É A VEZ DO RIO

So there I was: 12:43AM, October 2nd, lying on my bed, lights off, eyes wide open, mind racing. I tossed, I turned, but to no avail: sleep wasn't going to come easily if at all. A big test the next day, you ask? False. (Finally) a date with a Carioca garota? Still working on that. No, I was wide-awake because I was nervous that in 13 hours the International Olympic Committee would opt not to give Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and South America their first Olympic Games (Did I mention I love the Olympics? And that I wanted them in Rio de Janeiro?).

Seriously. I was indeed worried sick (or worried awake?). While I did (and do) not want to give too much weight to hosting an international sporting festival in the overall development of a nation, there was a sense that the coming decision was not just about hosting the Olympics. If Rio de Janeiro lost, it would only validate Brazil's status as "The Country of the Future"-that is, a country that has high hopes for what is to come but invariably never fully achieves them, a country that is perpetually emerging but will never actually emerge. But if the city of Samba did win, the chance would be given to break the stereotype and for Brazil to fully step into its own. (Coupled with the other reasons I have mentioned in a previous post) how could you not root for them (even to the point of losing sleep)?!?

Flash forward 13 hours and there I was, again, this time one of 100,000 people packed on Copacabana Beach waiting for Jacques Rogge to open the envelope and read the Committee's decision. As he fumbled to break the tape and pull the card from the envelope, I noticed that I was the only one who was remotely anxious. For all the Cariocas around me, this was just a formality. They already knew: é a vez do Rio-it's Rio's time (seriously, they did already know: the decision came at 2PM local time, but the party started around 9AM that morning). And then suddenly the whole world knew (and now knows): it is indeed time to give a nation and a continent the opportunity to demonstrate its own take on life and to show its mettle as a world player.

Now it's official.

But in the past three weeks, I've also come to that very phrase- é a vez do Rio-not only as a wake-up call for the world but also as a wake-up call to Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is indeed their time. The question now becomes, what will they make of it?

Do not get me wrong. I am incredibly excited for Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympics. But in all honesty, I still find myself a bit anxious. Quite frankly, Rio de Janeiro could screw things up. Big time. In addition to revamping its transportation system, handling significant crime issues, and building the actual venues and housing complexes, Rio de Janeiro and Brazil must handle, in some sort of capacity, many (significant) internal concerns-economic inequality, political corruption, social stratification-if it is going to pull off the Olympics they hope to. And while it is unfair to expect all of these issues to be completely resolved by August 2016, it is not unreasonable for Brazil to make a significant effort to address its national, internal problems while simultaneously tackling its logistical concerns as Olympic host. After all, Cariocas believe that the Olympic decision has commenced a new future for their city and their country. Thus, the Games of the XXXI Olympiad will be an indicator of how committed Rio de Janeiro and Brazil are to the process of complete development at all levels and classes-of how committed it is to the phrase everyone was singing three weeks ago.

Yes, world, it's Rio's time. It's Rio de Janeiro and Brazil's time to step up and achieve the future that is waiting for them.