Comments from student experiences in the Portuguese School:

Elizabeth Herron-Sweet (2007):  After studying Portuguese for two years at Middlebury, I decided to do summer school in order to be confident in my language skills before starting my year abroad in Brazil. Language confidence I certainly acquired, but I ended up getting much, much more than that. I spent a full seven weeks with a close community as excited about Portuguese and Brazil as I was (ok, some were really excited about Portugal too), and the energy within our small school expanded to all areas of our lives. Besides class, the activities and events kept us busy at all hours, leaving very little time for our minds to return to English. Dressing up for our Carnaval and Festa Junina, discovering Brazilian music, attending a class on curse words, learning jokes from the kids of my professors, playing soccer and volleyball against other schools – in all aspects, I learned along with my peers how to negotiate every situation and emotion in Portuguese. I arrived in Brazil already used to using Portuguese even in situations out of my comfort zone. Summer school proved to be absolutely the best thing to prepare for my semester abroad, the perfect springboard between my background in Portuguese and my time in Brazil. I’ve been in Brazil for two months already, and I would say that Language School can be even more profitable in terms of language acquisition than being abroad – here we are more tempted to speak English with other Americans, as well as Brazilians who want some practice. The Language Pledge works so well at Middlebury because everyone cares so much about learning Portuguese that no one wants to break it. When I think of the exclusive academic and social sphere it creates, I really cannot praise the Portuguese School enough.

This past summer I attended Middlebury’s Portuguese program. I began without any Portuguese experience (although I was fluent in Spanish). Upon completing the program I was rated at the advanced high level. Although I probably deserve some credit for this feat, the staff and their incredibly well-organized program at Middlebury are the real reason for my achievement. Previously, I have participated in other intensive language programs, but I have never experienced anything like Middlebury. Professional staff, language immersion, cultural education, and extracurricular activities including samba and Brazilian culinary classes, a weekly radio show, movie screenings, soccer and capoeira (just to mention a few) made for a rich, unique experience.

There are many ways to study a language. However, there is nothing as comprehensive, efficient, and enjoyable as the Middlebury program here or abroad. If you are serious about learning Portuguese and would like to expand your horizons with knowledge of the music, food, geography and culture of Lusophone countries, Middlebury is the only place to be.

Angela Evancie (2007):  At the beginning, I had both limited nouns and adjectives, the rather bizarre matching of words was inevitable. The wind became kind, the exam became heavy, and the peas became surprising. However, with constant encouragement and affirmation from my professors, I began to think of myself as a poet, and revel in these insightful and philosophical comparisons I was making. And before long, we moved away from the weather and the food and tackled matters that truly were “heavy:” war, famine, poverty, and discrimination. After seven weeks at the Portuguese School, I was fully able to express my opinion with control and nuance, and to engage in philosophical debate with my professors both in class and over lunch. Of course, that didn’t mean that the peas weren’t still surprising.

Leonard Tkach (2007):  There's an intimacy about the Portuguese School and a real sense of solidariedade among teachers and students. Coming here requires great dedication and effort, but the environment is so supportive, and there’s so much stimulation and feedback, that everyone really does make remarkable strides with the language. By the end of the summer, I was reading works by José Saramago, watching films without the subtitles, and had gained a much deeper appreciation of the diversity do mundo lusófono. Now in Brazil, I can interact with confidence and poise, and feel capable of handling any situation. That kind of ability goes a long way.

Christi Rentsch de Moraga (2007):  I returned to Middlebury as an older student after thirty years. The Portuguese School soared far beyond my expectations. I was thrilled to spend seven weeks in a Brazilian microcosm of language and cultural experiences with Middlebury’s idyllic campus as the venue. The fact that we were the smallest school gave us a sense of solidarity. The excellent classes, many activities and special events, along with eating together in the fireplace dining room, provided us with countless opportunities to move forward in our learning of the Portuguese language and the cultures of the Lusophone world.