Taekwondo in the desert

Today is exactly 1 year since I won my first medal in Taekwondo. Yaaaaaaay!

Poomsae Championship in the UAE, February 2020

Just in time before the world lockdown started, I attended the Senior Woman Poomsae Championship in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, as the only athlete from my club Sangrok Abu Dhabi. I am forever grateful to my master Said who gave me the chance to have this experience and for the additional training in preparation for the championship.

My master and I at the Championship, February 2020

I remember being insanely anxious before the competition and repeating the forms on and on in my head and also in a small changing room adjacent to che championship hall. My coach was pretty cool, or at least he seemed to be. I watched the others competing from 9am and by the time it was my turn it was already afternoon. We did have a lunch break, but I wasn't very hungry -  you know that awful feeling in your belly before any kind of examination? Well I was struggling with that for hours! What a relief when it finished! And I won the silver medal!!! In Sparring (fight in a short session) it is important to preserve strength and there are so many unpredictable events that can change the score, but you don't need to be "perfect" at all times, it's more instinct guided (and the instinct is formed with a lot of training). In Poomsae (pattern of defense-and-attack motions) you need to give your best straight away because you have only that one chance, no mistakes. So it is imperative to focus and stay calm. Again repetition forms your instincts. Basically as my master says, you need to keep kicking!

White to Yellow belt

Yellow to Green belt

Green to Blue belt

My first dojang (training hall in Korean) was Sangrok Abu Dhabi and I believe it is gonna stay my favorite for the rest of my life. Our biggest privilege at Sangrok was that we had an "old style" master, one of those difficult to find anywhere in the world nowadays (besides in Korea, the cuddle of taekwondo and Morocco, the second best in the world). When students from other schools would come to train with us, they would get out of breath and struggle to keep it up - exactly as I did when I first started, but consistency is the key. Those trainings gave me a splendid form, flexibility and strength which I needed, especially for the kind of job I was doing (daaaah, Cabin Crew!).

First time wearing my taekwondo uniform

I had my weekly routine training 2-3x/week. Training itself started at 6pm, then a long spa session would follow - available in our changing rooms (jacuzzi, steam room and sauna) and finally a hot shower. Heading home after a total of 4 hours! I would compromise on that routine only when I went out for dinner with my taekwondo family or in case I had a night shift for work. In that case I would try to cut a bit on the spa and try to get home by 9pm and take a nap of 1 or 2h (depending on a reporting time at the airport) and then stay awake all night long on a night flight most often heading to Europe, just to find myself in Dusseldorf, Munich, Milan, Paris or Dublin at 7am in the morning and finally get a resting sleep in the hotel until early (or late) afternoon.

My favorite puppet brought me
my first dobok

What's missing? Oh wait, maybe I need to go a few steps back in time and tell you about how it all started! Back to the roots than!

I always loved martial arts therefor films about fighting without weapons. I had a regret that I never tried any, but that dream was meant to come true! In the past I did some karate during my Erasmus exchange in Frankfurt, Germany back in 2007. And that was all. I tried some lessons in different martial arts over the years, but there was no passion, so I never went on. Until I met my other half back in 2012 and learned about his taekwondo passion since his age of 17: he is 5th Dan black belt today. So I started learning about the Korean martial art with him and attending some trainings with his Korean master in Italy and San Marino. I already felt closer and more motivated to choose this art as mine. But I didn't actively start training until I found my own dojang and my own coach in Abu Dhabi. That was revolutionary, finally imprinting! 

Training in San Marino

When I look back in time and think about all the crazy coincidences that brought me on this path, it feels like a long fairy tale, but it's actually my story and my experience, from A to Z. Taekwondo is a lifestyle, it's a well-being state of mind and body, it's an intense challenge with yourself and an extreme control of your body. It is power and weakness, ups and downs. It is happiness and fulfillment. It is martial, it is Art.

Seoul and DMZ (summertime)

 Now we're gonna fly back to 2013 when I had my fist ever flight to South Korea. It was a memorable one, as every next one, so it became one of my favorite destinations ever. 

Royal Palace

I already told you about my perception of this parallel amazing world, so I won't repeat that. (In case you missed it, go check out the article about wintertime in ICN).

DMZ on the southern part

What did not cross my mind even from far away is, that years later I would finally realize one of my dreams and start learning and practicing a martial art. And the art I would choose would be taekwondo! And cuddle of taekwondo is... well.. Korea! If I only knew back then, surely I would have visited Kukkiwon, world taekwondo headquarters. Next time, I'm coming! The rest is history: 5 years later I started training in Sangrok Abu Dhabi dojang and got so passionate about this martial art, that I even did a competition in poomse (pattern of defense-and-attack motions) and won the 2nd place in senior woman category held in Sharjah, UAE just before the world lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My Master is from Morocco, the country which is only 2nd to Korea in taekwondo tradition. I was blessed to find this dojang (training hall in Korean) and Master Said, who's words are always with me: "keep kicking".

