Daniel Lehmkuhl in London!

Results!

2011-10-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Thank you for all your support and encouragement. I finished 6th overall in the world and earned a Medallion for Excellence for scoring in the top 10% overall. I will have more details and photos when I get home, but I need to get some sleep as my flight leaves early tomorrow morning. Thank you again for all the great support!

-Daniel

One School, One Country, Opening Ceremony and Competition Day 1

2011-10-05T16:55:00.001-07:00

Hello friends!
Well once again I have to play catch up since the schedule yesterday made it difficult for me to get online and post, and for that I apologize!
Yesterday was an incredible day. One of those day I am sure I will remember for the rest of my life. One of those days I will probably tell my children and grandchildren about in the years to come. Myself and the rest of the WorldTeam had the opportunity to participate in a program put on by WorldSkills International called One School, One Country. We visited a primary school in Stratford, a suburb of London, and spend several hours with roughly 150-200 kindergarten though fifth grade students. The students had spend the last few weeks learning all about us and about America, and about the skills/trades we represent. They lined the street to welcome our bus as we approached the school. They screamed and cheered and waved homemade American flags. Then each grade level performed a song/dance routine honoring us as their special guests. We introduced ourselves and then entertained a 45 minute long question and answer session. They we played with them on the playground and gave out gifts and visited with them for about 20 minutes. After that we ate lunch with them in the cafeteria which was a great opportunity to sit and answer questions and make new friends! Next, each of us competitors visited a different class where the students had learned all about us and our trade, and had made art projects related to it. I had a kindergarten class where the students had made little paper cars with cardboard wheels and brightly colored sides. It was really touching to see how sweet and proper these kids were, and how excited they were to share with me their creations. Stratford is a lower income area with a very diverse culture, yet all of these kids seemed to be so kind to each other and so respectful of their teachers. It was truly heartwarming to see and be a part of. Then they lined the walkways and made a tunnel for us to run through as we left, cheering the whole way. I can say this for sure, there was not one of our 17 faces that didn't have a smile a mile wide as we rode the bus back to our hotel. It was truly a special experience.
The opening ceremony was also last night and was quite and exciting event. There were an abundance of dance performances, live music, speeches, and excitement. I had the privilege of carrying the American flag on stage during the Parade of Nations which was a really neat honor.

Needless to say, it was a very long and tiring day. So worth it though!
Now, today was competition day one! Long, tiring, but overall successfull. I'll post a photo or two, but I will have to add more details and photos later as they become available!

Tour of London and more!

2011-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hello there!
Yesterday was a fantastic day, I apologize for not updating sooner, but I was exhausted last night, and very busy all day today. I've decided to keep this post mostly pictures since I have a lot of them and they're much more enjoyable than reading my writing!
We spend the day doing what is call the London Excursion which is an all day tour of London via bus, boat, and air. The first neck of the journey was aboard vintage double decker buses which they brought out of retirement for two events, our event: the Skill Olympics, and they will also be brought out for the 2012 Summer Olympic games. Our tour produced the largest ever recorded convoy of double decker buses in the world!
Just a quick note, I would like to give a shout out to all my friends at Rizzoli's Automotive, I brought my trusty hat with me yesterday as I toured around London! You might see it pop up in some of these photos.

Photos include: St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, The Tower of London, Views from the London Eye, and a famous pub!

More pictures and stories to come when my internet is working better.

Cheers!

Washington D.C. to London!

2011-10-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Good evening from London! It's time to recap the last 24 hours which have been... well... eventful! I woke up yesterday morning, and we headed out of the hotel only to find that instead of boarding a bus to take us to our appointments around Washington, we had to ride around in this:

We affectionately nicknamed this "the hummerlimo" and were chauffeured expertly around D.C. despite several stops to have the vehicle swept by the Secret Service and explosive sniffing dogs. It was definitely traveling in style, despite that fact that we packed 22 people into that limo. We got an awful lot of people waving, smiling, and taking pictures as we drove around. It was pretty fun, made
us all feel rather important.
Our first stop of the day was at the White House to meet with President Obama's Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra in the conference center. He was a very warm and gave us a 15 minute talk about what he does and how he is working with the president to develop a system to improve Emergency personnel response times to vehicle accidents. I was particularly interested in this subject because of my involvement in the Automotive industry. Based on the conversation with him, I would not be surprised if we see an OnStar like system become standard on all vehicles sometime in the near future. The purpose of this being to immediately alert emergency services of your location and the condition of your vehicle upon any sort of collision.
After pausing for a team picture in front of the White House, we headed up to Capitol Hill to meet with the Caucus on Career and Technical Education. Here I had the privilege to briefly share about my past competition experiences, and also to share my thoughts on the importance of Career Technical Education at the High School and Post-Secondary level.
After this, we made two more stops, one at the Department of Education and one at the U.S. Senate.

