Opening Doors in Rio - letting the sun in

Well it’s been far too long since my last update - I’m thinking that I will do 2-3 smaller blogs as opposed to my usual longer blogs.

This blog will cover the week of July 19 -25, 2010.

The week started off on a good note - I ended up going for a run on Monday afternoon then went to train that night. Overall, I pretty positive day. There is nothing really of note -as most of the days were the same, get up, eat, maybe train or go for a run during the afternoon, come home, eat, sleep, then get ready for evening training.

This week was the week of Rio Open so the gym was pretty packed each night - in fact on the Monday I had noticed there was another female black belt in the academy but did not really pay much attention as I was there to train and honestly I cannot see very well without my glasses. Once training was over I threw on my glasses and was heading out the door when I noticed that the female black belt was none other than Kyra Gracie herself. Damn, and I did not bring my camera. OH well.

Monday was also the day that a new guy moved into the house - Richie.

Anyhow I ended up training Monday to Wednesday.

I awoke fairly late on Thursday morning; which was the first day of the Rio Open. I had planned on going down to watch the guys and gals from the house compete but ended up missing out on rides to the tournament. I arrived back at the Connection Rio house and was lucky enough to run into Jeremy and he informed me that he would be heading down around 4pm as he did not have to compete till closer to 6pm. So I had a ride there (cab ride that is). As we arrived we ran in to Dennis and some of the people from the house and from the looks on their faces I knew that they did not do so well.

Jeremy asked me if I would be willing to record his matches during the Rio Open and I agreed. As for the match - well Jeremy did not do as well as expected. But he put up a great fight and in the end he walked away from the match while his opponent limped away. In-fact, in the very next match Jeremy’s opponent just ended up basically giving up because of the damage that Jeremy did to his knee. Go figure. Next time.

The next day I had also agreed to go to the open with the new guy Richie to film and give support. We were up fairly early that morning and headed off to the cab stand near the Mudial grocery store. The cab ride was pretty crazy as the cab driver was fairly slow (by Rio standards), and his vehicle began to emit smoke, in addition the oil light came on. But we managed to make it to the Tijuca tennis courts on time for Richie’s matches.

In the end Richie ended up wining his division - I got to film him. Braga Neto also helped to coach Richie. All in all a great day for my new friend. Here are a couple of photos of Richie:





We also trained later that night and ended up getting to meet BJJ legend Vinicius “Draculio” Magalhaes as he dropped by Gordo’s academy for an interview with Dennis. Check photo for proof (ha ha!):





I ended up not making it to the Rio Open on Saturday - which sucked as I wanted to see Gordo’s matches. Again, it was a matter of not planning ahead and missing out on rides to the tennis courts. Gordo ended up winning his division so all praise be to the master himself.

I managed to talk Richie into going on Sunday - Justin, another room-mate - also wanted to come along so we ended up catching a cab down to the tennis courts around 11am. By the time we got there quite a few of the matches had already taken place - so we hung out, ate, watched matches and gals (female watching is mandatory in Rio..ha ha!). Bought some merchandise (picked up a snazzy hoodie and duffel bag.) Richie and I ended up staying till around 3pm and decided to head back to the house. On our way I out I just happened to look up and catch a glimpse of one of my BJJ Heros Saulo Ribeiro. I ended up getting Richie to ask him if I could take my picture with him as I was too awe struck. Here is my picture with Saulo just before his absolute matches:




So that was pretty much the week of the Rio Open - I must say that this was as good a week as I’ve ever had. Lots up ups and very few downs.

I think about this week and I feel like things can turn out for the good - the weather was nice, my friends competed, some won, some lost but they all fought hard and made themselves proud, I met some hero’s and made a new friend - which is what living life is all about - those surprises that you expect and don’t expect.

I not sure where this road (path) that I’ve taken will lead me - I just know that it feels right. But I must confess that at times it can be hard and that I do get discouraged (next blog will get into this) and want to give up and just go back to playing it safe (9-5 job, pay bills, etc…) but, for whatever reason, I keep at it. Get up and keep at it. Perhaps maybe someday “She’ll” read about me and realize she let something go that was worth having (I know I should have let her memory die a long time ago but you know, it is what it is and I cannot and will not apologise for still aching)

So here’s to running head first through all those doors that lay out before us - as the saying goes “the sun never shines on closed doors.” So bust those doors down and let some goddamn sunshine in . . .

