So, the Olympic Flame made a tour around the city last sunday (May 29) and I was one of the 110 people chosen to be a torchbearer. The nomination was confirmed earlier this month. I was selected by the committee because mostly because of my work as a teacher at a community cram school, a student debate society founded by myself and and an archery workshop I brought to a state school last year. This is nothing compared to many great people I met at our gathering point and their truly inspiring stories.
The sunday was rainy here in Maceió, but the crowds were big near the starting point of the relay. The parade of the sponsors ahead of us (Coca-cola) was a party! Lots of music and people dancing despite the drizzle. I was the 15th runner that night and you can see me igniting my torch in the pic below.
The olympic torch is light and the flame looks pretty elegant in it. It's a neat sound when we release the gas and the segments open up. The torchbearers run for only 200 meters and I ran as slowly as I could, but the security squad noticed and joked saying 'hey man, we see what you're trying to do'. I passed the flame to a girl but before we planned to do something funny to the media truck: I proposed to her, kneeling myself and she said yes before lighting her torch. The people were shocked!
And that's how it ended. It was fun, inspiring and unforgettable.