He who knows does not (care to) speak (about it)

As I had previously posted here, I am running out of time to reach my goal of sho-dan in Japanese calligraphy.  Well, my test paper from June came back and…
I did it!  I moved up to the sho-dan ranking!

Mission: accomplished.

I got a phone call from my sensei— only the second time he’s called me in the past two years– to let me know as soon as the results came back.  I could sense the excitement in his voice as well; he was very proud of what I had done.  He wants to get a story in the local newspaper (hopefully this pans out).  What a great feeling it is.  There is nothing more rewarding than the feeling you get when accomplishing one of your goals.

As part of earning the sho-dan ranking I got a certificate verifying that I have completed this level as well as a license to teach primary Japanese calligraphy.  Now it is time to think of where to go from here.  I have come this far and I would like to continue practicing shuji when I return to America next month.  I must find a teacher or perhaps a long-distance education program where I can do monthly tests on my own and mail them in.  It would also be fun to teach American children shuji.  These are just a few ideas I’ve had about what to do after I return to the U.S.  For now though, I shall bask in this feeling.

My sho-dan certificate

My teaching license