Kokondo International Seminar, Wellesley, MA

On July 16-18, I attended the yearly Kokondo International Seminar. This year it was at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA. Dana Hall is a private all-girls' middle school and high school, with athletic facilities that rival most universities. This should be expected, because the yearly tuition is nearly $50,000. However, the dorm rooms were about what you would expect.

Yes, those are 6-foot beds. The seminar itself, however, was a great time. We worked hard, learned a lot, and had a great time hanging out with one another. During the second morning session of Kokondo Masters' Training (KMT), we all covered our rubber knives in washable paint and proceeded to cut the crap out of each other.

At the end of the seminar, I was promoted to sandan (3rd-degree black belt) in Jukido Jujitsu. While this is an incredible honor, it also means that it's time to start working even harder.