Our last stop of the day was a team photo in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Then it was off to the airport for a 7 hour flight over to London. We arrived safely and had a fairly uneventful (albeit long) ride to our hotel. We did a little exploring this evening, but most of the day has been spent trying to recover from jet lag and get everything set for the next week. Tomorrow we will be going on the London Excursion which is a bus tour, cruise on the Thames river, and a ride in the London Eye, the largest Ferris wheel in the world (so I'm told). I'll do my best to get some good photos.

That's all for now!

-Daniel

The Journey Begins: San Luis Obispo to Washington D.C.

2011-09-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,
Day 1 of my adventure has come to a close, and I think it can be best summed up in one word: tiring. Made it safely to Washington D.C. where I met up with the rest of the SkillsUSA WorldTeam for a meeting over dinner. We have a pretty busy schedule planned for tomorrow including multiple House and Senate visits, a White House visit, and a team photo in front of the United States Capitol. Tomorrow will be an early morning, so I am off to try and tackle this project of getting my body to adjust to the time change. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated! Check back tomorrow for a report on our day on Capitol Hill!

It's Go Time!

2011-09-27T23:15:00.001-07:00

It’s finally here. After waiting for two years, spending hundreds of hours in preparation, and traveling over 10,000 combined miles for training, I will set foot on an airplane bound for Washington D.C. Thursday morning. Not long after that, I will be heading to London, England accompanied by the other 16 members of the 2011 SkillsUSA WorldTeam, for the 41^st WorldSkills International Competition. It is really hard for me to believe that the time has finally come. I am so excited for this adventure to begin!

The last few months have been a flurry of activity and short notice trips to some interesting parts of the country. It all started this summer in Kansas City, MO with the 2011 SkillsUSA National Championships.

There, I went through nearly all of thestations in both the Post-secondary and secondary division to practice for the upcoming competition in London. This was fantastic practice, and it was great to see all of our SkillsUSA friends from around the country. While in Kansas City, I also met up with the rest of the SkillsUSA WorldTeam for the first time.

After spending the week in the city, I traveled down to Pittsburg, Kansas with Ron Downing and Scott Norman (USA Technical Experts for Automotive Technology) to spend another week training at their fantastic Pittsburg State University Facility. Their staff of instructors including: Bob Schroer, Tim Dell, Mike Elder, and others, transferred a wealth of knowledge to me as I began to prepare for the WorldSkills competition. During the week in Pittsburg, I stayed with Ron and his wife Suzanne in their beautiful home and they introduced me to some of south-eastern Kansas' greatest hits including: Chicken Annies, Chatters, The Deli, strip-mine pits, and Brutus, the largest electric powered coal mining shovel in the world! (Or something like that).We also visited Joplin, MO where a tornado had struck 4.5 weeks earlier and killed over 150 people. It was quite a sobering experience to drive through a town that had a majority of its area literally wiped off the face of the earth. This was a very sobering experience, but damage like that is something you just can't understand until you go there and see it yourself.

After traveling back to San Luis Obispo, I have spent the next several months training intensely for the competition. Thanks to BMW North America and MINI USA, I was able to spend a full day at the Western Region Training Center working on the 2011 MINI Countryman. Also, thanks to Sunset Honda in San Luis Obispo, I have had a 2011 Honda CRV at my disposal for the last month and have been using it to train extensively for the competition!

So now it's go time! The bags are packed and the work is done. I am very much looking forward to this trip and will be posting updates on here every day. Please visit often and follow me as I pursue my goal of earning the first ever gold medal for the United States at the WorldSkills level in Automotive Technology!

Daniel Lehmkuhl

End of the Year Update

2010-12-06T00:23:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

As 2010 comes to a close my mind drifts memories from the last year, and looks ahead to the excitement of the next! Looking back, I think I can safely say that the trip to Brazil I got to take in March was the highlight of the year (and quite possibly my entire life to this point). Looking ahead, I am super stoked to begin what I am anticipating will be nearly nine months of focused preparation for the WorldSkills 2011 in London next October. While the contest technical description and standards have not yet been released, I've begun discussing strategy and polishing up on my European diagnostic skills in anticipation of what I fully expect will be the most difficult contest I will face in my career. It is a daunting, yet severely exciting challenge that has motivated me to train and practice as much as I can, and give this thing my best shot! If you're at all interested, browse around the WorldSkills website and you can get an idea of what the event will be like. Also, I want to take a minute to say thank you to Rizzoli's Automotive, Snap-On Tools, Lowe's and all the other folks who support me and the WorldTeam, you are the ones who make all of this traveling possible! And if you are interesting in becoming a sponsor of me or the team, please contact me at daniel.lehmkuhl@gmail.com . Thank you!

