At the start of March, one of our international friends ran a weekend seminar. I love a good excuse to visit Spain, so of course I went!
The seminar took place in a small town in the mountains of the Basque Country, amidst the beautiful countryside. During the weekend we did special sessions on sparring under competition rules and shakujo (long staff), along with all the usual techniques, basics, rolls, philosophy, meditation, and seiho. It was action packed!
It wasn’t all hard work, though.
The Spanish students did an amazing job of making us all feel welcome. They drove us around, took us out for meals and drinks, and were generally super friendly. On Sunday we went to a traditional cider brewery – good food served communally on the table, and the ability to go into the brewery and get more cider whenever we wanted. It was a long but exceptionally tasty meal, with lots of good conversation too.
There were visitors there not only from the UK, but also from Italy and Portugal. Not everyone spoke Spanish, but between us we managed a fair stab at good communication. There was always someone around who could bridge any gaps in the languages.
More importantly, we all knew that these people were Good People, people who shared our values. This, in my opinion, is one of the major benefits of attending international events – it brings you together with people who have massively different life experiences, but with whom you have a lot in common. It shows you that the world is made up of many different people, but we are all fundamentally human.
I would very much recommend to anyone who has the chance to try out Shorinji Kempo in another country. Expand your horizons!
Bristol Shorinji Kempo 
In the summer of 1992, a group of us stayed with Alhambra branch in Spain. We slept in the dojo, trained with the Spanish kenshi, and ate and drank our fill. Good times.
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