Tae Kwon Do!

Thursday, August 30th 2007, Wake up time: 10:35am 


Before coming to America, I practised Tae Kwon Do (and was up to Blue Belt...(which is two beneath Black) and I wanted to carry it on if I could. I had done some research and found a local class that was easy to get to as you only had to take the bus down Mass Ave and get off at one of the stops which was right nearby the dojan (or place where you practise Tae Kwon Do.) I got to the class and met the main instructor. I was marginally impressed that he was Korean. Tae Kwon Do is Korean, but it's rare to find an actual Korean teaching it, so he must know what he's doing. I signed up for class for three months as a minimum and then a uniform as well...it cost a grand total of $339! It was rather pricey for something which I ended up regretting...more on that later.


We left to pick up Lyle and then Bev, Lyle and I headed to Lowell for a historic visit of the area. We started off with lunch, I had Pastrami and Cheese sub which was delicious! We went into a museum and looked at some of the exhibits and watched a film titled 'The Lowell Revelation.' It was about the Industry Revelation in Lowell, which because one of the leading texture mills of the industrial age. It wasn't the most interesting of exhibits but I like history as a general rule so I enjoyed it.


We then went on the boat tour down the river and we were told by a guide about the history of the dams and locks in Lowell. It was quite an amusing tour even if the facts weren't thrilling. After the boat tour, we headed home, where I put my washing on. I then headed out for my first Tae Kwon Do lesson (sort of.) The first thing he did was test me and this is where things went wrong... Due to his thick accent, I couldn't understand half the instructions. I did some patterns (specific moves in a set order) for him...which was always something I did quite well. Apparently they were all wrong... I have a feeling, looking back, that it was a different Tae Kwon Do. There's two types, ITF and TAGB and I had always practised ITF. He said I should just start from the beginning... which annoyed me because I had previously been a high level!


I went out to join the rest of the class. We warmed up (one thing I did right) and then practised various moves. I tried to keep up, but I didn't recognise any of the fighting moves! I felt a bit stupid, lamely attempting to copy people. I came home rather depressed about the whole ordeal, but vowed to stick at it. The rest of the evening cheered me up as I watched television with Ralph and laughed at some of the stupid news stories! Thankfully, the Tae Kwon Do was only one of few regrets during my entire stay. 


Thanks for listening.