I'm a wimp

I have to fess up. I am a total and utter wimp. I never realised it I was until yesterday though.

I'm still doing my Bando lessons and of late it was just me. Having private lessons was great. The teacher made me work of course but that's good for me. The pacing was just right and I enjoyed it. My fellow Bando student has problems with her ankle and a pupil of our teacher was apparently in a meditation center for a week or so.

Yesterday I find that I'm no longer alone. The pupil was back and also another guy who on occasion drops by. He usually has lessons after us but he joined us yesterday. The guys are way ahead of me and the lesson was done most of the time around what I knew and some new stuff. It was a great workout. Lots of different movements and a lot of kicking as well. Great, I thought and loved it.

Then, all of a sudden, at the end of the lesson out come 2 stuffed pads that are used for protection when hitting and kicking. I honestly thought I wouldn't be too bad at it. As I said, I was a total wimp. It is so much harder than it looks to kick such a pad with enough force. You also have to think about flexed feet and where to kick exactly. Anyways, i realised I have a long way to go... Maybe, one day I can kick those pads the way they are supposed to be kicked.

Bando

Our group for Bando (a type of Myanmar martial arts) has undergone some small changes and we are now with more people. We all enjoy it even though we all get different things out of it.

Our teacher is the coolest guy ever. He is in his late fifties and we all think he is great. He speaks virtually no English and often skips a number when counting out loud. Apart from counting, his English extends to ‘teacher, ok?’ , a question he often asks if he wants to check if we can handle something more. He seems to go at just the right pace, faster when we are ready for it, slower when we seem more tired or need some revision.

Two of the group have now done the complete 63 steps of the basic poses. I have gotten as far as 55 and have done the routine once completely but without further explanation about the last steps.

I enjoy it tremendously. Much more than I thought I would. Last weekend I was even terribly disappointed when I suddenly realized that we had a holiday on Tuesday and therefore wouldn’t have Bando classes.

We have now also started on some other techniques. I haven’t figured out yet how I have to integrate these new ‘actions’ in the Bando scheme of things but I’m confident that it will all fall into place in the next couple of years. Apparently, it takes a while to clear the beginner stage….

Sore muscles

Last week a Myanmar teacher asked around if anyone wanted to join Myanmar martial arts. I said I might join once a week after the October break.

On Wednesday several colleagues of mine (all westerners) had been to the lesson and were all very enthusiastic. When I was asked specifically if I would join the next day, i found I had said yes before I really realised it.

So Thursday after a busy day at school I found myself in the Music room with a few of my fellow teachers and our teacher of Bando, the traditional Myanmar martial arts. He said we would start easy. There are 63 poses to learn and we made it up to number 20 on that day.

It was great fun and a really good workout. When we came back home (we have a new house guest for the moment) our muscles were well used. I felt very energised though and I felt really good.

Yesterday, I didn't feel too bad. It was International Teacher's Day and we had a dinner from school. After to karaoke (the Asian staple). At about 10:30 a few of us decided to go dancing. Great fun but now I do feel sore...  Luckily, I have until Tuesday to recover.