Learning Languages Forever Changed The Way I Travel
I transformed from “tourist” to “human being”, just by speaking Portuguese
I was in Brazil forty days ago.
But now, it seems like it was another life.
Two weeks ago everything was business as usual here in cold, rainy Toronto. Last week, the province of Ontario enacted a “Declaration of Emergency to Protect the Public” and two days ago Toronto declared its first-ever “State of Emergency” as the world follows the news of COVID-19.
Everything is changing day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.
I hope that everyone reading this article is safe and healthy. And that your friends, family and loved ones are as well.
Why Brazil?
I miss the gorgeous hikes of Rio de Janeiro, the endless beaches of Salvador, and the friendly farmers' markets of São Paulo.
Brazil has always been a dream destination for me.
I remember screaming in my friend’s living room as Brazil beat Germany 2–0 during the 2002 FIFA World Cup South Korea and Japan.
Ronaldo (El Fenomeno) — wow, what a player!
I grew up in Asia and I never learned anything about Brazil. I was ignorant of Brazil’s rich and diverse culture, its deep roots and history, and the strength and warmth of its amazing people.
All I knew was football, the Amazon rainforest, and Samba music. I wanted to visit Brazil because I thought it would be an incredible adventure, different from anything I’d ever known.
As an English teacher in Toronto, I’m lucky to have students from all over the world.
Many of my students are from Brazil. I watched as my students struggled and had fun learning English. I wanted to understand their experiences and frustrations in order to become a better teacher — so I started learning Portuguese.
My Beginner’s Journey in Portuguese
“Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language — natural communication — in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding.”
— Dr. Stephen Krashen
I applied what I taught in class.
I experimented with different language acquisition techniques and strategies. In particular, the work of Dr. Stephen Krashen and his idea that “Comprehensible Input” was the key to acquiring languages.
Dr. Krashen believes that we acquire languages in only one way — when we understand messages.
“In the real world, conversations with sympathetic native speakers who are willing to help the acquirer understand are very helpful.”
— Dr. Stephen Krashen
I booked my plane tickets in November and my flight was in February.
I had to learn Portuguese in three months.
I knew I wouldn’t be fluent, and that was okay. I had specific goals and objectives that I wanted to accomplish in Portuguese. If I didn’t accomplish my goals, that was okay too — The most important thing was to have fun and enjoy the learning process.
My Portuguese-language goals for my Brazil trip:
- To have basic conversations (small talk) with strangers without using English.
- To order food without using English.
- To find the bathroom without using English.
- To be able to use public transport.
- To make new friends in Portuguese.
- To have conversations about life in Portuguese.
Simple goals.
Pão de Queijo — my first taste of Brazil
My trip was not perfect, but it was better than I could have ever imagined. I wish I used more Portuguese during my time in Brazil. Sometimes I would be shy or too scared to speak.
And yet, that’s fine. That’s life — life’s not perfect.
No point in regretting.
My real-world experiences started immediately.
I was in São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport at a popular fast-food chain named “Casa do Pão de Queijo”. I attempted to order a pão de queijo (the most amazing cheese bread in the whole world) and suco de laranja (orange juice).
I tried to act normal, but deep inside I was terrified.
“Olá, tudo bem?” I started.
The cashier said something so fast that I didn’t hear a single thing. She waited for my response.
It’s now or never.
“Quero um pão de queijo…e…suco…suco…de…suco de laranja”
She nodded. She started speaking. Impossible! How could she speak so quickly! I didn’t understand anything but she pointed at a credit card machine.
Finally, something I understood. I took out my credit card.
I looked at the screen.
She looked at me.
I looked back at her.
Nothing happened.
She was confused — I was confused.
In Canada, there’s usually an option where I can choose whether to use a credit card or debit card. In Brazil, the choice is made before the customer sees the machine.
All I had to do was enter my PIN (Personal Identification Number) — my password.
Except I didn’t enter my password, because I was waiting for the typical Canadian options. I didn’t see the word “PIN” or “password”.
Instead, I saw the word “senha”.
I had never seen “senha” before. I didn’t even know that word!
She motioned for me to press some buttons.
Oh! I got the message.
I entered my PIN. It worked!
“Relax” she said in Portuguese. I felt embarrassed and happy at the same time.
I’d ordered my first food in Brazil, all in Portuguese! And I’d learned a new word which I will never forget — “senha” (password).
The pão de queijo was delicious.
Language enables human connection
Language is powerful. Just by learning a little bit of the local language, I could connect better with other people and feel like a human being rather than a tourist.
Learning the local language is powerful because not everybody tries to do it. Many people travel assuming that the world will just speak English.
I don’t think language is about words or grammar.
Language is about culture, community, and identity.
By learning and speaking someone’s native language, I’m saying, “I want to know more about you. I want to know how you think, how you live. I want to learn about your culture and where you come from.”
I look like an obvious tourist. Many people saw me as a walking dollar sign.
But once I opened my mouth and spoke Portuguese, their behaviour changed. I transformed from “another tourist” to “fellow human being” — I was now part of their linguistic tribe.
All of a sudden, they started asking me where I was from, why I was visiting Brazil, why I was learning Portuguese, how long I was staying, and whether I enjoyed my time in their country.
People started giving me recommendations of amazing things to do and some Brazilians actually encouraged me to continue learning Portuguese because they were proud of their language and my attempts to speak it.
Learning Portuguese enabled me to have human connections.
I didn’t know many Portuguese words.
I didn’t know any grammar. In fact, I could only speak in the present tense.
My accent was pretty bad.
But somehow, I could communicate with others — and that’s all that matters.
