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Pre-Departure Update from Brazil
April 14, 2009
Wow, I just dried my eyes from a short cry so figured it was a good time to share the latest from here in Brazil.
I was chopping up guavas and bananas for my regular morning ritual with my best Brazilian buddy and neighbor Gil. He asked me how I was feeling but then he answered for me, “Triste, eh?” (Sad…). He and I have grown quite close and he clearly was tuned into how I was feeling. I had just returned from the beach doing some yoga and a nice run, which usually gets my head screwed on just right. But this morning something was different—the reality has set in that I’m going to be leaving my Brazilian family shortly and this was one of the last times I’d be sharing juice and coffee with my friend Gilbert Porto.
Gil and I last Easter Weekend
As I write those words I have to shut the door to my place (usually always open) to cry yet again as I hear my little Daniel playing outside, the cutest 5-year old boy you will ever meet. I hear Gil’s voice as he wonders about caring for little Daniel like he was his own son. Little Daniel has been abandoned by his father and is now cared for by his terribly overworked single mother Daniela who has no other option but to trust me, Gil, Serg and Luciana to give him the love he needs. And funny thing is, he gets it—everyone loves him, feeds him, plays with him, guides him and takes him in. Why? Because that’s the way things work here. People care for people, watch out for one another, call and keep in touch, give gifts, share, give…
I will miss this so, so much.
I’m so grateful that I have, over the last 7 years of world travel, built an ability to stay open to new close friendships—knowing that I will have to leave eventually and deal with the pain. I observed myself at one time in my travels staying distant, closed, surface and unauthentic with my relationships on the road. It was a self protection mechanism I was unaware I had implemented until relatively recently. It would serve nobody for me to hold back being who I really am, so I engage fully—bonding, sharing, caring, giving and receiving like any “real” friendship. The only downside of this is saying goodbye and moving homeward bound.
But the truth is that the pain only lasts a short time but the memories are forever. It’s worth it and I would not change this level of openness for anything.
So now that I’ve let go of tons of tears I look around my little apartment here as the sun finds its way through a cheesy, yet totally acceptable, shower curtain covering my sliding glass door to the balcony. My pad looks like a bomb went off. There are maps everywhere, manuals to various new cameras, guide books, notes and pages of my book proposal, camping and biking gear, tripods, surfing paraphernalia, tools, parts, books, duct tape, dirty clothes—just to name a few.
A butterfly just came in my room. Looks like this below. Wonder if she’s the one I bonded with camping recently.
I returned last night from 4 days in total paradise. I was invited to spend the long Easter weekend with the Brazilian crew I just finished crying about leaving. Guarda do Embau is the name of the town and I can’t say enough about this slice of paradise. Don’t leave the planet until you see it. The waves were amazing, company stellar, weather perfect and festive energy flowing all over. Laughter, dancing, joking, celebrating—it was divine. The Brazilians really know how to live, and I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to let their way of being rub off on me just enough to mold the next version of the ever-evolving me. Before that it was 4 days on my writing retreat with a lovely friend Delia. Here's a video of both advetures below.
A Video from both my 2nd writing retreat and my Easter weekend. Enjoy!
As many of you know this stop in Brazil had two main purposes. The main purpose was to get the process of my first book going, currently entitled Live Big. Give Big. Love Big. The second purpose was to study my 6th language, Brazilian Portuguese. The book proposal is 87.5% done with mostly fine tuning and some sample chapters remaining. My Brazilian Portuguese is good enough to have a deep, meaningful conversation with any of estimated 400,000,000 Portuguese speaking souls here in Brazil or scattered around the world. I could not have communicated with them just 2.5 months ago. So, on all the major “purpose-fronts”, mission accomplished.
On the not so purpose-focused side of living I begin to question why everything has to have a purpose all the time to begin with. I witness myself multi-tasking, planning, analyzing, strategizing and creating almost constantly—as if there really does need to be a purpose for each moment of life. The time in Brazil, being amongst so many people with such drastically different values than mine, has been a lovely opportunity to consistently challenge my values in such a positive, meaningful way.
So today I’ll be officially beginning to pack, plan, and invite my friends to come join me for a tour of Ilha de Santa Cantarina (Island of Santa Cantarina, the island I’ve been living on the last few months). My first tour of Brazil will be “baby steps” as this island is quite peaceful, has minimal traffic, is loaded with natural wonders and has fun surf. Oh, did I mention that it’s one of the safest places in Brazil?
Ahhhhh, safety. This one word seems to be the topic of far too many conversations lately as I get closer to finally leaving on a solo mission of Latin America on a tandem bike while carting a mobile high tech studio worth many-o-thousands of bucks.
The last conversation I had was with a friend Anna who shared that two of her friends had knives put to their throat in Rio for their Ipods and backpacks. Makes me wonder what they might do for my gear. But then I remember I am not going ride in Rio, just like I would not ride my bike through South Central Los Angeles.
Before this chat there were the dozens of conversations about my trip that always seemed to end in stares of disbelief when I shared that I had made it though 66 countries without being assaulted. Why should it be such a big deal to make it so long without harm? The fact that they were so surprised only makes me fear the roads ahead more than ever—even more than Africa, yes. But as always, I plan to avoid as many high risk areas as I can by talking to locals as I did in Africa. It worked there and I plan to make it work here in Latin America.
But I still have some massive butterflies in my stomach. It’s not just the fears of the road, but also challenging myself once again with filming for a TV series, finishing my book, meeting new people, and all other ways I seem to stretch out of my comfort zone on a regular basis. But with this stretching I know comes growth and I’m grateful for all I have learned from my past challenges and plan to keep stretching :)
So this is the latest and greatest from Brazil. Stage 3, my final leg of this dream trip around the world, has just about arrived. I would greatly appreciate any prayers you could send my way for my well being and peace of mind. It’s not an easy life I’ve chosen but I really would not exchange it for anything. Prayers and positive energy right now would be epic as I transition back to pedaling mode! Thanks in advance!
If you are reading this from the newsletter, keep in mind there are more posts on the blog, accessible from the homepage of www.peacepedalers.org.
Here are some nice photos of the “Best of Brazil” to date at: http://picasaweb.google.com/peacepedalers/BestBrazil?authkey=Gv1sRgCLmLvbm0juab6gE&feat=email
Have a lovely week and feel free to come out pedaling!
Live Big. Give Big. Love Big.
Jamie
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