Amanda Takes Off...

This conversation took place after The Black Belt Test. No, I don't recall what "it" was. Entire conversation was in English.

Master: Amanda, do you have it?

Me: No, I don't have it.

Master: You don't have it?

Me: No.

Master: You don't have it?

Me, realizing the problem: Yes, I don't have it.

Master: Oh, OK!

(No, it didn't occur to me to simply answer in Korean "네, 없어요.")

H is one of my language exchange partners.

H: Amanda, you wrote something really funny in your text message. "'뭐해요? 저녁식사를 요리하고 너를 써요...'"

Me: I didn't write that.

H: Yes, you did. Monday night.

Me: You must be thinking of some other American woman. I don't even know what those words mean.

H, showing me his handphone: Amanda...

Me: Oh! I do know those words! I was trying to say I was cooking dinner and writing to you. I was writing an email to you, practicing the future tense. 쓰다, to write, right?

H, after explaining why 저녁식사 was wrong: 쓰다 also means to use. You said, "I'm cooking dinner. And I'm using you!" He checks his body. I checked my body when I got the message! I was afraid you were eating me!

On the way home from reporting my cheating employer to the Labor Board, my taxi happened to get behind TempStudio's van. At the light, we were next to the van. I was hitting the back of the window, trying to get TempMaster's attention.

The taxi driver, with good reason, looked at me. "관장님 알아요..." I know him. The taxi driver lowered the window and I waved until I caught TempMaster's eye. He saw me, I bowed, and he lowered his window, too. We greeted each other and I said, "목요일에 일단 심사했어요!" Thursday I had my belt test!

"Ah, Amanda! Good job! I'm happy for you!"

Tonight's class was awesome. We did some sprinting drills where I was running against Handphone Girl. Amazingly enough, I actually beat her. I stink at the ladder drills. We did some general target practice, which was interesting enough.

Mixed in with all of that, we practiced a bunch of demonstration kicks. We were doing triple and quadruple jumping front kicks (jump, right kick, left kick, right kick, [left kick,] land), triple jumping roundhouses (not alternating, three kicks on one side), flying side kicks, really high jumping front kicks (the tallest guy in class, Goalie, was standing on a chair and holding the target) and some sort of running jumping triple kicking thing...

Let's just say...I need practice. A lot of the kicks were being practiced by running across the studio. Jumping front kicks are my favorite kick, but I kept missing the target because my running timing was off. Finally I yelled, "No! 다시!" I stepped back, stood there and did the jumps. I wasn't going to let my off-beat running ruin my favorite kick.

At one point I was staring at the ceiling. Beams cut the ceiling into thirds. I kept looking. Master asked what was wrong. I managed to get him to understand that one part was lower than the others. He looked and agreed and said I was the only person to ever notice that. I only noticed because my jumping front kicks seemed higher in that section of the room!

Master was talking about one of the demonstration teams and how they do a "yuk ap." He pulled me aside to make sure I understood that it was five front kicks (alternating legs) followed by a punch ("yuk" is six). He was very animated when he was describing it. I haven't seen any demonstration teams, but I certainly intend to do so before I leave.

I know a lot of people deride the flashiness of such kicks, and how they're "not useful," but I think there's a place for them. It's not about using them in a fight, it's about practicing agility and speed and frankly, they're fun!

My feet hurt from the hard landings, my muscles are sore, and man, do I feel good!

After class, Master asked us to stay 20 minutes to help fold and stuff new fliers. He told me to change, so I knew he was dismissing me because my commute is long, but after changing, I sat back down and helped. It turned into an hour and he asked if I was OK. I said, "I have time." Due to my age, gender, and foreignness, I've never had to run errands, clean, or do any of the other minor housekeeping matters that are part of being a student. That studio is my home; I don't mind sticking around to stuff envelopes. Besides, I learned the word for envelope: 봉투. And Master sent one of the fliers home with me to practice my Korean with.

While we were working, I realized (again) that I have a really hard time paying any attention to Korean if I can't see the speaker. I'm exaggerating slightly, as I can understand, but it's just so much more work! I don't know why that is. It's not like I'm lip-reading! I will really feel like I've gotten somewhere with the language when I don't have to be staring directly at someone to understand them.

As I was walking down the street on the way home, Master came out of his apartment and wished me a good night. Since nobody else was around, I asked him about The Black Belt Test.

"관장님...목요일...팔장 실수했어요?" Master...Thursday...Did I make a mistake on Pal Jang?

"아니요." No.

"그래요? 실수 없어요?" Really? No mistakes?

Master put two fingers to his eyes, "없어요. I watch, Amanda."

I shook my head and started acting the place in the form I was asking about, "하지만, 외산틀막기...하나...OK, 둘...삼번 사람 봤어요..." But wesanteuelmakki...block one...OK, block two...I was watching Number Three...

Master shook his head and made his one-handed X-means-no symbol, "Number Three, many mistakes. You, none." I must have looked doubtful. "Amanda, I watch. 실수 없어요. Chil Jang, Pal Jang, OK!"