I am a martial artist. Through this path, I have become a teacher, a student, an explorer, an historian, an artist, a practitioner and many other classifications. I practice TaeKwon-Do and have been doing so since March 14, 1991. I have been teaching since I acquired my blue belt in 1992. In 1994, when I was 16, I was given the choice by my parents to continue training. The requirement was that I paid for classes by myself. At this time I became a black belt, began competing as an adult, and in many ways, this became my rite of passage. In October 2005, I tested for my IV degree, which defined me as an "expert." I still don't see myself as an expert.
I am a student. I am currently studying for my MA in psychology. I attend Naropa University in the Contemplative Psychotherapy program (now the contemplative counseling psychotherapy track...whatever that means). Through this program I am learning a great deal about myself and my patterns. I am also learning how to apply these teachings into therapy with a client. The program is interesting in how it is presented. It focuses on Buddhist psychology, with little tidbits from other schools of practice (Mostly Freud and psychoanalytic). This program has added a spiritual component to my life that I have been longing for, which combines mediation practice and religious studies (including self exploration of Wiccan, Native American practices and astrology/tarot.
I am a writer. I enjoy writing poetry and short stories. I find them therapeutic, relaxing and invigorating. My poems are usually a reflection of how I am feeling in the moment that I become inspired to write them. It's a way for me to express emotion without lashing out on someone or becoming overwhelmed by the emotions reflected within the text. Most of my short stories are about an island that my friends created called Envision. I also enjoy writing about elves, vampires, magic and other such subjects. My second short story was written in the 4th grade about a secret agent. I took the idea and character from a fellow classmate. I didn't like how he wrote the story, but I liked the idea. I can't remember what I originally wrote about, but I didn't like that story very much, either.
I also have experience acting, but only through school. I really enjoyed acting, but I have come to discover that I mostly enjoy exploring the characters within the play, not acting the play. Through watching movies, writing and self discovery, I have come to realize that my pull into the theater came from a lack of strong identity; I didn't know who I was. It was also more exciting to live as someone else during the rehearsals, line practice, character research, and of course production of the plays. For some reason, I usually got the part of the romantic lover (Ferdinand in Shakespeare's The Tempest), the Chinese person (Anything Goes & The Waiting Room), or the imaginary friend (Step on a Crack). I also remember playing the Devil's butler, but I forget the name of that play.
My friend's tell me that I am also a good singer.
