Alright...2 years and 9 months later, I will continue my blog with a quick review of the last bit of my life up until the present. I'll tell the story right where I left off, just getting back from Portugal.
So, there I was, just getting back from Portugal. Haha...jk, jk. Throughout the last few months of 2008 and my time in Portugal, I realized how much I missed my family and my girlfriend, Jenny. I talked to Willie, Jill, and Eric Craft and we all agreed that it would be a smooth transition if I left for home and Eric came back to be with the troupe (he was the middle catcher for five years before I took over for him). It was a nice way to exit the troupe without leaving them in a bind, looking for a replacement.
Back in Peru, I started subbing and eventually got a temporary full-time position teaching (you know, what I went to school for). I loved being around my family and Jenny, and of course, being a trainer in the Peru Circus! On October 24th, 2009, Jenny and I got hitched. I had the opportunity and blessing of teaching at Kokomo Academy and then Carroll Jr/Sr High School. Jenny, my wife now, taught at Peru Schools. Jenny got pregnant in January of 2010, and we welcomed our baby boy, Jaxon Tyler-Favre Cole, into the world on October 4th, 2010. He's a pretty cool kid.
In January of 2011, the Peru Circus was able to do a road show for the Zerbini Shrine Circus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since our acts had to look as close to 'professional acts' as possible, and we had limited amount of kids because of the timing of the show, I had the opportunity to perform with the teeterboard act that I was training. So, after two years of not performing, I was able to perform professionally again, which seemed to wake up a part of my life that I didn't realize how much I was missing.
After long talks, prayer, and deliberation, Jenny and I contacted Brian and Tina Miser (Peru natives that have been performing as Human Cannonballs for Ringling for the last 12 years) to seek advice and assistance on possibly becoming the next Human Cannonballs from Peru. After months of talking, Brian received word of a cannonball opportunity in China. China?? Yes, China. At first, we just kind of laugh about it. However, on March 13th, 2011, I started practicing getting shot out of a cannon, not really knowing if the China deal was really going to work out or not. Either way, Jenny and I were looking forward to somehow breaking into the 'circus world' business. Turns out, the deal worked out! We left for China on June 6th, 2011. China?? And here we are...being the Human Cannonball act at the Chimelong International Circus in Guangzhou, China!!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Final Assessment of Portugal
My six weeks in Portugal are over. I am writing this from the Tampa Airport, and it feels great to be back in the United States. Now that my time overseas is finished, I thought I would do a quick look at some of the highlights/oddities of trip. Here we go.
During my forty-five days in Portugal, I...
-saw only approximately 5 people wearing baseball style hats.
-estimated that 90% of the population smokes, the other 10% are infants.
-performed in approximately 90 shows.
-took the subway for the first time in my life.
-learned one word in Portuguese. Obrigado (Thank You)
-drank absolutely no milk.
-saw only 3 people that I would consider overweight or obese.
-ate at McDonalds 21 times.
-had 11 Kit Kat McFlurries.
-ate at KFC 8 times.
-ate at Burger King 3 times.
-ate at 'Other' 9 times. (mostly Maxi Toast, the cafe that we watch NFL games at)
-visited 3 different circus shows.
That pretty much sums up my six weeks! All in all, it was a very unique experience that I will remember as long as I live. That being said, I am more that ecstatic being home and getting to visit my family and eat some good old homecookin'. God Bless the U.S.A!!
During my forty-five days in Portugal, I...
-saw only approximately 5 people wearing baseball style hats.
-estimated that 90% of the population smokes, the other 10% are infants.
-performed in approximately 90 shows.
-took the subway for the first time in my life.
-learned one word in Portuguese. Obrigado (Thank You)
-drank absolutely no milk.
-saw only 3 people that I would consider overweight or obese.
-ate at McDonalds 21 times.
-had 11 Kit Kat McFlurries.
-ate at KFC 8 times.
-ate at Burger King 3 times.
-ate at 'Other' 9 times. (mostly Maxi Toast, the cafe that we watch NFL games at)
-visited 3 different circus shows.