Exciting News!

2010-08-27T12:38:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been an eventful summer filled with good experiences and exciting news! The Skills USA National Championships were held in Kansas City at the end of June, and I was fortunate enough to win a silver medal in the Post-Secondary Automotive Service Technology competition. But the most exciting news of all was when I was informed that I have been selected to compete in the 2011 WorldSkills International Championships in London representing the U.S.A in the Automobile Mechanic competition. I am very excited about the opportunity and am looking forward to a year of preparation for this exciting event. Check back for more updates, I am going to be posting information on a regular basis. For more information about the WorldSkills Competition, visit www.worldskillslondon2011.com

Update from Kansas City

2010-06-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a long and tiring day competing from 8 AM until 4 PM but its finally done! I feel pretty good, things went well and I had a fairly large and rather raucous group of supporters following me around all day cheering me on which was awesome. We will find out results tonight at the medal ceremony around 7 PM Central time. Last night was our banquet with all of the business and industry members and sponsors. I got to spend a good amount of time chatting with Tim Zilke, President of ASE as well as the president of NATEF, former NASCAR driver, team owner, and ESPN commentator Rusty Wallace, and several Snap-On higher ups. Pretty fun stuff. I'll post results as soon as we find out.

Skills USA National Championships

2010-06-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

It's competition time again! I am flying out to Kansas City tomorrow afternoon for the 2010 Skills USA National Championships. I will be posting updates and (hopefully) pictures all week long. Competition day is Thursday and results will be known Friday evening. Stay tuned!

Skills USA State Conference

2010-04-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Headed down to San Diego for the weekend for the Skills USA State Conference. I will be competing in the Automotive Service Technology category in the Post-Secondary Division. I'm also very excited to have my cousin and good friend Ben Sjogren compete in the AST High School Division. Should be a fun weekend!

Big thanks to Rizzoli's Automotive and the Rizzoli family for their generous sponsorship!

Victory!!!

2010-03-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Two silver medals for the USA!! Chase Trayal (Cabinetmaking) and myself, both received the silver, which was the highest we could possibly achieve. This was because the gold medal in each competition was given to the highest scoring Brazilian competitor as I explained earlier. So to us it is a victory!! We are very excited, and the celebration has begun!! I also was awarded the Best In Nation trophy, which is given to the competitor with the highest percentage score for each nation.

More to come, but I must go to the celebration now!

Competition Day 4

2010-03-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

Its all over. Today was the last day of competition, I worked on Steering, Suspension, and Wheel Geometry (Alignment) this morning, and Ford Focus Engine Performance this afternoon. I did well, I believe scoring higher than 80% on both islands. Tomorrow we are going to take a sky tram to the Sugar Loaf, and then we head to the closing/awards ceremony. Then they throw a big celebration afterwards apparently. Interesting development today, we were informed that there will be one gold medal awarded, two silvers, and two bronze. In this competition, there are international World Skills Competitors like myself, and then there are a number of competitors from the different Brazilian states. They told us that the highest scoring competitor out of the Brazilians will be awarded the gold medal, and then the highest international competitors have a shot at getting a silver and a bronze. So, gold is out of the question, but at this point I will be very fortunate if I am able to medal at all. But we will see. I will post results as soon as I have them tomorrow!

Competition Day 3: Mid Day Good News!

2010-03-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

It is lunch time here at the competition site, and I was able to jump on a computer. Good news! Things went very well this morning on the Peugeot manual transmission station. I have a new translator who is an American living here in Brazil, so the communication has improved. The manuals are still in Portuguese, but I was able to work through it, and I actually finished before the two Brazilians working on the same station, so that gave me a little confidence boost.
But, its time to eat now, pray that this afternoon things go well on the Renault Braking Systems station.

Online Video Broadcast

2010-03-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

If you want to watch the live video broadcast and coverage of the competition, visit http://www.senai.br/Olimpiada/ click on the British flag on the top right corner of the screen to translate to English and then click on the news tab.

Competition Day 2

2010-03-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Today was very rough. Did not do very well on the Citroen Electrical System or the Diesel Engine Performance. All the service info was in Portuguese and it was ugly. Took me nearly the whole first hour to communicate through the translator with the judge to find out exactly what I was supposed today. The Diesel was even worse. The diagrams were wrong, also in Portuguese, and my exam sheet was translated wrong so I spent 45 min diagnosing a problem that didn't exist. The manual was 6,500 pages. All in Portuguese. Oh well. Grin and bear it is the name of the game. Learning to work hard, endure the heat, and not get frustrated. Character building :)

Photos: Competition Day 1 and Opening Ceremonies

2010-03-10T19:12:00.001-08:00

Day 1 on the Portuguese computers with Gustavo my interpreter, and my tech expert, Scott Norman watching.

