Hapkido

A little over a Month ago I started taking Hapkido. It's a form of martial arts.

It's great for exercise and other then sporadic Frisbee gatherings and now the start of softball exercise was something I was seriously lacking. I go to Hapkido every night after I finish teaching, from 9:45 until 10:45.

I am only a white belt at this point, but I should be a yellow belt soon enough. I find hapkido extremely difficult as all my instructions come to me in Korean, and I don't understand any of them. I just watch what everyone else does and try to mimic them...albeit late. Also, when I am not mimicking right, they tell me what I am doing wrong, but once again I can't understand what they are trying to tell me.

I rely on trial and error. I think I have shown a little bit of improvement. Sometimes however, I am not sure if the comments they make to me are telling me I did it right, or not.

I get along with the others alright. We often kick the soccer ball around before and after hapkido starts and try to communicate with each other. At the end of hapkido the master drives us all home. On Wednesday's and Friday's I often get him to drop me off at the sub way for poker and drinking respectively. Every night they ask if I went for Mekju (beer) the night before, or if I'm going that night.

Last Thursday after Hapkido the older ones sat me down and it looked like a serious conversation. The one close to my age who calls me his best friend in the limited English he knows, said "Andy tomorrow" and then made a drinking motion. Figuring he wasn't asking if I was going drinking because he wouldn't sit me down to ask, he was asking if I would go drinking with him and the others old enough and sitting.

I was definitely up for that. He said Soju, and I was like err I like mekju. Then I decided if I am drinking with Koreans, I might as well stick to what they like. So I was destined for a night of Soju.

Friday after Hapkido about 8 of us headed to a local restaurant and polished off I don't know how many bottles of Soju. We drank it straight, right out of the shot glasses. Luckily, the masters girl friend went with and she speaks decent enough English. That gave me someone to talk to. I also attempted talking with the others as well, using the little Korean I know, the little English they knew, and the Masters girl friend translating the blanks.

After the Soju drinking we headed to a norabong for some singing, and then we walked home.