by admin | 19 Jan, 2019 | Blog, Uncategorized
The secrets of acarajé After practical experience Greg felt inspired and decided to share what he learned. By Greg Grassi Sometimes, my constant talk about food pays off. I was supposed to meet Luciana, one of my Portuguese teachers, for an individual class when she sent me a Whatsapp message (the preferred method of communication for most Brazilians) with a simple question: “Have you tried acarajé yet?” While I am fluent in the basics of Brazilian cuisine, I am still a novice when it comes to regional foods so I only had a vague idea that acarajé was something from Bahia. Luciana suggested we meet for a “practical class” instead to try acarajé from a street vendor in our shared neighborhood of Botafogo. Vamos lá, I thought. Let’s do this! Luciana and I met at a cafe in Botafogo (near the subway) and talked about the history of acarajé before we tasted it. Luciana encouraged me to talk to Anna, the Bahian proprietor of the stall and while I was a bit intimidated at first, Anna was extremely patient with my questions (and my Portuguese) and turned out to be a passionate advocate for her native cuisine. We learned other facts about the dish all while Anna helped a steady stream of regulars at her immaculate station. As a result of the conversations with Luciana Anna, learn the following information: Origens Acarajé is a Bahian delight with a long and colorful history. Acarajé has religious origins and represents one of the best known Afro-Brazilian dishes in Brazilian cuisine, although many Brazilians I know admitted they...
by admin | 24 May, 2018 | Blog, Uncategorized
The family and the bank “The bank manager asked about my family!!! What?!? Why?!?” I heard this at a conference for entrepreneurs from all over the world held in Lithuania. The speaker was Simon, an American who is currently one of the world’s largest agricultural producers. He has business in Chile and works with people globally. The audience was made up of many different nationalities and all were really surprised that the bank manager asked Simon such a personal and seemingly irrelevant question when he was just trying to open a bank account. Yet for me, this was not in the least bit strange or out of place, because you’d get the same kind of questioning in Brazil. In the United States it is no longer common to have a bank manager; the whole banking system is online, people are not used to going to the bank in person anymore. In Brazil, I insisted on having a manager for my account, both for my personal and business accounts. When I’m abroad, I often have problems that the call center cannot solve, so I talk to my manager on WhatsApp and he sorts it out for me. My boyfriend is American. When he saw me doing this he couldn’t believe it! When I lived in Australia, I was able to open a bank account in just two weeks. In Brazil, I have students who have been trying for 2 years. I have other students who tried to open a legal account for their company and didn’t succeed. They then open one in their own name only to have it blocked...
by admin | 1 Apr, 2018 | Partnership, Uncategorized
How to write a good chronicle Last Wednesday, the writer Daniel Cariello met with students and alumni of Fala Brasil School who are writing chronicles for the book “The Look of the Other.” The book is a new project of Fala Brasil and aims to gather chronicles of writers from various parts of the world about the culture of Brazil and Brazilian life. The idea behind it is to enable an exchange of intercultural perspectives from different points of view. In this meeting, the writer and chronicler Daniel Carriello, author of “Chéri à Paris – A Brazilian in the land of fromage” and “City of Dreams, Chronicles of Brazil” explained how to write a good chronicle. Here is a summary: – A chronicle will always be the story of a specific event or fact that is the center of the narrative. – In the chronicle the characters are not developed. They have no past or future. They make up the story by helping in the narrative of a fact that should be the central theme of the chronicle. – A chronicle may or may not be personal. It may be an account of an event that occurred with the author himself, an observed situation or something that happened to another person. At this point, the rule is not to have rules! 😉 – Imagination is free! The chronicle can be an imagined dialogue, a hypothetical situation, something that almost happened or happened in the author’s head. It also can mix fiction with reality. – A good chronicle size is between 2 thousand and 4 thousand characters (counting letters, punctuation...
by admin | 28 Sep, 2017 | Uncategorized
Cultural adaptation – steps and challenges Adapting to a new country and a new culture is no easy task. Unless you parents are ambassadors – and you grew up accustomed to moving – living in a different place, which includes working, socializing, etc, demands patience and persistence. According to the Global Mobility Effectiveness Survey, the worldwide rate of unsuccessful expatriation is very high. About 55% of expatriates return to their country of origin ahead of schedule. That means business losses and a lot of headaches for the HR manager. According to the survey, the greatest difficulties faced by the expatriate are issues related to personal and family adaptation (47%). Cultural shock is already perceived as an occupational hazard and is known to reduce productivity and dry up the creativity of even the most experienced executives. That is why it is so important to have good support in the adaptation period. In this period full of challenges, we break the barrier of a new language, understand the social codes of the new culture, and often the internal (tacit or explicit) codes of the company for which we work. Even international companies with a well-standardized policy have particularities that vary according to the culture of each country. In addition to cultural, behavioral and language barriers, there are practical difficulties, such as identifying and creating a home away from home through the daily routines that life demands. According to the anthropologist Kalberg Oberg, the curve of cultural adaptation happens in three stages: First stage: appropriately called “Honeymoon”, the expatriate lives a moment of euphoria and excitement. This phase is relatively short, about...
