As I put on my Aikido uniform, I was very nervous about starting classes once again, especially since I hadn't had any practice in almost a year. I had no idea what to expect from my new Sensei, "What was his teaching style? Is he truly a good teacher? How well am I going to get along with him?" These questions ran through my mind as I was sitting in the car, on the way to my first class. Little did I know, as I walked through the doors of my new Dojo, that I was about to meet one of the greatest people I would ever meet.
             I stepped into the sparring room; it was the biggest room in the whole dojo, and just like the rest of the building, everything was decorated in a traditional Japanese style. The walls were made of wood that the Sensei carved himself along with his students. The floor mat was white, covered with a stretched cloth, and the walls were covered with weapons, staffs, and katana swords that were used for practice in more advanced classes. In the middle of the dojo right in front of the sparring area, there was a shrine to Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, under whom Homma Sensei studied for several years.
             I took my place on the sparring mat among the other students and waited patiently for the class to start. After about two or three minutes had passed, my Sensei finally appeared in the doorway. Even though he was well over the age of sixty, he didn't look a day older than fifty. He stepped onto the mat, got down on his knees, and bowed to the shrine of Sensei Ueshiba. He then proceeded to the front of the class where, after we took our bows, the class begun.
             The very second Sensei started talking, I did not understand a single word that came out of his mouth. His Japanese accent was so heavy that I didn't know what to do. I was lost. Luckily the other students that had been there for a long time explained to me what to do, and what the Sensei wanted. "Don't worry about it,&qu...