February 2020 - Poomse competition in Sharjah, UAE 

Well back to aviation now! 

Before learning about kimchi and generally about the spiciness of Korean food, I had a memorable experience that made me remember how to order food in Korea for the rest of my life. Our flight reached Seoul in the evening hours and by the time we were in the hotel, it was already dark and late. I decided to order some room service and go to bed early and leave the exploring for the next day, so I could be well rested and fresh to absorb everything I would see and smell and touch. I was starving after a long flight and generally a long day, so I took a hot shower and welcomed my food on a huge tray. It looked like it was full of cute little portions, besides the big bowl of the main dish. Yaaaaaaay! DelisciousssssssSpicyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! OMG didn't expect THAT spicy! So after a pause I tried again. My eyes started crying and I finally caught some color different than my usual ghost-white. I couldn't go on. You need to know that I don't eat spicy AT ALL, so for me it was a huge shock. Moreover because it was past midnight, the kitchen was closed and I was left with no other option. Did it ever happen to you to be starving and having the food right in front of you, but not being able to eat it? Walla, I ate it with my eyes! I tried again several other times, but my tongue jut refused to get used to it. So I went to bed hungry. Every single next time I would order food, be it in the restaurant or room-service, I would stress on NO SPICY, just to have it very slightly spiced. There is no spicy-less in Korea! Lesson learned!

Room service in Crew hotel (my happiness before the surprise)

So the next day I explored downtown with my fellow crew, from the royal palace and gardens to the Gangnam quarter and market where we inevitably danced to the rhythm of Gangnam style. The market was overwhelming with cute articles of every kind. I could smell food and wanted to try it all. And I just love the tradition of small old style houses and big gardens, even though skyscrapers are there as well along with the well connected metro system. 

Who can resist dancing to the rhythm of Gangnam Style?!

Another time when I came back to Seoul I got sick on layover with my ears blocked and runny nose. It might sound as a common flu that is not enough of excuse for the ground people to miss the working day. Well for us flying creatures it is a big deal! Just think about the pressure and altitude and that dry air in the aircraft. If you have flu, besides putting everyone else on risk (imagine that flu being Covid, ok now you get the risks), but you risk to pop your ear drums and damage your hearing for the rest of your life! Besides the suffocating feeling of not being able to breath! Well we have a procedure for Crew getting sick on a layover, so you call a special number for the world Aviation Medics who are mostly based in Canada or US and they pretty much deal with all the major airlines in the world, both for cases on board and during the flight, and for the Crew on ground when they are outstation (out of their base). They found the closest hospital for me and arranged the taxi. When I got to the Gangnam hospital they already got my documents, so they knew in which department to send me. Nobody spoke English so the communication was quite difficult, but the good old body language helped us to understand each other. After running some tests, they gave me medicines and sent me back to the hotel for 3 days. My airline advised the hotel that I was staying longer than my Crew and the hotel staff made sure to give me a lot of hot tea with lemon and honey. When I was finally fit to fly back to base, obviously deadheading, I met the new set of Crew who took care of me. I flew as a passenger in business class, which was a privilege of the sick Crew on company expense, but nowadays it is only economy, regardless of the length of the flight, seriousness of your sickness, empty available seats in business versus full cabin in economy. Not fair, right?! On the bright side, we were able to book staff tickets in any class and I used that privilege as much as I could, obviously respecting all the company rules from the dress code to behavior. I got used to flying business so much that I am having a hard time not to imagine that in my future as well. First and Business class are similar with just some extra perks and even more space and privacy in First, but the big breakthrough quality-wise is from Economy to Business. Comfort, space, privacy and quality that truly make a difference in flying, sleeping and reading or writing on board. Or simply the entertaining system with the bigger screen and better headsets (even though I am always using mine, because there is no better than Bose Noise Cancelling headsets). Well let me tell you the last word about who has the last word: if the Purser and the Captain agree to put you deadheading in Business (space allowed), you can. They asses the situation and make a decision, that's all. Unfortunately there are many people who follow the rules blindly and ain't able to think out of the box. These people are in each industry and they usually make it to the top by putting the others down and backstabbing. History of the humanity.

