raised with an appreciation for the past. But I think you can cherish the past and use that experience to move into the future. That is how I try to live my life, growing from my experiences in the past and learning how to mix these lessons with the present and the future. -- n/a (Rezvan Pererra)