Taekwondo

                                  (This is a video of my first attempt ever at punching a board last Thursday!)


I've been taking Taekwondo for 3 months here in Korea. I started out going 5 days a week for a short while and quickly end up taking it 3 days a week. I am extremely busy and most days don't get home from school until 6pm so it's hard to be at Taekwondo from 6:30-7:45 every night. Class ends at 7:30 but I always train after class one on one with my Sabeumniem (master) and do a bunch of exercises on my own. My Taekwondo experience is not exactly the same as many of my friends who are doing Taekwondo here and constantly learning new pumsaes and testing for new belts. Though I have learned many punches, kicks, pumsaes, etc. I have not tested for different color belts. My Sabeumniem talked about me doing my test (and I practiced a lot!) a few weeks ago but then that never happened. At this point I really don't care about the different belts since I enjoy Taekwondo because of the children that are in the class with me. They started out speaking minimal English to me and now all greet me when I walk in the door and are eager to talk to me during and after class. Just the past month there have been a group of middle school girls who come everyday now because they are training for the Olympics with Gu Hwan. They are so much fun to talk to and I run into them around town every so often and talk with them now! As my final Taekwondo classes are approaching I'm getting sad to say goodbye to my Gwanjangniem, Sabeumniems and all the students!

With two of the older girls in class that I have become very close with.

The students from my elementary school practicing their routine for the school festival last Friday.

With some of the middle school girls!