Moving on, I want to tell you about that particular layover (we're still in 2013) when I decided to visit the DMZ (demilitarized zone). It's a 250km long buffer zone between North and South Korea which divides the Peninsula in half. Created in 1953, it is one of the most militarized borders in the world. In the Armistice agreement both sides agreed to move their troops back 2.000m from the front line, creating a buffer zone 4km wide. Within that buffer zone there are so called peace villages on both sides. In order to maintain their residency, the villagers are required to spend at least 240 nights per year in the village. They are the direct descendants of the people who owned this land before the Korea War (1950-53), at least at the southern part. According to the checks with modern telescopic lenses, it seems like the northern villagers are actually skeleton crew of caretakers in a ghost town preserving the illusion of activity. Ruins of the old capital city Cheorwon of the Taebong dinasty that ruled united Korea from AD 918 to 1392 are within the DMZ, therefor off-limits to everybody except soldiers who patrol it. Basically the ancient history of the country is inaccessible. There have been a number of incidents and incursions by both sides, but what is interesting is the discovery of 4 tunnels since 1974. These tunnels crossing the DMZ in a north to south direction are believed to have been planned as a military invasion route by North Korea. Today these tunnels can be visited by the civilians on the southern side in a guided tour, accompanied with the military as an admonition and security prevention. That is the unforgettable tour that I have done.

Guided tour in the 3rd tunnel, South Korea DMZ

Who knows if our generation is gonna get to see the change, to have the possibility to travel in and out of North Korea. There is so much more to learn about this country and I hope I will be able to do just that in the close future. In any case nowadays we're barely allowed out of our municipality and region and country  and continent due to Covid, metaphorically like the North Korean freedom of movement situation, information freedom apart.

To close the article on a highly danceable note, here is the video that in 2012 exceeded 1 billion views on YouTube for the 1st time in the website history. I think you all know what I am talking about.

Last but not the least, my own little layovers sum up from 2013 to 2019. Seat back, relax and enjoy the video!

ICN for Seoul (wintertime)

My last couple of times in South Korea happened to be in wintertime and it is damn cold in winter!

But I can totally say that it is one of my favorite destinations ever!

Itaewon district

I even had an uncomfortable adventure on my very last ICN flight linked to my passport: I changed it recently and informed the related responsible in my aviation company who hadn't done their job of updating the information in the system, so when I got to the passport control in Seoul, I risked to get deadheaded back as an INAD. Me, the Crew!!! It would all go well (we had a 24h layover during which the company could remedy the error in the system), if it wasn't for my Purser (the most senior Crew, basically our boss for a day)  who got so scared of the situation that she felt the urge to amplify the situation by warning the whole hierarchy (up to God) of my situation and putting it all on my back. If I  had listened to her, my very last layover in South Korea would have been spent in the hotel room! Thankfully I, at least. think out of the box, so after sorting the problem out with who was really in charge, I went out with my fellow Crew. And I am happy about it!

After the full immersion into the street food - and my oh my if there is plenty of it - we decided to visit a Cat Cafe. This is the only place on earth so far I've visited that has this kind of places. Basically it's a bar where you can take a drink and chat, BUT surrounded by cats and dogs! So instead of a kennel or cattery, this place is hosting homeless cats and dogs and offering them some attention by the animal lovers who are visiting. It was fun and enlightening!

Cat cafe

After this adventure there was some more street food and crowds with nice background music. You could hear it, smell it, feel it all. Let's not forget it was long before the pandemic, which feels ages ago. 

Our final research before the closure of the shops was of course about the cosmetics. Have you ever heard about the Korean cosmetics?! They are famous about it. probably because the population starts using cosmetics very early and even the surgical interventions are quite common among the Korean youngsters. That's too far for me, but I do appreciate the endless brands of premium cosmetics of all types. That winter all my fellow ladies friends got a Korean cosmetic product for Christmas. Myself included!

Unleashed Crew

I have to tell you something about my first thought of South Korea, we're talking about 2013 when I had my first ever layover in this incredible country. Also that time was summertime, so I will do another post about it entirely. This is just a sneak peak of my first impression.

I had an adventurous layover and colorful exploring! Next day while I was walking at the airport, on my way back with the rest of the Crew, I saw a huge map. Unfortunately I didn't have time to take a photo, but I observed it carefully. It was the map of the world slightly different from what we're used to see at school. Or at least I thought everyone in the world was using the same maps. NOT. Apparently in Asia they suggest an Asia-centralized map, where Korea is at the very center, Americas at the right and Europe on the very left edge. It was so weird for me to see that! But enlightening as well! Why not, it's totally logical! In fact I made up my mind that Korea is sort of a parallel world to ours: it has the same standard and technology, but fashion, customs, music and food is totally different and what I loved is that - it is not copied from the western world! They have their own and they value it, which is awesome in my opinion. From that moment it became one of my favorite countries in the world. Right here is the answer to your question "what's your favorite destination?".

