aqui vamos nós!!

Here we come! T-minus 3 weeks until we leave for Brazil.

I have been remiss in not contributing to the blog before now; however, a new job, buying a house and moving has been a bit time consuming. Never-the-less, here I am, excited and ready for the exchange.

Alicia alluded to my previous travel experience in an earlier blog entry. She was more than accurate in saying my passport is always ready. Of course there was a bit of panic just a few weeks ago when we thought the US Postal Service had misplaced my passport and potentially jeopardized getting my Visa. Major sigh of relief when it was located.

In preparation for my newest world experience, I find that I am reflecting on the wonderful places I've been blessed to visit, and the things that made each of them grab a special place in my heart. When you travel, people are always excited to see pictures and hear your great stories of adventure and exploration upon your return. Then they inevitably ask --- which place is your favorite of all?

Do I prefer Ghana over Ireland, or Italy to Ghana? Questions I'm unable to answer, as they are all uniquely perfect and memorable for entirely different reasons. In Ireland, it was the vibrant color and natural beauty of the land. In Ghana, it was the infectious grins of children who knew real happiness, despite little material possessions. In Italy, it was the food and wine ---oh the food and wine!!!

So what will "IT" be in Brazil? Stay tuned ...

Aprovado !

Tempo para celebrar! Our wonderful team leader Jim informed us today that our passports were returned approved with lovely Brazilian stamps. It's soo exciting to know that one more thing has fallen into place for our trip.

Aprendemos Português, bebê!

First of all CONGRATS to Beth! She's got a new gig with the NC Dept. of Revenue and we are so happy for her! Unfortunately, this means we will be seeing a little less of her, but as a team we will make sure Beth doesn't miss out on anything.
Last night we met and turned over our documents to Jim who will secure our VISAs. Brazil is even closer now and I feel myself getting more excited by the day. We also met with our language tutor last night. It was a great session and I could feel the anxiety leave the room. We are all very committed to representing ourselves and Rotary well, so getting a decent understanding of the language will be a significant part of that. Hopefully, our hosts will appreciate the effort and talk really, really, really slowly! :)
My favorite word that we learned last night coelho (pronounced: coh-eh-yo). It means rabbit, which has absolutely nothing to do with anything in particular, I just like the way it sounds!! Can't wait to learn more!
Boa Tarde!!

Cheese :) - don't we look sharp!

QUEIJO

The team is officially stylin!

O Avião Etiqueta!

Its time to start counting down...only 11 weeks left until departure. The team received our plane ticket itineraries this weekend...we are set to go on April 30th from RDU to Miami then onto Sao Paulo Guarulhos, Brazil!

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!

FIRST!

I'm excited to be the first team member to post on our blog. This is just one in a series of firsts for me lately. First trip to Brazil (can't wait!), my first time learning Portuguese (it's coming along...keep praying tho!) and my first time spending 30 days in another country. I'm looking forward to meeting beautiful people, eating great food and really observing the little things that most Brazilians probably take for granted. This trip is going to be life changing......
BUT....
There's always a but.....
Before I(we) can let our imaginations frolick in the beautiful land of Sao Paulo, we have a LOT of work to get done. There's presentations to prepare, brochures to fold, business cards to copy and let's not get started talking about the VISAs yet. I'll save that topic for later. So right now, I'm just concentrating on making the best presentation possible and learning as much Portuguese as I can so I don't offend our hosts. But so far, I'm please to say that it has not been a burdensome process. In fact, it's been quite a joy. Why? Because of the DREAM TEAM!!!
Seriously, I couldn't have picked 4 other women as intelligent, kind, focused and funny. They're just like me! haha
Since I'm first I'll call everyone out...
LaTonya - She's the woman with the knowledge and connections...."oh you need a copy of last years presentation?...got it.....oh we need a Portuguese language tutor?...ok got it" She knows how to get it done and that's somebody you always want in your corner!
Leigh - She's our resident historian and the sweetest person ever. She is such a hard worker and she pays attention to detail. She definitely going to be an asset during our preparation and once we arrive in Sao Paulo.
Christina - This is another one who has access to resources - GOTTA LOVE IT! But Christina is also fearless. I'm convinced that if there's anything I'm not too sure about Christina will check it out and make us all look like wimps! I'm a picky eater too, so thank goodness for Christina
Beth - OH BETH! This girl is like my twin. All it takes it one look and we are laughing hysterically! Beth just got back from Italy so girlfriend's passport is always ready to go! I have a feeling that Brazil is not ready for Beth and Alicia
Jim - Jim is our team leader and he has traveled all over the globe, so I feel certain that he won't let any of us get kidnapped. haha Seriously, though Jim is an outdoors kinda guy who loves diving into new cultures. He's helping to keep us on track and thank goodness because May will be here before you know it.
So that's the team....and there's so much ahead of us that we can't wait to share it! After the Orientation in Winston-Salem I know everyone got even more excited about the trip and becoming a part of a great Rotary legacy. This WILL be a life changing adventure. Lucky for me- I am surrounded by great people and lucky for you that we plan to show everything. So keep checking the blog for new updates from the team as we prepare for our trip and once we are in Brazil we plan to use this blog to keep you posted on where we are, what we are doing, and who we meet. No need to thank us....IMAGINA!