I realised how far I’ve come
April 24, 2015
I hate making mistakes and I am terrible at taking criticism and being on a year abroad in Brazil, having only studied two years of Portuguese, I make about 300 mistakes a day. Most people are nice about it or don’t try to correct me but my class of 6 year olds take great pleasure in pointing …
It is starting to feel like home
April 23, 2015
I have no idea what I was really expecting from Brazil. I am spending four and a half months teaching English at an NGO in Belo Horizonte but I’d spent so much time stressing about the flight and having to clear border control and collect and re-check my bags in under 2 hours at Sao …
Making professional connections
April 15, 2014
Post written by Ben West. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil When I considered the blog title ‘making connections’, I thought about a whole load of things, both academically and professionally. As I will, one day, be working in a professional capacity, I am going to use this blog to talk about the connections I have …
Connections are what make your year abroad a success
April 11, 2014
Post written by Hannah Sheeham. Planning my year abroad in Brazil was a challenge due to a lack of connections in South America. After sending out numerous CV’s and applying for numerous internships I had no luck but nonetheless was very fortunate to fall upon the last study placement available in Santa Maria along with 3 …
…it makes a change from life in the UK and it’s welcomed!
April 9, 2014
Post written by Tara Odeinde. Well it’s nearing the end of my fourth week in Lisbon, Portugal and so far I am really enjoying it here, although the second part of my year abroad is already going too quickly considering I’m only here for 3 months! It has definitely been easier to adapt to life …
Coffee, nicotine and family…thats all a Lisboan needs
February 6, 2014
So after a brilliant (well needed) break in the UK, I am back in Lisbon for my last stint before I go to Madrid. I’m trying to take in as much Portuguese as I can before I switch to madrileno Castellano, which is seeing me almost disorientated. I really am enjoying the simple things though, …
The ‘jeitinho brasileiro’
February 2, 2014
Post written by Ben West. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil So, 1 week into my study placement in Brazil, and I have already learned so much about the culture here. I can’t write about everything – the fact that everywhere you go there is grass and trees and fruit and building works and very few …
Background noise and unconscious language learning
December 28, 2013
Post written by Sophie Gorvett. Being situated in the Algarve, an area of Portugal typically perceived to be very ‘English’ I was determined not to fall into the trap of simply talking English every day and waste this opportunity to learn and improve my Portuguese. Of course, my colleagues and manager spoke Portuguese but as …
Native Lisboans are doing wonders for my Portuguese
December 1, 2013
Written by Sidi El Alami. Although it’s only been a few months since I wrote something down about this revitalizing experience, it feels like years. I’ve definitely settled here, which is obviously great but I do feel quite detached from my life back at home. I’ve always had this sort of feeling in a slightly …
Lisbon – focusing on what needs focusing on
September 24, 2013
Post written by Sidi El Alami Hot, loud and vibrant. Arriving in the Bairro Alto district of Lisbon on Friday the 20th of September proved instantly a shock to the system. I had gone from the quiet, middle-class suburbia of the south-east of England to a Portuguese culture hotspot. Many tourists from around the world …
English
Find, follow, join us
