My fascination with Brazil developed when I was watching the gold-medal game for women’s indoor volleyball at the 2012 Olympic Games on television.
The matchup was between Brazil and the United States.
And like a true patriot, I cheered on the U.S. but secretly enjoyed seeing Brazil come out victorious. Sorry ‘Murica.
Shortly after the Olympics concluded, as intrigued and dorky 10-year-olds do, I went on a deep dive into Brazil.
Two of the things that attracted me to the country were its national flag and language.
The yellow, green and blue color scheme paired with the white stars mesmerized me as a kid and is still my favorite flag of any nation.
Brazil is also the only Portuguese-speaking country in South America, and that stuck with me.
As I got busier – “busier,” meaning worrying about which toy I wanted from Target or who I was going to have a playdate with – my affinity for the country faded but never fully escaped me.
It was in August of 2022, at the age of 20, when I decided to pursue learning Portuguese seriously.
Like many other language learners, my first step was downloading Duolingo, a language learning app that offers free courses in numerous languages.
As I perused various platforms such as YouTube and podcasts for bettering my skill set, I quickly found out Duolingo was not a highly effective tool for achieving fluency, as the app didn’t offer real-life examples of communication.
Instead of using the program as a main source of material, I began to use it as a timeline.
Duolingo offers a streak-keeping function, in which users can track the number of consecutive days they have studied their target language.
This supplement allowed me to put things into perspective, and set realistic goals based on how long I’d been studying.
For months, I dedicated a minimum of one hour to sitting down and intensely studying the language through YouTube lessons.
I would literally write down transcripts word for word until my hands couldn’t write anymore.
While studying, I would tell myself that 10-year-old me would be proud of how far I’d come.
After the first month of studying Portuguese, I started to immerse myself in lighthearted content.
This is when my love for the language was superseded by my passion for Brazilian culture.
I will never forget the first time I heard the song “Garota de Ipanema,” a classic bossa nova song that has been covered by many artists.
The specific rendition I fell in love with was Lisa Ono’s.
Her soft voice combined with the tropical beat took me out of the concrete of Downtown San Jose and placed me in the sand of a Rio de Janeiro beach.
“Garota de Ipanema” was also the first fully-Portuguese song I was able to memorize and it holds a special place in my heart.
Milestones like these are what drive me to keep learning and immersing myself in this different culture.
Motivation is crucial in the language learning process.
When you genuinely enjoy learning and consuming content in whatever new language you choose, it becomes a hobby rather than a chore.
I have found some of my favorite shows, movies and music that I would have never come across had I not taken up learning a new language.
Learning another language can also prove to have great benefits.
Being bilingual makes a positive lasting impression on potential employers, and heightens your chances of getting hired according to an Aug. 17, 2017 article by UEI College.
Some of the most useful languages to learn include Spanish, French and Portuguese, according to a University of the People article.
These are all considered “romance languages” that are derived from varying forms of Latin, making them more approachable and less difficult to comprehend for native English speakers.
Not only are these vernaculars easier to learn, but they are also prevalent.
Spanish has over 500 million speakers, with 50 million in the U.S, while Portuguese and French are the official languages of a combined total of 38 countries.
While romance languages may be more digestible for native English speakers, learning a completely new tongue is still a daunting task.
Some common fears include lacking the necessary commitment and fear of speaking in front of native speakers of other languages.
While both of those anxieties are completely valid, there are ways to conquer them.
One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had with overcoming language anxiety came in the back of an Uber.
The driver picked me up and immediately I noticed a Brazilian flag dangling from his dashboard.
As the banner chaotically danced below the rearview mirror, I slowly gained the courage to ask if he spoke Portuguese.
Surely enough, within five minutes we were having a full conversation in a language I had been spending months trying to learn.
That was the exact payoff I needed to validate my progress.
Devoting enough time to your studying is not as intimidating as it may seem.
Commitment does not mean dedicating your life to your target language.
When I wasn’t studying Portuguese for two hours every day, I felt like a failure which catalyzed a toxic relationship with my learning journey.
In reality, consuming just 15 minutes of media a day in your secondary language is massively effective.
Spread out your time how you see fit, you don’t need to spend hours of your day in the library having a meltdown because you don't recognize every word you read or hear.
It’s also important to remember that there’s always more to learn in any language, even your native one.
As an English speaker, I still encounter words and phrases I’ve never heard before, it’s all a part of building my vocabulary.
Learning a new language can be an arduous process, but keeping your motivations in the back of your mind and developing a healthy study schedule are paramount in making it a pleasurable experience.
