Begins when I was about 12 years old. At that time I started to train Taekwondo with Adrian Trigueros and Juan José, both friends from my primary and high school: Conservatorio de Castella. I remember that we trained after school around 17:30 in a building that belongs to the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro.
Training was something a liked a lot, specially combat sessions. Taekwondo was very nice and I don’t remember exactly why I stopped my training, maybe one of the reasons was that the academy was not very well organized and anyway I think I was too young to really understand martial arts.
Although I left Taekwondo training, my interest for martial arts was still there, so when I was 15 years old I wanted to try again. This time my main focus was Kung Fu. I dreamed of training like a Shaolin Monk and the culture behind this martial art was something totally new and different for me, however when I searched for a place to learn Kung Fu none of the schools I found where really interesting.
Karate was not part of the original plan, but I remember that on the year 1999 searching for martial arts schools with Jeffry Gibbs we found a telephone number in the yellow pages, we called the place and decided to visit the academy…
The day we arrived, as we entered the place, some people where preparing for class, some of them where practicing Kata and when we saw them we where very impressed!!! On the same day, we decided to join the Budokan Karate Academy…
I remember that we trained 6 days a week, 2 or more hours everyday and I became addicted to the art… I really liked the martial way of Karate and the academy was (and still is) very professional. Training was hard, everyday when I got home I was very tired and muscle pain was something normal, but I loved to train!!!
At the beginning I learned a lot about physical training and basic techniques. Little by little, with the help of my training partners and excellent masters (mostly by the hand of Edwin Chan, Manuel, Javier, Diego, Arturo, Gustavo and Efrain) I started to learn the martial principles that we practiced everyday. I was very intrigued by the real philosophy behind Karate, where did it came from, who created the art, how people in Costa Rica learned this martial art, and some related questions.
Because of this I started to read about Karate and martial arts, related history, different styles, cultural influences and the places where the combat systems where developed. I knew Karate was Japanese, but at that time and before training, Japan was something very new for me, I only knew that this country was part of Asia and that it’s flag was white with a red circle, that was all, almost nothing!
Traveling to another country was something I decided a long time ago (even before Karate). I was very influenced by my older brother and sister: Hugo and Paula. But my interest was to visit Argentina or somewhere in Europe. Hugo travelled to Denmark and Paula visited Germany (both with cultural volunteer exchange programs). Before Karate, Asia was like a different planet, I was not interested in Asia at all and travelling there was not part of the plan.
This changed because of Karate. Little by little my interest toward South America and Europe started to loose strength and there was only one place I really wanted to visit: Japan…
Since I was 15 years old Japan became my goal and my dream. My life was mostly driven by the ideal of training in the place where Karate was born…
My sister travelled to Europe when she finished high school studies, so my plan was the same, however my dad promised me that if I could enter and finish my university studies he would pay the expenses for the trip (something impossible for me at the time). So with this new motivation I entered the university and studied hard. I got my bachelor’s degree in Information Technologies… But… For some reason, my father didn’t kept his promise… He didn’t paid the trip expenses!! xD hehe :)
When I got my bachelor’s degree I started to search travel options for Japan, I had waited 8 years and I don’t lie when I say that all this time, everyday, I had 2 things in mind: Karate and Japan.
Things turned out to be more difficult than I expected, when I finally accomplished IT studies at the university the available options where to apply for a scholarship, an internship, volunteer program or winning the lottery…
I tried with the scholarship, but my English language skills where not enough, almost every internship demanded an advanced Japanese level and when I applied for the volunteer program (the same as my sister and brother) the programs for Japan where closed and as you may know, I never won Christmas lottery.
For 2 and a half years I kept searching for a way to travel to Japan and when all options where practically over I started to feel frustrated… I had waited for 10 years!
If my memory is not wrong, maybe at the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010 I received great news: a new place for a Costa Rican volunteer in Japan was going to be discussed in ICYE (the organization behind cultural exchange programs) and with the help of my brother and my friends Manrique and Mauricio “Chota” I waited for the result of this new volunteer program negotiation. After a few days I got call that I will never forget, It was Manrique and he told me: “Miguel!! We made it!! We have a place for you in Japan!!!”
From this moment I was very cautious and I followed the program’s preparation mostly with the help of Arthur and Danelia from ICYE Costa Rica (ACI). But I told myself (disappointed by previous failed attempts) that I would only celebrate when I set foot on Narita Airport in Japan…
And months later I arrived!!! I can’t really describe the feeling when I finally landed in Narita… The long 12 year wait was over!!! From that moment one of the most excellent experiences of my life begun…
The reason behind Japan: Karate… But without many special people that helped me along the road (to name everyone would be almost an endless list) I wouldn't be now, in Seoul, writing this story and waiting for May 19th to return 3 more months to Japan…
I’m so grateful, I live the dream and the most important thing of all…
I’m Happy!!! :)