That pretty much sums up my six weeks! All in all, it was a very unique experience that I will remember as long as I live. That being said, I am more that ecstatic being home and getting to visit my family and eat some good old homecookin'. God Bless the U.S.A!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Circo Chen
In the city of Lisbon, Portugal, there were four different circuses this winter. Two of the four are owned by Victor Hugo Cardinelli, another one is at the Coliseum, and the one that I worked at, is called Circo Chen. The owner of our show is a man named Miguel Chen. I haven´t really talked much about our actual show, so here is what´s happening everyday.
First Half:
Tigers - worked by Veronica Chen, Miguel´s daughter.
Clown - skit to fill in time so they can take the tiger cage down.
Silks - a Brazilian guy named Dola, he has been really nice to us, helping with set up and rigging.
Hula Hoops - some lady that is married to one of the clowns.
Gladitors/Fire - this act is pretty unique, a Romanian girl and guy sling around fire on the ends of chains and whips. Nice people.
Whips - this guy comes out like an American cowboy with our flag made into a shirt. He is great with the whips and the lasso. I think he is Portuguese.
Clown - Amelio does a clown skit. It´s the funniest one in our show.
Second Half:
Flying Trapeze - The Flying Pages. (that´s me!)
Clown - skit to fill in time so we can take down the trapeze net.
Exotics - also worked by Veronica Chen. Let´s see...there are 3 camels, 1 llama, 1 yak, 1 ox, 2 cows, and a buffalo. Also, a hippo that was apparently too moody to work, but I did get some pretty good pictures of her.
Rope Trapeze - also a very unique act done by Hans and Kia. Hans climbs up these two ropes and slides down different ways. It´s a muscle act.
Duo Mistique - a hand balancing act done by the same couple that does the Gladiator act. Amazing.
Teeterboard - done by a Romanian group called Troupe Bascula. There were nine people in the act. Every trick is done to hands, none to the mat. These are the people that I hung out with the most on the show.
Clowns - looooong skit that I never understood because they were speaking Portuguese.
Finale - Saxophones and walk around.
Throughout my month and a half in Lisbon, I visited each of the other shows in my free time. I was a little circused-out, but there are a few things about the European circus that I noticed are different from the American circus. First of all, they always close the show with a clown skit. And the clowns always play either the saxophone or trumpet right before or during finale. Also, the clown skits were up to 30 minutes long. In America, I have never seen a clown skit go that long. Secondly, the main clown (which was also our ringmaster) is dressed the same with the same makeup in every show I went to. White face, white hat, weird outfit white long white socks, and white shoes.
During performances, Willy, Anthony, and I would help set up our net at intermission since we opened the second half. During sold out shows, it was hard to manuver around people, especially since I had to crawl through the seats to pull one of the pulleys. A member or two of the audience would usually say something to me in Portuguese. I would just smile and say "Only English," and keep on singing whatever song was playing over the speakers (which was usually Fergie, Sean Kingston, or 50 cent...weird.) But during the kids shows, when they all come for field trips, I would talk to the kids. They had no clue what I was saying, but it was fun. I would point up to my rigging and then point at myself and then wave, trying to tell them that I would be up there and I would wave at them. Sometimes they got it and sometimes they didn´t. But after my first trick of the act, as I was styling, I would look down and wave...and then they got it. It´s always fun to interact with the audience. That is why I love juggling. It´s not so serious, and you can really connect with the audience.
Anyway, that is pretty much our show in a nutshell! It is over now, and I fly home tomorrow! But it is a great experience to remember!
First Half:
Tigers - worked by Veronica Chen, Miguel´s daughter.
Clown - skit to fill in time so they can take the tiger cage down.
Silks - a Brazilian guy named Dola, he has been really nice to us, helping with set up and rigging.
Hula Hoops - some lady that is married to one of the clowns.
Gladitors/Fire - this act is pretty unique, a Romanian girl and guy sling around fire on the ends of chains and whips. Nice people.
Whips - this guy comes out like an American cowboy with our flag made into a shirt. He is great with the whips and the lasso. I think he is Portuguese.
Clown - Amelio does a clown skit. It´s the funniest one in our show.
