This will be my blog for my year abroad in Brazil. I'll try to update this and add a lot of posts and pictures throughout my year so you'll be able to see what I'm doing!
As of today, I only have 34 days left in the states. I'm getting so excited! For the past few months I've started getting ready for Brazil. I started the long visa process, learning Portuguese, and talking to my first host family and other exchangees in Brazil. Everyone I've been talking to tells me that I'm in for the best year of my life!
I got the first email from my first host family in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil a few months ago. My mom, Marisa, lives with her two sons Pedro and Lucas. Pedro will be coming to USA while I'm in Brazil, so I'll be living with Marisa and Lucas. Marisa also has a son, Daniel that is 22, and he lives with his dad. The family seems so nice, and I couldn't have asked for a better city!
João Pessoa is located on the Northeast coast of Brazil. It has a population of 672,000. The population of Minneapolis is about 377,400, so I'll be living in a city about twice the size of Minneapolis! My city is known as the city where the sun rises the first in all of the Americas, because it is so far east. It is also the second greenest city in the world because is has over 2.7 square miles of forested land (Paris, France is the first). It is known for it's beautiful beaches and warm, sunny weather.
I'll keep updating my blog once I'm in Brazil and know more about my family and city. Keep checking back for more posts! :)
-Rae
