Cass

We'll see how it goes on the fiance enjoying training - he is very skeptical and more or less just picking up aikido because he wants to do something to get fitter. Either way though I doubt he will end up wanting to do a program like that.

As for what I want from an uchi deshi program or similar the gist is basically that I love the art, I want to do it in an immersive way and have just the basics of life and aikido in my life for a time and see how that goes. Also I hear that uchi deshi programs typically have more involvement from the sensei in regards to the personal development of their student, which is key. To be honest it's entirely possible it may end up being a soto deshi situation, because all of the senseis that I am interested in do not seem to offer the opportunity for uchi deshi (Christian Tissier and his students, Yoko Okamoto, Matsuko Minegishi, Ryuji Shirakawa to same the ones I'm most keen on). Also it seems that anyone that opts to follow aikido as a life path and potential career (carefully said, I am not expecting to become a sensei anytime soon) undertakes a program such as these to be considered a serious practitioner. But mostly I want to do it for the love and to "escape" life and responsibilities for a while and just do what I enjoy.

And yes, training a little over a year now, I am roughly 3rd kyu now, expecting to take my 1st kyu next year and shodan either half a year or a full year after that. Not expectation so much from ambition or what I want so much as what I've been told by my sensei and our preparation sensei (who teaches students for exams) in terms of the timeline. I would be willing to do the program before shodan if I think I am ready, but I want a really firm grasp on the basics before I undertake it to get the most value out of the depth of the training.

Re long distance relationships, my fiance and I were long distance for the first year of our relationship but since then have been together every day. If anything I think it would be helpful as a way of both of us finding our independence again as well, but I have heard from many that this sort of thing is a "make of break" type deal.