To Brazil and Back Again by Jon Delbrugge part 1

I was sitting in the Crazy 88 Jiu Jitsu school office typing emails to people and making phone calls when my phone rang. Master Lloyd Irvin informed me that I was needed to go to Brazil to cover Mike Fowler and JT Torres in Sao Paulo at the World League Pro Jiu Jitsu tournament, and the icing on the cake was that I too would be able to compete. Unlike Mike and JT, this would be my first time ever going to Brazil period, let alone going there to compete. So, I knew that this was an opportunity of a lifetime and I had to take advantage of it. Unfortunately I ran into some problems along the way.

I did not have a Brazilian visa and the earliest I could get one was in 16 days (this is what the website said). Still I knew I had to make a very strong attempt to obtain this Brazilian visa. After back to back trips to Washington DC and Camp Springs, Maryland, I was able to get my visa in less than 24 hours (thank god for the nice people at the Brazilian consulate).

I got the call to go on Wednesday and I was on the plane by Thursday evening. Everything happened so fast I really didn’t have time to get nervous or  anything, I was given brief instructions on what to do when I landed. I had to find a red and blue bus, take it to the Renaissance hotel, find a phone and call Guigo. It took me about 2 hours to finally get the hotel. I could not find a pay phone in Brazil only calling card phones. I walked around the city of Sao Paulo to find a store where they sold calling cards. 1 hour later, I found a small stand that sold the cards. I called Guigo and he told me to take a taxi to his school. Finally I made it to Guigos academy.

My first day/ night in Brazil was pretty relaxing. Met up with Mike Fowler and JT Torres, ate some food and watched a few movies at Guigos house. It was very exciting to be able to hang out with such high level athletes and hear them talk about their matches and how they want to execute their game plans. I listened very closely and tried to pick up all the pointers I could.

Guigo's House in Brazil

Black Belt Bed

Purple Belt Bed

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