Unfortunately, my summer time in Brazil has come to an end. I did not realize how much I was going to miss Brazil. The Portuguese language actually has a word for the feeling of missing someone or something: saudade. It came from Portugal’s colonizing era, where the family members of colonizers and colonists would feel a certain longing for their loved ones who were at another part of the Empire.
Words cannot properly express how much I learned and benefited from this SLA experience. I did not expect my Portuguese to improve as much as it did. My original goals included being able to be proficient enough in Portuguese that I could navigate daily life with minimal complications and to be able to understand and discuss social and political problems. To this extent, I was very successful, because the last three weeks I was able to do both with very few problems. One of the most insightful things I learned about language-learning is the importance of immersion. You have to focus on your language all day, from the start. I walked into my first day of Portuguese classes with barely any Portuguese, only Spanish (which contrary to popular opinion, is actually an OBSTACLE for properly learning Portuguese), and definitely struggled for the first two weeks. To continuously work on my language, I participated as much as I could in class to speak more confidently. What I realized was that when you do an immersion, the first few weeks are always hard. But there comes a point where something just “clicks” and you start speaking more proficiently, even if with errors. That’s what happened to me, and it’s the most wonderful feeling to have that click. Afterwords, you start speaking more naturally and even adapting your language’s filler words as you would in English.
Still, what I am most grateful for is the culture. What makes Brazil is the Brazilians. While I am certain that few places in the world match Rio’s natural beauty, I think it was the people who made my time there so special. I made strong relationships with my professors and with different friends of my age who are Brazilian. I felt cared for, loved, and immediately included everywhere I went. I was met with a hospitality and warmth I had never before seen, and this allowed me to explore different parts of myself and grow as a person with new people.
I told one of my Brazilian friends that my favorite Portuguese word was “apaixonado.” Coming from the word “apaixonar-se,” the term can metphorically mean to fall in love with someone romantically, but its usage tends to emphasize a process that is sudden and uncontrollable, becoming passionate or inflamed about something with strong (positive) feelings. I love it because this is how I felt about Brazil. I developed such a strong love for the country and its people who were so welcoming to me. When I left Brazil, I felt apaixonado for the country because it inspired such strong and loving feelings. I hope that one day, soon, I can come back.