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.

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!

Update - exerpt from book

Hey, not sure if anyone reads this thing but if ya do a few things

I'm starting to feel comfortable in my job - as a high school teacher. It's a day to day thing but I'm finding my way and my place.

I'll probably be back in Brazil this summer - only for a month this time as I will be back teaching in the fall for another year then I will attempt to take another 6 months off of work to go back and train in Brazil - Rio, Gordo's school.

I've been working on a book chronicling my life during the time of deciding to quit my job and go to Brazil and my time in Brazil. Here is a small sampling - If you read this comment please. I'm hoping this can lead to other opportunities. Hoping to get it done by summer then start trying to get it published.

Here is a sample from the book "Life, Love, and Jiu Jitsu Adventures."

Chapter 2 - If Not for Bad Luck I’d have No Luck At All!

So how did a Native male from the Kainai Reservation find his way to Brazil and Gordo’s gym in Barra da Tijuca? There were a lot of factors that led me to pursue this dream and in turn make it a reality. But it can be summed up with one person’s name: Kenny Florian. Anyone familiar with the current fighter stable in the UFC will no doubt know that Kenny is a fighter who is one of the top contenders in the UFC’s 155 division. Ken-Flo (as he is known) recently (Aug. 2009) fought a losing effort for the 155 pound title against current 155 king pin and P4P fighter BJ Penn.

There were a few factors that led to my initial decision to pursue this dream and each one must be briefly mentioned and detailed in order for the full picture to be understood of what brought me to Brazil and Gordo Jiu Jitsu to forget the past, live in the moment and find a future.
I had mentioned earlier that I had made the decision to move my training to Gracie Barra Calgary and Professor Josh Russell. It is a 2 ½ hr trip from Lethbridge (where I was residing) to Calgary and the GBC academy and another 2 ½ hr trip back after training; in total I would spend 5hrs on the road to go train for 2hrs or so. Because of gas prices back then and time I was only able to make it up to Calgary to train about 2 times per week with the occasional 3rd session. But for me it was worth it as I was learning the Gi system and doing what I wanted not to mention it was keeping me out of trouble and I was making some new friends.

All was going smoothly through May, June and the early part of July. As I had mentioned because of distance and gas prices I was only able to make it up to Calgary to train twice which meant that I had to keep myself active and occupied. I would occasionally train back at Lee’s gym and also I would go for run’s and outdoor body-weight exercise routines. During one of these supplemental workout routines I had decided to go running through the hills and river valley like I usually did. All was going well about 10 minutes into my run. I had just made my way down the hill and to the river bottom trail that leads runners, walkers, bikers down from the freeway to the park along the river’s east side. I was just rounding a corner on one of the trails when I noticed some mud that had slid down from the hill (it had been raining a lot during the summer of 2008) and took note of it. I veered to my right to avoid the big pile up of mud and had just started to work my way back on the paved trail when I hit a small mound of mud and dirt and my right ankle hit just enough of it to cause my it to twist. Now keep in mind I was going a pretty good pace and the mound was a few inches off of the ground. I cried out in pain and stopped immediately. I attempted to shake it off and take a small breather to rest. I looked down at it and it was already swelling quite a bit.

I knew the ankle injury was a bad one; but here I was down in the river bottom about a good paced 20 minute run away from my apartment. I was not sure what to do and I was extremely frustrated that this had happened. I tried to walk it off but it hurt just putting any weight on it and I knew that the walk home would be about 1hr at the very least. I took a deep breath, bent down and laced up my running shoe as tight as I could get and started to jog. Let me tell you it hurt like hell but the faster I got home the faster I could start to try and get some ice on it. Well I jogged home which took about 30 minutes and after about 10 minutes the pain stopped. Of course I knew that adrenaline had kicked in as well as I’m sure some shock.

Once I got home I pulled off my shoe and was shocked at how huge it had swollen. I limped to the shower and washed off, put on some clothes and grabbed some food. By this time the pain had returned and I knew that I had a very serious injury. I put some ice on it, elevated it and chilled for the night. By the next day my ankle looked like there were two grape fruits on each side. And just walking was a reminder of my bad luck and stupidity. I limped into work that day and for about a week afterwards; by limping I mean hobbling very slowly. I was out of training and doing anything for 2 weeks. Nothing was broken but it was badly sprained and I’m very lucky I did not do worse jogging home. In hindsight I should have asked someone in the river bottom to give me a ride home. But as my mother would say “I was trying to be a hero” and it proved nothing to anyone; including myself. Chalk it up to male ego. This was 1 of 4 events (a run of bad luck?) that contributed and set in motion the decision that Brazil was somewhere I needed to go.

