Quote:
Diane Lasken wrote:
I have researched Aikido for about 2 years. I want to learn from the best and dedicate myself to learning it. I'd prefer to learn outside of North American where I can be around another culture while I learn Aikido.
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I just want to echo the idea that being an uchi-deshi can be pretty demanding. I haven't had any real experience with it, but I get the sense it can be a full-time job with little to no pay sometimes. It's particularly hard if you have no experience, I think too. Still, it's certainly not unheard of.
As far as spending such a large sum of money is concerned, don't overlook the idea of investing it somehow. 2 Years of off-mat study probably can't give you a very deep impression...you may want to train in it locally for a little while and get a base understanding before dedicating so much of your time.
I don't know your particular situation so I'm mostly speaking for how I'd act; based on what little I know. I've known folks who've done it right after school like you describe and it seems to have been a good experience, but I think you need to be sure you get a real good sense of the commitment involved. The idea sounds pretty adventurous to me, though it demands a great deal of trust for potentially moving so far away. "Buyer beware," always.