Next blog coming soon !!!!

“Come July we’ll ride the farris-wheel round and round and if you never let me go I’ll never let you down”

A.

Running ahead first into a Hero

Well another round of the Jiu Jitsu Adventures of Andre.

After arriving in Rio on Wednesday and not training and having not trained much back home (meaning twice in about a month and a half) I figured that it would be in my best interest to do one class a day for the first couple of days. Thursday went pretty uneventful - woke up fairly late in the day; I washed up and then decide to head out to grab a bite to eat with the intention of coming back home around 4pm to sleep then do the 6pm training session. I ended up not doing much, walking down to the bakery and having a bit to eat then walking down towards the beach. I stopped at Big Polis’ for some Acai - which is my favourite place to get Acai.

I made my way back towards the Connection Rio House - www.connectionrio.com - and arrived just after 4pm. I laid down on my bed and ended up snoozing for a little over an hour. I awoke just around 5:30pm. I started to get ready for my first training session in a long time (not just in Rio but training session period). About 6:15 I made my way over to Gordo’s academy - I paid my dues for a month (R180, 00$ - about $110.00 Canadian), with the dues I’m able to train up to 3 times per day in the Gi classes. I’m also allowed to do the No-Gi classes if I want to. In addition, I’m also allowed to do the Afternoon training sessions - appropriately named “The Gringo Class” because it is a special class run by Denis and Jeremy for the people living in the Connection Rio House. So in total, if I’m up for it, I can do up to 5 classes a day. Of course this is not reality as there is no way at my age I can do that much working out; in fact, I think that would be too much for most people.

The training session went pretty good. I only got tapped out once and was able to tap someone else out. All in all a pretty positive return to Jiu Jitsu. I walked back to the house, showered, went down to grab something to eat and then home to sleep.

Friday was more of the same; sleeping in, getting up to shower, then go for a walk. Friday was a good day in that it was not raining when I got up and was actually a really nice day. I walked down to the bakery to grab a quick bite for breakfast - such as breakfast is at 1:30pm (Rio time). I then decided to take a walk down towards the beach and see what was going on down there. I decided to take a slow walk as I was definitely a bit tired from the night before - first Jiu Jitsu session in about a month and a half.

Before I got the beach I made a stop at Big Polis’ to get some Acai and Agua de Coco (coconut water). I was sitting there minding my own business, listening to my I-pod and just contemplating things. I was sitting there eating my Acai when I looked up to see MMA fighter and legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira walk into Big Polis. I was speechless - here was one of my all time favourite fighters right there in front of me. I did not want to be annoying by walking up to him and asking him for a photo - so the plan was to eat very slowly and wait for him to come out and that was when I would pounce for my photo-op.

Well it did not turn out that way as he took a bit longer than I thought he would. So I finally sucked it up and decided to be annoying and walk up and say hello. I walked up to Antonio introduced myself. We struck up a brief conversation - I informed him that I was from Canada and that I was down here in Rio training at Gordo’s academy. We had some brief back and forth. I learned that he was in Rio to do a bit of training and then head back to America to finish off his training in preparation for his re-match with Frank Mir in September. Before I left I asked him if it would be alright if I took a photo with him and he agreed. So here is my photo of Nog and myself taken Friday July 16, 2010 at Big Polis’ restaurant.





Meeting one of your idols is an amazing feeling. I hope the best for his upcoming fight. I decided to add this youtube clip which explains everything about Antonio and why he is such an inspiration it is called Never Give Up - watch the video and you know - feel inspired. if you're down you can always chose to stay down or get up and move on - Never Give UP!!!




I walked down to the beach and it was I expected; mostly deserted because of the foul weather. I took a couple of picture of the big waves and made my way back to the house. I got to the house and got ready for the training session. By this time it had started raining - a very cold rain.

Again, it was pretty positive training session. I ended up rolling with a brown belt, a black belt and a couple of blues. Of course I got tapped out by the black and brown belts. However, I was able to tap out a larger blue belt with a brabo choke from inside his half guard. In two training sessions I can already feel that I getting back some of my skills that were lost while being back in Canada and not training much. I know I have long way to go but I’m here and working on things. Anyhow, I ended up being one of the last people on the mats which is always a good sign.

