My test starts tomorrow morning. Eek. I'm not sure if I'm nervous or not. Haha, maybe that's becuase if I say I'm nervous, I'm not sure if I'm really what I'm saying, so I'm not really sure what I'm feeling. Oh dear, I don't think I explained that very well. Ah well. It's a wierd wierd thing to be preparing for a first rank test. And I feel ridiculous telling people "In the States, I did karate, kung fu, judo, and aikido." "Wow! What clubs are you in here?" "Kendo." I make it sound like I know five martial arts. That's ridiculous. I always start with "Oh in the States, I did karate." and they might say "Cool! I do judo!" "Oh really! That's really cool! I do too!" "Karate and judo?" "Erm, yeah. Together." "Wow! My friend does judo and aikido!" "Oh cool! I do judo and aikido too!" "AND aikido?!" "Well, sorta. Yeah." "Wow that's so cool! Which is your favorite." "Well we use them together, so that's a difficult question. But probably my favorite katas are kung fu katas." "KUNG FU TOO! Wow! What else?" "Nothing else. Really, that's it!" "Wow! Well our school has none of that. So you probably have a lot of time since you're not in a club, right?" "Well, actually I'm in the kendo club." "WHAT?!" So yeah. I look like the jerk that knows five martial arts, when in reality... what? I wouldn't consider myself proficient in five martial arts. I have a lot to learn. I can rule out kendo right away. I'm a black belt in Bai Ying Pai. Whatever that means. I've been working on martial arts for six and a half years. So whatever that means is what I am.
Anyways. yeah. Test tomorrow morning. I should be sleeping of course. It's funny preparing for it. I think things like, "Oh, I better start stocking up on water so I can last through this test." Oh yeah. Ten minutes long. "I'd better eat a good, healthy, substantial breakfast so I can make it through tomorrow." Oh yeah. I just need to run in, show them I know what a shinai is, and run out. I won't even break a sweat. I'm sure of that.
Tomorrow is also Christmas party number one. I'm looking forward to it. For one, I get to socialize with my last Okaasan, which'll be nice. And for two maybe I can make a comeback with my Japanese after the flop on Wednesday. And maybe it might even be fun. It is a party after all. I asked Otoosan what we're going to do and he said just eat and play BINGO. Okay. Err, guess that could be really fun.
Oh man, I'm really tired. Goodnight. Wish me luck.
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So, how did your shinsa go today? You didn't say what rank you were testing for, kyu or dan, but to travel to Kyoto for it is something special! I hope and trust that you passed alright; I'm sure your sensei would not send you there if he or she did not have complete confidence in you abilities.
I hope you have the opportunity to get some good practice and training, and also to see the sites and enjoy the beauty of Kyoto. If you get the chance, be sure to visit the Kinkakuji--it's breathtaking.
Maybe someday we'll get a chance to keiko--the kendo community is not all that big in the US.
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