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May 29th: Aikido and Kyudo


Today was really unique. I started off with going to the Sugimoto campus and I may or may not have gotten lost. Once I got there though, COM 221 began and we talked about user testing and report structure. After class we had lunch and I had been craving curry, so I got it and it was delicious. Once I finished my food I met up with some friends and we were enjoying the OMU college life. Then SS 314 began and we started working on our kikochos. I printed some photos of Japanese architecture that I thought were intriguing to add to my kikocho. After we finished that, we met Prof. Simon to learn from him the art of Aikido. At first, he taught us how to properly bow to our sensei and then he introduced how Aikido works. Aikido is a form of martial arts and focuses on energy, harmony, and self-defense. Naomi was my partner throughout this activity and we had fun practicing throwing each other around. We switched to learn Kyudo with the Japanese archery club. Kyudo is different than American archery as some of the equipment, like their bows, are much bigger. We got into groups of 6, and that is when I met Ika. Ika is a Chinese student at OMU and was there to support her friend from the club. When it was my groups turn to shoot arrows, I did really good, at least I think I did. I made the first and last one, but didn’t count how many in total. Hong joined Ika and me for dinner and we ate some great food. While eating I found out Ika knows three languages (Mandarin, Japanese, English) and she is learning Spanish. I ended the day by getting tanghulu for the first time and I liked how crunchy and sweet it was. Definitely one of my favorite days.

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