Second Half:
Flying Trapeze - The Flying Pages. (that´s me!)
Clown - skit to fill in time so we can take down the trapeze net.
Exotics - also worked by Veronica Chen. Let´s see...there are 3 camels, 1 llama, 1 yak, 1 ox, 2 cows, and a buffalo. Also, a hippo that was apparently too moody to work, but I did get some pretty good pictures of her.
Rope Trapeze - also a very unique act done by Hans and Kia. Hans climbs up these two ropes and slides down different ways. It´s a muscle act.
Duo Mistique - a hand balancing act done by the same couple that does the Gladiator act. Amazing.
Teeterboard - done by a Romanian group called Troupe Bascula. There were nine people in the act. Every trick is done to hands, none to the mat. These are the people that I hung out with the most on the show.
Clowns - looooong skit that I never understood because they were speaking Portuguese.
Finale - Saxophones and walk around.
Throughout my month and a half in Lisbon, I visited each of the other shows in my free time. I was a little circused-out, but there are a few things about the European circus that I noticed are different from the American circus. First of all, they always close the show with a clown skit. And the clowns always play either the saxophone or trumpet right before or during finale. Also, the clown skits were up to 30 minutes long. In America, I have never seen a clown skit go that long. Secondly, the main clown (which was also our ringmaster) is dressed the same with the same makeup in every show I went to. White face, white hat, weird outfit white long white socks, and white shoes.
During performances, Willy, Anthony, and I would help set up our net at intermission since we opened the second half. During sold out shows, it was hard to manuver around people, especially since I had to crawl through the seats to pull one of the pulleys. A member or two of the audience would usually say something to me in Portuguese. I would just smile and say "Only English," and keep on singing whatever song was playing over the speakers (which was usually Fergie, Sean Kingston, or 50 cent...weird.) But during the kids shows, when they all come for field trips, I would talk to the kids. They had no clue what I was saying, but it was fun. I would point up to my rigging and then point at myself and then wave, trying to tell them that I would be up there and I would wave at them. Sometimes they got it and sometimes they didn´t. But after my first trick of the act, as I was styling, I would look down and wave...and then they got it. It´s always fun to interact with the audience. That is why I love juggling. It´s not so serious, and you can really connect with the audience.
Anyway, that is pretty much our show in a nutshell! It is over now, and I fly home tomorrow! But it is a great experience to remember!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Christmas Eve
Once again, away from home for another major holiday. However, a couple from the show invited us over to their family´s home for Christmas Eve dinner. Hans and Kia. They do a unique rope/trapeze act. Hans speaks English pretty well and has helped us so much with anything that we need during our time here. It was really nice of them to invite us to the meal. They had been talking about the tradition and the foods they eat for weeks before and insisted that we join them. They would not take no for an answer, so there we were...
The Menu consists of Bacalhua (fish, and I promise some of them were still breathing), cooked cabbage (ask my family about that experience), potatoes, rolls and tea. The smell of the fish was almost too much, but I took it like a true champ. They divide the Bacalhua into two sections. One is the body of the fish. Still has it´s skin, still has it´s little fins. The second section is consider a delicacy. It consists of the heads and guts all mixed together. So, I took them up on the first section. It wasn´t too bad, just tasted like fish. The hardest part was probably getting the bones out of every bite before I ate it. And trying to look civilized while I was picking at every bite. I didn´t have any cabbage, but the potatoes were wonderful.
After dinner, we all sat and talked for a while. Then came dessert...
They brought out these little elephant ear looking things. And they tasted like elephants ears too. So, one for one. But then, the desserts started pouring out of the kitchen like the Peru flood of 1913. Look it up, it happened. They brought out a marshmallow cake, a cookie cake, two fruit cakes, little dough balls stuffed with apples, little dough balls stuffed with pumpkin, pineapples, and oranges. It was wonderful. Although I was full after my piece of cookie cake, I didn´t want to seem rude, so I just kept eating my share of the desserts. If only they could have brought out the desserts first, maybe I would have been too full to eat my Bacalhua.
