Brazil Day 1

For the next 12 days, our team will be going down to Brazil for a couple days of competition and a couple days of fun. Our team has been counting down the days to our trip since school ended, and over the past 10 days, we have been in the gym prepping for the trip.

The atmosphere in the gym has been extremely competitive and filled with energy. For many of us, this is our first time out of the United States. We are really excited about experiencing a different culture. Each day this week, a pair of girls put together a presentation about different aspects of Brazilian culture in order to prepare us for what we are going to experience. However, we are sure to be in a bit of culture shock.

A couple of things the team is really looking forward to is seeing the Cristo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro, being in the city of Sao Paulo, a huge industrial city, and going to the beaches in Rio. I am most excited to watch Brazil play in the World Cup on Friday (June 25) vs. Portugal, considering soccer is like a religion to the people of Brazil. I can only imagine what it will be like if they win the games while we are down there.

We have heard that volleyball is the second-most popular sport there, very different from here in the United States. We are looking forward to playing international rules against the Brazilian Junior National team.

We leave this afternoon for a long day of travel and will be in beautiful Rio de Janeiro tomorrow morning ready for a day of touring!

- By Annie Fesl -