Lampião & Maria Bonita – Meet the Cangaceiros from the Brazilian Sertão
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When I was eight I saw this TV series based upon a true story called Lampião e Maria Bonita. It took place in the dry lands of Brazilian Sertão, a bit similar to –and not far from- the region of Crisópolis, where grandpa Octavio had settled alone in a house, in the middle of nowhere, after leaving the big city once and for all. I remember having cherry tomato wars with my siblings, picking cotton from the trees in his backyard and eating his polenta. I also remember looking at the moon from the porch and feeling overwhelmed by its power, its mystery, and by the fact that it surely knew everything about my future (but it wouldn’t tell me). In terms of landscapes, I am not sure where the memories of this TV series end and where those from my childhood at grandpa Octavio’s little ranch begin.
Learn the Plural in Portuguese – Part 1
In Portuguese, there are several rules to form the plural of the words. It all depends on the word ending or the stressed syllable of each word. We will show you the main rules in a series of posts about this topic.
Three Tips For Language Learners
I found a very good article on learning a language on Lexiophiles.com: www.lexiophiles.com: an interview with Spanish translator and TV show presenter Xosé Castro.
In my opinion, Xosé’s three special tips for learners are really at the heart of learning a foreign language and having fun along the way. I am sure that my students will recognize this advice :)
Bike Path with Poetry by Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa was a Portuguese writer and poet, and in my opinion one of the best poets this world has even seen. Born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1935, Pessoa left an extensive, complex, and beautiful collection of writings.
Samba Class – An Interview with Neguinha Sambista from Aquarela Dance Group
It is Carnival and to celebrate it with our readers I visited Neguinha Sambista, a professional Samba instructor from Aquarela Samba Troup, in Berkely, CA. We interviewed her about the history and styles of the dance, and she told us about her classes. We also filmed parts of the lesson for you! Aquarela teaches Samba and provides Samba shows around the SF Bay Area. We filmed Neguinha Sambista at the Dance Mission Theatre in San Francisco.
