Chapter 2: Okay………whose idea was this?

I did eventually find a club Aikido from the local newspaper. So, one dark and quiet night in January 2006, I set off in a taxi (as I don’t have my licence yet). However, getting to the roundabout before the club, I suddenly thought ‘Whoa, what am I doing? Turn back, TURN BACK!’. Too late, the driver had taken the turning and in no time at all, I was stood staring at a brick building. Yep, this was it.
After wandering up a maze of corridors, I eventually reached the hall where the club was held. Okay, this was it. But I couldn’t bring myself to go in. I had two choices: I could either go right in or turn around and runaway but just as I decided that running away was the best option, the Sensei spotted me and I thought, drat! He has seen me; there was no escaping now. So I went in….

Chapter 1: Why on earth as an educated, reasonably sensible (and sane) woman did I decide to do this?

Okay, first of all, I never really pictured myself as a Martial Artist. I mean, I hate pain and I really really don’t like hurting people (honest). So why on earth did I decide to become an Aikidodocha?
Well, it sort of comes from wanting to be able to defend myself should anything happen in the street, I mean there are lots of complete idiots carrying knives and whatever else they can fit into their pockets wandering around.
I tried lots of places really, but there were no Martial Arts that offered what I wanted. I just wanted to get away from an attack, not knock the seven bells out of someone. So, I decided (after endless trawls on the Net) to choose Aikido. There was just one problem, living in a little-known town; I couldn’t find anywhere that did it. Never mind, thinks I, I will forget all about it and just do a course in self-defence….