New Things - Part 1 - Conquering Portuguese

Welcome to Part 1 of my "New Things" blog series! I'm on the tail end of my assignment here in Brazil and found that there are still many experiences and things I can do to really involve myself in the culture. Even after an intense 2 years, 4 months and 1 day to be exact, I believe it's possible for me to still absorb and grow in my experience here.


I've decided to really challenge myself the next several months to do things I've only thought of, only talked about doing, or never did because I was afraid to do!


The first "New Thing" will be to conquer the Portuguese language! I don't just mean continue to take Portuguese lessons. I mean really applying all of the grammar, conversation, and "girias" or slang to find out if I really have good Portuguese or not. What's the best way to find out? Take a test!


One of my American friends here is an English teacher for Brazilians. Her teaching method draws on some of the material from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam. I started thinking several months ago as my Portuguese lessons were becoming too routine that I need to challenge myself more with the language or quit wasting time and money in lessons. I got the idea from her that maybe there is a Portuguese equivalent to the TOEFL. Maybe I can take an exam and become "certified"  in Portuguese. Maybe I could use that to teach others about the language and help share this beautiful language with others when I return to the US. Maybe I could continue to set the bar high for myself and prove to myself that I have really CONQUERED this language while here in Brazil.


Come to find out, yes, there is an exam called "Celpe-Bras" which evaluates the ability of foreigners to read, write and speak in Portuguese. It stands for "Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros". I'm not sure why they have the "Bras" at the end. At first I read it and thought it was the word "bra", then realized it stands for Brazil, but it threw me off for a second and I thought I was reading about something else. 



The test is offered two times per year, April and October. Recently, they published the abstract for the October exam and it seems like a good sign that I should sign up and take it. So, that is what I am going to do!! It will be my most recent "New Thing".  The exam date is October 27 and I will have to travel 90 minutes to another town, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a try! I don't have much to lose and I want to see if I can CONQUER the Portuguese language! Wish me luck!!!



Um abraco,
Mollie


For more information about the exam, go here:  
http://www.inep.gov.br/celpebras/