9 INSTRUCTORS, 6 COUNTRIES INT. CON. WTTSDU PANAMÁ SBN Mary Cayte Reiland

Nine Instructors, Six Countries - WTTSDU International Congress, Panama 2022

SBN Mary Cayte Reiland

Tang Soo readers, happy November! Last month, we discussed my failure to get to Korea, but this month there is reason for happiness and celebration. The World Traditional Tang Soo Do had its very first in-person event post COVID, in Panama City, the weekend of October 28-October 30, 2022. Before I dig in, I have to say this was the most fun martial arts experience I’ve had the pleasure of attending.

Thursday, October 27 was my day of travel. I won’t bore you with the details, because they were truly boring, just the way I like them. Master Edgar Quiroz met me at the airport and took me to the hotel, where we met up with KJN Saavedra. After checking in and unpacking, KJN introduced me to most of the instructors who came for the event. We went out for sushi, we each got a different roll and then shared. Panama is beautiful, and also very cheap. The same sushi roll that I paid $8 for in Panama would have cost me $15-$20 here in Pittsburgh. On the advice of my boss, I downloaded Google Translate, and I’m very happy I did. It helped me to not only get by with ordering, but it also helped me to speak with the other instructors. KJN had some good laughs at our expense, typing messages to each other on Google Translate and reading back and forth. After dinner, we had a short training session where we went over the 6 advanced combinations and the fighting fan form for the test being conducted on Sunday. I got to demonstrate the combinations and work on my fighting fan skills. Everyone put in a lot of effort and hopefully got something out of it.

Friday was our site-seeing day. Master Quiroz and Professor Eloy Tapia took us around Panama. We saw the Panama Canal at the Miraflores Lock, we saw the Bridge to the Americas, and we toured around downtown Panama City. Lots of photo opportunities, sampling the first snow cone I’ve had since I was a child, and just general fun. I managed to find an awesome shot glass to take home for my collection. The entire group clicked in a way that I haven’t experienced since my test for Cho Dan. We were all on the same page, having a great time, getting to know each other. We had some great Panamanian food for dinner and spent the evening chillaxing.

Saturday we had our seminars. I started the day working with the other instructors on the knife and fan forms, until we were summoned to return to the seminar space for the kali and fighting fan seminars. The Panamanian students at the seminar were really good at following instructions, they successfully learned 6 basic strikes and 3 basic blocks with a single kali in about 40 minutes, an unparalleled success in my opinion, especially since most of them had never held a kali before. During the afternoon, we had advanced seminars in kali, nunchucks and staff, punctuated with breaks to rest, eat and practice our forms. During lunch break, SBN Melisa Mulet (my new bff from Argentina) and I retreated to the pool deck to relax and get some sun. The training was cathartic in a way I’d never experienced before. Perhaps it was a mix of endorphins, sun and good vibes.

The most uncomfortable I ever felt on the entire trip was on Saturday night at the banquet. KJN Saavedra told me months before that there would be a formal event, and up until the time I left for the trip, I was pondering what to wear for this event. Knowing it would be hot made my choice fairly easy. I wore a black sleeveless sundress with a sapphire beaded overlay, and black high heels that weren’t too high, but high enough. I’m normally not very comfortable dressing up, I guess I’ve always been a tomboy in that

I’d rather wear a suit than a dress or skirt. Still, being one of only two women on this trip, it felt necessary that I wear something girly but formal.

We had a few hours in between training and the banquet. Plenty of time to rest, shower, get dressed and girly up. I wound up wearing my heels around the room, getting used to wearing them since it had been forever since I last wore them. When it was time to go down to the banquet, we all gathered at the end of the hall. Some of the students from the seminars were there with their parents. They were all very gracious and sweet. There were three young ladies who took my attention, who enjoyed the kali seminar enough to attempt having a conversation with me, despite the language barrier. When we got downstairs, it was picture time. Everyone got a picture with everyone, on one device or another. I was lucky enough to be seated with KJN Saavedra, SBN Mulet and SBN Grandon of Chile. What I remember of that evening most of all was confusing poor KSN Tapia, who was supposed to be translating my words for everyone else as I gave a speech, but I ended up speaking way too fast for him to keep up. Despite years of running meetings and public speaking, I still get tongue tied and speed up just to get to the end. new BFF SBN Mulet was awarded the Kokoro award, for her spirit and dedication to the art of Tang Soo Do and our organization. I got lots of pictures of her with the Kokoro, I don’t think she put it down once after receiving it. I was told she even carried it onto the plane with her on her way home to Argentina.

Sunday hit me like a ton of bricks, after spending all day training and all evening in high heels. We got up at the same time as always, ate breakfast and went directly to the seminar space to prepare for the testing that would happen that morning. I was told the testing instructors were very nervous because they heard that I was very mean. I tried to be hard but fair, they received the commands in Korean as befitting any black belt test. No English or Spanish, only the commands in Korean and no demonstration. In my opinion, everyone did well, except the part when they all forgot to bring the correct weapons with them to do their knife form. KSN Oscar Gonzales of Columbia was kind enough to let them borrow his knife, even though he was not testing, thus not required to have the weapon, which showed great spirit. The test didn’t last insanely long, but KJN insisted on a hardcore old school endurance section. Each testing instructor had to hold a pushup position on their knuckles while KJN Saavedra came around and kicked each of them in the stomach. Honestly, I was awed by this, I don’t think I could have endured that.

Promotions followed directly after the testing (everyone ended up passing!), then we made some rounds around the hotel to take more pictures and then retreated to the pool for some much needed relaxing time. I kept thinking to myself how lucky I was to be a part of this. This amazing group of people welcomed me into their fold and treated me like family within a day of meeting me for the first time in person. I wondered where I would be without KJN Saavedra in my life, and thought about all the ways that his presence has enriched my life. Without him, none of this would have been possible. It takes a certain kind of person to have so many people from so many other countries follow his organization and take part in an event like this. I reflected quite a bit on how lucky we all are to have him.

All I can say in conclusion here is that I can’t wait for next year’s event, and that I hope even more people come to the event next year in Columbia. Thank you to everyone who took part in the event, SBN Quiroz of Panama, SBN Grandon of Chile, SBN Lucas Gonzales of Mexico, SBN Mulet of Argentina, KSN Tapia of Panama, KSN Pellegrini of Argentina, KSN Oscar Gonzales of Columbia, and of course KJN Saavedra of the USA. I love you all, Tang Soo!