It Was Fish!
It was August 1996. The occasion was the 25th Anniversary Seminar of Hong Kong Aikido Association. I met the current Aikido Doshu for the first time. Then, he was Waka Sensei.
It was a big event. Apart from having hundreds of participating aikido students from near and far, we also had shihans from Hombu Dojo and senior instructors from all over the world as guest instructors. Waka Sensei was the VIP among the VIPs for the occasion.
Waka Sensei made his first appearance at the seminar banquet after Sunday practice. I was hanging out with everybody in a very crowded and super noisy room waiting for his arrival. The spirit was high. People were drinking and shouting at each other. Despite all the chaos, all of a sudden, I could tell someone special just entered the room. I will never forget this moment: I turned around to find that Waka Sensei was right at the doorway. He was wearing a navy blue blazer with shiny brass buttons. He looked like he was glowing. He looked like a prince to me. Well, he was kind of a prince -- the crown prince of Aikido. I was stunned by his presence.
The next day, we continued to have practices at the Police Training School. After practice was a BBQ party.
For some reasons, dinner arrangements were running behind schedule. Cottier Sensei was getting a little antsy because it was late, and our guests were hungry. Meanwhile, the people responsible for cooking were having problems: The new grill mesh was not sufficiently seasoned and the food being cook was stuck!
One of the "perks" of being a young female student in HKAA was that you get to play "flower girl" every once in while. This evening, I was the lucky one assigned to bring food to Waka Sensei. Multiple times, I relayed the urgent requests from Cottier Sensei to the kitchen. To serve food sooner, the desperate cooking team decided that they would scrape off whatever they could off the grill and put them on a plate. I gaped at what was handed to me -- crumbled pieces of a burnt fish mushed back together. I didn't know how I could serve it to the crown prince of Aikido. "Go, Meipo, go. It will be ok. He is hungry. He won't notice," my sempais assured me.
I sheepishly approached Waka Sensei and squeezed out a stiff, nervous smile, "Sensei, Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here is your food." I handed the plate to him, but Waka Sensei did not extend his hands out. He took one look at what was on the plate, then looked at me with really big eyes, "What is this?" I tried to be brave, "It is fish, Sensei." I sneaked a furtive peek at Waka Sensei . I just wanted him to take it off my hand so I could disappear from the face of the Earth. "No, it is not fish." Waka Sensei looked at me and paused. My heart stopped. "It WAS fish," Sensei said, as he broke out a smile. He took the plate from me and even said thank you. I almost passed out. Inside, I was screaming and kicking, "This is my first encounter with Waka Sensei. Why do they have to put me in such horrible position???" It was possibly the most embarrassing moment in my life.
For the rest of the party, I avoided getting close to the Sensei area -- just in case Waka Sensei would point me out to Cottier Sensei. I might die if that should happen.
Several months later, Mike and I went to Tokyo for a short visit. Early morning classes at Hombu Dojo were a must-do. Traditionally, these classes were taught by Doshu. However, Doshu had been sick. Waka Sensei was substituting for his father.
During practice, Waka Sensei walked around class to make corrections and to greet some senior students who had been around for a long time. I was quietly practicing with a Japanese student at a corner. Finally, Waka Sensei arrived at our spot. He tapped my shoulder and waved, "Do you remember me?" Can it be real?!! It really freaked me out that Waka Sensei recognized me. How can I NOT remember you, Waka Sensei? Are you kidding me? If I don't, I better not practice Aikido ever again. Was he really asking that question or was he mocking me??? It was killing me!
"Of course, I do, Sensei," I replied as I dropped my chin. Waka Sensei stood there looking at me with a smile. Somehow, he was not going away. I could see his feet in front of me! I really didn't know what to do. Out of desperation, I splurted out, "Umm, Hong Kong kara (I am from Hong Kong)." "Yes, I know. I remember you brought me fish!" Waka Sensei let out a laughter. I could feel my ears catch fire. I could hear myself whimpering like a puppy. Am I fainting? My partner had no idea what was going on. He had no idea Waka Sensei had been torturing me real good with this "inside joke". Waka Sensei chatted with my partner briefly and, finally, went away.
Since then, I have met Waka Sensei -- who is now Doshu -- a few more times at seminars. He always waved and smiled politely. I bet this incident has escaped his memory already. After all, I am just one of the thousands of aikido students he meets every year. To me, however, this will remain one of the most memorable incidents from my aikido youth . . .
