At 11 O'clock Santiago (Colombian 1k) Joonas (Finish 1d) and I set out to go to Insa-dong. Insa-dong is a bit of a tourist trap, however they have some cool galleries and lots of places to buy gifts. We quickly separated, as they were bored with gift shopping. I bought gifts for my family and friends, and also a violin my friend asked me to buy.
Around 2 I set off to meet two Chinese girls that I spent a lot of time with at the beginning of my stay in Seoul. However, I could not find them, so I set off to the Hanguk Kiwon to see if there was anything interesting happening.
For a while I watched some pro games of the Myung Cup. After as I was leaving I bumped into Myungwan Kim 8p. We talked for a little while, his English is very good, and then I went along on my way. I decided to stop by the book store on the way out. I was surprised as the shopkeeper asked me if I am Boris. I told her I was, but after that the Korean got to complicated. Luckily for me Kim Myungwan walked by at that moment, and translated for me. The pro player Cho Hye Yeon had asked the shopkeeper to call her should I stop by.
Needless to say I was stunned. I did once leave a comment on her blog saying I wanted to meet her, but I did not realize she would go out of her way to meet me too. We agreed to meet an hour later at her school. Korea National University, one of the top 3 schools in Korea.
When we met, she was very friendly right away. People had warned me she is very talkative, but as those who know me know already, with me that's a good thing. I was happy that there was no awkwardness of just meeting someone. We had some coffee and talked about many things including Lee Se Dol's retirement, and education and religion.
About Lee Se Dol's retirement I won't say much since there are plenty of places to find that information, but a few interesting things I learned: He learned to play from his father at age of 4. After his father's death he continued to study under his brother's supervision. There is a rumor that he plans to open a Bar during his Hiatus from baduk.
My thoughts on education are in a separate article here.
As for religion... To anyone who has read her blog, it is well known that Cho Hye Yeon is a devout christian. This aspect was what i was most nervous about when meeting her. I find myself very uncomfortable when people start telling me I must believe in Jesus, or whatnot. I am very happy to hear about the religion, and what they believe, but I prefer not to have to believe in anything. I was happy to learn my worries were indeserved. We spoke for a short time about different aspects of christianity, judaism, and buddhism. Although I am very interested in these things I feel a little silly talking about them, as I feel I know too little. Regardless it was an interesting conversation.
We proceeded to play a teaching game of Baduk. I was very lucky, I learned that usually a lesson game would have cost me $400 usd. I thoroughly lost, but I feel I learned much from the review. At least two mistakes that I often make where pointed out to me. Due to my crappy memory I am sorry I can't show you the game, I tend to forget them about 2 or 3 hours after playing. In case I did not thank you enough, again I say, Thank You 조혜연사범님. :)
I had a lot of fun, I only wish that I had met her a little earlier on my trip to Korea, she would have been a good friend to have here.
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About Lee Se Dol's retirement I won't say much since there are plenty of places to find that information, but a few interesting things I learned: He learned to play from his father at age of 4. After his father's death he continued to study under his brother's supervision. There is a rumor that he plans to open a Bar during his Hiatus from baduk.
My thoughts on education are in a separate article here.
As for religion... To anyone who has read her blog, it is well known that Cho Hye Yeon is a devout christian. This aspect was what i was most nervous about when meeting her. I find myself very uncomfortable when people start telling me I must believe in Jesus, or whatnot. I am very happy to hear about the religion, and what they believe, but I prefer not to have to believe in anything. I was happy to learn my worries were indeserved. We spoke for a short time about different aspects of christianity, judaism, and buddhism. Although I am very interested in these things I feel a little silly talking about them, as I feel I know too little. Regardless it was an interesting conversation.
We proceeded to play a teaching game of Baduk. I was very lucky, I learned that usually a lesson game would have cost me $400 usd. I thoroughly lost, but I feel I learned much from the review. At least two mistakes that I often make where pointed out to me. Due to my crappy memory I am sorry I can't show you the game, I tend to forget them about 2 or 3 hours after playing. In case I did not thank you enough, again I say, Thank You 조혜연사범님. :)
I had a lot of fun, I only wish that I had met her a little earlier on my trip to Korea, she would have been a good friend to have here.
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Facts About Cho Hye Yeon
- She became pro at age 11
- She juggles being at one of the most prestigious schools in Korea and being one of the best Baduk Pros
- She has seen Hikaru No Go over a hundred times
- Akira Toya is her favourite character
- Visit her blog loveku.livejournal.com for more... Its really interesting, and you can get some nice lessons on opening too ^^
