Daily Archives: July 23, 2020

coronavirus, Family, FC Porto

Happy 19th Johan; Another one away from us…

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The following post is the type that we’d rather avoid writing for sentimental reasons; however, we think it’s important for families to read about the nuances “young” footballers and their respective families encounter from an early age in the pursuit of a football career. The endless need to travel and be “away from the family” takes a toll. It’s the price to pay. Our advice: maximize your time with your footballer because he/she will be gone at a very early age…without further ado…

HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY JOHAN!!!!

It’s a special day..believe it or not…more so for us than for you. It’s the commemoration of one of the three happiest days of our lives. We are unable to express our gratitude to the Lord for placing you in our lives. We are proud beyond any realistic measure. We could attempt to begin to list the many reasons why you are loved but words won’t suffice. For now, know that we miss you and also that, believe it or not, you have spent 4 out of the last 6 birthdays away from home (doing what?, footballing). Yes, we remember each one of them. Probably our most memorable was the one that didn’t involve football; we actually spent it together back in 2018 in Cancun. It’s unfortunate to celebrate most of your birthdays away from you…people say, technology makes it easier these days…but it really doesn’t.

Family vacation: Cancun 2018

We understand you are doing what you love…and yet you did it again…as most already know, your recent return to Porto was a bit rocky AND sad as well. Not only is the current pandemic depressing, seeing you depart magnified that feeling. While the family had grown accustomed to having you around, the dreaded time for you to continue pursuing your dreams finally arrived…your family must not be selfish…but yet, we are. In the end, you are our son (the oldest too). Yes, after 19 years we are still in learning mode and figuring some things out with you. Above all, you are more than a footballer and we want the best for you. Inexorably, your football career will have an end at some point and your life will continue…our goal is to help you find joy in the journey of life (not just football). We find comfort in knowing that your family will always be around and the right time will come for us to spend more time together…until then, we must wait.

On the football side of things, we are happy that you maximized your time in the US (and with us). You are well prepared for next season. We heard you have been doing well in pre-season practices (a luxury you didn’t have last year). There’s no doubt that you leave us in better all around well-being than the one you had upon your arrival. We are proud to say that we accomplished so much together and in the process our family worked on several aspects of your life that will help you become yet a better person and player:

Emotional aspect:

First, making it back from Porto safely was the initial obstacle we overcame as a family. What an odyssey!!! How can we forget the anxiety of your trip home? Once home, those days you spent quarantined in your room upon your arrival went by slowly. It made us value the most banal things in life. Now that you returned to Porto, we honestly envy you. Sure the world is wild right now but the US is undergoing some dramatic social, political, and economic changes that you can do without and luckily for you Europe doesn’t have to worry about any of it nowadays. You will be better off in Porto.

Secondly, when your brother arrived home from Louisville, your emotional tank gradually filled up. Your sparkling smile was even more remarkable…seeing your brother, to say the least, reinforced the unbreakable bond you two have. Also, spending the last “vacation” days with him was the best decision we could have made. You guys feed off of each other’s energy. We know that your emotional well being is beyond its maximum level as you traveled back. You take with you all the Louisville memories.

Jogos in Lynn-Family stadium, Louisville, KY (06.30.20)

Hanging out with your friends didn’t hurt either. Although physical interaction with the Chum Chat crew was initially limited for obvious reasons, once you met, plans for the second season came to fruition. Gradually, the quarantine cleared up for everyone and you were also able to hang out with friends from FWC and old football teams. You grew your emotional IQ significantly over the summer.

Chumchat crew getting ready for season 2

Seeing family, celebrating child’s day, mother’s day, mom’s b’day, father’s day, and dad’s b’day were the cherry on top. It filled your soul (and ours). The only major celebration we missed was your birthday but hey by now, you are so used to it. Soon we will celebrate many of them together. Thanks for spending an abundance of time with us.

Celebrating mom’s birthday, Brownsville, TX (05.25.20)

Medical:

You return to Europe is in a similar situation in which you made it home back in April…with a lot of medical uncertainty. The extreme measures against the pandemic are still rampant. However, we are glad you are escaping not just the the domestic health madness going around these days (especially here in Texas). Above all, we are glad you are healthy in Europe. While you were home, we took care of all your routine and preventive medical needs so you should be in excellent shape until the next time we see you. It’s important for families to understand the relevance of preventive medical care to avoid injuries.

Contrary to when you left last year for the European trials where you were nursing an unnecessary injury sustained due to medical negligence, you now are healthy. Super healthy. We took excellent care of your body while you were with us. Sometimes, MLS clubs, due to their staff shortages (or other reasons) can only do so much to treat players. Remember, their medical care, especially at the young ages, is very reactive rather than preventive. Be aware families.

Technical and tactical

The daily rigorous practices with Ricky, Jogo, FCD and Solar ex-teammates prepared you technically and tactically well for next season. You are good to go…and the few practices you have had at Porto so far are proof of it. Keep killing it.

Ricky (Denton Diablos), Jogo (Louisville), Freddy (FC Dallas) and Johan (FC Porto)

Honestly, what I will miss the most will be our Saturday football sessions followed by our picnics. Those were priceless.

Book

Last but not least, you found time to finish your book; we are now in a searching mode. If anybody knows of a good illustrator, recommendations are accepted. More to come on that. Glad that you are exploiting your God-given talents.

