Another week or so has come and gone since my last blog update. I'm trying to keep up but you know how it is - just no energy to do so but I hope to change this.
- Well it's been about 2 months since I've come to Rio - I had touched on this in my last post and I must say that it has flown by. I've met alot of new friends and accquintances here. I know some will remain just people that I met and probably end up fading to memory - which sucks but that's how it is sometimes- and others I'm sure that I'll end up keeping in touch with and possibly running in to again.
- The house is fairly full but relatively calm - we have Sam, Gerrad, Thomas, Tom, Jason, Jeremy and myself living in the house. Overall the house is much calmer than when I first arrived which suits me fine. Jeremy will be leaving in about a week and half - not sure who will be in to take his place. hopefully, it will be someone who is calm and not on the partying side.
- speaking of parties. I went out for a late supper on Sunday (to Camacha's restaurant and bar). I had ordered a chicken sandwich with some fries. I also had a coke - I've started drinking coke again whether or not this is good is another story. Anyhow, while I was waiting for my food to come along one of the black belts from Gordo's gym (he's a fisherman) walked by me and shook my hand and said his hellos. A few minutes later he came back with a guy I had seen on the beach before helping with the kite surfing who spoke some English. They asked me what I was up to and I told them that I was having supper they invited me to the other side of the restaurant/bar. They asked me if I'd like some beer - I said no but that I would hang out for awhile. We talked and they told me that I should hang out with them (there ended up being three of them - blackbelt, long hair, and kite surf owner.) They wanted me to go to some places here in Rio - of course I was alone so i was apprehensive about this.
I got my food and ended up sitting down with one of the other house mates who was at the bar as well. I ate and decided to buy the guys some beer. So i ordered a beer (they are in large bottles here) and took it over to the guys and even shared a glass with them. Anyhow, at some point I had drank 4 glasses of beer and was starting to fee buzzed out by this time. I knew from my last experience of drinking that I was playing with fire. By this time the bar was packed with people who were waiting to get into the Samba club that is located above the bar. This meant that there were females all over the place - very tempting. They also tried to teach me a song that is sung here something along the lines of "I'm single and in Rio de Janerio" which I assume is some sort of single guy mating call. I took a deep breath and told the guys that I would have to take a rain check as I needed to get up early to train - which was a partial lie as monday was a holiday here in Brazil and the gym was closed but were were going to train - just not till later in the day. Anyhow, that was my experience of a wild sunday night.
- About a month back I was at the gym training in the afternoon with Dennis and most of the house here at the Connection Rio HQ. Anyhow, there was a young guy there doing some filming for a school project - something to do with "why people come to Rio and Train Jiu Jitsu." Anyhow here is the clip with some of the guys in the house- you even get to see me once or twice..ha ha!
- Well it's been about 2 months since I've come to Rio - I had touched on this in my last post and I must say that it has flown by. I've met alot of new friends and accquintances here. I know some will remain just people that I met and probably end up fading to memory - which sucks but that's how it is sometimes- and others I'm sure that I'll end up keeping in touch with and possibly running in to again.
- The house is fairly full but relatively calm - we have Sam, Gerrad, Thomas, Tom, Jason, Jeremy and myself living in the house. Overall the house is much calmer than when I first arrived which suits me fine. Jeremy will be leaving in about a week and half - not sure who will be in to take his place. hopefully, it will be someone who is calm and not on the partying side.
- speaking of parties. I went out for a late supper on Sunday (to Camacha's restaurant and bar). I had ordered a chicken sandwich with some fries. I also had a coke - I've started drinking coke again whether or not this is good is another story. Anyhow, while I was waiting for my food to come along one of the black belts from Gordo's gym (he's a fisherman) walked by me and shook my hand and said his hellos. A few minutes later he came back with a guy I had seen on the beach before helping with the kite surfing who spoke some English. They asked me what I was up to and I told them that I was having supper they invited me to the other side of the restaurant/bar. They asked me if I'd like some beer - I said no but that I would hang out for awhile. We talked and they told me that I should hang out with them (there ended up being three of them - blackbelt, long hair, and kite surf owner.) They wanted me to go to some places here in Rio - of course I was alone so i was apprehensive about this.
