12 Sep 2008

My biggest task for now is to improve my Português. I placed an ad on Craigslist a few days after my arrival, attempting to find someone who was interested in trading assistance with my Português for help with his/her English. I did have one response to that ad from a woman whose written Português was so bad that I dismissed her out of hand. I may decide to reconsider that and go with the theory that even bad language skills are better than none. I could always improve on them later. In the meanwhile, Heitor, whose small apartment is home until I can legally put my name on a lease for something larger, is going to follow up with some internet sites that advertise language classes. I think an adult class with other students, official lessons, and homework etc. best fits my learning style. I´m eager to hear what he finds out. I hope there are some daytime classes, because those are the hours when I´m feeling most energetic and, occasionally, bored.

People tell me I should be watching more television, specifically the novellas that are so popular. Not to offend those of you who like the U.S. soaps, but that is what these novellas are, only in prime time. I just can´t do it. I do try to make myself watch at least the evening news when I´m home, and maybe a few minutes per night of a novella, which isn´t even enough to understand the story line(s) but is all I can stomach. The problem is complicated by the fact that Heitor´s television reception is not good. Even the best stations are a little fuzzy, and the worst ones are a lot fuzzy. I have also got Brasilean music on my ipod, which I can listen to at a slower-than-normal rate, which helps.

Bottom line: I have a lot to learn.

Tchau for now.