Journal Post 2 - Spring 2025
Recap: I’m studying Brazilian Portuguese specifically the São Paulo dialect. I’m doing this by studying vocabulary, listening, reading, conversation, and grammar. I study vocabulary through mnemonic devices, songs, and television. I pick up grammar concepts through context and flashcards I previously made for LAIS390 and review. I meet with my language partner twice a week, listen to Portuguese music, and read about Brazil/Mozambique/Angola as part of Dixon Abreu’s Building Brasilia CLAC and my HIST199: Changing South Africa Portuguese CLAC. These CLACS have a reading component as well as speaking practice.
I’ve been watching ‘Invincible’ on Netflix in Portuguese making significant headway in the show. It’s fun to use my listening skills and context to pick up what's happening. I’ve also been watching ‘O Incrível Mundo de Gumball’ (Eng: The Amazing World of Gumball) but only through episodes and clips on YouTube, as Netflix doesn’t offer it in Portuguese in the US region. I heard that VPNs can help you change the Netflix that’s available to you and wonder if any other SDLP students have used that before.
The resources I’ve been using include Amazon Prime, YouTube, Netflix, DeepL, Spotify, flashcards, Reddit, Kwai, and the Portuguese Memory Book.
The goal for this past month has been to get ready for my Brasilia trip by reviewing relevant vocabulary and, as my classes at Sacred Heart have started back up again, reviewing the differences between Spanish and Portuguese so I can use the proper Spanish versions of similar words in class. Some examples of close but distinct Spanish-Portuguese vocabulary I’ve been having trouble with include defesa vs defensa (definition: defense), and formiga vs hormiga. I’ve also this past month started working with Dr. Salisbury as a part of his Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Lab (ABSAT). In this role, I’ve been sitting in on meetings with Portuguese-speaking indigenous leaders from the Amazon and helped make corrections to Portuguese materials made by student researchers for Indigenous Amazonians. As many of the labs’ Indigenous partners only speak Portuguese, it's been really cool being able to help in this capacity.
Some examples of common Spanish mistranslations I've seen include “tierra” to “terra,” “frontera” to “fronteira,” and “pueblo” to “aldeia.” Many cedillas and acute accents are also missing like on words "distúrbios" and "conservação." ABSAT materials are only useful if they're intelligible. Although sometimes the corrections are small, I feel it's important work.
Last month, I mentioned my Changing South Africa course could lead me down lusophone rabbit holes. This month, we learned a couple of interesting things about South Africa’s history with Mozambique. Mozambique has a large diaspora community in Southern Africa. The UN estimated that in 2020, 11 million Mozambiquans were living abroad compared with the 33 million currently residing in the country. We touched on Mozambique's relationship with South Africa in class while looking at labor movements and I wonder how else Portuguese-speaking Mozambiquans have impacted South Africa. We also learned that many South African apartheid critics fled to Mozambique to avoid persecution most famously Ruth First whose story was captured in the movie "A World Apart."
I haven’t yet heard from CLS Brazil and am honestly feeling a little anxious about what I'll do this summer and next fall and how Portuguese will be a part of it.
On the interpersonal side, I’m no longer dating my Brazilian partner. To my surprise, it hasn't diminished my interest in learning the language but I do think it will be an adjustment to my weekly experiences with the Portuguese language. Additionally, I’ve been having a hard time finding a comfortable schedule with my language partner. He is also a full-time student and, although we’ve worked well together in the past, with him joining a business fraternity and taking harder classes this semester, it's been tough finding times that work for the both of us. I'm going to keep trying with him, but if we can't find a good arrangement, I think it might make the most sense to start exploring other options via italki.
Reciprocal goals remain high. I have enjoyed helping the Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Lab as their Portuguese translator and intend to continue providing intercultural knowledge transfer to my Brazilian friends and classmates.
Overall, I’m doing well. I'm excited about my Brasília trip and hoping to get a haircut and be able to fit in with the locals. I’ve struggled whenever I’ve been to Portugal to comprehend what they're saying, but having done a semester and a half of independent study and going to Brazil rather than Portugal has me optimistic.
