Treated as a Local
Posted on | July 9, 2011 | 7 Comments
Here in São Paulo, I am often treated as a local, and I don’t even need to pretend to be one. I am not sure whether I am ‘mistaken’ or this is just the way they treat foreigners.
Other than the people who know me, when I come into contact with a local, I am assumed local by default. Even after talking to me and recognize my very foreign Portuguese, they would still speak to me in Portuguese. There is simply no option to speak English. I don’t have this common problem of locals not wanting to practice their language with me. The only place I speak English is in the office and at the hotel reception (the only people in the hotels who can speak English are the receptionists).
How Reading Helps in an Immersion Environment
Posted on | June 19, 2011 | 5 Comments
As soon as I stepped out of the plane and into São Paulo for the first time, I was surprised how much Portuguese I could read.
This is partially helped by my knowledge in French and Spanish. But I believe the main reason is that before I came, I worked on reading a lot. I read Portuguese documents from work, a few short novels, as well as studied conversation transcriptions from BrazilPod. At the same time, I build my in-context vocabulary using LingQ and Anki.
We Don’t Speak English Here
Posted on | June 16, 2011 | 6 Comments
At my very first dinner in São Paulo, I asked the waiter if he spoke English. He replied ‘não’ with a cold face, as if I was ordering something off the menu. There was nothing wrong with him, just me.
Most people in São Paulo don’t speak English, and they are not ashamed of it. There is nothing wrong with them, just the foreigners who cannot speak their language. I kind of like this attitude.
The Importance of Understanding
Posted on | June 14, 2011 | 14 Comments
Without understanding what the other person says, what you say does not matter. There is no conversation.
Most people would agree on this point. But yet some people will still think that you should try to converse in a foreign language as early as possible. What they fail to realize, I believe, is that it takes a lot of work to understand a foreign language, especially if the language remotely resembles your own.
Brazilian Mission
Posted on | June 3, 2011 | 3 Comments
In about a week time, I will be heading to São Paulo, Brazil to begin my 8-week Brazilian mission.
Back in mid-February this year when I was assigned to a Brazilian project at work, I had no prior knowledge of Portuguese and I had no intention to learn the language. I had no friends or relatives living in Brazil. I was not interested in the Brazilian culture. I was not even interested in going there.
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- Cool language tool. Should become the next hit. Now they need more people joining. http://t.co/8YWZ9Wx
- Visiting Rio de Janeiro today and tomorrow.
- Just had an English/Spanish mixed conversation with a Skype friend for over an hour. We had not talked for more than 4 years.
- My last week in Sao Paulo.
- I find myself comfortably living in São Paulo within the 1st week, thx to the ability to understand the surroundings. http://t.co/UDkZA79