Thursday 9 July 2015

French Riviera & Moules Marnier

Over the last week or so, the thing I've learnt about Jiu Jitsu is that there is no malice, we don't hate one another, we don't need to be scared of the fights, we go there to have fun and learn and better ourselves. We also compete well when we are happy, have no stress and can enjoy the day for what it is.

Last week I went to Nice in the South of France to compete in the Nice open. From the airport I took the bus, and a young lady called Ruba got on and noticed my Jiu Jitsu bag. She too was competing in the Nice open and came all the way from Jordan to do so. We were in the same Masters 1 Purple belt divisions, but she was 2 divisions above me in weight. There would be a chance that I would fight her in the open class.

Nice, France
I was staying in a yoga studio booked via Air BNB. I hadn't used it before, so I was quite excited what it had in store. I was pleasantly surprised, and even got a free Bikram Yoga class added to the stay. It was perfect, as my hip was hurting a little from training that week.

Before Bikram Yoga
The day before the competition I travelled to Monte Carlo on the bus, got some lunch in a little cafe off the main drag. I walked down to Monaco, walked some of the F1 Grand Prix track, then walked up the hill to enjoy the views of Monaco. I took the train to a little beach, that wasn't that great, so I carried on the train to Cannes. I loved Cannes, it was lively, the beach was great, all sorts of people were there from tramps to high rollers. I had a little sunbathe, read my Ronda Rousey book, then went for a little something to eat.

Monaco

Cannes beach
I always make sure I have a decent dinner the night before a comp. I had Sea Bass and artichoke hearts and drank a whole litre of Evian water. I couldn't get wifi, so I pulled out my book and entertained my brain with the alternative.
The young man sitting on the next table couldn't pay his 5 Euro bill as they didn't accept card payments under 15 Euros. He was stuffed. He couldn't leave as they thought that he might not come back, and he couldn't pay. So I told the waiter to put it on my bill and for the young man to pay it forward.
His name was Kimba and from South Africa. He was in Cannes as he was working on a boat and they had docked for a couple of days, so using his free time, he enjoyed a coffee in La Cirque cafe.

I headed back to Nice on the fast train. Met some lovely new arrivals at the Yoga studio, Callaghan and Jenna from Texas. Callaghan was the niece of Michael who owns the studio, and she was travelling with her friend Jenna, teaching dance workshops around Europe.
They asked me why I stayed in hostel style accommodation, when I could afford to stay in a hotel? A lot of people ask me this, and its simply because Hotels are lonely places. When you travel alone, stay in a hotel, you may not speak to someone for a couple of days. In hostels, you meet so many people and you can have a great chat with everyone. Sometimes that's not possible because of the language barrier, but even so, knowing that you have company in the same dorm, it's very comforting.

At 11.30pm, I got a phone call from my mum and the worst news possible. My dad had come over to England on a trip that he booked a while before. He wasn't well, he had Jaundice and had lost a lot of weight. I was shocked to see his condition and it was getting worse. He had headaches every day and wasn't eating very much. My mum told me that night that during the day they called for an ambulance. She was fed up of the doctors fobbing him off and not taking his condition seriously. So the ambulance came, and my dad pretended that he had blacked out and fallen over. The ambulance took him to the hospital and he got the CT scan that he desperately needed. It showed that he had lung, pancreatic and brain cancer.
I was devestated. I cried instantly and wanted to come home. My mum said I should just stay and compete and come him on the Sunday like I had planned. I was the first person she had called, so I had to do some phoning myself. I couldn't get hold of my brother, so I called my cousin Lindsay, then finally I got through to my brother after. Then I called my uncle Eddie in San Diego and we had a chat for a while. He's very calming and a great person to talk to in a crisis.

After being awake all day, and trying to sleep that night. I finally cried myself to sleep about 3am, and was up again at 8:30, and cried as soon as my eyes opened. I wasn't sure how I was going to cope at the tournament, but I was just going to be strong and give it a go anyway.