The next string of bad luck happened in the form of an infection on my leg. The decision to travel that far to train also had it’s setbacks. Namely, that GBC did not have a shower installed. This is fine if you’re living in Calgary and not so fine if you live 2 ½ hrs away. When I did go up to train it was always a night before planning; a lunch, my Gi and training gear, something loose to change into after my training session, and some sort of disinfectant wipes so that I could have something resembling a shower. Well for the most part this was not a problem. However, at some point it was inevitable that I would catch something - the biggest worry being Staph infection. Well at some point during the early part of July 2008 I had received a small scratch on my right thigh - no biggie. It was not really something that really grabbed my attention. In my years of doing grappling I had received 100’s of scratches and scrapes all over my body so in all honesty it did not even capture my attention, after all I was wiping myself down. Well it ended up being something that should have gotten my attention sooner. Initially, it seemed like it was a heat rash but after about a week and a half I stared to become worried. I eventually got it checked out near the end of July and found out that my leg had an infection on it. . I got some medication that cleared it up within a week or so. This occurred around the same time as my ankle injury thus I did not get it checked till late July and already being out of commission meant that I didn’t have to worry about training and spreading it around to others. On a side note; I’ve noticed that a lot of people do not practice the same discretion when going to the gym. In fact a simple shower before training would greatly aid the combat against infectious skin ailments. So take note all you disgusting, non-showering Ultimate Fighter wanna-be’s; practice safe and clean grappling and fight the fight against the outbreak of skin ailments amongst us grappling practitioners.

The 3rd and misfortune of summer of 2008 was closely related to the previous misfortune. Around the time I got the skin infection on my leg I was also having some problems with the ribs on my right side. There was some discolouration and what appeared to be bruising around the ribs. I chalked it up to the Judo throws we had been practising at GBC. Anyone who’s done even a bit of Judo will surely know how it can take a toll on the body and leaving you hurting and bruised so I assumed that was why my ribs hurt like hell. When I finally got in to see the doctor I inquired about my ribs and showed her the bruising. She took a close look and informed me that I had contracted a case of the Shingles. WTF was my immediate thought. The doctor informed me that Shingles is a form of herpes virus and is passed on from skin to skin contact. Again, my best guess would be somebody from training passed it on to me and I can be fairly certain that it was not due to any sexual activity with any nasty girls. I know this because I was in the midst of trying to woo a girl I had known for a few years and had finally taken the plunge to try and win her affections sand turned out to be quite possibly the biggest “lost cause” I’ve ever taken on.

Brief Update

so it's been ages since i've wrote in this thing.

1. I'm now a teacher -after graduating with an Ed degree and never going into teaching I'm not teaching High school Science and Math although I'm not a major in either. Next semester I will get to do two English courses so I will be in my element.

2. I'm really hoping to make it back to Brazil for 5-6 months - now that my father is getting better and stronger I really want to go back down there and do what I love doing which is Jiu Jitsu.

3. Dispite loving Jiu Jitsu I've not trained much since I've gotten back to Canada. The first month i was here i ended up having to stay at home with my father to keep an eye on him. Then i started work as a teacher and that ate up all my time. I also think I started falling back in to a depression because I really was not getting joy from anything. But the urge is there and any day Now I'll return to my love - Jiu Jitsu.

4. Well my Father is doing well and getting stronger each day which is a huge relief and weight taken off my shoulders.

5. I still think about and miss Molly - as pathetic as that is.

6. I spent way too much money at x-mas.

7. Hangovers hurt like hell... ha ha!

8. Everyday is a struggle to get up and make it to work but each day also seems a little better than the last and all I can hope for is that someday I get rid of the blues.

9. My book has 70 pages done already (25364 words). I hope to get it done by March and start trying to shop it around and get it published.

10. My phone hardly ever rings anymore but that's okay - I really wish that that one person who was so elusive would call me - but that's just a dream.

11. I gained back all the weight that I lost in Brazil and then some...but I will get back in shape ASAP.

12. I found a place to live in Strathmore and stay there during the week and go home to visit my parents on the weekends.

13. since I've been back I've only seen one gal that interested me and being the timid fool I am I let her go without even getting a number or name. Gotta start living in the now and living like it is my last day.

14. The weather up here has been crap for the most part. Although in the last week it has warmed up a bit and most of the snow has melted. a few weeks back we had tempetures in the minus 30's so anything is better than that.

15. No Retreat, No Regrets will continue on into 2010.

Peace....!!

Andre

Moving Forward

Well, things are looking better. I think my Visa problems have been sorted out and my Brazilian Visa should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully not later as my plane leaves Thursday Aug 06 @ 3pm from Calgary and arrive @ 9am Aug 7 in Rio.

I just picked up the R$550 - $550.00 in Brazilian Currancy today. Paid for the first 3 months of my stay (worked out to $1316.44 in Can funds for 3 months stay.)

Everything seems to be going teh way I'd like them to. Now if only other issues could come to a 'closer' I'd be so much happier leaving.

But I guess it's forward to whatever awaits me.

"I would have been her fool."

Please let me have who I want this time, what I want...

Nothing really to this particular blog - just on my last couple of days of work and feeling scared and happy all at once. I will miss working here and the cool co-workers I work with and just the atmosphere here at the U of L.

Things seem to be slowly going forward - I just heard from Pousada da Sol. in Barra da Tijuca section of Rio and they sent me a quote for one room. Pousada da Sol is like 15 minutes walk from Gracie Barra in Barra da Tijuca - so i hope this works out it would be perfect.

I just hate to get my hopes up; as every time i do things seem to just go to hell and fall apart. I got my passport in the mail, finally. Now just book my flight, send away for my visa, sell my Jeep. And then off to find some happiness.

This song is from the movie This is England and it's just my soundtrack to my life on June 29th, 2009.

"The life that I've had can make a good man bad. For once in my life let me have who

I want. Lord knows it would be the first time."

Take care and all the best to anyone who reads this.

peace

A.