Bomerman,
Go to
www.bonsaiboon.com and see Boon's website. A number of brand new bonsai students from the bay area have joined the club over in Alameda and learn a lot fairly quickly.
I study with Boon- it takes a lot of time in an airplane, a rental car and then a motel to get it. Get the picture? He is a superb teacher and a wealth of information. And the beauty is, people in the Bay Island Bonsai Club range from 30+ years of experience to thoe doing it for a few months. We all learn.
John