My journey to Kimchi-land 1

My journey to Kimchi-land

31-01-09

So this is the start of my journey to Kimchi-land, well it started a few days ago and ever since it was a series of ecstasy and disappointment but today my estimated success rate finally reached 75%. Three days ago the German national mailing-list distributed a message from Kingsbaduk. A company dedicated to start a Go school in a serious manner, actually they will give out 10 scholarships for aspiring western players who want to be professional players. They if accepted will study at least five years as scholarship students in the Kingsbaduk Academy. But first of all Kingsbaduk offers a three months special event! Three months studying there for free with only two conditions:

- must be under 30 years old

- must be at least 10 kyu

Luckily I fulfill these conditions. So I decided to go there, in contrast to studying Baduk there by normal means it saves about 1500€ at least for now.

My first success: my parents agree with me that I should go and see if I like studying Baduk seriously. Yay!

My to do list:

- book the flights

- issue my formal application

- get the appropriate passport

- get the need vaccination

- crash course in Korean!!!

- cancel one appointment left at university for march

- finish three essays left for university in february

- buy a low-budget digital camera

- at least learn how to make tea

- take the airplane on the 28th of February

Well I think that is all I can think of for now. Tomorrow I'll get the photos for the passport and then promptly will try to get the passport.

Losing equals improving?

Lately due to a sudden surge of motivation I have been practicing a lot more but ever since I have started to lose even more games than before, that is kind of strange. My teacher told me that I am improving so I am content with what I am doing and I am practicing more and more every day!

Next weekend I can, thanks to one of my students, attend to a real tournament in Bonn which excites me to no end. Basically I am hoping up and down the floors these days. A tournament with six rounds to play, six times I will have an opponent who will try everything to make me lose. This kindles a lovely exciting feeling in my chest. I want to win those games no matter what! There is none but one sad backside of a real tournament, always when returning I tend to become melancholic about leaving the place where I had so good games and my inevitable return home where online Baduk is the only option left for me. A few days later I will be fine again though.

On a side note, despite my blitz-nature in online games I like to draw out the games in reality as long as possible, making them as complicated as possible. Perhaps to enjoy the games for the longest time possible?

So what is left to tell for today? ... Ah yes...

Japan is not as closed as it is perceived for foreigners in matters of Igo. Currently through the efforts of Chizu Kobayashi three German speaking insei study in Japan. One German 3dan and two austrian players, from whom I don't know the ranks. From investigating the issue a little I have a small intelligence on what the probable cost for studying as insei is currently.

Lodging is about 400-500€/month in a small 8m^2 room in Tokyo plus about 200€/month for food plus an unknown amount of money needed for other stuff neccesary. So in conclusion studying as insei in Japan, assuming the tution as insei is for free, amounts to at least 800€/month. Quite expensive if you ask me, but Tokyo seems always expensive.

Additionally you will have to be quite young to be invited to study as insei, 15-25 as maximum?

I myself study shapes and tsumego for now, got to improve a bit to make a 3dan promotion next weekend!!!

- adorable plum

Promotion

It has been three days since I returned from my first tournament in quite some time. I promoted to German 2dan now. I had so much fun there so I was quite sad when I returned home sunday evening. Online games just cannot produce the same exciting feeling in my chest as games on a real board. I loathed for all those games that weekend and just all the time I had to play. :)

I might post a few sgf's later. This is a little short but it cannot be helped.

PS.: I found out that there is currently a German 3dan studying as insei in Japan.

Overview + cooking

So here I am with my second post. First of all a few general things about my progress, then I'll give a short overview about all probable locations to study Baduk intensivly and as vey last my latest mishap in cooking. :)

Good news for me are that I 1,5 weeks ago made the Oro 3dan to which makes me happy , additionally I have a 3dan Tygem account to and I like that server very much. If you can cope with brutal fighting over the board Tygem is the best server around, sooo many strong users there 24/7 to! Have fun there.
The not so good side at the moment is that what I describe as "suiciding my way up on Oro". It means basically I am quite a big bit stronger than most adversaries from 2-4dan there, however I keep killing myself so often these days again. Crucial groups die not due to brilliant move of my opponent but to my own faults. That is so annoying as I should be easily 4-5dan there by now and that probably is the problem... Obsession with rank was it called? I need to play the stones not my opponent my teacher says but that is so hard to do...

Currently I have begun studying shapes, slowly but surely it should become better. Even my teacher commented that my game made a sudden leap upwards compared to the usual games I played with her. (To those who wonder who my teacher is, it is Shen Jing, Jennie on KGS. She is very good and nice, go and check her teaching out!) Shapes now seem so very important, the game feels much lighter when you are able to make good shape. It becomes so much more fun.

To study shapes I use the "Making good shape" book from the Mastering the basics series and the audio lessions from Guo Juan on her website about shape.


So now to the things I found out about studying Baduk abroad.

Basically I now know of 2 (maybe 3) possibilities to study Baduk longterm in Korea. Which would be accordingly the "International Baduk Academy" from Lee Kibong and the "Master of Education" course at the Myongji University.

In China there are 3 possibilties from which one is dead I believe. First of all a longterm oppostunity the offer from Guo Juans Go school to study Weiqi in Wuhan. Then there are two projects for 2 months organized by two well known chinese high-dans. First EXPERIENCE GO IN CHINA by Jeff Chang and the second was gongames or so by Will Zhang but from that project I have not heard in a long time.

Sadly I have no idea about Japan and Taiwan currently. If I get a hold of it I will let you know.


So now I must tell you something. Going abroad to study Baduk certainl requires more skills than to play Baduk and one of the essentials is cooking which I cannot seem to do right. Yesterday I had two pizzas. Followed the instuctions on the packaging and shoved them into the oven for 12 minutes. Later I come down and see half a success! I managed to make one pizza! Yay! However I do not know why the second one was burned so badly. :( (Note to myslef take cooking classes soon...)

- adorable plum

A step into the right direction

Today I am starting this blog. A journey I would like to share with you on which I have been for on for exactly three years now. I'll show you how it is going to some place far away and struggling around all obstacles that are on the way to that very destination.

My current plan is to visit Korea in order to study Baduk for several years there. At the moment I am thinking of staying at least four years or longer depending on how my Baduk will develop. The passing time you can see on the right side where the estimated time resides.

However from what I experienced and foresee it will not get so easy and there are still a lot things to do before I actually can go to Korea. For that I still need to improve my game, find good offers and opportunities to stay in Korea and of course save a lot of money so I can freely study as long as I wish to.

Today I could take a step into the right direction, not only one more day has passed so that Korea is nearer, but also I ascended to 2dan on Cyberoro. If you know my rank on other online servers it may seem a little strange to be still 2dan there but somehow it took long to make a breakthrough in Cyberoro's ranks however now I am quite fast in improving my rank there. It looks as if I found my personal trick on beating many of the players there. I am so happy now, I could dance. ^^

If you have questions regarding going abroad for studying Baduk you can feel free to ask me as I have been gathering more an more information about various possibilities to do so. Also if you have informations on programs and possibilities please share them with me I would like to post the information and share it with others so the path for all of us could become a little easier.

- adorable plum