ICN airport of Seoul

Epiphany

What an idea!!!!... to write about Epiphany on Epiphany's day!

As usual we need to take a few steps back (feel free to use my time machine) and learn from the past.

In fact my time machine has gone only in the past so far, but I'm confident it will bring me to the future some time...in the future. 

Ok enough of word puns and let's get to to facts. What do you know about Epiphany? If you are not Christian, you have probably learned it means a sudden great idea. An illuminating realization or discovery, enlightenment that will bring you to awe or wonder. And that is correct. However the origins of the word are old as the Christianity itself. 

6th January AD 1, more precisely 12 days after Jesus Christ was born there was the presentation of Christ in the Temple. That is the moment when 3 wise man (Magi) bring the gifts to Jesus new born child and have a manifestation of divine. An appearance, apparition, enlightenment. 

Today faith is a matter of ideas and personal choice. So whatever God you believe in, He is your enlightenment. If you don't believe in any God, you believe in ideas. Enlightening idea is...Epiphany. 

See how it all falls together? The word itself is Latin epiphania, derived from Greek epiphàneia meaning apparition.

A popular synonym of Epiphany is Befana. What is that? The right question is WHO is that. 

A Befana

Just as you can see in the photo, a Befana is an old, ugly, but generous lady from a fantastic world of fantasy that comes down the chimney the night before Epiphany and brings sweets and gifts to the children. Well at least to the good ones! The ones who have been bad get only the coal. So if you have been good, leave a big sock on your chimney in the evening of the 5th of January and expect to find some sweets in the morning, on Epiphany!

In Italy there is an expression for an ugly and u unkempt woman: Befana. Don't ask me how come the wise man became a woman and ugly too! What I care about is that she brings gifts, just as Magi did, she is a witch and even better: she flies!!! On a broom, but I'm sure all the Harry Potter lovers will appreciate that.

So Happy Epiphany from a dance group of little witches of Bologna, Italy!

Ps- I am dancing on this video too and you can find me easily: the one with Panama hat that, just as little witch of Hogwarts - Hermione, is able to be in two places at the same time! 

HOCUS POCUS!

Piedmont in wintertime

In order to spot the places in Italy that the (mostly English speaking) foreigners find interesting enough to visit, just pay attention to the names. They are translated! So you'll have Tuscany, Sicily, Sardinia and... Piedmont as the most visited regions. Then there are the cities: Milan, Rome, Venice, Florence, the Dolomites, the Amalfi Coast. But there must be some exotic sound of Italian language left, something not too difficult to remember, but tasty to pronounce even if you don't speak Italian, so we have Cinque Terre, Sorrento, Pisa, Bologna, Verona and San Marino who people tend to forget is an independent State, just as Vatican. 

So why is Piedmont so appealing? Well for the wine of course! I have myself just discovered the endless fields of vineyards that besides producing some of the best wines in the world, are extremely fascinating to see. The view is differently enchanting in all seasons, but somehow I prefer to go in Piedmont in wintertime. My first time was focused on Turin since the city has so much to offer for a whole holiday (from culture, history and art to events and cuisine).

It took Covid-19 to bring me back in wintertime, this time in a whole new perspective. I knew that with the Christmas 2020 lockdown coming up shortly, all the museums, castles, galleries are going to be closed and events canceled. Big churches were the only ones open, but in small villages not even.

Monforte d'Alba

So how to plan a short pre-Christmas vacation in wintertime (when you'd rather stay indoors because of the cold) and pandemic time (when everything is closed)?! The weather forecast wasn't helping at all: rains, fog and bad weather to come - they said. So where on earth am I going, right? NOT. There is a Latin proverb "Audentes fortuna iuvat", meaning fortune favors the bold. So despite the whole situation being quite discouraging, I didn't want to interrupt the tradition of a little pre-Christmas trip, which happens to be my birthday trip as well! To be honest it was his idea and The tradition started 8 years ago, when we met. Who am I talking about? Well the Ambassador, of course, in other words my soul mate. But that's another very long story and I am going out of the topic.

