1er. Encuentro de amigos del Aikido en México

I arrived at Guatemala the Thursday 22nd of May to give the 4th Seminar of AHAN Aikido. Juan Carlos Garoz and Pablo Buenafé, the Guatemalan AHAN coordinators, were already waiting for me. The next day of my arrival, I found out that two tornados had stricken Denver in the US. That state is were AHAN (Aikido Humanitarian Active Network) HQ are located; and were I had stayed a week ago to give a Seminar along with Homma Kancho in Nippon Kan. This Seminar was in celebration of the 18th anniversary of the Denver Rescue service. Were up to 50 000 meals would be given since Homma Kancho started it back in 1990.

The first day in Guatemala and apart from the Seminar, I gave a recognition class to the students of the Central School of Guatemalan Aikido. Several students would present exams the next day. Here I re encounter with Oscar Avendaño and Nehemias Valle, who have been also working for the development of Aikido in this country and together they had started a second group of Aikido related with AHAN, la Asociación de Aikido de Guatemala (the Guatemalan Aikido Association).

At the end of this class and while having dinner in Casa Viscaya of Mr. Enrique Cobar, a friend of Juan Carlos Garoz, we had a work meeting along with Pablo Buenafe, where we talked about Aikido in their country and the importance that all the groups and Dojos in actuality and in the future that are related to AHAN, are committed to the development of Aikido in their communities and do continuous projects of humanitarian aid while keeping at the same time an open mind to different affiliations and groups of Aikido. The objective is to aim for an Aikido beyond the Dojo, beyond affiliations or politics and at the same time related for the sake of society, in aid of the community they live on.

The next day, May 23rd of May, we had a three event agenda; a TV presentation, a workshop and a conference in a consulting enterprise apart of the kyu exams of several students.

At 8 am and thanks to the help of Jaime Sanchez, who has always given us a lot of support and owner of the franchise of Japanese restaurants SUSHIITO in Guatemala, we had a presentation in channel 7 of Guatemalan television. This demonstration had the finality of Aikido diffusion as well as the Seminar and the AHAN Aikido.

They informed me that in this famous channel of Guatemalan television, that day several other subjects would be presented besides Aikido, like news, entertainment, social life etc. In the halls of the set, where everyone would wait for their turn of appearance, I met Wendy and we talked about the motives of being in Guatemala. She was one of the 14 aspirants to be Miss Guatemala. She lives about an hour ago to the capital city in a town called Chimaltenango. I told her about Aikido and my mission in her country, she told me that they really needed a lot of help and activities like the Aikido in Guatemala due to the fact that people need a lot of help

After exiting the television set, we passed through Guatemalan historical center and when I saw some women selling fruit in the streets, I thought to myself about the different realities that a human being can live according to their social position, studies, genre, the place where you were born and even in this case how could the beauty, the stature and the social position can be so determinant in a women’s life. While Wendy this really nice young lady had an agent and was really excited for the possibility of winning the spot of Miss Guatemala, Maria, who had to sell bananas in the street she proudly announced her merchandise, no agent but her hands and her clothes represent her. However both of them seemed happy and both smile back to life.

As for me I realized I have been in several occasions a part of the strings of fate and even though I was traveling and sharing Aikido in one or another country, if god lends me life, it would depend in great manner of my actions today what I will be doing in the future and the people I will be sharing with. I kept thinking that but another presentation was due to that day later on.

After a meal and some rest, we went to the enterprise Grupo Consolidado, Consultores Empresariales, TRAINING CENTER. In here I gave a conference-workshop of Aikido. Eugenio Borrayo, the general director of Grupo Consolidado de Centro América y el Caribe, and Pablo Leonardo, director of Grupo Consolidado Guatemala, received me very kindly. They are the immediate bosses of Pablo Buenafé, one of the coordinators of AHAN in Guatemala. They explained me why they have interest in Aikido. They told me that they normally give a lot of different workshops to personnel of different enterprises throughout Latin America. And now that they had a small sip of Aikido trough Pablo Buenafé, they thought Aikido was tuned to the ideas they wanted to transmit. However since they had no total knowledge about this art they asked me how Aikido could be applied to enterprises. Besides this presentation they wanted to know if I could join them by giving Aikido courses and workshops in all the Latin America countries they had presence on.

At the beginning I saw how the participants were a bit tense and some were even a bit skeptical. I felt they were staring at Aikido through the lenses of martial arts, and thought that it could have no real application to what they needed. However the organizers were extremely confident in the success of the course. Even though they had little knowledge about it, they knew this course would be great for everyone. Likewise, step by step the participants started to get loose, the interest grew quickly and the expressions changed as the course progressed

Besides the conference, the course included a brief Aikido practice. By this point all got relaxed and could felt by their own body the applications Aikido has. How conflicts can be solved without violence, taking advantage of the energy of people who seemed were going against you. The psychological applicability, to sum forces instead of crashing them, the power of integral relation: mind, body and spirit unification. Several things that are applied in Aikido in order to reestablish the broken balance when someone wants to harm you, this is done through the application of techniques.

There were a total of 15 people who took this course. There were some important personalities such as Sergio Yonker, sales manager of Nesttle and personnel from Centro de Capacitación Training Center in Guatemala and even some from Salvador.

Thanks to all for their open mind and their invitation to be a part in their capacitating projects; which I will take strongly into consideration in my future trips to Latin America. Thanks to all the organizers especially Pablo Buenafé who was the link that made this presentation possible.

Aikido must arrive to all the circles and in several places of the world; Aikido has already a strong presence in various enterprises. I will be making my best effort in future similar courses so Aikido can be understood in a deeper manner. To make possible that the members of different enterprises give something back to society so an integral development can be achieved, a benefit for mankind as a whole.