It was a great experience to see how another culture celebrates the holidays. Like I said, Hans had been talking for weeks of how great the Bacalhua was, so it was pretty cool that we got to experience it first hand. It was really nice of them to let us be a part of their celebrations.
After we got back to the circus lot, the Pages and I opened our secret santa gifts. Then, I surprised them by playing Jingle Bells on my harmonica that I was secretly learning how to play down by the ocean everyday. They were quite impressed! Haha. And then...we had three shows on Christmas Day. EEEK...Merry Christmas!!
The Menu consists of Bacalhua (fish, and I promise some of them were still breathing), cooked cabbage (ask my family about that experience), potatoes, rolls and tea. The smell of the fish was almost too much, but I took it like a true champ. They divide the Bacalhua into two sections. One is the body of the fish. Still has it´s skin, still has it´s little fins. The second section is consider a delicacy. It consists of the heads and guts all mixed together. So, I took them up on the first section. It wasn´t too bad, just tasted like fish. The hardest part was probably getting the bones out of every bite before I ate it. And trying to look civilized while I was picking at every bite. I didn´t have any cabbage, but the potatoes were wonderful.
After dinner, we all sat and talked for a while. Then came dessert...
They brought out these little elephant ear looking things. And they tasted like elephants ears too. So, one for one. But then, the desserts started pouring out of the kitchen like the Peru flood of 1913. Look it up, it happened. They brought out a marshmallow cake, a cookie cake, two fruit cakes, little dough balls stuffed with apples, little dough balls stuffed with pumpkin, pineapples, and oranges. It was wonderful. Although I was full after my piece of cookie cake, I didn´t want to seem rude, so I just kept eating my share of the desserts. If only they could have brought out the desserts first, maybe I would have been too full to eat my Bacalhua.
It was a great experience to see how another culture celebrates the holidays. Like I said, Hans had been talking for weeks of how great the Bacalhua was, so it was pretty cool that we got to experience it first hand. It was really nice of them to let us be a part of their celebrations.
After we got back to the circus lot, the Pages and I opened our secret santa gifts. Then, I surprised them by playing Jingle Bells on my harmonica that I was secretly learning how to play down by the ocean everyday. They were quite impressed! Haha. And then...we had three shows on Christmas Day. EEEK...Merry Christmas!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Portugal Schedule
An average day in Portugal:
Noon-3 pm: Wake up, lay in bed and eat dry cereal, watch DVDs of the Office
3 - 4 pm: Get ready for the show. This really only takes like 10 minutes. I have no idea where my time goes.
4 - 7 pm: Show time. Fly like delta.
7 - 9 pm: Go to the mall, check my email, eat supper...all at the mall.
9 - midnight: Show time. Fly like Tina Ross.
12:30 - 3 am: Lay in bed wondering why I cannot fall asleep, then realizing, ooooh right, I sleep in until at least noon everyday.
Yep, thats about what a typical two show day looks like here in Portugal. Of course, we haven`t had a show in the last three days, so I find other things to do. I usually hang out at the mall or go walking down by the ocean. And I find myself eating two meals on days off. If you know me, you know I am not much into eating unfamiliar things, so my usual meal is McDonalds, KFC, or Burger King. I am actually keeping track in my notebook of how many times I eat at each. I will share the results at the end of my stay, but FYI, McDonalds is in a commanding lead.
A couple things that are different on the restaurant scene in Portugal:
1. McDonalds has bendy straws.
2. Burger King has green tomatoes. Gross. Maybe that was just a bad batch yesterday.
3. Big Macs taste alot healthier here which isn`t really saying a lot.
4. All the fast food places offer beer as a drink option. Gross.
5. They have Kit Kat McFlurries. I have had at least one a day for the past week. Amazing.
Noon-3 pm: Wake up, lay in bed and eat dry cereal, watch DVDs of the Office
3 - 4 pm: Get ready for the show. This really only takes like 10 minutes. I have no idea where my time goes.
4 - 7 pm: Show time. Fly like delta.
7 - 9 pm: Go to the mall, check my email, eat supper...all at the mall.
9 - midnight: Show time. Fly like Tina Ross.
12:30 - 3 am: Lay in bed wondering why I cannot fall asleep, then realizing, ooooh right, I sleep in until at least noon everyday.
Yep, thats about what a typical two show day looks like here in Portugal. Of course, we haven`t had a show in the last three days, so I find other things to do. I usually hang out at the mall or go walking down by the ocean. And I find myself eating two meals on days off. If you know me, you know I am not much into eating unfamiliar things, so my usual meal is McDonalds, KFC, or Burger King. I am actually keeping track in my notebook of how many times I eat at each. I will share the results at the end of my stay, but FYI, McDonalds is in a commanding lead.
A couple things that are different on the restaurant scene in Portugal:
1. McDonalds has bendy straws.
2. Burger King has green tomatoes. Gross. Maybe that was just a bad batch yesterday.
3. Big Macs taste alot healthier here which isn`t really saying a lot.
4. All the fast food places offer beer as a drink option. Gross.
5. They have Kit Kat McFlurries. I have had at least one a day for the past week. Amazing.
Monday, December 1, 2008
One Week in Portugal...Five Things Learned
I have been here in Portugal for a total of one week now, and there are certain things that have stood out to me right away. It did not take me a whole week to notice these things, but every single day, they are confirmed.
1. Parking. You can park wherever you can find a space that your car will fit in. Many times on the sidewalks of the bus station. There are alot of compact cars, so they can fit almost everywhere. If there is a space in between two cars that is not quite big enough to parallel park in, do not worry. Just back into the space, ramping your rear tires up onto the sidewalk with your front tires remaining on the street. No problems.
2. Jason Bourne. I think at some point in every movie of the Bourne triology, he is running through a crowded bus/train station. That is totally legit. I walk through the bus/train station every day. There are people yelling in different languages. There are people running, in a hurry to make it to their train on time. There are suspicious looking security guards at every single corner. It is just like the movies.
3. Soccer. Nobody here cares about football. If I pass a TV, there is soccer on it. 24/7. I do not know how they can have that many soccer games. We did find a little coffee shop called Maxi Toast that will change the channel to the NASN (North American Sports Network) on Sundays, so we watch whatever football game they are showing. That is the only station. It covers NFL, NCAA, and NHL. Now that I am thinking about it, I guess we only have a couple stations that show soccer in the U.S. So, I guess that is fair.
4. Smoking. Everybody smokes. Backstage during our shows, before people go out to perform, they are smoking. Everyone at the coffee show smokes. Everyone does it. During the show, the workers will finish a cigarette and then light up the next one right away. It is crazy. Every pack of cigarettes here has SMOKING KILLS in big bold letters, and it is even written in their language. I do not get it.
5. Language Barrier. Everyone here speaks Portuguese, of course. But everyone in the circus can speak at least 4 different languages. So, everybody can communicate with everybody. Except little ole English speaking me. I cannot understand anyone or talk to anyone. It gets lonely sometimes. HA, it is getting better. Some of the Romanians speak a little English, and all of the cashiers where I eat speak enough English to take my order and my money. And all of the movies and music at the mall are in English. We went to see the new James Bond, English with Portuguese subtitles. How horrible is that if you speak Portuguese? The radio that plays where I use the internet always has American music. The first day when I heard Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by Nsync I thought it was pretty cool. Now, I have heard it too many times to keep track of. So, they are adapting to me. Slowly, but they are.
1. Parking. You can park wherever you can find a space that your car will fit in. Many times on the sidewalks of the bus station. There are alot of compact cars, so they can fit almost everywhere. If there is a space in between two cars that is not quite big enough to parallel park in, do not worry. Just back into the space, ramping your rear tires up onto the sidewalk with your front tires remaining on the street. No problems.
2. Jason Bourne. I think at some point in every movie of the Bourne triology, he is running through a crowded bus/train station. That is totally legit. I walk through the bus/train station every day. There are people yelling in different languages. There are people running, in a hurry to make it to their train on time. There are suspicious looking security guards at every single corner. It is just like the movies.
