Everyone told me, but I didn’t believe it… until I saw it and heard it myself. “Quero andar baloiço!” She said what?!
1st day of school photos
For the past 3 months, each of us has entered into our “immersion” Portuguese language learning programs here: Steve & I at the University of Coimbra (doing level B1 and A2, intermediate and beginner), Bekah at a local Portuguese pre-school 4-year-olds class, and Hannah at a nursery 1-year-olds class. We are thankful to report everyone has acclimated well. Thank you for your prayers. It has not been easy.
I’ve been fascinated watching Bekah blossom these past few months. Not only did she turn 4 this past Sept, but she’s learned how to navigate in a whole different culture from her own and in a foreign language. She officially understands that she speaks English and will often ask what language a book is in or what language a person speaks. The awareness of such a taken-for-granted concept is precious.
By the end of the first week of pre-school, her teacher Raquel (such a special name!) told me that the other little girls in the class were teaching her Portuguese. They would say a word, she’d repeat it, and then they’d all giggle. One day, as Bekah ran up to me on the playground, another little girl with dark curly hair and big brown eyes and pink glasses ran with her, embraced her from behind, and exclaimed, “Ela fala Português!” (She speaks Portuguese!) My momma heart… just…melted. Yay, Bekah is learning Portuguese!
By the end of the 2nd week, Bekah’s teacher shared more good news. Raquel speaks English and had been communicating in both languages to the class for Bekah’s sake. However, she then started to only speak in Portuguese to help Bekah learn. Bekah seemed to understand mostly what’s going on, but she was often too shy to reply back in Portuguese.
The most coveted playground activity is the swing set. Everybody wants a turn. And there’s only one. This is Bekah’s all-time favorite past-time on the playground too. Well, that was all that she needed: “Quero andar baloiço!” (I want go on the swing!) she announced as she waited her turn. She spoke it when it mattered most! (Not too shabby. I could hardly pronounce that word at first.)
Since this occurrence, she has come home singing songs in Portuguese that she learned at school. Her vocabulary has flourished. Her teacher assures me that when she wants to, her Portuguese is spot on 🙂 And then there’s the occasional Portu-glish “Mommy, I need to go xi-xi.” (Pronounced “shee-shee”, Portuguese for needing to go #1 on the potty.) LOL 😉 I love it.
Hannah continues to grow and gain independence each day. She is crawling, pulling up to a stand, letting go, and taking a few steps before going back to a crawl. It won’t be too much longer before she is walking! She has 6 teeth now (2 front top, 4 front bottom), and a few back teeth are starting to come in too. Besides the babbling of ma-ma and da-da, she has started saying “Olá!” (“Hello!”)
As far as Steve and I in language learning, Steve has pleasantly surprised me. He’s GOOD! He’s blossomed quite a bit. He can order a Pizza over the phone, get directions from one place to another, and can communicate about his day with a native Portuguese speaker. Steve just completed a 10-minute presentation on the history of Lisbon in his oral communications class. Very impressive.
As for me, it’s been a bit more slow-going. After doing a month of Rosetta Stone language learning this summer, then 3 weeks of intensive A2 beginner level with Steve at the university in Sept, I thought I’d be ready for the long B1 intermediate level in the fall semester (Oct-Jan). I figured that if Steve was doing well, I should be able to keep up too. However, 5 weeks into it, I realized I was in WAY over my head. No language rules were taught, all classes were spoken in strict Portuguese, and there was a class completely dedicated to culture and history (again, no explanation of language learning, just using the language). Whenever the teacher would ask “Têm dúvidas?” (Do you have doubts?– aka Do you have any questions?), I just stared at her blankly. I had lots of questions and doubts!
After many tears and struggling for those first 5 weeks of the semester, I finally realized it was time to go back to A2. I felt so discouraged at first. However, since making the switch one month ago, I couldn’t be happier. The pace is slower. Grammar rules are explained. (If needed, the teacher will explain in English.) I’m with students who are more at my level. I have felt the freedom to become that nerdy student again and make flashcards, ask questions after class, and study during my lunch break. It’s also given me a greater opportunity to make friends as I sit next to them in class, go to lunch with them, and have conversations about the hope I have in Christ and why Steve and I are moving to Mozambique next year.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update. It’s been a long time coming. This semester has been a bit overwhelming, and yet so full of insight, encouragement, and great anticipation. Your prayers and encouragement go further than you’ll ever know. Thanks for continuing to follow our journey on The Simpson Scoop blog.
Here are some photos at the university:
The Simpson Scoop 