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| BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // September 2016 | |
Dear Globetrotters,
What a summer this has been. The camp here in my hometown, Copenhagen, was an amazing experience. Sometimes I travel so much that I forget to stop and look at the place I live. Having a camp here with 150 visiting friends was an opportunity for me to experience my own city from a different perspective, and I really enjoyed playing tourist for a week :)
Next up is USA camp in pretty much the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire, just one week from now. After that, I have a few months off for rest & research, trying to figure out what adventures we'll be up to next year.
Hope you'll enjoy the newsletter!
Have a fantastic day, | |
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What you'll find in this month's newsletter:
- How Ryan became a Teacher in Taiwan
- Featured traveler: Hannah going across the world
- Photos from Copenhagen Camp
- Globetrotters Academy in focus: Ahjo Training Center, Kerava in Finland
- Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org
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Teaching in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Recently the head coach of Kaohsiung BJJ advertised in the BJJ Globetrotters forum that for native English speakers there are plenty of job opportunities within teaching at various schools in Taiwan.
An interesting approach to traveling and training, and an obvious way to finance some of the traveling, we decided to dig a little deeper. We were lucky enough to find and have a good talk with Ryan Fernandez who started out as an English teacher in Kaohsiung and ended up hanging around for a lot longer han planned. Read his story below and find tips on how to make the move... |
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"Traveling will lead to making contacts all over the world, which will lead to more training in varied locations, which inevitably leads to more contacts. Thank God Facebook can keep all those people organized and just one message away."
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Quick facts about Ryan
Age: 36
Belt: Blue
Profession: Teacher/Entrepreneur
How many years in BJJ: 2 years
Where do you live: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Where are you originally from: Maryland, USA
Other information worth knowing about you Ryan:
I have been a teacher for 12 years, a nightclub owner for 6 years, a live musician, DJ, and part owner of my BJJ gym.
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Tell us a bit about your job in Kaohsiung – what do you do? I’ve been teaching in Kaohsiung for 7 years. At first I taught at the international school in town. It was a 45 hour per week job with a good salary. After my 1 year contract there was over, I opened my own nightclub with a friend and reduced my teaching hours to about 10 hours per week.
After 6 years in the clubbing business, we have started planning and promoting large outdoor festivals here in Taiwan. Last April we had a 3 day beach festival with over 18,000 people in attendance. The event also featured daytime activities including a No Gi BJJ tournament. We are working with our head coach Dan Reid, to increase the size of this BJJ tournament for 2017. We are also planning to run a BJJ camp during the beach festival. More details on that will be ready soon.
My business partner in the club and I are co-owners of our gym, with our head coach Dan Reid. I train at least once every day, and work hard to promote the gym and keep things organized. I have recently stopped teaching(temporarily) to prepare for graduate school at a local university. My classes will start this Fall. I will be pursuing an MBA with a focus on Human Resources. The nightclub business, event planning, teaching, and the gym are all going well. I have no complaints. And although I have very little free time, I am pretty much always working on things that I enjoy. |
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Nog training with the guys at Kaohsiung BJJ where Ryan trains when not running his nightclub, making events or teaching
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How did you end up working as a teacher there? When I first left home to teach, I wanted a job in Europe. After having some trouble securing a teaching job that could cover the high cost of living in Western European countries, I started looking for jobs in Asia. Someone told me that Taiwan is a friendly and safe place, so I did some research, and bought a plane ticket.
That's cool...sometimes life is pretty unpredictable! Tell us what you like about Kaohsiung? Kaohsiung never gets too cold. I haven’t seen snow in 9 years, and I don’t miss it. The locals are overwhelmingly friendly people who are open to meeting foreigners. Teaching pays well, while the cost of living is low. And, it’s a safe place, with very little violent crime and no guns. |
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What is the training like there? We train hard, and we don’t use air-conditioning. It’s hot, and we sweat our asses off. Our gym has 18 sessions per week, and most members train at least 3 times per week. Although we have lots of beginners, we are improving quickly as a team. We just won first place in the largest No Gi competition in the country. Everybody is feeling extremely good about that, and even before that, the gym had a really positive vibe. Our head coach, Dan Reid, is excellent, and he just received his Black Belt at the Leuven Summer camp. He coaches 7 of the weekly sessions. He pushes us pretty hard, but he keeps it fun too. Some of our higher belts take the other sessions. We currently have around 50 members. |
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Can you give us some examples of experiences you had that makes it worth traveling and training?
