This is my special place, because I now I have long COVID, which means that I have a real variety of symptoms, chronic fatigue, breathlessness, heart palpitations, problems with memory, and a lot of brain fog (as you can probably hear in my voice now) sometimes I get a bit confused about what I’m talking about. But this is a really special building to me, it is a church, but it’s a very special place because it’s my Taekwondo hall. It’s the main place we train every week for three times a week. I’m actually a black belt in Taekwondo. I’ve been training actively for eight years but I’ve been a member for ten. Just obviously due to Long Covid I haven’t been able to train. But this place is so special to me.
It’s where I started Taekwondo, when I was only ten years old. We always have training and really fun events. It’s also where I’ve met some of the most amazing people in my life. My best friends, my coach and everybody’s just really like a family to me.
It really means so much and it’s brought so much joy in my life and so much fun and happy memories associated with it.
Every year we host a Korean festival called a Hanmadang and it’s basically a great celebration of the club and Korea and Taekwondo as a sport. It’s just always a really fun event, with arts and crafts and games and everything and it just really helps to bring the club together even more as a family. That’s one of the highlights that happens in that building.
Training is really fun, it’s high intensity sometimes, but I’ve got so many benefits out of it, so much health, physical and mental health benefits. and I’ve learned so much, not even just Taekwondo skills, but it’s really developed me as a person, and helped me to grow my confidence. All that stemmed from St Bernadettes Church, because that’s where all the magic happens. Just as soon as I walk in the door and into the main hall, there’s just such an acceptance and I just really feel like it’s a second home to me, if I’m honest.
Also great things about it is, I’ve mentioned my friends before, but we’ve made so many memories there, so many laughs, inside jokes and things that I always look fondly on. I’m really hoping that I’ll get back soon and be able to embrace the magical place that is my taekwondo studio in St Bernadette’s Church hall and just get back into it and see everybody and be back in my happy place.
So, thank you for listening. I hope you enjoyed my little snippet of my favourite place, St Bernadette’s Church in Rosetta Road, Belfast. Thank you.
