Il Dan

I have been asked to take my black belt test!

My Gwangjang-nim has asked me to take part in the Korea-wide black belt test in August. It would be in a city a couple hours away, and with probably several dozen other test-takers.

The sad news is that the test takes place five days after we leave Korea. There will also be a test in July, but it's in two weeks - which probably won't be enough time to prepare.

We ended our slow-going Korean-English conversation with the understanding that even if I can't test for my black belt, I will know that I've earned it. I'm actually really flattered that he thinks I'm ready to take the test. I know I've improved a lot, and learned a lot over the past year, but it's still nice to have it validated.

I might just have to look into continuing taekwondo in DC.