Saturday was more of the same - except I awoke with a chill. I got out of bed really sore and with a head-ache. I did not think much of it as I attested it to the fact that I had a really hard training session the night before. I got ready to go out for a walk. It was raining off and on when I woke up and it was more of the same. I made my way down to Camacha’s grabbed some chicken, rice and beans. Then made my way to the free-way as I though it would be a great idea to try and walk down to the Downtown Shopping centre. This was a bad idea as I got about half ways and realized that the rain was not going to let up and that the wind was not helping either. I turned around and made my way back to Big Polis’ for an Acai. After Big Polis I started back home and by this time I was completely soaked which made for a long cold walk back to the house. By the time I arrived at the house I was feeling a chill. I changed out of my wet clothes and ended up taking a shower. I huddled down for the night and by this time I knew that I was getting sick.

I woke Sunday morning feeling like I had been run over by a truck. Fever, body aches, and just a general unpleasantness. I only managed to get some bread and protein powder in my system on Sunday and slept most of the time. I woke up Monday, feeling a bit better as I had taken some aspirin the night before. I went for a run Monday afternoon and went to an evening training session. Over all it’s been an up and down last few days but I keep trudging forward.

Till next time,

No Retreat, No Regrets.

Andre

Rainy days and packed houses alwasy get me down

Part two:

Well the plane ride was what a 10hr plane ride in coach - long, uncomfortable. Although I must say that I was thankful that the plane was not too packed - this was probably due to the fact that I flew on a Tuesday as opposed to a flight closer to the weekend; which I’ve been told are the times to avoid as everyone leaves on weekends.

The flight went well - I ended up watching the movie Date Night as well as an episode of The Office as well as some other comedy shows. I also watched some House and a bit of CSI. To kill time I also started to read one of the books I picked up before I left; in this case I started to read The Road as I had watched a movie and liked it and figured I needed to read the book. I plan on finishing it quickly as I might use it for teaching English this coming fall.

We made it to Rio on time. I was a bit worried that I might get hassled by the customs people as I do believe I only have about 15 days till I have to renew my visa for another 90 days. Of course it will go back bump back to 180 on Aug 07, 2010 - as August 07 was the day I arrived last year.

In talking with Dennis he said that a gentleman named Danillo “Moto-Serra” would pick me up at the airport. I was told he was a black gentle man, with tattoos, who is also a Vale-Tudo (anything goes) fighter - basically an MMA fighter. I waited for my bags to come around, which they finally did after about 25 minutes. I then walked through the final check in and walked out hoping my ride was there - and of course he was not. If you’ve never been to Rio you won’t get why I was so nervous - I did not want to get swarmed by the Gringo Hawks aka the cab drivers that hound you to take their cab. But for some reason they did not bother me - one guy even tried to help me with calling Denis. I wandered around for about 40 minutes. I then noticed someone walking in and towards the arrival area - he fit the description that Denis gave me so I walked up to him and asked if he was Danilo and he said yes. So I had my ride - it was a long ride as Danilo decided to take the scenic route and even made a stop at his place to pick up a cell phone charger. I was a bit worried I was being taken for a ride but I eventually made it to the Connection Rio house.

When I arrived at the airport it was overcast but no rain as Danilo and I made our way through the city it started to rain and continued all the way to Barra da Tijuca. And has been raining ever since I got here - that’s 4 days now. I must say it is getting kind of depressing. I wanna hit the beach and see some skimpy bikinis…ha ha!


Anyhow, when I arrived the first thing I noticed was that the place was packed and no one really knew where I was going to be sleeping - I was dead tired by this time and just wanted to sleep; after I got something to eat of course. Dennis was not around and was not expected to be in for a few hours. So I grabbed a chair and sat there doing absolutely nothing and tried to get some sleep which is not very easy to do in a house packed with people, clothes, while you’re sitting in an uncomfortable chair.

