The Dreams and the Fears....

For the past seven years I have been hoping and praying that this adventure would come. Now it is here and I have my fears and my dreams! I thought it would be fun to write about my top 10 lists for each for my first blog and see what comes of them when I am in Portugal.

So let's start with the positive because that is how I roll....

10.  My last name will always be pronounced correctly. Now this might not seem like a big deal but when you have to constantly spell your last name, R-o-d-r-i-g-u-e-s, and still have people spell it wrong...you would be excited for the correct pronunciation also.

9. Seeing the other Golden Gate Bridge. Little factoid about Lisbon, There is a bridge that is identical in look to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was designed by the same designer and was built around the same time, although, I believe that the one in Lisbon is longer then the one in San Francisco. 

8. Eating Portuguese food other then linguica and sweet bread. Although, my family is mostly Portuguese the only things that I knowing know that we eat are linguica, marcala (blood sausage....which I don't eat), and sweet bread.

7. Learning Portuguese. The last person to know Portuguese in my family was my grandpa Alva but he passed away in 2003 and didn't teach anybody Portuguese. So, I will be bringing the language back into the family!

6. Seeing old world architecture. One of my favorite things to see is the combination of old world and new world. I first saw this when I was in Singapore and fell in love with it and I can't wait to see it in Portugal!

5. Fado Houses. I have fallen in love with fado music, which is Portuguese folk music. The singers are able to portray such passion through their singing and I am addicted to it. I can't get enough or Mariza, Amalia Rodrigues ( I am pretty sure I am related to her....I wish), and all of the other greats. I can't wait to be sitting in Portugal listening to the singers belting their hearts out!

4. Delicious Coffee. So, I have been told that Portugal has amazing coffee shops and very strong coffee. Which makes me ecstatic since I am addicted to coffee and the stronger the better!

3. Traveling! I really hope that I get to go all over Portugal and see so many different places. I would also really like to, if there is time, to visit Spain for a day or something.

2. Living with Nationals. It is going to be phenomanazing to be living with nationals because not only will I pick up the language faster but I will also learn more about the culture.

1. Working with youth cross culturally.  I have been dreaming about working with youth overseas since I graduated from high school. I can't believe that a dream that I have had for so long is actually coming true!

So....now for the fears.....if only I could ignore them.....

10. My living situation....So, even though I am super excited about this I am also kind of nervous, which I think is pretty normal....right?

9. Not having netflix/not being able to take all of my movies. For those of you who know me at all, you know that I have a pretty large movie collection and I love to watch movies to relax and do just about anything but unfortunately my movie collection is also pretty heavy and will take up room that I for sure need for clothing!!!

8. Being overseas on my own and not really knowing anybody that well. Although I have been blessed with many opportunities to travel over seas all of them have been with people that I have known pretty well. This will be my first major trip on my own without really knowing anybody. 

7. Nobody getting my humor. I don't know if you have ever noticed but I am a pretty sarcastic person. It is basically how I communicate about everything. I really hope that Portuguese people love sarcasm other wise I am going to need a HUGE filter!!!

6. Not being able to pronounce my own last name. So, last summer for one of my theology courses I visited a Portuguese Catholic church in San Jose and was talking with some of the members of the church and was basically called a gringo by one of the men when I told them my last name.....

5. Not speaking up when I need to. Confrontation is not a quality that I possess. I basically know how to run or ignore confrontational situations. Good or bad situations I ignore all of them!

4. Cultural differences. I am so nervous that I am going to completely stand out like a sore thumb. Now I know that it is going to happen but I am scared of being an ignorant and arrogant American. I want to be culturally aware and respectful.

3. Living in a house with a pet snake or spider. This might seem funny for you but I seriously have a panic attack and then start crying. Yes, I know I am a pansy but it is just the way I am. I don't do snakes they are basically of the devil....the Bible says so ;)....and spiders I believe are right there with them!

2. Not fully knowing the language...I am so scared that I am going to go off talking about something and feel so smart and then later be told that I was talking about something completely different and not so good.

1. Doing youth ministry cross culturally. Even though this is also what I am most excited about I am also scared that I will fail. I really want to succeed and I know I can only do so with the power of God behind me.

Well...I hope you enjoyed my top 10 and hopefully you will like my other posts also