Bobby wants me to tell everyone Boa Tarde (Good Afternoon). He is sitting by my shoe as I quietly type this post for Wednesday, February 20th. Did you know that my weather pop-up lists Corvocado Mountain as one of the 1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die: Well, as of this posting, I have 999 left!
Much to my suprise, Nubia and her husband decided to take me to Corvocado Mountain yesterday afternoon to get my first look at the Christ the Redeemer statue. We had to drive up to a certain point on the mountain and then take a special bus a platform where we had to take staircases the remainder of the way.
Although I like roller coasters, work in skyscrapers occasionally and fly in airplanes, I generally do not care for heights. However, I understand that it just comes with the territory if you want to participate in certain things (i.e. play, work, travel). I will put it nicely to say that I was nervous winding through the streets up the mountain in the car and the bus. Of course, they made sure to put me beside the window so that I could see the entire view below!
We made it to the top safely, and the view was amazing! As a matter of fact, there is a small chapel at the base of the statue and there were putting the finishing touches on a very exquisite aisle on the opposite side of the base for a wedding that was scheduled to take place that evening. I wonder how much it costs to have a wedding there? It is a pretty unique idea if I should say so myself because you are literally getting married at the top of the world at the feet of Jesus. I would call that a serious blessing if I should say so myself!
As with any journey, an experience tends to give you a little bit of wisdom. Therfore, I am going to pass of to you these free thoughts that I received yesterday after my trip.
Much to my suprise, Nubia and her husband decided to take me to Corvocado Mountain yesterday afternoon to get my first look at the Christ the Redeemer statue. We had to drive up to a certain point on the mountain and then take a special bus a platform where we had to take staircases the remainder of the way.
Although I like roller coasters, work in skyscrapers occasionally and fly in airplanes, I generally do not care for heights. However, I understand that it just comes with the territory if you want to participate in certain things (i.e. play, work, travel). I will put it nicely to say that I was nervous winding through the streets up the mountain in the car and the bus. Of course, they made sure to put me beside the window so that I could see the entire view below!
We made it to the top safely, and the view was amazing! As a matter of fact, there is a small chapel at the base of the statue and there were putting the finishing touches on a very exquisite aisle on the opposite side of the base for a wedding that was scheduled to take place that evening. I wonder how much it costs to have a wedding there? It is a pretty unique idea if I should say so myself because you are literally getting married at the top of the world at the feet of Jesus. I would call that a serious blessing if I should say so myself!
As with any journey, an experience tends to give you a little bit of wisdom. Therfore, I am going to pass of to you these free thoughts that I received yesterday after my trip.
- When you need to learn something, immerse yourself in it. The bus driver (a Brazilian gentleman), upon learning from Pascal (Nubia´s husband) that I was American , began speaking to me in perfect English about his one year stay in America and how he learned to speak 10 languages easily. His advice to me was, when you need to learn something, immerse yourself in it. Take 20 words everyday and keep the list with you. Before you know it, you will be fluent in Portuguese.
- When you find yourself in hard or uncomfortable situations, find a positive in it. As we kept going up Corvocado Mountain, on streets without guardrails, with oncoming cars and where the van tires did not have much traction, I had to focus the outcome, which was in a few minutes I would be able to see an amazing statue and possibly, a once-in-a-lifetime view of Rio de Janeiro.
- When you look back on a situation, you may realize that it really wasn´t as hard as it seemed. It seemed like going up that mountain took at least 15 to 20 minutes. However, our trip back down took maybe 5 minutes and the van wasn´t going that fast. I even looked down at the favella below the entire time. It´s amazing how our perception of things can paralyze us with fear or strengthen us to climb mountains. The choice is ours.
Two full weeks of being in Rio, and I had to stand at the feet of Jesus to learn three invaluable lessons. Whatever your journey is today, I hope these insights will give you the courage to stretch yourself in new ways, press through the challenges and understand that you play a powerful role in how you perceive your experience.
Ate Logo! (See You Later!)
P.S. I will load my pics very soon. Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment