Lost Gringa

Climbing the cobblestones

Eve — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:41:06 +0000

Of all the colonial towns in Minas Gerais, Ouro Preto is arguably the loveliest and most charming of them all. Once a booming gold rush town, Ouro Preto is now a well-preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city slopes in all directions which makes for heart-pumping strolls through cobblestone streets and spectacular views of 18th-century churches and baroque buildings. Once your legs get tired and you’ve worked up an appetite, stop for a meal at one of the town’s many mouth-watering dining options. Minas Gerais is well-known in Brazil for its regional cuisine and locally-made cheese.

Soaking in the Sunset in Porto Alegre

Eve — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:20:57 +0000

Porto Alegre is the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. Head toward the river around sundown for spectacular views of the pôr-do-sol (sunset). You will find many locals sitting outside the old power plant (Usina do Gastrómetro) enjoying the scene and drinking chimarrão (a popular loose-leaf tea drunk out of a gourd and shared among friends).

Pretending to be giant-sized in Gramado’s mini-world

Eve — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:51:08 +0000

Honey I shrunk the tourist destinations! Gramado’s Minimundo (Miniature World) cannot actually turn you into a giant, but it can make you feel like one as you wander and browse the collection of international landmarks shrunk to 1/24 their original size. There are mini-sized European castles, Brazilian churches, an Argentine airport, even a shrunk down version of the hotel accross the street (all they need to add next to it now is a miniature Minimundo).

Good deal at Gramado Hostel

Eve — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:25:34 +0000

There numerous accommodation options in Gramado, from grand hotels to Swiss-style chalets, but those on a budget will appreciate the prices at Hostelling International’s Gramado Hostel. It’s located on Av. das Hortensias 3880, a 15-20 minute walk into the main part of town (there is also a bus). There are family and gender-divided dormitory rooms that range in price from R$28-55 depending on the season (discounts offered for members of Hostelling International). Buffet breakfast is included and the staff is friendly. Reservations are recommended, especially during weekends in the winter.

More photos and information (in Portuguese) can be found on the Gramado Hostel web site.

Cutesy, Creative, Kitschy Gramado

Eve — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:13:36 +0000

In a country most famous for beaches and bare-skinned bathers lies a small town in Brazil’s south capitalizing on cold weather and creative kitsch. Though largely ignored by international travelers, Gramado is a popular tourist destination among Brazilians, especially as a weekend getaway for residents of Rio Grande do Sul. Think Euro-Brazilian mountain village meets American roadside tourist attraction—wacky but classy, cheesy but charming. Basically, kind of awesome.

Yuletiding year-round at Santa’s Village in Gramado

Eve — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:11:52 +0000

On the road leading into the center of Gramado is a large billboard that proudly proclaims, “Aqui é Natal o ano inteiro!” (Here it’s Christmas all year). According to the film played at the entrance to Santa’s village (Aldeia de Papai Noel), Santa accepted an invitation a while back to emigrate from the North Pole and set up shop in the southern hemisphere. Visitors can now wander his estate, ride the Noel Express train, observe reindeer-resembling elk, submit wishlists to the Tree of Desires, and enjoy an exclusive tour of his very own house (peek in St. Nick’s bathroom and check out his cologne preferences!).

Santa's Village

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Portuguese classes

Eve — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:08:48 +0000

Here’s some information for those of you interested in studying Portuguese in São Paulo.

Private Classes

I took classes for a while with a Brazilian teacher named Dilmo Onori. He’s very nice and really knows his stuff. He can be reached at mhitologia@gmail.com.

Group Classes

A number of language schools in the city offer Portuguese classes for foreigners such as Fast Forward and CELLEP.

If you are associated with the University of São Paulo you can also look into signing up for the Portuguese classes they offer. Check their Language Center web site for more up-to-date information. (You can also find information here on the other foreign language classes they offer such as Spanish, French, etc.)

Online language resources

Eve — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:20:52 +0000

Here are some web sites that are useful for trying to learn Portuguese via the internet (which, by the way, is pronounced “internetchy” down here in Brazil).

Brazilian Portuguese - A language-focused blog.

Dicionário inFormal - This is the equivalent of the U.S. urban dictionary web site. Basically it is a collection of user-generated definitions of Portuguese slang words.

Eyes on Brazil - Check out this blog with a lot of great information about Brazil. If you scroll down on the right side there are a bunch of helpful entries on particularly tricky Portuguese-isms.

Vocabulary - A list of some useful Portuguese words and phrases.

Also, check out my recommended Portuguese Podcasts.

Portuguese Podcasts

Eve — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:55:26 +0000

Podcasts are really good for improving comprehension skills. Here are a couple worth putting on your ipod to listen to while you cruise around town.

Panorama BBC

This is a weekly news program made by BBC Brazil. It’s a good way to catch up on what’s going on in the world while exposing your ears to a steady stream of Português.

Tá Falado

This podcast is for English speakers who have a background in Spanish and are trying to learn Portuguese. It is made by an American professor and some native speakers who talk about pronunciation and grammar in both Spanish and Portuguese and recite short dialogues in order to compare the two languages.

Y’know?

Eve — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:28:48 +0000

These expressions are used to ask if someone gets what you’re saying, though they are often thrown in for rhetorical purposes.

né - right?

entendeu? – did you get that?

sabe? – you know?

tá ligado? – you got that?