Showing my buddies Bruno and Rafael and also Gustavo what is written on the pocket screwdrivers I gave them as gifts, prior to the start of the contest. You can get an idea of how massive the setup is from this picture.

Reading the competitors oath on stage at the opening ceremonies. Probably the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever felt. The applause for the USA was so loud I had to stop and I'm looking over at the MC to figure out what I should do.

Chase, myself, and Kyle with our escort for the ceremonies.

Prep Day and Competition Day 1

2010-03-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lack of updates- Yesterday and today have been... very challenging. But, spirits are up! :) I'll try and share a few things while the internet is working, then I must get to bed. Sleep is hard to get down here and I have to be up and back on the competition floor in 6.5 hours.
The bus leaves our hotel at 6:15 every morning and we arrive at the competition site at about 7:15. The venue, Rio Centro is phenomenal. The complex is made up of 5 Pavilhoes (pavilions, for those of you in Rio Linda). Imagine 5 buildings, each the size of 4 Costcos put together, connected by courtyards and walkways. Its crazy. And the Brazilians have gone all out. The place is decked out the the slightest detail in in the most elaborate displays and decorations you have ever seen. I'm going to try and get pictures of it up eventually because it is really impossible to describe without being here so I won't even try. I'm thinking of making a video, walking from one end of the complex to the other, to show you what it is like and really how top notch everything is. Anyways, this part of Brazil is semi-jungle ish and that means it is hot and humid. And there are bugs. The pavilions are air conditioned... kind of. Outside its at least 85 degrees and very humid. Inside its maybe 80, but it feels even more humid. You basically just sweat. All day. Lovely! :)
Yesterday was supposed to be tool unpacking and competition familiarization, but it ended up with us sitting outside in the heat until 10 am waiting for instructions. Then they talked to us for an hour, sent us to lunch, then told us to come back at 2pm. We come back at 2 and they tell us that they are not ready. We come back at 3.. not ready. Come back at 4... Finally ready. 2 hours to unpack tools, check passports and inspect tool boxes, then dinner time. After dinner, 3 hours of familiarization. We finally left Rio Centro at 1045. Everyone else left at 7 pm. Back to the hotel at 11:30. An exhausting day.

Today wasn't much better. It was supposed to be the first day of competition, I was slated to work on the Citroen C3 Electrical Systems Station in the morning, and Volkswagen engine measurement in the afternoon. Again, wake up at 5:20 am, bus at 6:15, arrive at 7:15, wait for 3 hours in the heat. Finally they bring us inside and have us sit at the stations we are going to compete at first. After sitting for two hours, they send us back outside. Apparently the computer network crashed. Packages of crackers, fruit, granola bars, and Guarana (juice they drink here, tastes like red bull and pear juice mixed together) are brought to us for lunch. Finally at 1, they let all the other stations begin working while I have to sit because my station isn't working. 3 hours later, the group finishes and I am still sitting there (I think I fell asleep for an hour). They tell us to hurry and get dinner, we come back half an hour later and then they tell us they are not ready until 430. Finally at 6pm, after waiting for nearly 11 hours, I begin working on my first station of the competition. Engine Mechanical Measurement on a VW Fox engine.
Oh and one thing I didn't mention, the entire competition is in Portuguese. All the technical info, the cars, the scantools, the computers, the manuals, etc. My interpreter, Gustavo, is very nice, but the extent of his self proclaimed car knowledge is "I fink dey have four wheels, en dey usually runs on gas fuel." He showed up today with a printed English to Portuguese automotive dictionary from the internet. Needless to say, I am picking up Portuguese fast. I was fortunate, that they were able to translate a few of the technical words on the exam sheet so I could tell which measurements I needed to take etc. I literally had to hunt and peck through an entire online VW technical manual with only a few sheets of Portuguese automotive terms and try to find the procedures and specifications to disassemble, measure, repair, and reassemble this engine. The expression "finding a needle in a haystack" came to mind. But, God intervened, and after 11 hours of waiting, I just wanted to get my hands dirty. I tore into the engine with a vengeance, popping pistons, rings, micrometers and feeler gauges flying. One piston had the wrong size compression ring, the cylinder was tapered about .07 mm, one of the connecting rod caps was loose along with a main bearing. The crank thrust washers were the wrong size and one of the main bearings was too large as well which had locked up the crank. The water pump bolts were loose and I think that was it. I fixed everything, recorded all my measurements and had 15 minutes to go. I don't think I have ever reassembled an engine that fast in my life. Thanks to Rizzoli Automotive's generous sponsorship, I was able to purchase some tools which made the job a lot easier. But again, God had to have been involved because I installed the pistons, oil pan, head, and timed the engine and finished with 2 min to spare. So far, the only one in the competition to finish. All in all I feel like it was a good first station and I am happy. Thank God for his help!!
Tomorrow, 8am I have to make up the station I missed today due to tech difficulties. Then the president of Brasil is coming to tour the competition area, so we will be visiting with him. Then I forget what I have tomorrow afternoon. I'm exhausted. The water down here comes in little plastic cups with foil sealed tops, so the other competitors always joke with me about how I have a stack of basura (trash) with me all the time because I am drinking so much water. Staying alive!
There is so much more to tell, but I'm done for the night.
Boa Noite!

Day 4 Photos!

2010-03-09T00:31:00.001-08:00

At the headquarters of Vale with our Dutch friends Leonard and Anne.

Interviewing for a Brazilian newspaper.

The beginnings of the crowd.

Day 4: Tour and Opening Ceremonies

2010-03-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

Day 4... where to begin? Woke up this morning about 6:30 am we had to get one our official dress uniforms: brown dress shoes, khaki slacks, white shirts, American flag ties, and blue blazers. Then we got on a bus and were taken to the the headquarters of a company called Vale, which is one of the largest mining companies in the world. They are a huge sponsor of the competition, and they gave us a presentation about their operations around the world. It was fairly fascinating although it was in Portuguese, and the English translation was quite rough. After that, we were loaded back onto the bus and driven to the arena for the opening ceremonies. We arrived along with the countries of Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Suriname, Jamaica, and a few others. They asked us to wait outside and suddenly all these buses start pulling up. Out pour scores of Brazilians in matching uniforms depending on what state in Brazil they were from. Bus after bus pulls up and unloads roughly 50 people each until suddenly the whole area is a swarming mass of several hundred people. Each group has its matching track suits and uniforms, flags, horns, drums, you name it. They start chanting and cheering and dancing around for no apparent reason. And here the the four of us Americans in suits while the Brazilians are going crazy chanting and dancing. It was quite fun to watch. Very very hard to describe. We took some video and I will try and post it soon, you have to see it to believe it. Then, someone realized that we were from the USA, they immediately started yelling, "hey, USA! God Bless America!! (in verrry rough English). Here is another thing about Brazilians.. They ALL own cameras, and they want to take a picture of you every two seconds. We literally had a line of people waiting to take a picture with us. And they all wanted to shake our hands and try to greet us in English. We had to wait outside in the heat for about an hour, then we were taken inside to a small gymnasium with no air conditioning, only several large misting fans. It was miserable in there, especially in a heavy wool suit. Soon, the entire group of several hundred dancing, singing and chanting Brazilians were packed in to this gym. There was Brazilian dance/pop music playing and every time a song came on the whole room became a whirr of dancing and singing. Then whenever an American pop song came on, they ran over and wanted us to dance! And they knew all the words. They all sang "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus at the top of their lungs. All along, people kept coming up to us constantly wanting pictures with us. At one point, Kyle and I had a line of kids taking pictures with us one by one that lasted for a good 20 min straight. It was crazy, but a lot of fun. I think the thing I appreciated the most was that here were probably 4-500 kids in the heat and humidity, pouring sweat, dancing, cheering, and singing their hearts out without a care in the world. It was so refreshing and it made me realize how self conscious we are as Americans which is sad.

Finally after about an hour in the sweltering heat, we were directed to the arena which, thankfully, was air conditioned! On the way in, I was informed by the Team Leader that I had been chosen to go up on the stage during the ceremony and read the Competitors Oath in English. This is basically saying I promise to follow the rules and compete with good olympic spirit...etc. So they line up all the countries and one by one we enter the arena which, I'm not going to lie, felt like running onto the field at the Super Bowl. You would not believe the set up they had. The arena was packed with what looked like at a couple thousand people, with lights, an enormous stage, fully decked out dancers, a live samba band.. and so much more. Again, its very hard to describe. The Estados Unidos do America received a roar of applause from the crowd which definitely overpowered the Boos. We then paraded across the stage in front of what I realized was a full blown live TV production with all the bells and whistles. We eventually made it to our seats where the flag waving, singing, dancing, and more chanting began. These Brazilians never quit! We were given headsets to wear with english translation which was nice. A few speeches were given by Presidents of the sponsor companies, and then a group of Brazilian children sang their national anthem. There were several dance performances by some unbelievably talented dance troupes and bands. Then, they called a girl from Rio, a girl from Colombia, and myself up the stage. When they called my name I was greeted by a roar of applause again which was funny. The two girls read the oath in their respective languages, and then in was my turn to read. I started the first sentence: "I, as a competitor of..." before I could finish the phrase, the crowd exploded in cheers. I felt like the president trying to give a speech, they kept cheering and I could barely hear myself. It was quite a rush. I finished the oath, then they had us stand on the stage a little longer and shake hands with some of the executive guys that were up there. Then back to the seats for some more performances by acrobats, a drumming troupe, and more dancers. It really was incredible. Very very hard to describe it all, but my fingers are getting tired. We have video and pictures that I will try and post soon. So much fun! Tomorrow it is down to business. Over to the competition area in the morning to unpack my tools, set everything up, and inspect the work stations.

Side note: I am learning bits of Portuguese, getting lots of Spanish practice, and learning some Dutch too. Its quite fun.

This whole event is much much bigger than I thought. It is so cool!

More tomorrow. Goodnight. :)

Day 3 Photos: Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches

2010-03-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

Brazilian cab ride, what a thrill.

They really are everywhere! (On the beach at Copacabana)

From left to right: myself, Kyle Claypool (co-team leader), Chase Trayal (cabinetmaking competitor)

Camilla! Our super friendly Brazilian guide.

The view from Ipanema Beach.

Thank you to Mark Claypool (Team Leader) for these awesome photos!

Day 2/3: DC to Rio

2010-03-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

Finally made it to Rio safely, and what a trip it was! Left Dulles airport in DC Saturday night at about 10 pm. Got about a Boeing 777 for the better part of 11 hours en route to Sao Paolo Brazil. I've never flown over the ocean before and I have to admit that I was slightly nervous. In the middle of the "night" (if you can call it that) since my internal clock is 5 hours behind and I'm not really sure what time it is, we hit some severe turbulence over the Jamaica/Haiti area. I was in the restroom when the plane started shaking like crazy. I kinda got pinned against the wall and had to work the door open and drag myself out, cans and cups were flying everywhere and I'll admit, I was really scared. I made it to my seat and prayed with the guy next to me until it finally settled down. That kinda ruined my sleeping plans for the night. Along with the fact that my 6'4" frame wasn't really designed to fit in the space they call a "seat". That being said, we made to Sao Paolo safely, waited for a few hours, then continued on to Rio.

The weather in Rio so far is fairly nice, 23-25 degrees Celsius, (i think about 65-70 F) and fairly humid. We cleared customs and were greeted at the airport by a group of official looking Brazilian ladies with official World Skills uniforms on. They were all super kind and got us in our shuttle van to the hotel which is in the middle of downtown, about half an hour's drive from the airport.

Riding to the hotel was my first chance to see real third world poverty. It makes Mexico seem fairly nice if you can believe that. The main road into downtown goes past the "favelas" which our Brazilian liaison just called "slums". Hodgepodge structures stacked on top of each other every which way covered in garbage and sewage flowing in the streets, walls that are more like holes in the bricks covered with tarps, kids wandering aimlessly... can't really describe it you just have to see it. It was a reminder of the fact that there is no middle class in Brazil. There are the wealthy, and the very, very poor.

Our hotel is the Windsor Asuturias Hoteis which is fancy.. white coated servers wait on us for every meal, and since they don't know any english, the respond to you by nodding, smiling, and saying "abrigado" which is Portuguese for Thank you. The food is quite good, the staples are rice, black beans which are quite deliciously cooked, and some sort of flank steak. Then there is fresh grilled fish with lemon and lime, deep fried flour with egg and bacon, and tarot root i believe? The deserts are scrumptious, flan, chocolate fudge cake, key lime pie, and an assortment of fruits we could not recognize. Guarana is the beverage of choice, its kinda like a mixture of ginger ale and fruit juice. Tasty.

We were very fortunate to have one of our English speaking Brazilian guide girls offer to show us around a little bit in the afternoon, so we hailed two cabs and headed toward the world's most famous beach, the Copacabana. Now, let me try and describe to you the experience of riding in a Brazilian cab... here are a few guidelines I picked up on that must be what they teach you in Brazilian cab driving school: Drive as fast as you possibly can, always. Zig zagging back and forth across 5 lanes of traffic is the most effective way to pass people. If someone is in your way, try and hit them, they will move, if they don't, you hit them.. oh well. You're driving a Peugeot so who cares. If you want to turn right, signal to the left, go left, and then at the last possible second, swerve to the right. That way no one will know where you are going and you will almost always nearly hit someone. Finally, if you see pedestrians in the road or on the sidewalk, try and get as close as you possibly can to them even if it means going out of your way. Why? Because its fun. Its like a giant game of bumper cars with bikes and motorcycles mixed in for fun.