3. Soccer. Nobody here cares about football. If I pass a TV, there is soccer on it. 24/7. I do not know how they can have that many soccer games. We did find a little coffee shop called Maxi Toast that will change the channel to the NASN (North American Sports Network) on Sundays, so we watch whatever football game they are showing. That is the only station. It covers NFL, NCAA, and NHL. Now that I am thinking about it, I guess we only have a couple stations that show soccer in the U.S. So, I guess that is fair.
4. Smoking. Everybody smokes. Backstage during our shows, before people go out to perform, they are smoking. Everyone at the coffee show smokes. Everyone does it. During the show, the workers will finish a cigarette and then light up the next one right away. It is crazy. Every pack of cigarettes here has SMOKING KILLS in big bold letters, and it is even written in their language. I do not get it.
5. Language Barrier. Everyone here speaks Portuguese, of course. But everyone in the circus can speak at least 4 different languages. So, everybody can communicate with everybody. Except little ole English speaking me. I cannot understand anyone or talk to anyone. It gets lonely sometimes. HA, it is getting better. Some of the Romanians speak a little English, and all of the cashiers where I eat speak enough English to take my order and my money. And all of the movies and music at the mall are in English. We went to see the new James Bond, English with Portuguese subtitles. How horrible is that if you speak Portuguese? The radio that plays where I use the internet always has American music. The first day when I heard Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by Nsync I thought it was pretty cool. Now, I have heard it too many times to keep track of. So, they are adapting to me. Slowly, but they are.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thanksgiving
So, a couple days ago, I spent my first major holiday away from family and friends. It was a sad day overall, although we were setting up our rigging here in Portugal, so that kept my mind off of it for a while. I actually did not even realize it was Thanksgiving until the late afternoon. We had a dinner break in the middle of set up. I had a Big Mac, fries, and a coke for my Thanksgiving feast. I am not complaining, I love me some Big Mac, but being alone and having no big celebrations made me think of what I am most thankful for...
I am thankful for my family. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a close knit and loving family. We all get along so well, and can talk to each other about any situations or problems that we are having. It is so nice to have six best friends to go to any time, day or night, for support or encouragement. I hope and pray that I will be able to raise a family that sticks together and supports one another just like the family that I am so blessed to be a part of.
I am thankful for the circus, Peru and the Pages. God has blessed with the opportunity to be a part of these amazing organizations, and I, foolishly, take them for granted every single day.
I am thankful for my nephew, Isaac Mason. He is such a beautiful and fun baby...well, 2 year old now. I love every chance I get to see him and go to the park and do circus tricks. He is a blessing from God. I love doing or saying something funny, and him replying with "Silly Jon Jon!"
I am thankful for my girlfriend, Jenny, and our growing relationship. It has been fun and exciting getting to know Jenny and Alivia. I pray that God will be in our relationship and guide us down the right path.
And last, but most of all...I am thankful that God sent his son Jesus Christ to live and die on the cross for all of our sins. And that I can be with all of the ones I love for ever and ever and all of eternity.
"The beauty of grace, is that it makes life not fair." -Relient K
I am thankful for my family. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a close knit and loving family. We all get along so well, and can talk to each other about any situations or problems that we are having. It is so nice to have six best friends to go to any time, day or night, for support or encouragement. I hope and pray that I will be able to raise a family that sticks together and supports one another just like the family that I am so blessed to be a part of.
I am thankful for the circus, Peru and the Pages. God has blessed with the opportunity to be a part of these amazing organizations, and I, foolishly, take them for granted every single day.
I am thankful for my nephew, Isaac Mason. He is such a beautiful and fun baby...well, 2 year old now. I love every chance I get to see him and go to the park and do circus tricks. He is a blessing from God. I love doing or saying something funny, and him replying with "Silly Jon Jon!"
I am thankful for my girlfriend, Jenny, and our growing relationship. It has been fun and exciting getting to know Jenny and Alivia. I pray that God will be in our relationship and guide us down the right path.
And last, but most of all...I am thankful that God sent his son Jesus Christ to live and die on the cross for all of our sins. And that I can be with all of the ones I love for ever and ever and all of eternity.
"The beauty of grace, is that it makes life not fair." -Relient K
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