At the end of this course that was approximately two and a half hour long, the participants were stilled very interested and thrilled. So in an unofficial manner, we had a half an hour talk; where I was able to know a bit more about some of them. We talked about experiences and the necessity of Aikido in society so lost values can be retrieved, values like courtesy, respect, friendship, loyalty, common sense, etc.

After this commitment we had little time for a meal and some rest before the kyu exams that waited for us that night.

All the students passed their exams with no problem, 5 students presented the 6th kyu exam and 1 the 5th kyu. As it was expected the students had elemental mistakes, but nothing that practice and advice could not correct. Besides the exams I liked the fact that they received a lot of support from their families and friends inside and outside of the tatami. I congratulate them for being so united, for their Dojo and for their group.

The next day, Saturday 24th of May, we went were the seminar would take place, the Gimnasio del Club Delfines (Dolphins Club Gym), of the Shumman brothers. They are masters of Kempo Karate and are a very important institution in their country and internationally. I deeply thank them for their support in this Seminar, for letting us use their facilities and their practice area.

After correcting some things on the run at the beginning of the Seminar, like punctuality, general cleanness and other etiquette elements. The Seminar got better thanks to the active participation of all the integrants. Thanks a lot to all of them for this support and for their excellent attitude.

In this seminar almost 40 people from various groups of Guatemalan Aikido participated. Members from 7 different Aikido Dojos and affiliations got together to practice without caring about their differences.

One of the groups that participated was ASOJAPON, an organization of Jorge Herrera Sensei, black belt 4th Dan in Karate Do Shito Ryu and that now is studying Aikido with a degree of 1st kyu. He asked to the program of the JICA about a year and a half ago, an Aikido instructor with the goal that he could give his teachings and form a group within his own Dojo. Answering to this the JICA asked for an instructor to Hombu Dojo Aikikai, and that is how Tatsura Okamuya Sensei arrived at Huehuetenango to give classes of Aikido to a group that is nowadays 15 students big. This part of Guatemala is located at the north of the country, about six hours ago in car from the capital city.

Even though several seminars related to AHAN had been done since 2005, I did not have the pleasure to meet this group. It was the first time that we got together and I thank them, Jorge Herrera Sensei, Okamura Sensei for their participation, and of course the students for the long trip they did.

About this group also I want to add I had a pleasant surprise when I found out that Nehemias Valle took my advice to modify the rooftop of his house in order to make a Dojo.

When I visited his house I could notice how the construction of the Dojo is very advanced; so I believe it will be something extremely positive for their group when they can inaugurate the Dojo. I really hope I can witness this success.

Thanks to the Karate Shito Ryu group from Huehuetenango, to the members of Karate Schummans Kenpo from Guatemala, to the group of Tae Kwon Do Kuhn Gang. Thanks to Wong martial arts, to Delicadesas Españolas and Gatorade for their support in the seminar. I would like to welcome Armando Castillo Sensei, Ki Society Aikido shodan and Asociación de Kendo de Guatemala shodan, to AHAN Guatemala. Starting from this seminar he will be a member of AHAN and he will be collaborating with the coordinators of Guatemala in future humanitarian aid events.

I also delivered the recognition from Homma Kancho to Juan Carlos Garóz and Pablo Buenafé as the Guatemalan AHAN coordinators.

With this and after three years of humanitarian aid activities in their country the relationship between the central school of Aikido in Guatemala and AHAN organization became official.

With this the commitment of having periodical events in help for their community and humanitarian aid became renewed.

The institution that they will be collaborating officially and periodically according to AHAN rules will be the Escuela-Guarderia Virgen del Camino de Guatemala (school and day-care center Virgin of the road Guatemala). This institution helps the kids that came from families with limited resources.

In this occasion a 20% donation was made to the Escuela Virgen del Camino, and was the founding father himself who received the donation.

A church it’s a very important part
of a day-care center

The kids enter really early at school and sometimes they go out until 5 or 6 pm

I invite you to get informed in here about the great humanitarian labor that the father Francisco González Pedras has done. About the projects through his life and his dream come true that materialized in this school and day-care center inspired in the Virgin Mary.

For me father Francisco is a great example to follow, he is a person that inspires me and I am deeply thanked for letting me share in his house every time I visit Guatemala.

On Monday, the last day of my journey, I had just a few hours in the morning before catching my flight back to Mexico, due to the fact that in the weekend the day-care center was closed I asked Juan Carlos to take me there before going to the airport.

The Aikido Seminar was done in this kids honor and I could not leave without saying hi, sharing a bit with them and giving them a small gift.

As the coordinator of Central America AHAN, this is my report of the activities done in Guatemala during the seminar that was held on May of 2007. Like in previous seminars my contribution was that of donning the income that my teachings could generate. I invite all the Aikido groups in Guatemala to join them and participate in different seminars without minding their affiliation, by sharing Aikido and at the same time helping our community by doing Aikido beyond the Dojo.

I want to invite all the Aikido groups to inform them about AHAN (Aikido Humanitarian Active Network) from Homma Kancho. An international organization which you can join if you are interested in doing humanitarian aid projects related with Aikido, there is no need to quit to your affiliations or commitments with other organizations. Everyone is welcomed and if your Dojo is in Latin America I invite you to get in touch with me to get more information about it.

On August I will be making a seminars tour in Salvador, Colombia and Ecuador, so if you practice Aikido in those countries or you are interested in this tour I would like to meet you and watch you participate either watching or practicing.

I would like to thank, as always, Rocio Sensei and all the teaching staff of our organization because they stayed in charge of all the different groups of Mexico Aikido while I was out giving the seminar.

DOMO ARIGATO GOSAIMASHITA!!.