After about 2hrs I struck up a conversation with one of the gals in the house and told her I was tired and hungry. She ended up lending me her key so I could walk down to Camacha’s restaurant to get some chicken, rice, and beans - pretty much a staple for me. I started to walk down and had barely gotten half a block when I noticed someone running up to me - low and behold it was Denis. He shook hands, hugged and had a brief conversation. He was heading to the house to pick up some of the house members for a training session and I was hungry so we went our separate ways.

I ate breakfast/lunch - went to the bakery to grab a coffee, listened to my I-pod and then walked back home. By this time I learned that I was going to be sleeping in the make-shift room - which is the living room. Either I was happy to be getting bed so I could get some rest. Unfortunately, by the time I got my bed situation sorted out the coffee had kicked in and I was took jacked up to do anything. So I pulled out my computer and surfed the net for a bit.

I was definitely too tired to train that night so I decided to just walk over to Gordo’s academy and take some pictures. I walked in and got to see the new renovations that Gordo’s academy has undergone. When I left last October the gym was just starting their renovations and was pretty rough to say the least. Well it’s safe to say Gordo now has the first class gym that is deserving of his legacy, reputation, and manner. Gordo’s renovated academy is beautiful. I’ve added some pictures to show how it looks now. I’ve yet to wander up stairs but I will post some pictures from up there once I get back.

After I had walked in and settled in a chair - Gordo noticed me and stared at me for a few minutes, smiled then walked over to me. I got the fairly standard handshake and half hug that seems to be the norm amongst Jiu Jitsu practitioners here in Rio. He was very happy to see me and asked how long I was going to be and if I was going to do the Rio Open. I told him a month and that I might do the open - of course I ended up missing the deadline for the Rio Open (it was the day of my arrival and my mind was just not working properly - so I ended up forgetting to registrar.)

You will notice that there is a large mirror in the background of some of the photos - each section of mirror is a little storage place. I thought that was wonderful. Overall, I’d say that being back here is like coming back to my ‘other home’ I just wish that I did not have to travel so far to feel like I’m where I need to be. Life is strange like that. One thing that I’m happy about is the mindset I’m in this time. I don’t have all the baggage I had last year and I just feel so much more positive about this round here in Rio. I do plan on coming back again and again - till my goal is reached.

I really hope that it stops raining soon - so I can get out and go on my walks around Barra - picture taking of course. It just sucks being stuck in the house most of the time. Till next time!

Stay tuned for more updates.

Peace :) Andre!

Missed flights - not such a plight...

Well I have just gotten through my first full day in Rio and it has been a bit of an adventure and hassle to get to the point where I’m sitting here typing this blog.

First and foremost I was to have arrived in Rio Tuesday morning but things did not go as planned. Being unmarried and single and unwilling to pay (afford) the fees for long term parking I asked my parents if they could drive me up to Calgary and drop me off at the Calgary International Airport. This meant that I was subject to their agenda; which is not normally a big deal. But in this case my mother decided to bring one of her vehicles in to the shop. The plan had been for her to bring it in before 7am and be back at her house to pick me up before 8am. Well it did not go as planned and we did not end up leaving my parents house till about 9:40am - with my flight leaving at 1:10 pm. My mother insisted that we would get there in time. Well long story short - I ended up missing my flight as I arrived at the Airport at 12:15 - which is 5 minutes after they close down the gates for flights heading into the USA. So I was pretty much out of luck. I was a bit bummed out and not really sure what I could do as there were no representatives from the airline that I was flying with who were available to consult with.

I ended up running into my parents as they had dropped me off and went to look for parking as they wanted to see me off. I informed them of what happened and we all just sat around doing nothing for a few moments. After about 30 minutes someone from the airline happened to come back to the ticket booth. There was another gentleman who was in the same boat as I and he was up talking to the lady. So I stood in line to try and find out how “shit out of luck” I was. When it was my turn to talk the lady I told her that I had missed my flight and that I wanted to know what my options were. She looked up the flights and told me that there was one going out later that day but nothing connecting to Rio till the next day. In the end she was able to find a flight out with the same times and connections - just a day later. I told her how much extra would it cost me and she told me that it would cost a little over $200.00 extra and that I would need a credit card. I informed her that I did not have a credit card and that I would have to ask my mother if I could use her credit card - I told her I would be right back. As I was walking back to my parents the lady called me back and said that it was okay and that she would not charge me for the new flight. I was supremely happy that I would not have to pay extra and it is a sign that there is some kindness left in the world.

