“You have homework this weekend,” my science teacher said.
“No way,” I groaned.
I wished they understood that I had a busy weekend coming up. After the 6th hour, I was stressed, as I had a 4-hour test that night. I had been dreading my black belt test for days. But I said to myself, how lovely it would be to get my first-degree black belt! I had been waiting for this day for years. Another lined-up event was the violin recital at a farmhouse. Not to mention I was getting the second dose of the COVID vaccine the same day. I stayed in my room after my virtual school until 3:00 pm, so I could memorize my definitions of all the Taekwondo forms. Let me start my busy weekend with Friday.
June 4th, Friday:
I was messing up my taekwondo forms but I kept trying because I knew that I had to be confident for the black belt testing. Soon it was 5 o’clock. I packed some snacks, a bottle of water, my sparring gear, and wore my uniform. My father dropped me off at JK Lee Germantown. I was excited and nervous at the same time as I set down my stuff. All the testers for Ticks and Dans stayed outside. I had never been to the Germantown school before because I go to the one in Brookfield. We all got separated based on our levels. I was with some tick testers, people getting their Cho Dan Bo’s, and people at my level. We did a couple of rounds of sparring. I hadn’t sparred for over a year due to Covid. If you don’t know what sparring is, it’s when you spar with your opponent after putting on special gear such as a chest guard, leg gear, hand gear, a helmet, and sometimes a mouthguard. It was a little tricky at first, but I managed. We then did drills and forms from all ranks. I knew how to do most of the forms that I had been doing for the past 4 years. We then went outside to do some cardio activities, boxing drills, and some more activities. At the end of the testing, we got popsicles. Around 9:00 pm, the testing ended and my dad picked me up. Testing was really hard and I was pretty sore later. I didn’t complain about it because I understood that I was not going to give up on getting my black belt.
June 5th Saturday:
It was another eventful day. I was tired when my mother woke me up. She asked me to practice my violin and dress up for the recital. I put on a white blouse and a long skirt that my grandmother had got for me. I did some light makeup and hit the road with my dad. My recital was happening outside in a farmhouse and had a mini stage for performances. After 15-20 minutes, we arrived and the program started with a few recitals. Then it was my turn. I had memorized my violin notes by heart. I messed up a little in the beginning but I pushed through. Soon with a round of applause, my performance ended. Some kids were playing the violin or piano. One girl played her ukelele and sang somewhere over the rainbow. At the end, we got cookies and lemonade to celebrate the recital. We got home around noon and I changed into my normal clothes after lunch.
After lunch, I got ready for my formal black belt ceremony. My dad drove me to JK Lee, Brookfield. There were many instructors and testers. We had to get our belts according to the school order. Finally, it was JK Lee Brookfield’s turn. I was so nervous, It felt like I was going to pass out! My instructor called out my name and I had to take off my old belt. I let go of my half-colored belt to take a new one and then start my journey as a black belt. I ran up to Master Lee as he tied my belt, as a tradition where your instructor puts on your belt. We took pictures and headed back home to change clothes to go for something very important.
Can you guess where I headed next?
Well, to a place where I got my second dose of COVID vaccine. My favorite store, Walgreens! I like Walgreens because it has everything like snacks, ice cream, notebooks, pens, art supplies, hygiene products, pharmacy, and vaccination for COVID 19. I had to fill out information like what vaccine I’m taking, personal information, and any allergies. We waited for 5 minutes until the pharmacist came. He invited me to the vaccination room and my mother asked if she could be present. He asked us questions such as “What were your side effects from taking the first dose?” and a few more questions. I sat down while the man gave me the vaccine. As we left the small room, my mom asked me what I wanted from the store. So I got cake mix, pudding mix, frosting, my favorite blue Takis (Which has still stained my fingers), and art supplies while my mother got Pepsi. When we reached home, I felt fine, so I decided to paint something. I got art supplies and started painting for my upcoming blog on Pride month. I enjoyed the rest of the day by eating Takis, painting, and listening to music.
June 6th, Sunday:
After the busy weekend, I decided to relax on Sunday. I was pretty tired with a sore arm in the morning. I decided not to attend our Sunday project class. I opened up Spotify and listened to my favorite album, Different World (Check it out if you want it’s my favorite) while walking on the treadmill. I walked a little slowly and then went back to medium speed on the treadmill. A few minutes later, my head began to pound, so I stopped my workout. I sat on the couch and started working on my upcoming blog while listening to the audiobook of ‘You Bring the Distant Near‘ by Mitali Perkins. Around noon my dad got some lunch for us. After my sandwich with chips, my mom gave me a Tylenol, which relieved my headache and sore arm. Nishraj Uncle came to Wisconsin from Michigan. He will be traveling to Nepal next week if the COVID-19 cases go down. I ended the day by baking a sheet cake and I really liked it.
This is how my busy weekend ended.
I’m so happy that I got my first-degree black belt, got the second dose, and got to experience going to a farmhouse and performing. Getting my Cho Dan is such an accomplishment and I wish that I go further into my Black Belt journey. Probably in December, I will test again. I’m so glad that in one week, I will be fully immunized and get to do normal things such as not wearing masks in restaurants, going to places, and more!