It was one of those mornings where I just couldn't think straight. I needed food to set me up for the day, but even then, my brain felt fuzzy and I kept forgetting things. I thought I lost my purse, but found it in the bottom of my sports bag, I thought I lost my hair band, so I bought another one, but found in my bag after the tournament. It took me ages to find the venue, then when I finally got there, it was stifling hot and so sweaty. I found Sam Gibson, River Dillon and Alex Cabanes and hung out with those guys for the afternoon.
I saw Ruba in the Bull pen and we chatted for a while. She is so nice.
Someone once told me that you shouldn't talk to opponents in the bull pen, you should stay focussed, concentrate and not be friends with them. Every time I tried to not talk to people, I lost a fight and didn't enjoy myself. So I changed it, chatted to the other ladies, had fun and really enjoyed the fights.
My name was called early, but I didn't feel ready. I hadn't warmed up properly and didn't have my gum shield in. I panicked and just went to the mat. My first fight was with Sirlei. She was awesome. I didn't give her the fight that she deserved though. I lost by about 12 points as I couldn't concentrate. all I could think about was my dad the whole way through the fight and was getting more an more upset with each point that was going on the scoreboard.
Sirlei's hand was raised and I burst into tears. I've never cried about a fight, and I never will, but I'm sure that everyone there thought I was upset because I lost. I went back over to where Sam and River was sitting, and they too thought I was crying about the fight. I explained to them what was happening.
Jolie & Sirlei
Sam was amazing, he put things in to perspective for me and made me feel so much better. I wiped the tears, found the strength, and competed in the open class.
My first fight was with Ruba. It was a battle, but a good battle. It was so close at the end. I had mount, but couldn't get my foot out to score the 4 points to take me in to the lead and win by an advantage. If only there were 20 more seconds....
My next fight was Sirlei again. It was a battle and the most fun battle of them all. I lost the fight by about 7 points, but I actually didn't care, I just went for the fight and I guess to get my monies worth. It was great for people to watch, we both had fun and laughed at the end, then gave each other a great big hug. I'm sure that won't be the last I compete with Sirlei. She won gold all day long, and so she deserved to. All the ladies were amazing and we hugged and smiled all afternoon.


Silver for my woes

Purple belt Master 1 Open Class - Ruba, Sirlei & Jolie
That night I went out with Callaghan and Jenna for Moules Marnier and a good chat about their travel plans and their life, and we spoke about my dad. If I stayed in a hotel, I would never have had that, and I certainly wouldn't have had the huge hugs they gave me and I really needed.
I couldn't wait to get back and see my dad.

Callaghan, Jenna & Jolie

Moules Marnier & Pomme Frites
I was up before my alarm, bags packed and out the door. My flight home was rough and I asked the universe to just let me get back home safely so that I could see my dad.
Once at Gatwick, I got to the car park, and lost my car..... I looked around for it for ages and ended up getting the car park guy to help me search for it.
The whole journey to the hospital was surreal. I didn't feel like I was here. I was tired, sad and anxious. Then finally I got to the hospital and give my dad the biggest hug of all. He looked better than when I had left for France, he was on steroids, eating lots of food and making himself stronger. Apparently he's had his condition for about two years, but it went unnoticed. His body was so fit and healthy, it kept the cancer at bay.

Now it's about taking each day by day. Not planning, just enjoying all the time I have left with my dad. He's my hero and I'm going to be as strong for him as I can.

Dad in Spain with Maemo

Dad in Granada

Cocktail happy hour in Koh Samui

Joker! In Maya Bay Thailand


Now for the food....

There's no recipe as such, just an idea. Having Moules Marnier and pomme frites in France, made me realise that you can still have a Paleo idea version of it.

Moules Marnier and sweet potato fries.

Simple as that!




I will have a recipe for you next time.

Enjoy life!

Jolie x

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