It didn’t take long to get ready for my departure. I had just over a month, and between working at school with primary school and kindergarten children and preparing the girls’ end-of-year gymnastics performance, I barely had time to think. And yet, even those few moments were enough to hurt…
I believe there are one or two moments in everyone’s life that truly mark a turning point. Moments that knock you down or change you so deeply that they leave you no choice but to react. Mine came in May 2013. As I wrote in the previous article, about my first time in…
August 12 is a special date in Thailand. It marks the birthday of Queen Sirikit, who passed away last year, and it is also Thai Mother’s Day and a national holiday. Across the country, the occasion has always been marked by celebrations and events. But for me, August 12 also marks...
The first time I set foot in Thailand was back in 2011. My boyfriend at the time, Beppe, had received a job offer from a company in Friuli that had a branch here in Thailand, and I, having been his partner for more than ten years, was absolutely thrilled about it. At the Satori gym in Gorizia, Giorgio and Armen
Every year on February 6th, Thailand celebrates World Muay Thai Day, a special occasion dedicated to the martial art that more than any other represents the country's cultural identity. For many foreigners, it is simply a date associated with a combat sport. For Thai people, however, Muay Thai is much more than that. It is history. It is...
It's a question I get asked all the time. The truth is, I didn't choose Muay Thai. In a way, Muay Thai chose me. It was 2006, and I was 25 years old. I wasn't a teenager anymore. Sport had always been...
When people think about Muay Thai, they usually see it simply as a combat sport. For me, after nearly twenty years spent in gyms, rings, and training camps throughout Thailand, Muay Thai is much more than that. It is culture. It is history. It is identity. It is the way an entire people transformed...
In 2006, I walked down the stairs of a small gym in Gorizia, Italy, without knowing that decision would change my life forever. I still remember the sound of Giorgio's kicks landing on the pads, the shouting during training sessions, and the echo that filled that small gym. The sharp smell of Thai oil mixed with sweat...