Featured Traveller: Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters
Age: 43
Belt: Black
Profession: Retired Tech Guy
How many years in BJJ: 10
Other martial arts: None
Where do you live: Okinawa, Japan
Where are you from: Indiana, USA
Any fun facts you'd like to share: I was nearly arrested in Japan for a misunderstanding involving returning some lightbulbs. My good friends sometimes call me the light bulb bandit. Instead of catching the Japanese Bernie Madoff, a financial crimes detective spent many hours tracking me down for less than 4,000 yen ($25 USD). In the end the police realized it was a mistake and everything worked out.
Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters
What inspired you to travel and train?
Travel has long been a passion, well before I started training BJJ, but Jiu Jitsu has given me a different perspective. It offers an opportunity to connect with local people in a genuine way, which can often be hard as a tourist. Training martial arts has allowed me to meet people that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the privilege to interact with. Jiu Jitsu just gave me one more reason to interact with others and to push outside my comfort zone. Nothing is better than making new friends on the mats all over the world. Nearly every place I have trained I’ve made some friends to stay in touch with or, at a minimum, to message about class times when I am in town!
We have a seriously small sport too, so reputation, community building and respect are all very important currencies on the mats. I believe that if one puts good vibes into the world, we will all benefit. At the end of the day it’s always fun to see how other gyms train and compare what you bring versus their skills. I find every gym has a different feel and a bit of a different culture. I've trained at tiny shoebox-sized gyms in Japan as well as huge places in Las Vegas. I’ll also throw down on some soft grass in a field or at the beach. Where you train matters less than just putting in the effort to improve yourself and those around you, also to have fun.
Tell us about your most recent trip and what's next – where have you been and where are you going?
I recently took a trip to Baghdad, Iraq. I accompanied my 18-year-old son, who's traveling on his gap year with his two good friends. When we started planning the trip, I told them that I had just two conditions: find a place to train and a place to get a tattoo. I initially wasn’t sure how possible either would be, but after some Google searching and a bit of sleuthing, I had a few leads. Before coming to Iraq I could only really find information about three gyms in the whole country. The first place I found was a Renzo Gracie affiliate in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan (the semi-autonomous Kurdish area in the north of Iraq). I heard that it’s a welcoming school, but we unfortunately didn’t have a chance to train there since we didn’t make it to Kurdistan on this trip.
In Baghdad I found two other gyms listed on Google Maps. The first one had almost no information available other than a phone number, I think, so I sort of left it at that. It was a bridge too far. The school also looked a bit strict and was right on the border of Sadr City, a place even my Iraqi friends recommended staying away from. Lastly I found Hawk Team, which had an Instagram page. I sent a DM and Ibrahim, the head coach, replied immediately and said, "Come by anytime."
We weren’t sure how many opportunities we had to train, so our first night in Baghdad we headed to their gym. They had two locations. My understanding is that Ibrahim and Mostafa started the gym many years ago and have slowly built a community. We were warmly welcomed and Ibrahim asked if I’d be willing to teach. We managed to train 4 times with them over the two weeks we were visiting Iraq. Twice the entire gym took us out for amazing food and dessert. They really couldn’t have been more kind.
Aside from the training, Iraq was just amazing. My son has been blogging about the trip. This was my first time visiting Iraq and only my second time anywhere in the Middle East. Iraq blew all of my prejudiced, preconceived notions out of the water. For sure life is hard for many Iraqi people, but Baghdad has a thriving middle class who eat out, go to the mall and drink fancy coffee. The primary worry before visiting Iraq was our safety. My preference is always to travel without a guide, but I certainly considered one for this trip. In the end it wasn’t needed and we wouldn’t have had half of the experiences or adventure we did had we booked a guide.
The cuisine in Iraq is some of the best in the world. It was reasonably priced, plentiful and full of mouth-watering, diverse flavors. Food delivery and ride-sharing are both available. One of the things that took a bit of getting used to was the power outages – Iraq suffers from multiple, momentary power cuts throughout the day. I’d say we experienced at least 15 every day. Training in a gym where everyone has been through hardships to be there makes me really appreciate the things I have at home. I cannot recommend visiting highly enough, and be sure to train while you are there!
Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters
What do you enjoy most about travelling?
I like getting out of my comfort zone. I’m not the most social person and I often feel like I really struggle to interact with people. When I am at home I can be in a bubble, but when I travel I am forced into new situations.
Any particularly memorable experiences that made it all worth it?
Why is it so hard to find a toilet when traveling? I probably have a story about nearly shitting my pants in almost every country I’ve been to. Be sure to ask me after a few beers at a Globetrotters camp.
Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters
What has surprised you the most while travelling?
I am constantly surprised at how similar things are wherever I travel in the world. Humans all have similar problems and there are so many interesting and novel solutions. The world is a really diverse place, but what constantly surprises me is how we are more similar than different. We are all one!
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
Yes, but I try to use points and miles to book wildly expensive trips for a huge discount. For example, I’m headed to the Finland camp next year and I snagged round-trip business class tickets for the cost of economy. Travel is a luxury and can be quite expensive, but I’d rather spend my money on travel than buying a new car or more t-shirts.
Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters
Any advice for your fellow Globetrotters?
I think Anthony Bourdain said it best when he said, "…move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river." Life is a very funny thing. Be true to yourself and love those around you.
Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters
Thank you to Nathan Keirn – BJJ Globetrotters for making this interview!
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