Today was my first day at the new dojo; after three weeks without training I was excited to get back into things. It's a bit of a trip to get there--about one and a half hours by bike and light rail, but it was well worth it. I hope to make it out there three times a week.

A few things were different--stretching followed different patterns, white/black belts only, and a second bow for entering the mat, in a different direction... I haven't figured out that one yet. However, the rest of the class went smoothly, and was a great experience. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, worked hard, and there was very good energy. At the end I was asked to lead stretches, which was somewhat unexpected, because I had never seen these exercises before! I managed to make it through the whole series, but it was definitely an exciting experience.

One thing was mentioned at the end of class which quite surprised me: apparently Akira-sensei is coming here in a few weeks! I guess I'll be training hard. :-)