It's all just the beginning.

And so the countdown begins. Just 5 short months more and I start a whole new chapter of my life, the 'Rotary Youth Exchange in Brazil' chapter. :-) And while that's good and exciting, quite an important part of my exchange will be those 5 months leading up to my departure. Seriously, preparing oneself to be embraced in a whole new culture, accomplishing as much school work as possible, oh and let's just throw in learning a new language...Portuguese no less! And trust me, these months will fly by! It's already MARCH! It seems like just last week that I got back from the Winter Orientation Shussout with all the Rebounds, Inbounds, and fellow Outbounds. It was back in mid-January, the first 2 days were spent worrying about our interviews and what country we're being sent to. Then Friday night was the Country Assignment Banquet,...or more like the most terrifying, exciting, and speechless (for once on my part) night of any of our lives. Because that night, us Outbounds found out what countries we were going on exchange in.

They didn't just inform us, oh no that's not hard enough. 'Let's show a slide show in front of everyone, going through each Outbound one at a time'. They would show our name, of course all the letters scrabbled around just to confuse of further, then our picture, then the flag of the country we're going to. Now that of course was fun, or at least it would have been if you weren't 3rd to last like I was! Do you know how hard it was for me to wait through almost everyone, and see every country that I had wanted to go on exchange in be handed out to a different Outbound? Because at that time we didn't know that 2 Outbounds were actually going to Brazil, and one had already been assigned there before my name was announced. So I was sitting, recording on my camera everyone's reactions to what country they were going to....of course the footage is horrible because I was freaking out and shaking....haha really I wasn't doing to well waiting for my name to be called! All in all though it was an AMAZING night! I'll never forget the moment I saw my name, my picture, and the Brazilian flag pop up on the screen...I turn to look at Felipe, Caroline, and Bruna (the three Brazilian Inbounds)...and there they were jumping and screaming just for me. ♥♥ ♥ Interestingly enough I had become good friends with them before even finding out that I'd be going to Brazil!! Of course then after the banquet they gave us time to go and call our families, the one's who hadn't come to the banquet, and let them know what country we're going to. I vividly remember calling my family, and my mom being so excited and telling the rest of my family "She's going to Brazil!!!!" The rest of the weekend we spent learning about the RYE as a whole, and just got to know each other. I know I personally made some amazing friends, and hopefully life long ones, and  it's just the beginning. Good times. 

So for now, for March, I'll be learning as much as possible. I'll let you know how it's all going and update you in April! Also a little fact as to how I decided on the name of my blog.... I've noticed that when I comment on Facebook/Myspace about my exchange I tend to say something along the lines of 'Yay, I'm going to BRASIL BABY!!!!'... I thought it was appropriate to name my blog that. :-) Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and I'm glad to share my experience with you! Let me know if you have any questions at all. 

Thanks! God bless. Tchau. ~Sara

For all you that aren't familiar with the RYE lingo here you are:

RYE- Rotary Youth Exchange

Outbound- someone who's going on exchange this coming year

Inbound- someone who's here on exchange from another country
Rebound- someone who went on exchange the previous year.