My Trip to Korea and Mongolia with AHAN

Banu Alisverisci
November 19, 2007

I experienced my first visit to far east last month with Ali Uludag Sensei in an Aikido Seminar Tour, starting with Seoul/Korea, and then continueing in Ulanbaatar/Mongolia. It was a Nippon-Kan Tour with a topic of ‘’Aikido and Women’’. As a woman myself, that topic made my trip more meaningful. Few weeks ago before we fly to Korea, Emily Sensei had informed us about the participants. I made some internet search about the participants and the information I get about them totally increased my will to join and meet with the participating Senseis. It was very hard form me to wait for the day I will meet Homma Sensei and my friends coming with him in Seoul. Days were long as weeks, but passed and we were on the plane flying to Seoul together with Ali Uludag Sensei, my sensei who has thought me much about aikido and stil teaching sacrificing from his weekends by coming to Ankara to teach us more.

Because of our flight plan we reached to Seoul few days before the rest of the group, but that gave us some more time to see around and do some shopping with Yoon Sensei, who has done a lot for us in Korea. Besides his knowledge in Aikido, he has a invaluable heart under his noble character.

When our friends arrived from The States, it was raelly great to see Homma Sensei, Emily Sensei and some of the people that I met before  during our visit to Nippon-Kan (Denver/Colarado) again. It was also a pleasure to meet with Stephani Sensei too. The energy and joy she has in herself is more than enough to cheer up all of us. I hope I find the oppotunity to practice with her again.

The Aikido practices were a great experience for me too. Stephani Sensei’s style of instructing Aikido was little different then we were used to but it was also fun. Entertaining dinners, full of Korean food, followed the tiring days full of practices. It was a great atmosphere for us to be with these people again.

The great atmosphere continued in Mongolia too. Had great time with Bold Sensei and Ganzorig. Experienced the Ger Camp which was more important to me than the others cause it was a kind of camp our ancesstors used to live in hundreds of years ago before they immigrate from middle asia to Anatolia. Being in my homeland was a dream come true for me.

I want to thank Yoon Sensei, Ganzorig, and Bold Sensei a lot for their hospitality. It was great to be with Nippon-Kan Family. It was a trip that I will not forget till the end of my life.