The beach is basically what you would expect, and expanse of white sand and palm trees sprawled with overweight, viciously tan folks. It seems the rule of thumb is, the more overweight and hairy you are, the less bathing suit you should wear. Needless to say, we stayed on the walkway away from the sand to avoid such gruesome sights. Camilla, our Brazilian hostess was a fantastic guide, and a trooper, walking the entire 3.5 miles in heels and a business suit! It was really nice to have her with us to explain things and teach us a lot about the history of the city. And she did it all on her own free time! That was refreshing considering the fact that most Brazilian people hate us. I didn't expect this, but at the airport, we received many a cold stare and dirty look. The people at the currency exchange closed shop when we walked up to their window. Our guide confirmed that this is the case. It is interesting. Thankfully, she was very sweet!

Finally, after another nail biting cab ride, we made it back to the hotel and enjoyed a nice dinner, pretty much the same fare with a few variables thrown in, some veggies i'd never seen before. Then it was off to the 22nd floor the the rooftop pool, sauna, and lounge with a view of the city that is spectacular (photos to come). There we met up with the two competitors from the Netherlands who are the only other white folks at the contest. A quick swim, quick chat, and its back to the room. Its 10 pm here, but my brain thinks its 5pm... oh well. Have to get up at 6:30 am which will feel like.... uh... yeah 1:30. Niice. I should be getting to bed. More pictures from today to come, the internet here can't seem to handle loading them all at once. Good night!

Day 1: Washington DC

2010-03-05T23:12:00.000-08:00

Made it safely into Washington DC and then the hotel in Leesburg, VA about 20 min away. Had a fantastic dinner with Mr. Tim Lawrence, the Executive Director of Skills USA. Met the rest of the World Team and did a little clothes shopping. Then headed back into the city to view DC by moonlight. It was beautiful.

More Brazil

2010-02-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/02/24/1043537/cuesta-student-headed-to-brazil.html

Brazil- Prelude

2010-02-19T00:32:00.000-08:00

I will be heading to Brazil on March 5th for an automotive competition. Here is a link to a portion of the news story that KCOY did.

http://www.kcoy.com/global/story.asp?s=11974544

Such Things to be Thankful For

2009-11-26T21:33:00.000-08:00

God has an interesting way of taking away things in our lives that we thought we'd never lose. Yet in the place of those (sometimes painful) departures, he inserts fresh perspectives and opportunities for greater things. I am watching opportunities in my life disappear left and right only to be replaced by grander and more eternal opportunities. And at the opportune moment... ok ok enough with the cheeseball opportune-ness. You get the point. So today as our nation stops to be thankful, I too can say with confidence that I am thankful. Despite what emotions I might be feeling in regards to changes in my life, I am learning to see Gods hand in it all. Because His hand is there. It always has been, and always will be. Now there is something to be thankful for.

My Little Nephew

2009-11-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

Seth Daniel Jose has arrived! :) Ok so he's not really my nephew, but it's close enough.

My Prayer Request

2009-11-09T01:04:00.000-08:00

I need prayer. I know that God wants a bigger place in my life than I am giving Him right now. I want that to change. But I need Him to change me. I need His strength.

My God

2009-10-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." -C.S. Lewis

Watching the sunset this evening brought a fresh reminder of who God really is. I really love sunsets. I look at God's creation and am so unbelievably amazed that I have the privilege to be called a child of God. No other species on earth can claim that position. We are created in the image and likeness of God, and yet we curse His name like it is meaningless. Why? When someone exclaims "Jesus Christ" in disgust or frustration I always say "Don't blame it on Jesus, He was a good guy, it's not his fault." Sounds silly, but it is true. Sometimes in my life, I feel like I set God up as my fall-back, or insurance. When really He should constantly be the fore front of my existence.

I mean look at that sunset! If that could be turned into a painting and you asked someone if they wanted to know the artist, they would say yes of course. They would feel honored to have the opportunity to meet such a talented person. God paints these incredible skies almost every night. And we disregard this display of His glory. Ignoring Him makes us like the lunatic the CS Lewis describes. God's glory will be ever present, no matter how much we choose to ignore. Let God's glory be revealed in your life. Let him be the incredible and powerful God that he is.

