Amanda Takes Off...

I have been so sore all day that it's actually been physically difficult to move.

But I HAD to go to tae kwon do again since a) it was only my second class, b) I would so obviously not be there, c) I know that the best thing to do after a really intense workout is very often another workout and d) I know it will get better.

I am so glad I went to class. I came home and I was dripping—literally—in sweat.

It was a little different than the last class. We did no punching and no forms but spent a lot of time practicing our kicks.

At one point we were on the floor, legs outstretched, bringing the right knee to chest-hold-up and out-hold-back at chest-hold-floor. We did that several times, then sped it up a bit. We also did it standing up, walking across the floor, at various speeds.

Then we did sprints again. I HATE sprints. We did one where you started on your back on the floor, then jumped up and ran. On your stomach with hands behind your back, then jump up and run. Oh, and then we combine them! Back, then switch to front, then run! Yippie! With the ladders, I was so slow. The slowest. I kept trying, but hey, what can you do? I'm the lowest belt in class, I'm new, I'm The Foreigner.

During the break this young man, maybe mid-late teens (not sure, he had the adult dobok on, but who knows at what point they're "adults" here) very shyly asked where I was from. A small crowd (not just little kids, either) formed around him as he asked me. He asked how I was and I answered and asked how he was.

Then he wandered away, sort of red-faced and two of the other students teased him. He came back to ask how long I had been in Korea and what I thought of it. He asked me if I'd tasted kimchi and what I thought about it. He said, "It is very hot?" I said, "Yes, it's hot. Spicy." He smiled and said, "Kimchi, good for you."

Then he wandered off again. I saw him muttering in the corner, practicing his questions. He sidled up to me with his head still low, in a rather round about way, and asked me how long I was going to be in Korea.

He was so shy but so brave—nobody else would ask me but man did a lot of them listen and then ask each other. And after the break I heard some saying, "teacher, she's teacher." The last time he sidled up to me I said, "Your English is good. I only know..." and I prattled off some Korean. He said, "No! No! Good Korean!"

Speaking of Korean, I am so glad I learned my numbers! I kept hearing them in class (although I still don't get when pure Korean vs Sino-Korean numbers are used). I am going to gather what little resources I have, maybe use Linguist Google a bit, and study a list of basic body parts. I'll hear those in class again. Really, the best thing about class is that it's making me actually listen to the Korean. It is starting to sound like more than white noise.

A bunch of kids were dismissed after the first hour and then we all sat down and everyone groaned at something Master said. Master took a big box down from storage and everyone groaned again.

He dumped the box on the floor and plastic balls rolled all over the place. A small group had to run and pick up (one ball at a time) the green balls and throw them in the box. Sometimes he threw them back out. When all the green balls were off of the floor, the person who threw the least in (honor system, you count your own) had to do oship (50) squats. If there was a tie, they threw rock/paper/scissors. Everyone had to run for the balls twice, with a break in between.

The first time I ran into, oh, four kids, but Master said it was OK. The wood floor was starting to get wet and slippery and the room (and my glasses) were fogging from the rain and heat of 24 or so sweating bodies. The second time was much worse, the floor was slickslickslick, the windows were fully fogged and my glasses were driving me crazy.

At least I didn't have to do squats.

Tomorrow we have TKD for one hour then recreation. He asked something about soccer. I said I liked ice hockey. He told the other people that we could use the targets as some modified form of hockey sticks. Shoot! I didn't mean I played hockey!

I am so glad I went despite my pain. It was very good. I was feeling a little worried/lonely at the start of class that nobody would speak to me, and my Korean sure isn't good enough yet to speak to them, but that nerdy, nervous little guy was so cool.

And I was soaked in sweat, dripping, feeling good.