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Posted about another few gyms on here and got some great feedback so hoping for the same! Going to Thailand soon and I’m considering spending some time at the famous F.A. Group gym as I’ve spoken with them and they now do accommodation. Has anyone been here and trained or spent a bit of time there? Any information very thankful

Hi! I'm Maya and I'm a beginner in muay thai. I have been doing muay thai inconsistently since 2013. I've been consistent since May, 2015, but before then I was kind of in and out of this one gym in my town (gym #1). Now I've been at gym #2 in the same town for about 3 months and I am happy there and I go consistently, but I feel this confusing guilt over leaving gym #1. I was quiet about leaving, mostly because I thought I'd come back after a month, but this new gym lets me spar, whereas gym #1 said I could not spar until they decided I was ready (I asked several times over the course of a year if I could spar and got emails that said, "when you're ready"). Gym #2 lets me spar (I understand that gym #1 didn't want me getting hurt...but I was driven to try sparring). My question is about everyone's experiences on changing gyms. What has been the reaction of both gyms, as well as your feelings about changing gyms? Why did you change gyms? Do you ever run into people from your old gym? How does this affect your idea of loyalty, especially as it relates to the values of Muay Thai? I heard it is common in Thailand for Muay Thai fighters to adopt their gym's name as their last name (Buakaw Banchamek, formerly from Por Pramuk gym), so it is a big deal to the tradition, right? I tell myself I was not at gym #1 consistently enough for anyone to notice my absence, but that might not be accurate. I ran into a fighter at a local muay thai competition and he joked about how long it had been since I'd been to the gym (gym #1). I told him about how I was going to gym #2, which is in the same town, and there was kind of an awkward silence. In both gyms, the word LOYALTY is painted on the walls in giant, black letters. I stare at this word while jumping rope and I wonder if I have been disloyal. I feel a bond to my first gym, but I feel that I couldn't achieve what I had my heart set on: advancing into sparring. Thoughts? Personal experiences? Thank you! :thanks: