My Feet is Tired, but My Soul is Rested

So I figured I'd share my first week of capoeira experience with you. I started about three weeks ago but only went to one class since they announced they were starting a new class in Kirkland, which is much closer to the Empire. I didn't understand at the time how laid-back Brazilians are, so I waited two more weeks while they actually got the class kicked off. This week I started out in the new place, located shadily behind a Brazilian espresso shop, but less shady than the old location in the Old Rainier Brewery in the industrial section of Seattle, hidden up a dark stairwell behind the array of dumpsters outside the brewery.

I guess the first impression is that everyone is really friendly in the Brazilian manner. I knew everyone's name almost immediately and we were all laughing with a common rapport within a few minutes. It's also very family-oriented: all the married guys bring their wives, who sit in the back with their children watching like a spectator sport. There's definitely a warm vibe around this art, a solid reflection of Brazilian culture.

The padded mats had not yet arrived for the first two sessions so we are training and playing on concrete floor. Ouch... I'm typing this after applying two more bandaids to my shredded feet. After day 1 my lower back was incredibly sore from jenga'ing, but after day 2 it felt fine. My kicks on day 1 were pretty weak, but I felt at the end of day 2 they were actually improving significantly. I feel I may do well at this.

One of the MSFT Capoeiristas just sent me a document containing all our songs, so I'm starting into that, and a very friendly Brazilian lady at MSFT has also volunteered to help me learn Portuguese in exchange for my improving her English. Good deals all around!

In summary, I'm really liking it so far.