Tomorrow Is The Day!

Tomorrow is the day I leave, and I can't believe it's here! I will take a 2 hour flight to Miami, and then a 9 hour and 45 minute (!!!) flight to Rio. This will be the longest plane ride I've ever been on, and the first time I will be crossing the equator.

In other news, the was a moderate earthquake in Indonesia, a 6.3 on the Richter scale. What's amazing to me is that so many people (5, 700 as of this post) have died. I was in several earthquakes in the 6.0 to 6.5 range when I lived in California, and very few (if any) people died. What a testament to the improved building codes we have here.

This is the second or third major quake to strike the region recently, one of which was responsible for the 2004 tsunami. It's also home to Krakatoa and Mt. Tambora, two of the most violent volcanic eruptions in history.

Mt. Tambora, in 1815, put so much ash in the air that it dropped world wide temperatures. The following July it snowed in New England, and many referred to that as the "Year Without a Summer." Krakatoa, in 1883, caused a tsunami that killed over 30, 000 people. Both are part of the Ring of Fire.

Last Day of School - First Day of Summer!

Tomorrow is the last day of school. You would think I'd be excited, but I haven't really thought about it - I've been so busy anticipating my trip to Brazil!

This will be the second time I've taken a long trip outside of the United States. The last was in the summer of 1980, when I was 14. I went to France, and stayed with a family for a couple months. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned more French living with a family than I ever did in my French classes.

This time I'll be staying with a family in Salvador, Brazil, and learning Portuguese. I am really excited about the opportunity, but a little nervous, too.


The first part of the trip will be to Rio De Janeiro ("river of january"), which used to be the capital until 1960. It is famous for its beaches and its Carnivale.

We will stay in Rio for three days, and then travel to the new capital, Brasilia.

It is a planned city with a lot of modern buildings and green space.




After spending a day in the capital, we will visit Goiania, another planned city, where many of my students are from. While there, we will visit a hot springs resort areas called Caldas Novas.


Finally, after a whirlwind cultural tour of the city, we will go to Salvador, meet our host families, and begin language training. This will be the trip of a lifetime!
And I'll be there for "O Copo do Mundo" - The World Cup!