Three Months in Brazil I went south for the summer. Way down south, to Brazil. I returned back to Canada Sept. 1st. I took advantage of a three-month leave from work to hone my skills in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I had the opportunity to train three times a day with some of the best fighters in the world. This was a great opportunity to learn new techniques and improve my fighting skills from world champions and the best coaches in the sport. A typical day would begin at 8 a.m. with a two-hour Jiu Jitsu session. That would be followed by an hour-long weight work out, lunch, some beach time, and back into the gym at 2 p.m. for mixed martial arts training. After a dinner and rest, I would return for a Jiu Jitsu class at 8 p.m. I would do this five days a week. Thank God the academy was closed on the weekends. During my time in Brazil, I competed in the World Cup of Jiu Jitsu, the Brazilian State championships — where I took the gold medal — and the Mundial World Championships. Also, one of my coaches (Shaolin) arranged a super fight in a tournement called Rip Dorey. Where I beat the Luta Livra Black belt 4x0. In August, I was able to relax, with my training cut back to one session. Aside from serving as an invaluable training opportunity, the foray to Brazil also gave me important perspective on my life in Canada. I certainly appreciated the warmth of the Brazilian people, their love of life, their love of good food (Canadian food sucks) and the beauty of the ladies... l mean the land.