Learning, Learning!

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xxgFpK-NM

One of my favorite things about traveling is meeting new people. Because in turn I am introduced to new foods, culture and activities. Wednesday night I headed to the YMCA in downtown Daegu for a free capoeira class put on by fellow waygooks (Korean for foreigner). I had never heard of the martial art style before, but figured it'd be worth checking out. I'm so glad I did! It was amazing... so much fun and an incredible work out! I wish I was going on my 12th year of capoeira practice so I could be really good! I definitely want to stick with the Wednesday classes and try to develop some skill. Obviously only practicing once a week won't get me flipping and flying like the guys in the video any time soon, but it's a start. Martial arts have always intrigued me, but for whatever reason I never really pursued any. Coming here, I played with the idea of signing up for Taekwondo classes, but now that I have found capoeira, I know the martial art style I want to pursue! It's from Brazil and originated with the slaves. They were not allowed to train to fight, and so had to disguise their fighting style with music and dance elements. It's about community and strength, and it really a gorgeous and graceful art. Words completely and utterly fail to describe the intricate movements capoeira masters perform with seemingly little effort. So check out the link to the video for an idea of this new discovery of mine. It's just incredible!