After re-booking my flight and getting my new itinerary I went back and told my parents that I would be still going to Rio just a day later. Now the issue was whether or not we stayed up in Calgary in a hotel or drive back and get up early and make our way back. In the end we decided to just drive back down to Standoff and leave early Tuesday morning. We ended up doing that and this meant that I got to spend another day with my family before I left - it is always fun to spend time with my niece and nephew.

Nothing really eventful - we drove back home. I had planned on driving into Lethbridge to do a quick workout at the University but decided against as I knew that I had a large trip in front of me the next day and that rest was the best option. I ended up spending the evening with my parents and my nephew and we had some good laughs.

I woke up at 6am Tuesday morning and got ready and as a whole we left for Calgary by 7:20am - a much better start than the previous day. I ended up getting to the Airport at 9:55am. I checked in and got my baggage tagged and was ready to go through customs by 10:15am. But I decided that I wanted to spend a bit of time with my parents so I ended up hanging out for about another 20 minutes. After a few farewells and see-ya soons I was off to make my way through USA customs. Surprisingly it did not take as long as I thought it would. I was all zipped through customs and ready to board by 11:25am. My flight did not leave till 1:10 so I had a bit of time to kill. I ended up eating a hamburger and getting a coffee at star bucks.

Finally it was time to board and that went off without a hitch. My flight was to Houston and from Houston I would connect to Rio. From Calgary to Houston was approximately 3 ½ hrs of flight time. By the time we landed in Houston and I made my way off to find my connection it was just a bit after 6pm Houston time (just after 5pm as they are an hour ahead of us.) First thing I noticed was the heat as I walked off of the plane in Houston. It did not get any better in the terminal as it seemed the whole airport was a bit humid and hot.

Because I had eaten in Calgary and ate on the plane I decided to not eat in Houston - I just ended up having something to drink. I killed time by trying to log on the internet in the terminal and after a few minutes I was able to so but I have noticed that airport ‘free’ internet is pretty spotty at best-unless of course you’re willing to pay up some cash to become one of those elite members. I say no to that.

Anyhow, we were to have left Houston at 8pm but did not end up leaving till almost 9pm as there were some issues with the cleaning of the airplane. I finally boarded the plane and made my way to my seat - I now regret not having a credit card or asking my mother to use her card as I was asked back in Calgary if I wanted to upgrade to a seat with more leg room and did not. As this was a 10hr plus air plane ride. The only consolation was that it was a Tuesday night - midweek - and the plane was not totally packed. Still my legs and feet paid for it as they were aching and sore within a few hours of take off.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog - with pictures.

Brazil

Well been ages since an update.

1. i just finished my first year of teaching and i will be back in the fall to teach highschool again - not sure if i will come back.

2. I will be heading back down to Brazil to train at Gordo's academy next week - i will be leaving on july 13 and stay for a month and be back mid August.

3. i will be heading down to brazil in a much better mindset that I was last year - not as much baggage as last year. So i hope this translates to a better time; not only training but just the overall experience of Brazil and Rio.

4. i know that i will have to sacrifice lots to atain my goal of black belt in BJJ - but i will do it, i know that this will bring much more joy than anything else i've ever done.

5. i wanted to do the Rio Open but since i have not trained much up here i will have to skip it - just focus on a couple of training goals. Which are:

a) working on my guard passing - i was working on this prior to having to leave Rio early.

b) side mount - not only maintaining position but subbing from there.

c) Close guard - attacking (looking for the submission or sweep) as opposed to a surviving closed guard.

6. I want this year to be great - i want to continue training once i return to Canada and be well on my way to Purple by this time next year. I want to be open to everything.

7. I've spent too much time worrying about the future and harboring on the past - It si time to start living in the moment, the now! The past is dead and gone and the future is not here and more-so the future hinges on what I do in the NOw! So here to the new mindset - it will be hard work but nothing is worth having that does not come without sacrifice or hardwork.

8. Want to try surfing while in Rio....it was one of my plans but plans got cut short last year.

Well that is my update - this blog will be updated more often as I am now looking to Rio and Gordo's academy once again. Oh yeah - bless you if you are reading this.

Andre