I managed to resolve a major problem with the contact page of ‘The Long Gringo’.

After hundreds of attempts, the hosting company fixed it within two minutes. I realised something was wrong with the webpage and the email account settings. I contacted the hosting company via their chat service, and the issue was resolved.

There are still some small tweaks that need to be made in the future, but that is more about the page’s evolution. Now, my first site is basically ready.

It is not an obviously sophisticated page, but a simple, beautiful personal blog with much potential to grow.

It is something special for people; it helps them learn and improve in the future. It’s not that I’m superior or better in any way; I just put some of my experiences on paper and help others learn from my mistakes, which can be very helpful.

If I’m going to be a blogger, I want to be a good one, providing nice posts with excellent content that can help others. The name ‘The Long Gringo’ has been on my mind for three or four years, and now it is becoming a reality, something positive that can help not only me but also others in many different and positive ways.

How will things go from here? Only the future knows. What is important to understand at this moment?

Only part of the work has been done, building the site. It has been a great accomplishment for me because I did not hire anyone or buy something ready-made. Yes, I used a WordPress theme, which was very helpful and normal for this type of site, but the rest was a rollercoaster, a learning curve that, in the end, has been very rewarding.

The next stage is to monitor it and fill it with high-quality posts relevant to people’s lives, avoiding AI-generated content or anything overly commercial. The world is complex in many ways, and if we can contribute positively, it’s worthwhile. I’ve made mistakes in my life, some more serious than others, but I’m motivated to do the right thing, learn from my errors, and perhaps be an example for others.

Life is tough, especially in Brazil. People are always searching for direction. I’m 57 now and feel like I have found my direction for the first time in the last 20 years. Over the past 30 years in Brazil, my life has been dedicated to my daughters, Jessica and Yasmin. One of the main reasons I’ve never left Brazil, even though I’ve wanted to, is that I don’t want to abandon them.

My father left my brother and me when I was 14, and my brother was 11.

Since Jessica was born, and even before then, I decided that if I had children, I would never abandon them. This decision made my future choices quite limited. Now that Jessica has grown up and Yasmin has almost finished secondary school, I can start thinking more about myself, what I want, and my choices.

I can help people find their direction. As for the financial rewards I would like, I have tried to be financially successful since my teens, but I haven’t achieved it. Whether it was because of my incompetence, a lack of intelligence or the tools to be more successful in life, a lack of luck, or just that it was not meant to be, it has never happened the way I would have liked.

Choosing Brazil during one of its most historically turbulent times, economically and politically, especially politically, has significantly impacted my success and that of others in this beautiful but chaotic country.

Now that I’m more focused on doing the things I want to do, projects, etc., finding pleasure in them, which have some significance in my life and others’, is a great plus for me. If one or more of these projects succeed, I can only be thankful and pass on whatever rewards I receive to Jessica, Yasmin and others in the future.

Last month, August 2023, was excellent for me, and I’m working hard to ensure the positive momentum continues. I am fully prepared to tackle the challenges ahead. I plan to have everything set up and running smoothly by mid-September.

Setting up an online store is a new challenge, but I am determined to overcome it. I see it as an opportunity to learn and improve. If I can successfully launch four websites and an online store while I’m in England, it will make this year successful.

Ironically, Brazil faces one of the worst economic crises in its history.

Numerous large companies are going bankrupt, and there’s a growing and intense divide between socialism and capitalism, which is having severe repercussions for the country.

President Lula is leading the country into a black hole, furthering poverty, corruption, and misery. I have been saying for quite a while now that we in Brazil live in an unassumed civil war. Nothing grows or improves when there is conflict and fighting. Despite this, I am highly confident and optimistic about my future.

Today was a day of self-pride for me. I completed the first stage of tweaking both ‘The Long Gringo’ and ‘PlaceBeads’ and gave some classes. I celebrated by cracking open a bottle of red wine.

However, there are still some problems with Yasmin. She feels wronged by me for telling her some truths. It’s part of being a father to be firm sometimes, and I don’t think I was too hard on her. I believe she has a darker side, which concerns me a little. I hope nothing comes of it, and only time will tell.

Be kind and be happy, and if you can’t be happy, still be kind, but not naïve!

In bed by 11 p.m.

Thank you.

Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Richard

Photos by Richard George Photography

The post The Long Gringo | From Overcoming Challenges to Finding first appeared on The Long Gringo.

It’s Monday again, the beginning of the week. I wake up at 4:30 and head out to the street by 5.

I work out from 5:15 to 5:50. Then I go to the bakery by 6:05 and back home by 6:40. After a quick shower, I have my first class at 7.

I have a relatively light schedule for Monday, with only seven classes throughout the day. In the past, it was typical to have an average of at least ten classes from Monday to Thursday.

However, due to economic challenges in Brazil and subsequent recessions, it became increasingly difficult to hire teachers who could match my tuition level. Initially, I had teachers working with me, but as the years went by, I found myself teaching 11, 12, or even 13 classes daily.

Everything came to a halt during the pandemic lockdown.

Even though I couldn’t receive any students at the school, I kept it open for a year during the lockdown, always hoping, like everybody else, that the pandemic would soon be over. But it never happened when we expected.

In February 2020, I had arranged to move from Rocha to Copacabana and rent Katia’s flat on Rua Duvivier. At the same time, I decided to vacate the school premises and work remotely. This turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

I suddenly fell ill with acute appendicitis in the middle of these changes.

If I hadn’t received treatment that day, I would have died within one more day. I had to stay in a municipal hospital in Rio for more than a week, and it was an unforgettable experience that I will share in the future.

So, having seven classes in one day is nothing for me. I gathered the courage between classes to start working on the site again. It turned out to be very rewarding. It is clear to me that whenever we start something new, we essentially know nothing about it.

We must accept that we are completely ignorant of that subject, but we are willing to take the risk of learning. We make a lot of mistakes, but as we learn more and put in the effort, we will eventually become proficient in what was once utterly foreign to us.

On Monday night, I went to bed feeling content. I was pleased that I had started to make progress and could see a real difference in my work. The key is to keep going, moving forward little by little and improving without stopping.

If you stop, it can be perilous. You miss a day and then another, and the void gets bigger to a size you think is impossible to fill, and then it’s game over.

Never stop. We can’t stop. If we stop, we’re screwed!

In bed by 10 p.m.

Thank you.

Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Richard

Photos by Richard George Photography  

The post The Challenge To Overcoming Challenges | Change | And Progress first appeared on The Long Gringo.