Didn’t quite believe me, isn’t it?

So I’m still doing it… mask off, mask on, breathing without mask, replacing the regulator second stage – etc etc – all the way!

Conquer your fear

It’s 3 o’clock, am, no TV, no books, no tomorrow… In Maldives is monsoons season, when you can’t predict the weather for more than 3 hours. Today the sky is full with stars, so it won’t rain for some time. The air conditioner is doing its job – outside is a wet sticky hot, which can be barely calm down in the hot calm Indian Ocean. No waves, this is a lagoon.

The island, Kuredu, has 1,5km all around. You can walk it through in half of hour. It’s all sand – white sand – nobody wears any shoes, not even the man who waspiloting the seaplane…

First day I was a zombie – I’ve tried unsuccessfully to sleep, to eat, to relax, to rewind – no way! I had another movie running in head, full time. The welcome massage synchronized a bit my inner and outer world – I was in paradise, what the heck! It’s time to enjoy it!

Since my sis infected me with the scuba virus, I had it on my list for quite a while, tried it in Italy, got water in my mask, scared to death – heart pumping heavily in my ears, so I’ve abandon it in the middle of the session. But since it was a virus I have infected my significant one, therefore he put it on his list – so here we are giving it another try. We are 3 students: us and one Russian. The trainer is French, Benoit, speaking perfectly English. After some theory we went to lagoon and tried the gear. It was easy: put on and off your mask, cease the fish in shallow water, control your buoyancy. I could do it. The second lesson we went further in the sea. Don’t stop breathing, equalize the pressure, adjust the air in your BCD (buoyancy control device) – I was scared but brave. We were going deeper and deeper and after some time my glasses were so full of steam that I couldn’t see anything – only fog and moving shadows. Then the trainer showed us a black hole and said let’s go for it! No, really? I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, why should I want to go in that hole? So I told my French guy: I’m not going there! We had a long conversation about this: did I have problems in my ears? No. In my heart? No. In my head? Definitely! So he made a very wise decision, change the route, take my hand and said that we’ll go just for a little more: about 1,5 cm – he shown me with his eloquent hands. He was articulate, smart, experienced, fit, so I trusted him with my life. And there we are, deep in the hole, with my steamy glasses and my heart bumping in my head. There was no fun, just my will trying to control my closer and closer panic attack. But I stick it in, and I went all the way out. The next night I could finally sleep. The third day we had an open water diving. The French man abandon us – he was French after all, so we’ve got a German instead, worst English, laughing like crazy, definitely not my type. We went by boat in the middle of the sea, put the gear on and jump in the water. The French fixed my glasses before I left – it was supposed to burn he protection film before using them. How should I have known it? Nevertheless seeing is a bless. I didn’t need any hand, any support, I was free and independent. And the world deep there is breathless: millions of fishes all the colors: blue, red, green, yellow, big, small, round, fat, I was the little mermaid. There was no shark today. Over 26 species of sharks are living in Lhaviyani Atoll. Baby-sharks are coming close to the beach looking for food; and sometimes parents-sharks too. Don’t touch them is the main rule. And control your fear; your mind is more powerful than anything else.

 

I’m here to stay

Turvallista Suomea

Remember my Saab? The classical one ?  Then keep remember it because someone else liked it – and just took it! From turvallista Suomea! It just had new tires, new cd-player and new GPS.  And no insurance! It’s not that I really was in love with the car, but I had to walk today to town… let’s see how it will be when it will start raining. So, whoever you are – take care of her and bring it back to mama… You’ll find my address pressing “home”, just follow the indications – I’m waiting…

Gone with the wind…

18 hours of flight… In the end, the TV monitor became smaller and smaller, the headphones were crushing my ears and every bone in my body was cramped in the microscopic space of the British Airways’ craft. But I made it…

In Rio was winter, deep darkness at 21:00. Three girls at the airport were fighting to sell us a ride. We took a cab to the hotel. It was good that I was not alone. The traffic was chaotic and quite long…

The hotel was beautiful, the streets were empty, but the ocean made worth it all the effort … Great waves, salty water, warm, I love the water, I love being surrender by the water, under its power, a little unsafe – but still friendly, small drops of adrenaline pumping through my veins. I didn’t dare to try it in the first night – so I had to wait for the second day; bitter- sweet taste of waiting…

First day in Barra da Tijuca– small walk on the beach – yes the water was exactly how I dream about it… Outside was quite cold, maybe 20C – it was winter after all…

Second day was working day – the Brazilians are good for samba, but don’t let them organize anything for you…

Third day we went to Ipanema. My guys were all young, looking for girls, counting their money, but never the less, I belonged to the group, I was not an outsider like in almost all the other occasions… In the night we went to see a local samba group performing in Nuth. We could not entry without IDs, metal detector checking and pictures taken of each of us- quite scary, after all the stories with dangerous Rio in the night. The people in the club were mixed, gay friendly and sex selling friendly, but after the band started I began to dance and everything changed. One old lesbian couple showed me some moves, another one said I was looking like an amazon – I was in friendly waters. Alone, but not entirely…

Fourth day I had my presentation. The 3 hours of sleep I have spent stressing about it. I have tried to check everything, but in the end only one of my movies was working. My Finns came to support me, after the sleepless night! Waw!

Fifth day we went to see Christ the Redeemer and the Sugar Loaf. It was a jeep trip with a very talkative guide. A huge balancing of cable car spiced out the trip. Jeesus was there, embracing us all: “Our Father in heaven… lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

In the evening I went home. Today is the second day since I’ve left the southern hemisphere and my time is totally upside down. I can’t sleep I can’t eat, I can’t unwind; Rio mixed up my rhythm completely.