My training began in Taiwan, and has taken place almost exclusively in Taiwan. However, I attended the 2016 Globetrotters Summer Camp in Leuven, and met an American guy who lives and trains in Italy. That was really fortunate, since after camp I spent 3 weeks in Florence with my dad, and I also got a chance to train at my new friend’s gym. So one of my few traveling and training experiences immediately opened the door for more training in a new place. Traveling will lead to making contacts all over the world, which will lead to more training in varied locations, which inevitably leads to more contacts. Thank god facebook can keep all those people organized and just one message away.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you moving abroad?
The most surprising part for me, as a long-term expat, is how comfortable I’ve gotten living outside of my home country. After 9 years, and a couple of business ventures here in Taiwan, it feels like home.
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Ryan competing at the Panasian |
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If you were to pass on advice based on your own experiences what would you like to say to the Globetrotters community? Find a place away from home where you want to live, not vacation. Find out if and how you can find a job there, then find out if there are people training there. Living and working in a foreign country is a big commitment, and a lot harder than taking a vacation or a long backpacking trip. If you can commit to 1 year abroad, then you will have a good idea of whether or not it’s right for you. The worst that can happen is that you don’t like it, and you go back to your home country again.
Take advantage of Facebook and other social media. Reach out to people who are training in the areas of the world that you are interested in, and find out if a visit or a long-term move makes sense for you. After my coach posted on the Globetrotter’s wall this week, I’ve had extensive chats with 5 different people who are now considering moving to Taiwan to teach and train. Of course, I recommend it highly. But if you want more info, send me a message and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
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| Only a few spots left for our next Beach Camp in El Salvador! |
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Featured Traveler: Hannah going across the world
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Traveling around Europe and joining the BJJ Globetrotters camps we met Hannah Kampf. She participated in both the Bournemouth and the Copenhagen summer camp as some of the first stops on her training journey across the world. We interviewed Hannah to learn more about her story, travel plans, and perhaps get a couple of useful tips.
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Age: 25
Belt: Blue Profession: I was a Project Manager for a construction company How many years in BJJ: 3.5 Other martial arts: I've been competing in mixed martial arts for 3.5 years. I started with Muay Thai and boxing Where do you live: I was living in Southern California. But technically I'm homeless now :-) Where are you originally from: Montana, USA Other fun or curious information you would like to share: I'm currently in the boonies in Southern Spain, working on renovating a cave house |
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"I really enjoy training new places and new people.
Every time it's scary, and every time it's worth it and I end up with a big smile on my face."
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Hi, Hannah, you recently embarked on a longer journey across the world, tell us what inspired you to travel and train – who, how and why?
Just over a year ago I was not very happy in my job and life. I'd just had surgery on my nose after getting knocked in training and couldn't breathe through it at all. I was having difficulty getting the training I needed for my fights. I wanted to turn professional in MMA but struggled finding the resources for a good camp.
I decided to put everything I had into saving money to fulfill my dream of traveling and training before going pro. In the year before I left, everything improved. I met good people, moved up in my job, and found some great Jiu Jitsu where I was living.
I was so excited about finally being true to my heart that I started attracting more positive things. By the time I left it was a bittersweet goodbye. |
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Fantastic! Let's have a snapshot then – where have you been, where are you now, and where are you going? I started the trip in London and then to Bournemouth for the 2016 UK Camp. It was such a good experience, it really reinforced everything that I was doing. Now I'm in Andalusia, Spain doing a Workaway program at a cave house. Right now I'm drilling a new cave and some other labor, including teaching l some martial arts to one of my hosts. I was in Copenhagen August 15 for 3 days, then it's back to the states for two weeks before heading to Asia for as long as possible. I plan to travel until my money runs out!
