Intrepido

Well Alicia kicked us off and inspired my title for this month's post-FEARLESS! Well not all the time am I fearless...there is definitely a healthy dose of preparation that allows me to act more confident in those regards. This trip to Brazil is no different as we are all staying busy planning.

One thing I am looking forward to this month (fearlessness wise lol) is building more confidence in my Portuguese accent. I have found myself understanding written portuguese from my "Book for Dummies" but actually pronouncing the words for me has been difficult. Meeting with our tutor and hearing someone actually speak correctly will help immensely for me in not feeling scared about presenting to my hosts proudly. My most exciting moment this week was while scanning my passport to send in for plane tickets. I think that prospect made the trip so "REAL" to me now.

I agree with Alicia that the GREATEST thing about this experience so far has been working with my fabulous Team Members (Alicia, Beth, Jim, LaTonya & Leigh) and Support Staff (Bryson especially but all the ROTARIANS I've met so far). They have all been so willing to help out with needed resources, answer my countless questions and just enjoy some fun conversations while at the Rotary Conference in Winston-Salem. I think Alicia pegged us all pretty well on the descriptions she gave. Which means dont worry I'm sure I will be the one eating all the "weird" stuff lol and giving reports via blog!

Tomorrow starts the beginning of a very busy 3 months for us all with lots to do like Alicia previously mentioned. Starting now I am sure we will all begin to chronicle what we're doing/thinking/feeling (for thosee of you who are interested) which will take time. However it si a priceless investment into a journey full of personal & professional cultural exchange (new things: people, careers, food, beliefs & scenery - Oh MY!) we will share with not only the Brazilians we meet but with each other as well.

With enough preparation, a ton of flexibility and a *tiny* dose of fearlessness this trip will be...IMAGINA!