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Poetry in Portuguese | “Círculo Vicioso” by Machado de Assis Posted by polyana on Jun 9, 2010
I’m reading a book called, “Como Transformar Defeitos em Virtudes,” and it claims to be a good humored view on the seven deadly sins… which so far it is! And each chapter for each sin starts off with a poem. The first chapter starts off with a poem by Machado de Assis, one of Brazil’s…
All Tied Up? – Brazilian Elections 2010 Posted by polyana on May 31, 2010
This will be my first time voting in a presidential election in Brazil, and I must say, I’m not as excited as I wish I’d be. Personally, I’m not crazy about any of the likely candidates… But political opinion aside, it’s still pretty fun to keep track of and read up on what candidates have…
Watch Your Favorite TV Shows in Portuguese Posted by polyana on May 24, 2010
Since being in Brazil, I’ve been getting my American TV shows fix online. Since I have the privilege of speaking English and having a great internet connection, I don’t have to wait until the episodes get to cable tv in Brazil in order to keep up with my American friends’ Facebook comments on different shows…
Zélia Duncan – Enquanto Durmo Posted by polyana on May 17, 2010
Saturday through Sunday was “Virada Cultural” in São Paulo, an event with all sorts of bands, singers, dancers, food, and all sorts of good stuff, for free which takes place mostly downtown, and all in the span of 24 hours. It’s an annual event I haven’t missed since I’ve been living here. This year I…
Pernambuquês – Preparing to Visit Pernambuco Posted by polyana on May 10, 2010
After getting pretty good feedback on my How to Speak Baianês post, and seeing we also have a Mineirês post, I thought I’d write slang/dialect posts here and there so we can all learn to be ready no matter what region we visit! This week I started at a new job and two of my…
How is Cachaça Made? Posted by polyana on May 4, 2010
This past week I was visiting my family in Minas Gerais, a state in Brazil famous for its friendly residents with funny accents & sayings, pão de queijo (or cheese, overall) and cachaça! Cachaça is a traditional Brazilian liquor made of sugarcane juice (as opposed to molasses which is the difference between cachaça and rum) and…
Listening Comprehension – Politics Meets Finance Posted by polyana on Apr 26, 2010
This year is a presidential election year in Brazil, and I’ve been playing around with this tool that the brokerage firm Souza Barros put together, called BOVAP (Bolsa de Valores Políticos) to help Brazilians learn more about their politicians. Watch the video below to see how it works and then try to answer some of…