Hi, friends!
I hope you are doing well and taking care of yourselves. As I'm writing this, I can't help but think about how my life has changed for the better since I became an atiny.
This journey with ATEEZ started a little over 2 years ago, on March 17th 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. I remember vividly opening my youtube recommended page and seeing san's wonderland fancam on weekly idol. At the time, I knew who ateez were, but I never got to check out their music. But since I was stuck in quarentine with no classes, I decided to check them out. So I watched san's fancam..... and oh God was I impressed! I had never seen someone dance like that, with such precise moves and excelent facial expressions :O After that fancam, youtube kept recommending more and more, and I of course watched >:) And suddenly I was watching the music videos and adding songs to my playlist, one by one.. I even told my best friend "this is just a phase, it will go away- oh wait, ateez is doing a vlive!" and that's when I fell. Thanks to your videos and music, you kept me busy during this forever long quarentine. I was in my 3rd year of nursing school and had to stop clinicals because of how dangerous it was for us to be in those environments. And since this year was just full of internships (no classes), I had nothing to do at home but wait.. and wait.. and wait even more for some news.. the future was uncertain. What would happen next? Will I stay at home without finishing my school year? How will I graduate? I had so many questions about my future and I couldn't help but feel a little anxious. But you know what helped me get through those 6 months of quarentine? The answer is simple: ATEEZ. There was so much content to watch and enjoy! You were my closest friends for those first few months and I am so grateful I got to support you <3
Soon, the Mist got clearer, and I could see ahead. I could see myself finishing this degree and not giving up, because that's what hongjoong taught us. Every day, I would listen to ateez on the train, on my way to another day at my internship. And 8 hours later, I would pop my earbuds back on and continue were I left off. No matter how far I went for these internships, under the cold rainy weather or the hot blazing sun, ATEEZ was playing on my earbuds, accompanying me to wherever I went. And for 1 more year, ATEEZ was what gave me strenght to keep going until I finally graduated! The biggest breath of fresh air! I had dreamed about this day forever!
When ATEEZ announced world tour, I got so excited! I finally had the means to go to a concert, even if it weren't in my home country (pls come back to Portugal, I know you miss our Pastéis de Belém :P). So I made the crazy decision of trying to get tickets for a concert in Spain and go- alone. It didn't matter how I would get there, I needed to see the people who were by my side for 2 years. And I tried to buy tickets. Keyword: tried... When it got to my turn to buy tickets, everything was sold out :( I was so sad, the opportunity I had dreamed about for 2 years was so close and yet so far. I believed maybe it wasn't the right time. And it wasn't. The concert was postponed. But with those news, came even bigger news: a new concert date. Finally another opportunity to see them! But how would I do this? I was working full time, my working schedule didn't match the concert day. And on top of that... I was working on the day the tickets were going on sale.. And yet again I believed it wasn't my time yet. And I was even more sad knowing my 2nd year anniversary with ATEEZ had just passed and I couldn't fulfill my biggest goal. Until the night before the ticket sales. I got a text from my best friend asking if I'd like to go with her and some other people to Spain to see ateez. OF COURSE I WANT!! And in half an hour we had a plan. I even texted some coworkers to see if they could cover my shifts. The next morning, I woke up happy, but nervous. Spent the entire morning at work feeling anxious, praying my friends would get the concert tickets. And sometime later, they texted me saying they did! One month later I was in Spain, watching ATEEZ. And the tears wouldn't stop falling ;-; I was seeing their raw talent with my own eyes, listening to their beautiful voices live. I am so grateful for their hard work and their passion for music is truly inspiring. Even my best friend, who wasn't an atiny, became one. Thats how impressive their work is!
I should stop writing as this letter is getting way too long and you most likely won't read it :/ But I had to put to words all of these emotions I had bottled up for 2 years.
Thank you for your hard work and inspiring words. Thank you for being here for me. Thank you for being who you are.
I love you always <3