Karate kid I ain't....

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Thursday was my first day in school. I spent most of it doing introductions to the teachers in both the elementary schools and the junior high school. I found out in the afternoon that I would infact be teaching my first three lessons the next day (I didn't think lessons started until Monday - how wrong was I!). Luckily I had a lot of stuff prepared, although I thought I had the weekend to polish it off. I also went to a karate class Thursday evening, that didn't finish until 10pm, so it didn't leave much time for planning or practice.

Karate was impressive. The guy who runs the dojo is a small man in his late forties I'd guess, with an amazing calming presence about him. He doesn't speak English, and so I didn't really get 95 % of what he was saying to us, but he came across as a very lovely person. It was a small class, with only four Japanese people, me and two other teachers. Emma had been coming to the class for two years and she's waiting to take the test for her brown belt. The Japanese people were amazing, but I think most of them have been practising for years.

The class was very impressive (the warm up practically did me in!), but I'm not sure it is something I will decide to commit too and I'm in two minds whether to go next week. Not because I didn't enjoy the experience, but because I have no sense of co-ordination and I suspect even after a year I would probably still be getting my arm positions wrong. Alyce, who is also new, took to it better than me, but I think she has had dance training which kind of helps the whole co-ordination. For me it's like that thing where you have to pat your head and rub your tummy - my brain just can't cope. Maybe I need to karate kid approach of wax on wax off etc the repetitive strain might force the moves into my brain......I'll try it when I clean my house Sunday.

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