I just recently added this course to my schedule, so I feel a bit lost and behind in terms of structuring my language learning, but I am still very excited to continue practicing my Portuguese.
This summer I received a critical language scholarship to study Portuguese and got to be immersed in Brazilian culture for about 8 weeks through an online format. Although the program was supposed to be in person, I still greatly enjoyed my time learning Portuguese virtually and met a ton of professors and friends who were eager to assist my language learning journey. In a couple weeks I will be receiving my pre-program and post-program OPI test results and I am excited to see where I stand in terms of my speaking ability. Throughout the program I also improved my reading and writing abilities. Along those 8 weeks I wrote short essays, read academic texts and even gave presentations strictly in Portuguese. I definitely would not be as comfortable as I am with the language right now if it weren’t for my scholarship this summer, so I am very grateful for the opportunity.
With this course my objective is to have someone with whom I can continue practicing my Portuguese with as I prepare to study abroad in Brazil next semester. The University of Richmond only offers one Portuguese course, which I already completed, so the SDLAP is a wonderful option in terms of not letting all that I learned this summer go to waste. I hope to use this course as an opportunity to build on my speaking abilities and become comfortable with talking about more specific or specialized topics like education. I also think it will be beneficial to document my progress through my language journal, since I will be able to reflect on the learning strategies that are most effective for me. In addition, I am really looking forward to finding more academic resources in Brazilian Portuguese and discussing all the options I find with my language partner or professors from this summer.
This semester, another important goal of mine is to make more connections with the language and Brazilian culture while experimenting with different learning styles. This summer I was able to learn a lot about how to use Portuguese, but I did not make as much progress in connecting the language to the culture. Beyond that, I really just want to be as prepared as possible for my study abroad experience so I can better take advantage of my time in Brazil and actively contribute in class while I am there. All the elements of this course will allow me to do so, as I will have to update my language journal, create cultural posts and have multiple conversations about varying topics with my language partner. This will also be my first time speaking Portuguese with a native speaker outside of Zoom, so perhaps I will be able to pick up on specific hand gestures or certain facial expressions that are more difficult to notice through a screen. After a very busy summer learning a language in my room, I am eager to apply my language skills into to the real world and make the best use of all the resources that are available to me.
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