A Portuguese Progress Report
Just like in high school, I’m learning to use a lot less tongue and focus more on the movements of my mouth. This is one the major pronunciation differences between Spanish and Portuguese, and I’m starting to pick it up. I still have a heavy Spanish accent and often use Spanish to fill in for Portuguese […]
Learning Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro
Before I moved to Rio de Janeiro, I asked fellow travelers about the art of learning (Brazilian) Portuguese. To my surprise, they all pretty much responded the same way… “If you know Spanish, you’ll be fine.” I understood that Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French (among others) are rooted in Latin and are often referred to […]
Portraits of A Bolivian Book Fair & The Feelings Involved
I’m writing this post from 35,000 feet in the air on my way from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Cancun, Mexico. As I squeeze into the middle-row seat on a 6-hour flight between 2 layovers and an overnight bus ride, nothing can push me off the feeling I have at this moment. The feeling is of […]
How to Make Friends While Traveling
How to make friends is one of the most frequent questions I receive in the T2T inbox. The entire concept of this site focuses on that interaction and I base the success of each adventure on the friends I’ve made and authentic moments I’ve shared with locals. I’m not saying you can’t have the same […]
SPANISH, CHAPTER 5: Getting Organized
It feels good getting back into using my second tongue. I’m still far from fluent but I’m starting to grasp the vocab and dialect I need to have a decent conversation. One of my major goals for this trip in Colombia is to get my words organized and get a better understanding of the correct structure […]
8 Ways to Fake it ’til you Make it!
Before I could hold a decent conversation in Spanish, I had to come up with a few tactics to act like I knew a lot more than I really did. I dove in head first when I arrived in Buenos Aires, trying to learn the language as fast as possible, but the fact is it […]
Spanish, Chapter 4: Bueno, Entonces…
First, I tried the private classes with Cecilia, which were great for getting me into the swing of things when I first arrived. However, I soon found out that I needed more structural help than conversational practice. So, I switched over to group Spanish classes at BASP. The 2-week intensive program helped me get a grasp on […]
SPANISH, CHAPTER 3: The Frustration
As mentioned in the 6-month Status Update, my formal Spanish lessons have been put on hold as of late due to tight funds. I have been working on a proposal to trade Spanish classes for marketing services but to be honest, I just haven’t finished it yet. Even without classes, I’m still learning a ton […]
STATUS UPDATE: 4.5 Months
I haven’t done a STATUS UPDATE in awhile so I feel like I should take a minute to get myself organized and briefly fill everyone in on progress of the Tourist2townie.com mission. It seems crazy to be writing this 4 and a half months in. It honestly feels like i’ve been here for 2 weeks. […]
First Day of Group Spanish Classes in Buenos Aires
Last monday I started group Spanish classes at the Buenos Aires Spanish Center (BASP) near Congreso. BASP is a 2-week intensive Spanish program and classes are from 9:30am to 1:30pm (with a short break in between). The first 2 hours are spent on Spanish grammar and vocab while the second half of class focuses on conversational Spanish practice […]