Christina Homer took part in a Cultural Project in Foz do Iguaçu,
Brazil, at the end of 2007. She spent a month learning Brazilian
Percussion and Portuguese in gorgeous Foz, Brazil’s tropical border town.
Christina spent her month packing in as
many percussion and Portuguese lessons as possible
as she was determined to get the most out of her trip, so she was pretty
busy!
She filled her weekends with dinner out in Foz, trips across the
border to Argentina and Paraguay and nights out at samba clubs. This is
her case study…
You can mix and match these two
placement elements (Brazilian percussion lessons or Portuguese lessons) with
any other placements in Foz to create the perfect trip for you. Just chat to
us to find out more about your options (01903 502595 or e-mail us at
info@travellersworldwide.com)
Percussion Course in Foz,
Brazil
My percussion lessons were so awesome! I really can’t say
anything bad about them. I mainly learnt conga, which I had played a bit
before I came to Brazil, but I learnt other instruments too, some of which I
had never played before - pandeiro, tam tam, berimbau, repenique, agogo,
tambourim…I only had to mention an instrument that I was interested in
learning, and Jeba [Christina’s teacher] would bring it along to my next
lesson.
I really liked that Jeba let me play with his
band too, that was a really good experience as in my lessons I usually would
only get to play with one other instrument or on my own . It was really fun
going to see Muvuca do samba, but also interesting because I got to see how
the rhythms I learnt in my lessons could be used in the songs. But mainly it
was just fun to watch and try and dance like Brasileiras.
My lessons began with warm-ups, then Jeba would show me a
rhythm, which I would then copy. He would then show me a more complicated
version of the rhythm, or a variation, and then after I had learnt those, he
would show me how I could combine the different variations in improvisation.
Sometimes he would play another instrument so I could see how the rhythms I
learnt on those instruments fitted with the rhythm I was playing. I learnt a
lot about the techniques that are used on each instrument too, and got
really fast on conga! I built up huge arm muscles too from all the
practice…which are disappearing rapidly as I don’t have the time to practice
as much back in England, unfortunately.
I really liked the way Jeba taught, because it seemed like
he was able to tailor his teaching to what I wanted. He was also really
flexible in that he could teach me more complicated patterns and techniques
on conga, because I had already been playing for a year, but I needed to
start right from the beginning on other instruments, like berimbau.
We got on well too, although communication could sometimes
be difficult as I didn’t speak much Portuguese and he didn’t speak much
English. However I we could understand each other well enough in the
lessons, and after I had more Portuguese lessons I could start to ask him
questions, and have conversations with him. However if I didn’t learn any
Portuguese I think I would have got on fine, as things didn’t need to be
explained much in the lessons. I just felt that we got on better once I
could talk to him about what went on at Farol [the local nightclub] the
night before, or ask where a particular rhythm came from and how it was
used. I did need to bring meu amigo o dicionario to the lessons though.
Portuguese Lessons in Foz,
Brazil
My Portuguese lessons were so useful, because they made me
feel more at ease and comfortable with being in Brazil, as well as being
able to communicate with Jeba and people in clubs and shops, people at the
hostel…Learning even a little made everything so much easier! I also felt
less like an outsider, or a gringa burra! Even though everyone was very
accepting and patient with me when I didn‘t speak much, the more Portuguese
I learnt, the more I felt like I belonged.
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In my lessons, I learnt Portuguese in 2 ways: I learnt the
grammar and how to construct sentences, and also phrases and words that were
commonly used, so I could speak and understand simple things even if I
didn’t understand why they were constructed in that way. In my first lesson,
Gilberto gave me a list of some phrases that I could use straight away, like
“onde fica o banheiro“, “pode me ajudar” etc. Then I learnt the grammar in
later lessons. I also started to learn things like how to describe things,
how to ask about family and names, numbers, seasons, time etc. alongside the
grammar. I found this really useful, because I had a number of phrases and
words which I could use in everyday conversation, but I also started to
understand how the language worked, which means I could start to construct
sentences myself.
I also learnt a little about the history and geography of
Brazil, and Gilberto was really great in teaching me specific phrases that I
needed for my percussion lessons, or explaining things that I had heard
which I didn’t understand. I felt that I could come to him if I needed
anything explaining about life in Brazil. He was really friendly and
definitely a good teacher, and I got on well with him. He took me to
breakfast in his hotel on my last day, which was lovely!
At the end of the month I realised that I knew a lot more
Portuguese than I thought. I had a sort of exam, where I had to answer a few
questions about colours, months, personal pronouns, and conjugations, then a
spoken part where I introduced myself and talked about where I was staying
in Foz, my town in England, my family etc. (with the help of some excellent
diagrams) I was talking for ages, and answering questions, and so I found
that I could sustain a conversation! Also, after some new people moved into
the house, I could see how much I had progressed from when I first came to
Brazil
I think my lessons provided a really good grounding of the
language, both the grammar and learning how to use Portuguese practically.
And it’s made me want to learn more about the language too, I’m going to be
fluent next time I visit!
'And I was going to tell you, you know I was
doing the percussion course as part of a project for university? Well,
the other part of the project was teaching some workshops back here in
England, which went really well, and then I had to give a presentation
on both parts of the project...and I ended up getting a 1st for the
whole thing! (72%) I couldn't have done so well without travellers and
your excellent programme :-) And the more I think about it, I think that
going to Foz, not just my lessons but just being there, has helped me so
much...I feel like I'm a more confident, mature person than before I
went. It meant so much to me. So thank you :-)' Christina xx
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