Exodus 35:10

“All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded”

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coronavirus, Family, FC Porto, Learning

Farewell Johan…and happy B’day…from mom

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Saying goodbye was not what we expected, but it was definitely an unforgettable event…

We first dropped you off at the airport on Tuesday with your corresponding negative COVID-19 test result in hand. You carried a folder with copies of every possible document you may need to travel to Portugal but were we in for a surprise. We walked up to the AA counter 2 hours early ready to check in your bag, walk through security and board that flight to Madrid with ample time. We were welcomed with a bit inexperienced AA agent who was unsure what was required to be allowed to enter that country.

To be fair, we are living unprecedented times, where rules and restrictions are changing daily. After consulting with multiple colleagues, a supervisor, and an hour and a half later, she denied you check-in.  It wasn’t the end of the world, right? We could always try again the next day or wait for the travel ban to be lifted. How long was that going to take? 2 weeks? 2 months? We wanted to help you start the pre-season on-time. FC Porto was very supportive and willing to issue us another ticket as needed; however, we felt that waiting was not an option especially with the uncertainty and number of COVID cases rising in the US.

We left Terminal D calling the Portuguese Consulate offices in Houston and Washington DC and leaving voice mails. Where could we get the documentation needed to let you board that plane? What else could we do? We knew other players in your situation had recently traveled back to Europe. That made us think about another option: find a different airline. Delta had a couple of options with two layovers the next day and so we turned around and drove back to the airport to get to Terminal E.

The terminal was very quiet, no travelers in sight.  We approached the Delta counter where we found two very helpful and friendly customer service agents. We explained your situation and they immediately checked the US Embassy in Portugal website with specific requirements/restrictions to travel during this COVID-19 pandemic.  According to such website, the only requirement was to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test conducted within the last 72 hours. You had such document along with an employment contract, so we decided to move forward and purchase the ticket for the next day.  We wanted to make sure everything was approved and cleared in their system so you would not encounter any issues the following day. The agents, one of them a Portugal native, confirmed you had the correct documentation, so we purchased the ticket, called the back office for approval and gave you 2 boarding passes (DFW to ATL and ATL to CDG).

We drove back home hopeful, but doubtful at the same time. The flight was not direct to Europe, you had 2 layovers before reaching your final destination. Would you get “stuck” in one of them? Would you be sent back home? At the end of the day, we were happy to have you with us one more night. We stopped to get some food (Chik-Fil-A) and got ready for movie night (as usual). You didn’t’ even unpack as we had to be at the airport at 9 AM the following morning so you got one more chance to put Chuy to sleep that night and I got one more chance to see you wake up in the morning.

One last chicken sandwich in the US

We arrived at Terminal E at 9 AM, boarding passes in hand and several additional documents (translated to English) just in case. Since you already had your boarding passes, you really only needed to check-in your bag one-hour prior to departure and head directly to the gate. With our experience the previous day, we decided to arrive early and I am glad we did because we were in for another surprise.

Chuy is going to miss you!

The lady at the counter proceeded to call the back office as we explained what transpired the previous day. Once again, they requested an official document from the consulate or an official governmental office giving you permission to enter Portugal. The call ends without the approval needed, but the customer service rep continues consulting others and talking to us. The agent who helped us the day before who was fluent in Portuguese was not working at this time. They see the ticket was purchased the previous day and a call was made for approval, but no notes were put into the system with the details of such conversations.

so we try again, we show the documents from the embassy stating that “professionals with employment contracts are allowed to travel”. We also found the ID number of the immigration application for residency submitted to the SEF (border control government agency). That along with the documents FC Porto provided us ultimately convinced them we had what we needed so they called the back office one last time. It is now 10 AM, 60 minutes before the flight to Atlanta departs.

Finally, after a lot of paper shuffling and pacing back and forth, approval to board was granted. It was 10:24 AM and the flight left was leaving at 11:05 AM, they checked in your bag, gave you a boarding pass and wished you luck. I was standing with you at the counter, dad was with Joana just behind us with your other bag. You quickly grabbed your back and rushed to security walking along side dad as he gave you some final instructions and things you might need. Joana and I are behind you, I am looking at you walking away with your folder, documents and passport in one hand your water bottle and bag in the other and I’m just praying you don’t drop or lose anything.

It all happened so fast, there was no time for any pictures this time, we just waved goodbye. I remember you looked back at us and said, “Thanks for everything, I love you guys very much” and as you’re zig-zagging through the ropes towards the TSA agent, I just wanted to run and hug you, but you made me promise not to cry so I let you go. You had enough things to worry about in the next 24 hours. Besides, I was grateful to have had you another night, or really to have had you for three full months. It was time for you to return and you were more than ready.

30 minutes prior to departure @ DFW Airport

This was definitely a learning experience for all of us. One that dad thought he should share with other families. It would have been more convenient for us to wait for the EU borders to open and have you stay home a bit longer but that was risky. As a parent, that would have been the easy choice, but at this point, we are experts at making difficult decisions that we know will ultimately benefit your long term goals. Lesson for up and coming football parents.

It’s hard to believe you have been in Portugal for a year now. You left right before your 18th birthday and today you have yet another birthday away from home. May this last teenage year get you one step closer to your dreams. Happy 19th birthday son!!! (Feliz cumpleaños mi niño)