Kempo Essay: Ricky

 

A New Beginning

After immigrating to the United States of America (USA) last year, much has changed in my life. I have given up a successful career that I loved; left my family and friends, and given up my home. This was all a sacrifice, one for my family’s future. Moving to the USA has given me a chance to start fresh, not that my life was bad before, but I think my family and I can achieve an even happier future.

Joining Potomac Kempo has been a step towards achieving my ultimate goal of a happier and healthier life. Throughout the events of the past five months I have sacrificed too much for the cause, as I started to loose my health. As someone who sufferers with the chronic illness Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), ‘looking after’ myself is key in my managing my condition. More specifically; maintaining flexibility through rigorous stretching and exercise regimes is paramount, ensuring that my daily pain and overall deterioration is kept to a minimum.

Moving to a new country and leaving your friends and family behind is difficult. But what is more difficult is making new friends. Being an expatriate can be isolating; especially when you are a stay-at-home parent. Finding a group of people I could socialize with who also shared a common interest was important to me. This was another driving force behind me approaching Potomac Kempo.

So far Potomac Kempo has exceeded all my expectations. Every person I have met at the Kingstowne branch of Potomac Kempo has been friendly and approachable. This has certainly helped me ease back into martial arts, and has helped to motivate me to continue to better myself, both physically and mentally. Even though I have only been a student at Potomac Kempo for just three short weeks, I have already noticed a change in my physical abilities, as well as making early progress to one of my long term goals of losing 30lb in weight.

It is my hope that in the coming weeks, months, and years, that my studies in Shaolin Kempo help me not only with my daily physical challenges, but will also help me to become more mentally resilient, so that I can be prepared for the challenges I may face in future years. Of course becoming a Black Belt is something I aspire to; but gaining the knowledge and experience that precedes the achievement — at this moment in time — is something that holds more value to me. My overall ambition is to become better than I once was, regardless of whatever rank that ends up being.

Written by Ricky White

(Essay requirement prior to taking the Yellow Belt ranking)