Officially Orange Belt in Gumdo

I guess I am moving fast up the ranks in Gumdo - I suspect it's just the nature of the art that you get promoted to the next belt sooner then you would in Taekwondo. I messed up when doing the white belt form - it's super easy but I guess I wasn't thinking about what I was doing and just wanted to get it done. My mistake was stepping with my right foot first instead of left at one point. Not a major mistake.

my teacher's teacher (Master Estrada) was at the Gumdo promotion test as he has to be present at the promotion for it to be valid. So he was there along with a student who was a lower ranking black belt, she administered the testing. She used full phrases that we were not acquainted with so it made somethings confusing at first. But then we all got the gist. She didn't give me the full test as she did not test me on the second form of drawing technique and short form. I didn't realize this until after the next person had gone up, otherwise I'd have reminded her. I guess that's good for me - less I had to do.

One of the guys in my class had started taking classes a month before me, but he and I are the same belt. But when we line up by rank he insists on being ahead of me due to his month seniority. I always give him a hard time about it, which shames him into relinquishing the first spot - but I don't take it. I'm bringing this up because I thought it was a little amusing during testing that there were 3 orange belts (me, friend & 1 other) and a yellow belt testing. So the yellow belt could've sat at either end of the line and been at the correct position. But when the yellow belt sits on the end my friend is on he sends the yellow belt to the other end because he presumed he was to be first in line being that he had 1 month seniority.

At the end of the belt promotion test Master Estrada commented on what had transpired and he singled me out stating that I had greatly improved. Which is great coming from him.

The only bad part of the promotion test was that I was told to be there for 3:30pm since it was to start at 4pm. I had rushed from an appt. to get there on time and as it turns out not only did I not need to rush, but Gumdo didn't get to start testing until 6pm due to the fact that the kids in Taekwondo were testing before us. So Jazz and I had to wait a loooooong time.

At the end of the promotion, when it was time to go home, I said good-bye to Master Estrada and let him know that my daughter was going to start Gumdo soon and how eager she was. She is always doing different forms to show me what she knows and talks about how much she wants to take Gumdo. He asked where she was and I called her over. Without my promting she greeted him with the proper hand gestures and said "Haidong" - which is how how we're required to greet him. I was proud of her for doing that on her own.

Today Jazzmin is going to get surprised with the fact that she is going to get to start Gumdo in February, which is a Christmas present from me. She's not starting until February because she has basketball games every Saturday for the month of January. She is going to be SOOO excited. I am having the teacher call her into his office in such a manner that she thinks she's in trouble. Then he's going to present her with her wooden sword and inform her she'll be taking Gumdo soon.
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