On Sunday, my husband, Brandt, and I journeyed from home to Little Brazil for the annual Brazilian Day in New York festival. This journey was about a mile and a half. That’s one of the things I love about…
Over the past few days I have been working a lot in my Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar. Written by John Whitlam and published by Routledge, it actually consists of two parts: a “practical” guide and a workbook. Teaching…
Yesterday I decided I would visit a few consulates of different Portuguese-speaking countries and see what I could learn. The problem is, now that I no longer drink coffee, I tend to go to sleep and wake up earlier. Where…
Last month I encountered for the first time in my life—as far as I know and can remember—something called the future subjunctive. Sources of Grammatical Drama Seeing it for the first time prompted in me a highly intellectual…
I have been silent but studying. I confess that I set aside Portuguese for two weeks in late September to work daily on the perpetually-in-progress language-resources directory for this website—but I did then return to the Portuguese, although on…
I am still making my way through my Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar books (both the practical guide and the accompanying workbook) by John Whitlam. John Whitlam’s Portuguese Grammar Books I find them responsible. They are…
This morning I walked across Central Park to a doctor’s appointment. Fall is clearly here. The park was crowded with tourists speaking languages other than English and leaves were dropping to the ground. Strawberry Fields, Central Park I listened…
The streets of New York City were supposed to be filled with marathon runners this Sunday, and I was supposed to be volunteering at the pre-race expo and at the marathon itself, using my language skills, but I didn’t…
Yesterday Brandt and I volunteered through the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) for an afternoon shift of supplies distribution at Confucius Plaza, which is, according to Wikipedia, “the first major public-funded housing project built for almost exclusively Chinese…
I have been plugging along with my Pimsleur Mandarin lessons, but also, more than with any other language to date in this project, I am undertaking some complementary cultural explorations. Election Day Signs this Week, 28th Street A Chinese…
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