When I first moved to Kinmen as a foreign English teacher, my primary concern was learning how to teach. After a month in the classroom, I grew increasingly confident in my teaching abilities, and my new concern became how to live outside of school. Working with elementary school students can be mentally and emotionally exhausting in a way that left me wondering who I was besides "Teacher Sky." The answer to that came when I decided to become a student again.
In October, I started to attend karate classes taught by two American brothers who are also foreign English teachers. Samuel and Ethan Bavido are both black belts trained by the American Bushido-Kai Karate Association (ABKA). The Bavidos share their martial arts expertise by holding classes twice a week for free as a form of Christian ministry. Students are of all ability levels and range in age from sixth graders to college students to working professionals.
I began as a white belt at about the same time as two other students - a foreign exchange student from France and a National Quemoy University student in the English Department. The three of us became close friends, and after four months of training, we all passed our yellow belt tests. Our friendship began as we learned the Japanese names for stances and the proper technique for a front kick. We now get dinner together after class and hang out on weekends.
I first joined karate class because I thought it would be good exercise. It has been. I had never tried a contact sport before and was surprised by how quickly I took to it. Karate is more about fighting defensively than offensively, but in order to practice good muscle memory, there is a certain amount of hand-to-hand contact required. At the beginning, the idea of exchanging blows with a fellow student felt strange. Now, months later, I enjoy when we spar because it gives students of all ranges a chance to exercise their skills in an un-choreographed manner.
This particular karate class is more than practice and routine. It is also definitely more than sparring and light exercise. ABKA is a cross-cultural community that I am proud to be a part of. It's the people involved who have made this class a consistent highlight of each week.
White belt (beginner) ABKA classes are offered at 18:30, Monday and Thursday at the Jincheng Junior High School gym. Upper belt class (intermediate-advanced) are directly after, beginning at 19:30.