T-minus 24 hours

"A sorte favorece os audazes" is a Brazilian proverb meaning "luck favors the bold". I chose this as the title for my blog because I think it is going to be a good fit for the experiences I will have in the upcoming year. My travels will take me far outside my comfort zone, with people and places that I cannot even imagine. 

The adjective "bold" can be defined as: Willing to take risks; confident and courageous.

I believe that if I am bold and can push myself outside my comfort zone, my experience will be far better than if I stay where I am comfortable and make my year in Brazil as easy as I can.

It seems like a couple days ago that I got home from school and received a letter in the mail informing me that I have been accepted into the Rotary Youth Exchange program and will be traveling to Brazil 2012-2013. It has been almost nine months since that day. My spring and summer has flown by and the day I have been awaiting for years is upon me.

I leave for Brazil tomorrow. Wow. The past few days have been filled with feelings that are not familiar to me at all. I have lived comfortably in Minnesota my entire life, but in almost 24 hours I will be boarding a plane that will take me to a country I have never been to, where they speak a language I don't know how to speak, where it is hot and humid all year long, and where a different type of people reside.

Honestly, the past week has been difficult. How do you prepare for a year in a completely different country? I have been saying many goodbyes, but I am not too worried about losing contact those with who I really care about, especially with the technology at our fingertips today. I have been packing my suitcase, making sure I have money in the bank, talking to rotex (people who have previously been on Rotary Youth Exchange) about their experiences abroad, but I still dont think any of this is going to truly prepare me for what lies ahead. Here in Northfield, my life is without too many challenges. It is kind of hard for me to say, but I am excited for the difficulties I will encounter during my exchange. I figure that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to learn as much as I can. 

I have been in contact with my host family over Facebook. They will be meeting me at the airport when I arrive in Sinop and we will be going out to lunch at "um delicioso churrasco brasileiro" which means "a delicious Brazilian steakhouse/barbecue". I am very excited to meet them and become part of their family. My oldest brother Graciano has already invited me to play futebol (soccer) with him on the weekends, which I am very excited for!

My flight leaves tomorrow at 3:20pm and I will be arriving in my city the following day at 1:00pm. 

Stay tuned, I will be posting again soon!