Getting a post written today was a challenge! 

The AASSA Educator’s Conference has been on my mind since November when I applied to be one of the two people to represent my school.  I had to give my presentation to my elementary and secondary principals as well as two teachers.  They graded the six presentations using a rubric and chose me and one other teacher to go to Rio.

Since then I have given my presentation at a teaching conference here in Venezuela and again at my school as a teacher workshop.  Every time I’ve presented, I try to reflect on my presentation and adjust it to make it more streamlined.

The AASSA conference will be my first international teaching conference that I will attend.  I’m feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement.  What do presenters normally wear? When they say “paperless” do they really mean that I shouldn’t provide handouts or that if I will have handouts that I need to come with them already printed?  I’m trying to tell myself that it’s just excitement.

I’m trying to forget all of the questions and to focus on the excitement. There are many things that I’m excited about, especially since this will be my first time in Brazil and I will have about five and a half days in Rio.  Sadly I will only be able to explore Rio after the conference ends every day at about 5 PM.

Rio photo cred: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21160499@N04/8492917389/sizes/l/

Thankfully I will have Tuesday to explore Rio with my co-worker since we will arrive on the red eye flight.  We have already organized a private tour guide to drive us around Rio so we can try to see most of the sites in one day.  It will be pretty crazy, but I’m sure we will sleep REALLY well Tuesday night!

Another thing to consider is that the conference is located on the outskirts of Rio so it will take about an hour to get to any of the major sites.  Since the school is paying for the hotel, airfare, and is giving us a per diem (I think) for food, I should be able to afford the taxi fare to and from our hotel all the way out at the Barra de Tijuca.

Have you been to Rio?  Will you be there for the AASSA conference? What are your must see/do things in Rio? Do you have any restaurant suggestions for us for dinner (since it will be our only meal outside of the conference?