It was a big event. Apart from having hundreds of participating aikido students from near and far, we also had shihans from Hombu Dojo and senior instructors from all over the world as guest instructors. Waka Sensei was the VIP among the VIPs for the occasion.
Waka Sensei made his first appearance at the seminar banquet after Sunday practice. I was hanging out with everybody in a very crowded and super noisy room waiting for his arrival. The spirit was high. People were drinking and shouting at each other. Despite all the chaos, all of a sudden, I could tell someone special just entered the room. I will never forget this moment: I turned around to find that Waka Sensei was right at the doorway. He was wearing a navy blue blazer with shiny brass buttons. He looked like he was glowing. He looked like a prince to me. Well, he was kind of a prince -- the crown prince of Aikido. I was stunned by his presence.
The next day, we continued to have practices at the Police Training School. After practice was a BBQ party.
For some reasons, dinner arrangements were running behind schedule. Cottier Sensei was getting a little antsy because it was late, and our guests were hungry. Meanwhile, the people responsible for cooking were having problems: The new grill mesh was not sufficiently seasoned and the food being cook was stuck!
One of the "perks" of being a young female student in HKAA was that you get to play "flower girl" every once in while. This evening, I was the lucky one assigned to bring food to Waka Sensei. Multiple times, I relayed the urgent requests from Cottier Sensei to the kitchen. To serve food sooner, the desperate cooking team decided that they would scrape off whatever they could off the grill and put them on a plate. I gaped at what was handed to me -- crumbled pieces of a burnt fish mushed back together. I didn't know how I could serve it to the crown prince of Aikido. "Go, Meipo, go. It will be ok. He is hungry. He won't notice," my sempais assured me.
I sheepishly approached Waka Sensei and squeezed out a stiff, nervous smile, "Sensei, Sorry to have kept you waiting. Here is your food." I handed the plate to him, but Waka Sensei did not extend his hands out. He took one look at what was on the plate, then looked at me with really big eyes, "What is this?" I tried to be brave, "It is fish, Sensei." I sneaked a furtive peek at Waka Sensei . I just wanted him to take it off my hand so I could disappear from the face of the Earth. "No, it is not fish." Waka Sensei looked at me and paused. My heart stopped. "It WAS fish," Sensei said, as he broke out a smile. He took the plate from me and even said thank you. I almost passed out. Inside, I was screaming and kicking, "This is my first encounter with Waka Sensei. Why do they have to put me in such horrible position???" It was possibly the most embarrassing moment in my life.
For the rest of the party, I avoided getting close to the Sensei area -- just in case Waka Sensei would point me out to Cottier Sensei. I might die if that should happen.
Several months later, Mike and I went to Tokyo for a short visit. Early morning classes at Hombu Dojo were a must-do. Traditionally, these classes were taught by Doshu. However, Doshu had been sick. Waka Sensei was substituting for his father.
During practice, Waka Sensei walked around class to make corrections and to greet some senior students who had been around for a long time. I was quietly practicing with a Japanese student at a corner. Finally, Waka Sensei arrived at our spot. He tapped my shoulder and waved, "Do you remember me?" Can it be real?!! It really freaked me out that Waka Sensei recognized me. How can I NOT remember you, Waka Sensei? Are you kidding me? If I don't, I better not practice Aikido ever again. Was he really asking that question or was he mocking me??? It was killing me!
"Of course, I do, Sensei," I replied as I dropped my chin. Waka Sensei stood there looking at me with a smile. Somehow, he was not going away. I could see his feet in front of me! I really didn't know what to do. Out of desperation, I splurted out, "Umm, Hong Kong kara (I am from Hong Kong)." "Yes, I know. I remember you brought me fish!" Waka Sensei let out a laughter. I could feel my ears catch fire. I could hear myself whimpering like a puppy. Am I fainting? My partner had no idea what was going on. He had no idea Waka Sensei had been torturing me real good with this "inside joke". Waka Sensei chatted with my partner briefly and, finally, went away.
Since then, I have met Waka Sensei -- who is now Doshu -- a few more times at seminars. He always waved and smiled politely. I bet this incident has escaped his memory already. After all, I am just one of the thousands of aikido students he meets every year. To me, however, this will remain one of the most memorable incidents from my aikido youth . . .
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