Marcos Parrado Lewis

I was really pleased when my mom told me that my sister and I would be attending Taekwondo classes at my school.  I had tried taekwondo only once when I was very little so I didn´t really remember too much about it. 

The first day we were greeted by the teachers from UNESCO ICM.  They showed us how to do some Taekwondo kicks and stances. It was really fun. Everyone really enjoyed the lessons. I think the interesting thing about Taekwondo is that it is much more than learning how to fight, it is more about learning how to defend myself and to learn self-control.  I think Taekwondo teaches people about self-esteem and how important that is.  It is also an amazing form of exercise. Martial arts training can help me build up the reflexes needed in case of dangerous situations and can give me the confidence to stand up for myself whenever I need to. We were very grateful to have had this experience this year.

We were also treated so well by the teachers from UNESCO ICM.  They gave us so many things to make us feel like part of the team.  A t-shirt, safety mask, bag and school stationaries, all of these originally provided by UNESCO ICM.  My favourite activity of all was when we broke the wooden plank. I did break into 3 pieces and I was really pleased with that. I have put it in my room to remind me of my Taekwondo experience. I hope to continue this martial arts activity at school and learn many new things.  I can honestly say that my martial arts experience was amazing and I really enjoyed these sessions! Thank you very much for UNESCO ICM!

※ Views in this writing are the author's own.