Journalled on Friday, 1 September 2023 | Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro: 26 degrees, warm, cloudy and slightly sunny.

It’s September, just a little over two months until I go to England, and I am trying to manage my expectations. It will be my first time in over 20 years.

I feel selfish asking myself how September could top August, which was amazing and surreal. This month, I plan to focus on creating more content for my blog, “The Long Gringo.” My main goal is to consistently post high-quality material without worrying about financial rewards. It’s essential for me to feel good and enjoy what I’m posting, as I believe that if I’m not enjoying the process, the content won’t be as good.

Ultimately, I want to be proud of what I share with my readers. I want the sites to be profitable and generate financial rewards and recognition for my work. However, if it isn’t to be, then it won’t be. But I hope it will be. I have high-quality, valid content that can support anyone, especially my blog readers who may need it.

I hope what I have been writing since December 27, 2022, is inspiring and helpful. We all need help because we all feel lost at times, even when we are going in the right direction. But sometimes, nobody can confirm, support, or validate it. Sometimes we need that validation to continue. We are animals and humans, and humans need other human beings for support.

I have many expectations, but I also have uncertainties, and I am trying to manage those expectations. I want the project to be a success, especially ‘The long gringo,’ but having high expectations can be detrimental to future outcomes. While I would love for it to succeed, I also want to be realistic about it.

Warren Buffett once said, “When you are going to get married, what do you look for in your partner?

Money? Good looks? Authenticity? Professionalism?” He answered, “No, you should look for low expectations so that you are not going to be too disappointed with your partner in the future and vice versa.” I have always told my pupils that high expectations kill our desires and wishes, whether for a trip, a new business, a new car, or a new relationship. High expectations will kill it, and we usually walk away disappointed, frustrated, and upset.

I remember a time when I was dating Bebel. We had mutual friends before we started dating. Carnival was approaching, and we were suddenly invited to two events outside of Rio in Petropolis, Itaipava to be more exact, a town and region about 60 kilometres from Rio, known for its hills and mountainous area.

On the Saturday of carnival, we were to have lunch with our mutual friend and his cousin, who at the time was a congressman in the Brazilian Congress in Brasilia.

On the Sunday of carnival, the next day, we would also have a barbecue with one of my pupils, who is #2 at the Brazilian Central Bank. Both events were close together, about 10 to 20 kilometres apart, one after the other on consecutive days.

If we could not find a place to sleep after lunch on Saturday, we would have to return to Rio and come back on Sunday for the BBQ. It’s important to remember that this is carnival weekend, and a large portion of the population travels during this time.

It is part of the Brazilian culture to do so during the extended bank holiday. Because of this, almost everything is fully booked, so our expectation of finding a place to sleep the night in or around Petropolis was virtually zero.

On the Saturday morning of the carnival, as we headed up to Itaipava, Petropolis, we encountered torrential rain all day, making matters even more complicated. The lunch on Saturday was delightful. We were very well received and had a great time eating, drinking and talking.

It was late when we left at 9 p.m., and whilst we were looking for a place to stay, it was still raining heavily; it was dangerous to drive in the rain with only 4 metres of visibility ahead of us.

Despite the challenging weather, we eventually found a guest house at the top of a mountain. Fortunately, due to many cancellations caused by the heavy rain, there was a vacancy for the night.

The next day, we discovered we were staying at one of the region’s most beautiful and well-situated guesthouses. After an excellent breakfast and rest in front of a lovely swimming pool with crystal clear water and birds diving into the water now and again, we went to the BBQ and had a great time with our friends.

We had found this fantastic guesthouse in the middle of nowhere, and at night, in pouring rain and pitch-black conditions, but it turned out to be so lovely and unique that we decided to extend our stay instead of returning to Rio. We ended up exploring the region for another five days. We had low expectations before going, so we did not expect much. However, it turned out to be one of the best carnivals of my life.

Three months later, we travelled to Sana, a small village about 200 kilometres from Rio near Buzios. Buzios is an iconic town on the coast of Rio de Janeiro. In the past, Bridget Bardot regularly visited Buzios; nowadays, there is a full-size bronze statue of her on the main street.

In Sana, a beautiful little village in the mountains, we went rafting and went to bars where live music played in the main square and on the side streets at night. Having had a great time in Petropolis during carnival, we had high expectations for our trip to Sana. Due to the three months of anticipation leading up to the trip, the experience was good but not as enjoyable as Petropolis; the expectation had killed it a little for me.

So, I am trying to keep my expectations low, but I am crossing my fingers for “The Long Gringo.” Let’s see what happens. It’s the start of a new time of journalling, a month and the beginning of a weekend. I’m also trying to set new rules for myself, no wine this weekend.

I worked until 8 p.m., which is rare for me on Fridays.