18th Oct 2007
Can’t forget the pandas
by Alexandra Wood
I came to kenshusei a week early, and was welcomed by a huge flood in the basement! Sad panda. Toyoda Sensei and I got to scoop water out of the basement for a long, long time.
This was my third year at kenshusei. Unlike the previous two years, the main challenge for me was not so much the physical strain. The physical strain was definitely still there, but I had much more of a challenge with mental strain. There wasn’t as much pressure put on me this year to push myself to do more, so I had to place that pressure there myself. I also worked on making myself more clear and sharp, not just technique-wise, but mentally as well. Oh yeah, and I learned how to drywall! Unfortunately, zen was still just as painful and not enjoyable as before.
I had fun in Chicago again, as well. Getting to see all of the sensei and all of my aiki-friends in Chicago is always refreshing, and I value the friendships I made with my kenshusei buddies. I also enjoyed dance dance revolution. And corn-cob battles. And pandas. Can’t forget the pandas.
Alexandra Wood is a 1st kyu student at Shinjinkan dojo in Houston, TX.
