About Kenshusei: Amjith and I decided somewhat spontaneously that we wanted to go to a month-long "boot camp" where we would practice aikido about 40 hours a week for the entire month of July! I was so excited - life can't be bad when you're spending your days being thrown and throwing people around! This took place in Chicago at Tenshinkan Dojo, the headquarters of the Aikido Association of America.
ARRIVAL (part 1 of 4)
We arrived in Chicago at the O'Hare airport on June 30th, not really knowing what to expect. We knew were going to do a lot of aikido, but... How many people were going to be there? Were we going to stay in the dojo? Should we have brought sleeping bags? Where exactly should we be going right now, straight to the dojo? Will we be able to just walk right in? Were they expecting us this early?On our way out of the airport, we took some pictures of me driving the "L" (train). Little did I know how handy the CTA was going to be and how many times I would be riding it during the month of July! I also took a few snapshots from within the train and the bus.
We arrived at the dojo and were immediately greeted by Toyoda Sensei and James. James showed us around and made us comfortable. James and Cody were the uchideishi that had just arrived a few days before. Unfortunately, things didn't work out for them and they left after about a week or two. Over the next couple of days, Amjith and I got to know the rest of the people who came for the kenshusei program: David, Carlos, Alex, and Maitei Sensei were all from Spain; Dale and Ray were from Texas; Amjith and I were from Utah.
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| Image from flickr: aikidoworld |
On July 3rd, we were planning on going to the Navy Pier to watch the bi-weekly fireworks show there, but after Ray, Amjith, Maite Sensei, and I had walked to Jewel-Osco and back for a bit of grocery shopping, we had no intention of walking again! Instead, we went up to the roof of the dojo and had a chilled out there. We saw several different firework displays, all just a bit far from us, but once in a while a huge burst would go off and we would sit in awe. Here are some picture of the street view from the roof:
The third picture of the building and the bright neon light is of the tattoo shop just across the street. Watching unsuspecting people was half the fun of being on the roof!
WEEK 1
On July 4th, we went to Soshinkan Dojo for the Toyoda Shihan Memorial Seminar. After a brief hakamakai, all of the senseis shared a memory they had with Toyoda shihan and demonstrated a technique, which we then practiced with each other.
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| Image from flickr: aikidoworld |
After the memorial, Alex, Carlos, David, Amjith, and I went to the field museum, courtesy of Cathrine - thanks for getting us in for free! It was amazing. We got so caught up, that after just a couple of exhibits, we were running out of time and had to literally run through the rest of the things we wanted to see!
(more pictures to come)
That same evening, we were invited to Shereyk's place. The balcony gave us a grand, panoramic view of all of the firework shows going on that night. This was the first get-together for kenshusei. We were able to chat with other aikidokas and get to know some of the senseis better. The food was good, the selection of beer was great, this was a night to remember!
July 5th was "dojo mat cleaning day." We spent about 5 hours scrubbing the canvas which covers the dojo floor. Dale spent the same amount of time removing duct tape which was strategically placed on the dojo with cement glue! Ray spent the day in the kendo hall, replacing the flourescent lights and sweeping.
July 6th and 7th were "normal" days, which consisted of:
zen meditation 6-7am
aikido training 7-9am
general cleaning 9 -10am
breakfast 10-11am
free time 11am-2pm
aikido training 2-4pm
free time 4-6pm
aikido training 6-9pm
dinner 9 - ?pm
Free time was usually spent sleeping, but occasionally we went grocery shopping, divulged in other types of shopping, played with electronics/internet, or peaceful excursions to Lake Michigan. Meals were usually quick - we often didn't have the energy to cook elaborate meals. We often went out for dinner. Trader Todd's was a Monday tradition, for example, so we could take advantage of their half-off food and drinks! The first time we went there, David showed us what he was made of when he took up the karaoke mike and sang us a heavy metal song! I am still debating whether to post the video I have of him on the blog. I know David isn't fond of it - though the girls were cheering him on, and even some of the guys. Go David!
Now you'd think we'd go to sleep as soon as possible, but that's not what happened. I usually went to bed between midnight and one. Once the busy day was over, it was nice to just hang out and chill for a while.
Starting July 8th, Jim, a fellow aikidoka came over and noticed we were trying to restore the shoe shelf at the dojo entrance. Being a woodsmith of sorts, he volunteered to not only help us restore the shoe shelf, but the entire dojo entrance! Thus began a long and challenging project. Jim's dog, Marley, joined us during the many hours we spent there.
"I think we've finished!"
The following pictures do not begin to show the extent of work that was done, but please come and visit to see for yourself!
By July 9th, Amjith and I were dying to have a moment to ourselves, so we went out and had dinner at a place called Wilde. The third picture is of the bathroom faucet, you'd be surprised at how stylish faucets can be in Chicago bars!
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At this point, only a week had passed! We were getting used to the hot weather, the humidity, and our daily schedule. Physically and mentally, we were still fresh, ready to take on the next three weeks!
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