Archive for 'Culture'
Soccer Vocabulary in Portuguese Posted by polyana on Mar 15, 2010
With about 3 months (ahem, 87 days to be precise) till the 2010 World Cup games, and with soccer/football tournaments going on such as the Copa Libertadores, the UEFA Champions League, and the CAF Women’s Championship all taking place and all with Portuguese speaking teams, it wouldn’t hurt to learn some soccer vocabulary, would it?…
Brazilian Recipes – Baking Pão de Queijo Posted by polyana on Mar 11, 2010
Today we’re going to learn to make pão de queijo, probably one of the most famous snacks to come from Minas Gerais, in the Southeast of Brazil. In Minas Gerais and most other parts of the country, the crispy on the outside chewy on the inside “cheese bread,” is served fresh from the oven at…
Águas de Março Posted by Rachel on Mar 10, 2010
Happy March! The song “Waters of March,” originally written by Tom Jobim and performed here by Elis Regina, is a true classic. It also has an interesting backstory: in Rio de Janeiro, March is a very rainy month with lots of flooding, and Jobim was inspired by the Rio weather, and actually wrote the music…
Brazilian Novelas Posted by Rachel on Mar 9, 2010
Brazilian novelas, or soap operas, are famous the world over and are broadcast in countries throughout Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Watching novelas is an excellent way to work on your listening comprehension skills, as well as to build your vocabulary. Luckily, many novelas are now available on YouTube, and you can watch entire episodes…
Dia Internacional da Mulher Posted by polyana on Mar 8, 2010
Today is International Women’s Day! Not only that, today, it has officially been 100 years since the day is an official holiday. Celebrated widely in Brazil from great sales at clothing and home goods’ stores to church group get togethers, the date is certainly recognized. Despite women in Brazil taking longer than many in the…
Poetry Practice – Círculo de Aguinaldo Fonseca Posted by polyana on Feb 28, 2010
One important thing to remember when learning Portuguese is that the Lusophone world is goes much further than Brazil and Portugal. Cape Verde is a lusophonic country, with Portuguese being one of its official languages, and has an extremely rich culture, especially in its literature and music. Although some music and poetry is found in…
Reading Comprehension: Windows of São Paulo Posted by Rachel on Feb 24, 2010
We’re going to do a reading comprehension with a really cool feature from Estado de São Paulo’s “Olhar Sobre o Mundo” blog. It’s a post featuring a fantastic photo series of windows in the city of São Paulo. Read the article, Janelas paulistanas, and the accompanying text here. Excerpt: “Uma viagem poética pelas fachadas da…