Adventures in Karate

So I've always wanted to take karate, but the opportunity never really presented itself. Last month we enrolled our 5 year old, along with his 6 year old cousin in a karate class. After watching a few classes, I got to thinking "why am I not taking karate with them". So as of last Thursday I am now a karate student. I thought it was so strange that I felt nervous about my first class (with my son and nephew), when the kids didn't seem to have any kind of apprehension. As it turned out, I had just done a crazy lower body workout on Wednesday (jumping squats, jumping lunges, etc), and my legs were incredibly sore. Of course the first thing the Sensei has us do is holding squats (never seen them do this in any previous classes)....forever....then when she tells us to stand..one of the other students winced or somehow motioned a quiet complaint, which the Sensei saw, and so then we had to do it again :) Lesson #1, never wince, rub sore body parts, or otherwise complain!
Class #2 was last night. I got my Gi (karate uniform). I can't decide if I look like a chef or a sumo wrestler, but I guess we're not there to look cute. We train in an old gymnasium of sorts in a community center which is used by many other groups. Well they had some kind of wild shindig in there because the floor was filthy, sticky, nasty, gross....and we train barefoot of course. So, Sensei (being the leader that she is) got the mop out, and all of the students had to get paper towels and dry where she had mopped. It was a "wax on, wax off" kind of moment. Lesson #2: drying a large floor with paper towels is a great workout!!
We then proceeded with punches, blocks, and kicks. One of the instructors came over to watch my kicks and said..."oh, you have done karate before". I said, no, this is my second class. He said "well, you are a natural". Weeeeehoooooo, I'm 30, a mom of 2, and I'm a natural (okay only at the roundhouse kick). I still have trouble doing 2 different things with my hands.
Lesson #3: must roughen up feet.
They are so sore from pivoting and dragging them on the cement floor. DH thought I had rough feet before and teases me saying "why are you wearing your shoes to bed". Okay, not everyone has baby soft feet like you honey. In a few months he may be asking me to take the brillo pad off my feet :)