Recap: I’m studying Brazilian Portuguese specifically the São Paulo dialect. I’m doing this by studying vocabulary, listening, reading, conversation, and grammar. I study vocabulary through mnemonic devices, songs, and television. I pick up grammar concepts through context and flashcards I previously made for LAIS390 and review. I meet with my language partner twice a week, listen to Portuguese music, and read about Brazil/Mozambique/Angola as part of Dixon Abreu’s Building Brasilia CLAC and my HIST199: Changing South Africa Portuguese CLAC. These CLACS have a reading component as well as speaking practice.
I’ve been watching ‘Invincible’ on Netflix in Portuguese making significant headway in the show. It’s fun to use my listening skills and context to pick up what's happening. I’ve also been watching ‘O Incrível Mundo de Gumball’ (Eng: The Amazing World of Gumball) but only through episodes and clips on YouTube, as Netflix doesn’t offer it in Portuguese in the US region. I heard that VPNs can help you change the Netflix that’s available to you and wonder if any other SDLP students have used that before.
The resources I’ve been using include Amazon Prime, YouTube, Netflix, DeepL, Spotify, flashcards, Reddit, Kwai, and the Portuguese Memory Book.
The goal for this past month has been to get ready for my Brasilia trip by reviewing relevant vocabulary and, as my classes at Sacred Heart have started back up again, reviewing the differences between Spanish and Portuguese so I can use the proper Spanish versions of similar words in class. Some examples of close but distinct Spanish-Portuguese vocabulary I’ve been having trouble with include defesa vs defensa (definition: defense), and formiga vs hormiga. I’ve also this past month started working with Dr. Salisbury as a part of his Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Lab (ABSAT). In this role, I’ve been sitting in on meetings with Portuguese-speaking indigenous leaders from the Amazon and helped make corrections to Portuguese materials made by student researchers for Indigenous Amazonians. As many of the labs’ Indigenous partners only speak Portuguese, it's been really cool being able to help in this capacity.
Some examples of common Spanish mistranslations I've seen include “tierra” to “terra,” “frontera” to “fronteira,” and “pueblo” to “aldeia.” Many cedillas and acute accents are also missing like on words "distúrbios" and "conservação." ABSAT materials are only useful if they're intelligible. Although sometimes the corrections are small, I feel it's important work.
Last month, I mentioned my Changing South Africa course could lead me down lusophone rabbit holes. This month, we learned a couple of interesting things about South Africa’s history with Mozambique. Mozambique has a large diaspora community in Southern Africa. The UN estimated that in 2020, 11 million Mozambiquans were living abroad compared with the 33 million currently residing in the country. We touched on Mozambique's relationship with South Africa in class while looking at labor movements and I wonder how else Portuguese-speaking Mozambiquans have impacted South Africa. We also learned that many South African apartheid critics fled to Mozambique to avoid persecution most famously Ruth First whose story was captured in the movie "A World Apart."
I haven’t yet heard from CLS Brazil and am honestly feeling a little anxious about what I'll do this summer and next fall and how Portuguese will be a part of it.
On the interpersonal side, I’m no longer dating my Brazilian partner. To my surprise, it hasn't diminished my interest in learning the language but I do think it will be an adjustment to my weekly experiences with the Portuguese language. Additionally, I’ve been having a hard time finding a comfortable schedule with my language partner. He is also a full-time student and, although we’ve worked well together in the past, with him joining a business fraternity and taking harder classes this semester, it's been tough finding times that work for the both of us. I'm going to keep trying with him, but if we can't find a good arrangement, I think it might make the most sense to start exploring other options via italki.
Reciprocal goals remain high. I have enjoyed helping the Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Lab as their Portuguese translator and intend to continue providing intercultural knowledge transfer to my Brazilian friends and classmates.
Overall, I’m doing well. I'm excited about my Brasília trip and hoping to get a haircut and be able to fit in with the locals. I’ve struggled whenever I’ve been to Portugal to comprehend what they're saying, but having done a semester and a half of independent study and going to Brazil rather than Portugal has me optimistic.
Comments
It’s really impressive how much you’re integrating Portuguese into so many parts of your academic and personal life! I’m sure all the preparation you’re doing will pay off, and it’s exciting that your Brasília trip is coming up soon — you’re going to fit right in