My Adventure (Part 1)

2009-10-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been absolutely incredible! I've experienced so many "firsts" that I really don't know where to start. I'm working on writing out a log of our trip which I will eventually post. God is so good. I am so blessed to have been able to come down here with Mike. I threw in a teaser picture which gives you an idea of the boundaries that Mike likes to push when he shoots. I thnk those of you who sunbounce on a regular basis will appreciate this shot. :)
Much more to come.

My Perspective

2009-09-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Upon life's pinnacle of pomp and worth

Absent from want or fear

What can go wrong in such a place?

With every known at hand

Yet in hearts up here no hope is found

No salve to soothe the wounds

Wounds that scar the hopeless heart

All they need is Jesus

Down with the lowest of the low

Sunk deep in life's great mire

They pine for hope, that pinnacle

That seems so out of reach

Striving to gain but quick to lose

Till everything left is gone

To whom shall they go to find this hope?

All they need is Jesus.

If you now find yourself amiss

rocked on the tempestuous sea of life

Wondering if and when your broken heart

will find soothing and relief

And oft it seems we end up here

With nothing left to lose

There is one who lost all for us

All we need is Jesus

My Haircut

2009-09-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

I experienced something today that was very new and exciting. Someone besides my mom cut my hair!! To the average person, that may seem like a mundane accomplishment, but for me it was a pretty sweet deal. I was lucky enought to make an awesome new friend who just happens to work at Salon Lux downtown. I was pretty blown away when I walked in the door and the girl asked me if I would like some water or coffee or tea. I mean really, refreshments and a haircut?? Someone was thinkin! :) Then she got me started with a scalp massage and a shampooing. I think I almost fell asleep. It was heavenly. If I could have been eating tacos at the same time I think it would have been quite possibly the best moment of my life! Oh and did I mention I got a stinkin bomb haircut? Yeah so pretty much everyone should go there. And Kimmy is awesome. And Phil's home!!!!

Laater

My Music

2009-09-03T00:18:00.000-07:00

I'm blessed to have so many friends who are musically talented! I love playing guitar and singing, and when there is someone who can sing with me, it makes it that much better. It's awesome!

My Great Day

2009-08-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. I woke up, experimented with a new egg-scrambling technique, (and suceeded) and then worked pretty hard for most of the day. Then I got to spend several hours at the beach and surfing with the greatest group of friends. Capped the day off with a meeting with Mike Larson, and a warm slice of Rachel's homemade pumpkin bread slathered with butter. Deeelicious.

Watched a video tonight at Esteem that talked about God being our Father and what that can really mean in our lives. It was great. Some of the footage in the video was of a dad and his little girl baking and decorating a cake together. It was really cute and definitely warmed my heart. I look forward to being a dad someday and doing fun things like that with my kids.

And in case you forgot, God is good... All the time!

My Inspiration

2009-08-24T00:05:00.001-07:00

I was inspired by a very dear friend to write out some things that I have been thinking about. For you to read, whoever you may be. Maybe no one will ever read this... and that's OK with me.

Simple is beautiful. It seems so cliche to say "I miss the simple things in life." But you know what? I do miss the simple things in life. And I'm not afraid to say it. I long for a life where love is pure and true, where friendships are lasting and real, and truth is prominent. Now again, it seems cliche to say "Our society is so messed up..." but I'll go ahead and say it. Our society is messed up. Love is no longer the unbreakable bond of true devotion and commitment with another person. It has been cheapened and reduced to a fleeting emotion that is manipulated for personal gratification. Friendships fail and crumble under minuscule trials. And truth has become whatever we desire it to be.

Back to love for a moment... Simple love, true and pure, is what my heart desires. Not just a feeling, but a complete and total dedication to someone that will withstand any trial, pain, or rainy day. And when I tell that person I love them, it doesn't just mean I care about them. It means that they are the priceless to me. That I would do anything, go anywhere, and endure anything for them, even if it meant giving up my own life. I see her as a diamond, perfectly cut and polished by God, a precious, precious jewel, laying in the palm of my hand. And I have been given the responsibility of caring for this treasure that God has given me. Simple love... a precious jewel in the palm of a calloused hand. To guard with my life "until death do us part."

And if God has given you that love, then cherish it! With every ounce of strength that you have. It is a gift, and a privilege. And think often of the simple things in life. Enjoy the beauty in simplicity. The beauty of God's creation and all it contains. Appreciate a smile, a laugh, or a bomby burrito. Live in the moment that God has put you in and allow yourself to be amazed by the beauty he has surrounded you with. Turn your phone off for a minute and just listen to the silence. Look around once in a while. You might be surprised at the beauty all around you. Or, since I'm being cliche "don't forget to stop and smell the roses." Whoever said that just might have a point.