I got my food and ended up sitting down with one of the other house mates who was at the bar as well. I ate and decided to buy the guys some beer. So i ordered a beer (they are in large bottles here) and took it over to the guys and even shared a glass with them. Anyhow, at some point I had drank 4 glasses of beer and was starting to fee buzzed out by this time. I knew from my last experience of drinking that I was playing with fire. By this time the bar was packed with people who were waiting to get into the Samba club that is located above the bar. This meant that there were females all over the place - very tempting. They also tried to teach me a song that is sung here something along the lines of "I'm single and in Rio de Janerio" which I assume is some sort of single guy mating call. I took a deep breath and told the guys that I would have to take a rain check as I needed to get up early to train - which was a partial lie as monday was a holiday here in Brazil and the gym was closed but were were going to train - just not till later in the day. Anyhow, that was my experience of a wild sunday night.
- About a month back I was at the gym training in the afternoon with Dennis and most of the house here at the Connection Rio HQ. Anyhow, there was a young guy there doing some filming for a school project - something to do with "why people come to Rio and Train Jiu Jitsu." Anyhow here is the clip with some of the guys in the house- you even get to see me once or twice..ha ha!
-Jason, Thomas and I decided that we were going to go to Restaurante Fronteira on Friday - the all you can eat pizza place. Anyhow it had been raining quite heavy for about 3 days and finally let up a little that evening. So we decided to go out and catch a cab and meet Greg at the restaurant. We walked down to the grocery store so I could use the bank machine as I had no cash on me. So we did that and decided to try the cab stand right in front of the grocery store. so we asked the lady if we could get a cab to the restaurant. Anyhow after a long wait we said to hell with it and decided to walk to the other cab stand about a block away. We got there and waited for a cab to arrive. Long story short, we waited about 20 mins and decided to just walk to the restaurant as the rain seemed to have let up. We began walking to the restaurant and about 5 minutes into the walk we should have crossed the street just before bridge like we normally do but for whatever reason we did not and just keep walking. Well along came a city bus just as we were walking near a large puddle on the road. It was perfect timing on the bus' and our part as we ended up getting splashed with a large amount of water. All three of us were soaked on our left sides.
this prompted us to quickly cross the road and continue on the restaurant. Just as we crossed the bridge and started to walk to the overpass it started to down pour. We tried to hail some cabs but with out luck. In the end we tried to wait out the rain - and it ended up letting up enough so that we could walk quickly to the restaurant. we spent about 2hrs in the restaurant trying to dry up. Needless to say we cabbed it back home.
- well I finally ended up talking to that cute gal from the Bakery - it was by accident. I went out on saturday to buy a new towel and decided to drop by the bakery for a coffee. Anyhow, she was working and what not. being the bashful, none Portuguese speaking fool I am. I just stood there drinking my coffee and trying to not be so creepy. Ha ha! I usually walk around with my ear phones in and this time was no different. Anyhow, at one point I noticed some of the girls talking and pointing to to me - so I took my earphones off. They said something to me - but not speaking the language I could not understand what was being said. In my extremely broken Portuguese I was able to convey to the gals that I could not speak much Portuguese and that I was from Canada. I tried to show them (speak) some of the words that I knew which elicited laughter from them - including the cute, short gal. Anyhow, she asked me something but again I could not understand. But I got a smile from her and that's a start I guess. Next mission is to ask her for her name and number - oh and work on my Portuguese.
-we decided to have a BBQ last night (Monday) and all went well except for the fact that we could not get the fire started. Jeremy, ended up going down to the market and getting some lighter fluid for the Charcoal. Anyhow, the guys were in the BBQ area trying to start it - I was in doors chopping up some green peppers. At one point all I heard was lots of screaming and then laughter - as well as an accompanying fire ball. What had happened is that Greg (another Aussie who stays in an apartment a good distance away but trains at Gordo's) had decided to get right in the BBQ stove with his lighter, after the coals had been saturated with lighter fluid. He light the lighter and well the ensuing fire ball burnt some of the hair in front as well as lightly burning some of his lip and nose. It could have been alot worse but it was not and produced one of the more comical episodes here in Rio. I also heard that after the initial fireball that Greg ran to the pool and dipped his face in. This was too funny and again one of those things, like the bus splashing us, that only happens in movies or to other people.
-Well only a few more days till the cyclone tournament - it should be an interesting experience. I don't know what to expect but I'll try to have fun and just give it my best. The next blog will be about the tournament and any thing that goes on in between then.
take care and all the best to anyone who reads this.
Andre
p.s. sorry for the misleading title but you know..ha ha!
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