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Hannah at the BJJ Globetrotters Bournemouth camp |
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What are some of the things you enjoy about traveling? There's something really fun about never knowing what's going to happen or who you're going to meet. I really enjoy training new places and new people. Every time it's scary, and every time it's worth it and I end up with a big smile on my face.
The Globetrotters camp was really a blast! I managed to lose all of my credit cards and my ID and still have an awesome time. It was really cool having a feeling of community like that so far away from my old home. I felt like everybody really took care of each other.
What has so far been the most surprising experience for you when traveling?
I think it's cool how easy it's been to meet people and make friends. I had a lot of people tell me I was crazy for traveling alone. What I realized is that those people are the ones who have never done it. Traveling solo is the way to go!
Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip?
I really try to set up my accommodation as much in advance as I can, and I'll be doing some of these work programs along the way. This way the bed and food is taken care of in exchange for some work. Also, hostels if nothing else and trying to prepare food from grocery stores. Of course sometimes accommodation falls through.
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If you were to pass on travel advice to your fellow BJJ Globetrotters, what would it be? The future is uncertain so travel if you can! I'm so happy I did it!
If you would like some travel advice, have suggestions for Hannah, or free mat space, a spare bed or anything else you’d like to offer, you can find her here.
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| Photos from Copenhagen Summer Camp |
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The late summer weather was beautiful for our Copenhagen Summer Camp this year, held in a new location near the beach and city. We had an absolutely amazing line up of instructors this time, learning from Alexander Trans, Sinistro Iturralde, Shanti Abelha, Bruno Matias and many more.
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| BJJ Globetrotters affiliated Academy in Focus: Ahjo Training Center, Kerava in Finland |
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"In school or in work you end up with certain kind of people that only represent small portion of the population but on the mat you get everybody together and everybody is in the same line."
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Facts about the Gym
Where is the gym located: We are located at Kerava, Finland. 30 km from Helsinki. Easily accessible by train.
How many people train there: almost 200 (BJJ, boxing, judo, MMA, muay thai), only BJJ about 70 (adults + juniors)
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training: Our highest rank is our beloved coach Delcio Pereira 3rd degree De La Riva black belt, and below that everything to 6 year old junior white belts.
When did the gym open: August 2014
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Hi Ilari, when you're not researching technology you're the proud owner of a the Ahjo Training Center! Tell us a bit about your training experience and how the gym came into existence...
I'm 37, and I’ve been doing judo for almost 30 years. I was always interested in the newaza (ground fighting), that’s how I ended up doing BJJ, and now have about 10 years of experience in BJJ.
Well, Tuusula and Kerava are nice small towns not too far away from Helsinki the capital city of Finland. Currently Kerava is doing nice things to grow and attract people (it hasn’t alway been like that).
So Tomi (the co-founder) and I were part of a judo club in Kerava but we wanted to move forward and do things the way we wanted to do things and thus Ahjo Training Center was established.
We wanted to start a gym that you would rather spend time in than at home :-D
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Ok, and what people are training there and why?
The people in our gym come from all walks of life. I think that is the best thing. In school or in work you end up with certain kind of people that only represent small portion of the population but on the mat you get everybody together and everybody is in the same line.
That said, different people have different motivations. Some people train to stay fit, some to compete, some to learn some self defense but what I think is common for everybody they want to be with friends and have fun. The atmosphere in the gym is amazing, everybody is smiling and talking to each other even though the hard work.
And if you know Finns that’s not normal :D |
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Hahaha, yes I guess Finn's and Finland are better known for their size and the beautiful nature rather than their talkativeness :-) but with all these engaged people in your gym, how do you then see the future for BJJ in your area?
