Oscillating fans.

A little known fact about me is that in order to sleep in perfect peace I require but one thing: an oscillating fan. I know it sounds funny but ever since I was little I would have a fan blowing while I dozed off into dreamland and now that I am a little older, I can’t seem to sleep without one. The humming white noise lulls me to sleep and while this is a good thing when one is in bed, it can be somewhat fatal when one is sitting in Portuguese class. It is a proven fact by someone somewhere that learning a language and functioning entirely in a different language is exhausting. As the brain tries to adjust to the new language it nearly zaps you of the energy you would normally have. Combine the language acquisition exhaustion with the oscillating fan in our classroom and I am pretty much toast. Now I am happy to report that I have yet to fall asleep in class, but I admit to you that this success has not been without the help of way too many cups of coffee! I started this very intensive language course at the beginning of September and though it is kicking my butt, I am loving it.I love the whole experience of it from the time I step on public transport, to the interesting conversations in Portuguese to coming home again. I don’t so much enjoy getting up early, but once I’m up, I get ready and try to make it out the door by 8:45 to catch the train for my morning commute! Thankfully, I live ridiculously close to the train station being that I can see it from my bedroom window. With a good book in hand, I hop on the train at 9:54 and make it to Lisbon about a half hour later. From there I start the sprint down the stairs and escalators, past the ticket checkers and run to the end of the platform where I can find a seat on the least crowded car which will whiz me under the central city of Lisbon. I change metro lines one more time, ride for one more stop, and then emerge out into sunlight again. Miraculously, I am transported without a car, with a few quick sprints to the very steps of the university. If I get there early enough, I can grab a coffee, doctor it up with some sugars, drink it down and make it to class in time to learn my new language. The whole experience makes me feel like I am actually Portuguese. I also find myself in class with several new friends one of whom is this way cool Russian chick who is learning Portuguese so she can communicate better with her boyfriend. We have a good time in class as we banter back and forth. I was even given the chance to share with her, albeit in Portuguese, why I am in Portugal and why I would chose to live this sort of life. It was really a neat conversation that took me by surprise. Another friend I’ve made is a missionary from Australia who is working to plant churches. We really hit it off and I look forward to continuing to build that friendship. I am happy to say, though, that with all the extra practice in Portuguese, I have seen a major difference. I seem to understand more and my speaking has definitely improved. There is yet still much work to be done as I continue to find myself completely lost in some conversations. So if I can resist the oscillating fan for a couple weeks more I will find myself a little further along the path of language learning and hopefully a little closer to deeper relationships with the wonderful Portuguese that surround me.

A picture of me NOT in class!!