My heart beat a little faster after reading my first blog criticism, below. I get to moderate the comments and thought this was worthwhile to publish and respond to as its own entry. I do not know the person who posted the comment.
Jacinto has left a new comment on your post "Karen's Observations after One Week in Sao Paulo, ...":
Your reactions to Brazil after a week sound more like reactions to your own provincianism. Here's yet another American venturing into the world. Shocked that nobody wears baseball caps or speaks English. The best was when you realized that Spanish and Portuguese are indeed different languages. I wonder what insight, as a travel journalist, you will provide on Brazil and other countries. I can't wait!
Hello Jacinto,
Thank you for reading and responding to my blog. Yes, you are right - my observations (not reactions) are just that:superficial, first-impressions that I thought might be helpful, in a very general way, for others who have never ventured to Brazil. I did not express shock at the differences, just noted them.
Jacinto, I wonder if you are Brazilian? On the topic of language, many Brazilians here and in the U.S. have indicated that they do indeed understand Spanish.
I look forward to sharing insights as I get to know people better.
My Brazilian born and raised friend teaches ESOL to children ages 5-7 at an elementary school in Orlando, FL. She has observed that all of the Brazilian children pick up Spanish within a month or less by interacting with the Spanish-speaking children, while the Spanish-speaking children take several months, if at all, to effectively understand and use Portuguese.
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