I see a bright future. The whole BJJ scene in Finland is growing and the Finnish Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Association is really doing good job and things are starting to be more and more professional.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym :-)?
20 minutes away is Helsinki, a beautiful city worth taking a day to wonder around and oh so famous Finnish nature is close by. Also you have to go to a sauna while here ;)
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Cool, and thank you very much, Ilari :-) If you are traveling to the area, you can find the gym here and get in touch with Ilari here. |
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| Free travel offers from Matsurfing.org |
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| Every month in this newsletter, we'll be bringing a few of the interesting travel destinations offered by Matsurfing.org. The rest will be published seperately in the monthly Matsurfing email. If you are interested in opening up your own home and/or academy to BJJ travelers, sign up on www.matsurfing.org!
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Ciuba, Brazil Host: Natã Scheffer
Contact email: nata@protegel.com.br
Can host: 3
The host: I´m 21 years old, purple belt from Brazil, I like to travel and meet new people and different cultures. Bjj gave me the best moments of my life and a lot of friends around the world.
The place: I live in Brazil, my city´s name is Cuiabá. Cuiabá is located in the middle of Brazil, we´re close to the "Pantanal" and the nature around here is awesome, there´s a lot falls close to the city.
The training: I practice at the Coliseum Gym, there´s a lot of guys praticing there everyday. It´s a really cool place to training and make new friends. I´ll be very glad to host a Bjj bro here and show them a little bit of the Brazilian way to live and training. Peace out brothers! |
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Helsinki, FinlandHost: Tommi Sohlberg Contact email: tommi.sohlberg@hotmail.com Can accommodate: 2 The host: 34 years old open minded and friendly Finnish purple belt. I've been training BJJ about 10 years now. Training as much as possible but other duties like work and studies are a bit limiting it at the moment. The place: Helsinki, capital of Finland should include some places to see. It always depends when you will be in Finland. It makes difference are you there in middle of summer or in middle of winter. But i can guarantee there is always something to see or do.
The training: Good training at HIPKO (www.hipko.fi). We are having four different gyms. Two of them are pretty close from the place we live. First one is about 5-10 minutes by bike and other one about 15 minutes. Other places takes a bit more time but those can be managed by car. Chance to join instructed class every day and sometimes we are just having "own" trainings without any predefined context.
The accommodation: A house in east side of Helsinki. About 30 min away from city center by public transportation (10 minutes walking to subway station and about 20 minutes trip to city center). Close to the Baltic sea and forests and in general pretty calm neighborhood. In our house is also living two small but friendly dogs. |
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Hessen, GermanyHost: Jan Philipp Kießling Contact email: jp-kiessling@gmx.de Can accommodate: 4 The host: My name is Jan, I'm born 1984, 3 stripes Whitebelt and work as a Electrical Engineer. I cross train a lot of stuff like kickboxing and JuJutsu but BJJ is my biggest love. I came to BJJ Globetrotters by meeting and crashing his couch of a fellow Globetrotter in Florida. I celebrated July 4th with him and his friends and this was a whole new way to get to know the US and quite a party! I like to meet new people, esp JiuJitsu ones and would be happy to host you.
The place: I live on an old volcano in the middle of Germany. On top of that vulcano they build a fortress and put walls and a village around it. The fortress is gone but the village still there. One of my outer walls is a part of the old wall. You have a beautiful view from there. Since it is a village the bus / train connection is quite bad. Like 1 bus per hour, but it's there and I can also pick you up with my car from the near train station. If you like medieval stuff I can show you the beautiful and old inner city of Marburg and it's castle. We got some lakes here where you can swim in the summer (July/August best for this) The training: I train in a multi Art School 20 mins by car away. We have BJJ twice a week. But we have more globetrotters in a near schools by car which I'd happily visit with you and in Marburg we can sneak into the university BJJ three times a week.
The accommodation: I live alone on three rooms. I have two sofas and each one can be expanded to a bed. You can use my kitchen etc of course. Wifi available ;)
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