by admin | 12 Jun, 2017 | Uncategorized
Sprachkurs + Sprachschule in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilien: Ein Erfahrungsbericht zu „Fala Brasil“ im Zentrum von Rio http://www.studienstrategie.de/sprachen-lernen/sprachkurs-sprachschule-rio-de-janeiro-brasilien-ein-erfahrungsbericht-zu-fala-brasil-im-zentrum-von-rio/ 1. Warum den Sprachkurs in Rio machen? Die Wahl der Sprachschule startet mit der Wahl des Landes und des Ortes. Für Portugiesisch fand ich diese Entscheidung recht einfach: Es gibt für mich keine aufregendere Stadt als Rio de Janeiro: Ich meine, was willst du mehr: Du hast eine vielfältige Musik- und Partyszene die nicht wie z.B. Berlin auf eine Musikrichtung beschränkt ist. Die stärksten Strömungen sind hier Samba, Forró, Brasilian Funk, Rock aber es gibt auch Electro und RnB Partys mit internationalen DJs. Letzte Woche war z.B. Kygo hier. Ich habe bisher 7 zauberhafte Stadtstrände besucht. Und das sind glaube ich noch nicht alle. Ja, es gibt neben der berühmten Strandmeile die etwas relaxtere Ipanema-Seite mit einer schöneren Aussicht auf die „Zwei Brüder“ (eine sehr markante Doppelbergspitze). Mein Geheimtipp ist „Macumba Beach“ ca. 1 Autostunde westlich in dem Ortsteil „Recreio“ (Portugiesisch für „Pause“ – wie treffend!) Über den Karneval in Rio will ich hier gar nicht reden, sonst komme ich gar nicht zu meinem Sprachschul-Testbericht des Portugiesisch-Unterrichts, den ich hier hatte … Sprachkurs & Sprachschule in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilien 2. Der Weg zu Sprachschule: Die Sprachschule liegt in „Largo Machado“, einem Stadteil südlich des Zentrums von Rio und so auch in der Nähe der berühmten Copacabana (Strandmeile). Die Sprachschule ist ganz bequem per U-Bahn erreichbar (2 Minuten von der Station entfernt). 3. Mein Portugiesisch-Kurs: Was mir am besten gefiel Die Sprachkurs-Lehrer sind jung und cool: Marcelle, die Gründerin, ist um die 30 und ihre Kolleginnen sind zwischen 25 und 35. Der Unterricht...
by admin | 12 Jun, 2017 | Uncategorized
‘Mijn leerlingen proberen zich te redden in de Braziliaanse samenleving’ http://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/-mijn-leerlingen-proberen-zich-te-redden-in-de-braziliaanse-samenleving~a4356125/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shared+content&utm_content=paid&hash=b3bb685ba169175078d77a7216f895540081f78b Carioca In deze rubriek vertellen Carioca’s, de inwoners van Rio, wat de Spelen voor hen betekenen. Aflevering 6: Marcelle Bottini (30) Door: Marjolein Van De Water 12 augustus 2016, 02:00 Drie jaar geleden gaf Marcelle Bottini nog Portugese les in de piepkleine woonkamer van haar voormalige woning. Nu heeft ze een talenschool van vier verdiepingen. ‘Ik had altijd al een sterke ondernemersgeest’, aldus de 30-jarige Bottini. ‘Maar dankzij de Spelen is het in een stroomversnelling geraakt. Bottini ging zes jaar geleden lesgeven omdat ze het leuk vond buitenlanders te ontmoeten. ‘Ik begon gewoon’, zegt ze. ‘Ik heb het vak in de praktijk geleerd.’ Aanvankelijk geeft ze alleen les aan losse leerlingen, buitenlanders die wegens werk of liefde in Brazilië wonen en door mond op mond reclame bij haar aankloppen. Tot ze in 2014 grote klussen binnensleept via het olympisch comité en Omega, het bedrijf dat de tijdsmeting doet bij de wedstrijden. Het geheim van het succes van Bottini, is dat haar school Fala Brasil meer biedt dan alleen taalonderwijs. ‘Mijn leerlingen proberen zich te redden in de Braziliaanse samenleving.’Mijn leerlingen proberen zich te redden in de Braziliaanse samenleving. Ik help ze daarbij.’ Ze legt haar leerlingen uit dat ze het niet persoonlijk moeten opvatten als iemand te laat komt, en dat boos worden nooit tot oplossingen leidt in Rio. ‘Engelse ingenieurs begrijpen niet waarom Brazilianen zich niet aan de planning houden. Ik leg ze dan uit dat niemand hier gelooft in planningen, omdat de onderliggende systemen niet functioneren.’ Braziliaanse bureaucratie Bottini helpt leerlingen de Braziliaanse bureaucratie te begrijpen,...
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