Guarene

Ok, so in a day I decide and pack up, following day on the road. And that's exactly what this trip is going to be: on the road! You better have a comfortable car, possibly with a sliding roof and warmer seats. Destination LANGHE and MONFERRATO. Plenty of panorama everywhere and a route full of small towns to visit. Yes, because if you're not visiting any insides (museums, castles etc), it is going to be quite a short visit of outdoor landscape and you'll quickly reach a certain (30+) number of places in just 3-4 days of journey, not even enough time to remember all the names! In each you'll stop to observe the panorama, read the information about relevant facts, take a photo, grab a drink or lunch and take a stroll where possible. A perfect place for a layover in the middle of it all is the city of Asti. 

Belvedere Langhe

So going north you'll explore the lands of Monferrato dynasty, lots of little hills that look like Panettone and hidden jewels in the mountains like the Sacred Mount of Crea where there are 23 chapels hidden in the woods on the way to the sanctuary founded around AD 350. 

Sacred Mount Crea

Religion linked there is another hidden place where I happened to arrive in a perfect moment: at sunset! Million colors were changing above the mountains layers and reflecting the warm light on the legendary Abbey of Vezzolano. Legendary not because we all know about it, but because according to the legend, the foundation of the abbey dates to Charlemagne times. "Here he would be hunting , in the year AD 773, when three skeletons appeared to him from the tomb. He thus decided to build an abbey here entitled to the Virgin Mary. Historically, the abbey most likely existed in Lombard times, and later was enlarged thanks to rich donations. In  the 10th century it was destroyed by the Saracens. In AD 1002 it was donated by the King Arduin of Italy to Oddo of Bruzolo, whose heirs gave it to the prepository of Vezzolano. The abbey was the seat of a religious community until the early 19th century, when it was suppressed during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy."

Abbey of Vezzolano

Going south in the area of Langhe, there are countless little towns on the top of the hill and every single one of them has a castle and a church. Many castles in the region became private property or hotels, so it is impossible to visit them. But the choice is wide and one of my favorites was the Castle of Govone. It used to be a possession of the Italian royal family of Savoia and it is now hosting offices of municipality. Imagine your daily working routine in a castle with a million dollar 360 view on Langhe!!! 

Panorama from the Castle of Govone

Then there is a huge oversized bench just outside the walls of Monforte d'Alba. What's the deal with these benches?! Of course there is a WHY! We'll go back to 2010 and ask the American designer Chris Bangle about it. So the first Big Red Bench #1 was placed in 2010 specifically in Langhe area of Piedmont with the purpose of observing the infinite beauty with childish mesmerized eyes! I told you it was worth it! It became so trendy that the number of these benches is constantly growing (+100 in whole Italy!!!).

Monforte d'Alba

But even just driving around in the Langhe it is breathtaking how many vineyard fields are there! As far as the eye can see and beyond! Big houses with cellars, vineyard all around it and small house for the working tools in the middle of the field. Multiply that for every hill, color, altitude and you'll have an idea of what I am talking about. Here I am remembering Barolo, the only little town sited in the valley, instead on the top of the hill. Yes, it gave the name to the famous wine.

Then there are some bigger towns (the above mentioned are all between 1500 - 3500 inhabitants) as Asti, Alba and Vercelli in the area, definitely worth visiting. Asti is special for having an yearly Palio, less known than Sienna one. It is also a quite subversive place, I've found: there is a city government office titled to Mandela and there is an Ex desecrated church, today property of Municipality of Asti, which got turned into a punk lounge bar with fluo lights and punk-rock music!

Asti

 

Casale Monferrato

While approaching Vercelli, foggy sunset was on the way. Did I mention that I got 2 days of bright sun and a third day with a shy fog that was clearing up just in the right moments: when I was visiting something and taking photos. That much about the weather forecast! It was even quite mysterious to start the day on the road with visibility zero, like in the middle of a cloud and then see the landscape unwrapping in front of your eyes, to culminate in a rose, orange and purple misty sunset with a fog all around it. 

But Vercelli, besides being such a young city (where were the adults?! Was it because I happened to be there on a Friday night?), the main treasure is the Basilica of Saint Andrea. Monumental from every angle, gothic and red - visiting is a must. Especially the internal cloister. There is a Synagogue as well in town. I've found out that the massive old hospital was built because Vercelli happened to be on "via francigena", an ancient road and pilgrims route to Rome and Apulia, originating in France.

Vercelli

In Alba I bought the most expensive loaf of bread in my life: 5€! But man if it was tasty and lasted long! And for the chocolate gourmands, in case you didn't know, Alba is home to FERRERO! (I risked applying for a job, just to have chocolate 24/7!). I also found a new pair of wings under the Christmas tree on the main square.

Alba

And that is my last exploring "flight" for this curious (so to say) 2020. Still had a blast, but world balance is changing. Fasten your seatbelts for 2021, will ya? CHEERS