By Jose
“Portuguese is just Spanish on steroids,” I told myself. Oh how quickly I was humbled as soon as I stepped foot in Caxias Do Sol.
I told my host family that I wanted to practice Portuguese and they obliged, but saying you want to practice versus actually doing are completely two different things. I felt scared speaking because I felt I would be judged for every stutter, every slurred word, or misspoken tone. I felt that my practicing the language would make native speakers feel cringed by hearing a foreigner try and speak their language.
For the first week, I just spoke in broken English to them, since they couldn’t fully speak English fluently. Looking back, every word spoken in English was a missed opportunity to learn a new word in Portuguese. My lack of knowledge in the language became my enemy when I tried to go to stores, restaurants, and play football with locals and almost got my phone stolen! All this forced me to change.
I gained some courage to tackle this unconquered tongue even if I would make mistakes. I began by using Spanish as my “safety net” if I didn’t know a word. My host family playfully made fun of me because they would say, “You’re speaking Portuñol.” I would also practice Portuguese with the kids I worked with in the Talkers Idiomas school. We would play Jenga and for every block they removed they would say an English word, while I would say that same word in Portuguese. During this time, I would also binge watch “Better Call Saul” with Portuguese captions in order to reinforce my Portuguese vocabulary. Over time, my Portuñol became Portuguese. Now I’m not saying I am an expert, but I could jump into conversations, listen to music, and talk with anyone.
After my time in Caxias Do Sol and Farroupilha, I wanted to see if my Portuguese would be strong enough to survive in Rio De Janeiro for one week. From exploring Cristo Redentor, Copacabana late night runs, Tijuca Forest hikes, this trip was the best week of my gap year. I even bought a book in Portuguese called “O Vento Sabe Meu Nome” by Isabel Allende that talked about the parallels of the holocaust and current immigrants in the U.S. by using a realistic fiction narrative. I just finished this book two months ago, while in Spain. Words cannot describe the excitement I felt everyday waking up in Rio and living the “Carioca” life.
Sometimes stepping out of your comfort of your own tongue and culture is beneficial to growing as a person. It is ok to mispronounce words, stutter, and slur your speech, because it is part of the learning process. Do not be afraid of making mistakes because maybe those same mistakes may lead you to Rio De Janeiro one day! Muito, muito obrigado Brasil!
