I will be on my way to Brazil. Sometimes I get nervous, but most of all I am just excited about visiting this new, mythical place. The mecca of BJJ. This experience seems to have fallen into my hands -- I woke up at 4:00 one night in February and decided I had to go.
I have been in contact with Robert Drysdale, a BJJ black belt under Leo Vieira. He invited me to train at his club, Equilibrium, in Itu Sao Paulo, and to stay with his girlfriend, Michelle Nicolini, for 2 months. Michelle is also a black belt and weighs about the same as me. I can't wait to learn from both of them.
Only 4 weeks to go. Most things are taken care of. Next week I'll get my last few vaccinations and hopefully have my visa approved. Strangely, I'm not nervous to stay with Michelle and her family in a new environment -- they have already shown me extreme kindness and generosity. I'm mostly nervous about training intensely with new people. What helps me is knowing how much I trust my own body -- it will let me know how it's doing as I go.
