The legs of an octopus and a dog's hip

I joined a gym. It's full of Korean men that don't speak any English. But they claim I could be the next kickboxing champion in 2008. Apparently I am so tall and big and blond I would knock over any Korean woman that came in my way. Thank goodness that I am "beefed up" enough to receive this honor.

Over the past two weeks I have gotten to know many Koreans outside of my school bubble. It's common for foreigners to stick together when moving abroad, and often miss out interacting with actual people of the culture. I don't want that to be my experience in Korea. To prove I wasn't a typical foreigner, I got invited to a party two weeks at the kickboxing gym to celebrate someone being discharged from the army. A little party of cake and pop was spread out on the mat when I walked in the door and everyone was laughing heartily. I sat down, introduced myself, and allowed my friend Lloyd to translate for me. Over the next two hours, smiles and laughter erupted over the comical dialogue of broken English and ridiculous hand gestures. I grow to love the Koreans more and more.

As I was leaving that night, I honestly didn't think I would interact with these people much more. I was completely wrong! The next night my friend Meredith and I went back to the gym to try kickboxing. We ended up taking a jiu-jitsu class. It's a martial arts class that involves different wrestling moves and chokeholds. To quote Meredith, she can "choke me three different ways, wrap her legs around my head like an octopus and slam me to the ground". I opted for the kickboxing class after the night.

Was I finished with my social interaction? Noooooooooooo. I ended up going to a kickboxing tournament last Saturday. I saw more people getting kicked, punched, and flipped then I have in my entire life. I even saw the champions of Japan and Korea duel one another. I don't think these type of cultural experiences are advertised in Lonely Planet. I finished up the night with a lovely dinner filled with broken English and ridiculous hand gestures.

I decided two days later to join the gym. I am learning to kick and punch with intensity and form. I got the nickname "doghip" because my butt alledgedly sticks out like a dog's hip after I deliver a low kick. That is something I definitely need to work on, even if my sole motivation is to receive a better nickname than "doghip". I continue to share meals, smiles, and kickboxing instruction with my new friends. They even came out to celebrate my 27th birthday on Saturday! We all went for cake at a local coffee shop and had three worlds merge together. I looked across the table to see my new social network. It felt completely surreal for a moment, but I couldn't help but smile to myself what has transpired over the last four months in Korea.