Rio '76

by Anna Maria Torres
(Castro Valley, Ca. USA)

<I>*Rio de Janeiro, Brazil</I>

*Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Editor's note: The original article was written in English.
To read the Portuguese version, click here.

When I was a freshman student at Holy Names College in Oakland, Ca. in 1975, there was a large group of Brazilian students in the ESL program at the same time.

Being 17, I was highly interested in the Brazilian guys who were so good looking!

One evening I sat and chatted with one of them and he was so happy to practice his English.

He complemented me on my manner of speaking clearly, and enunciating so he could follow the conversation.

We became good friends and got together to chat whenever we could.

We would listen to my dad's old jazz album: Getz and Gilberto, The Girl from Ipanema and he would translate for me the words to the songs. He explained to me "saudade" and then I was hooked and wanted to learn to speak Portuguese.

A year later, after saving my money I went to Rio for 45 days. I swam in the beautiful ocean and drank ‘chope gelado’ and ate ‘feijão’. I got the best tan in the world! I even danced samba!

Now, at 52 I have 'saudades' for Brazil. I listen to Brazilian music every day and think of those wonderful days.

Portuguese version:

Quando eu ainda era caloura na Universidade Holy Names em Oakland, Califórnia, em 1975, havia um grande grupo de Brasileiros estudando Inglês como Segunda Língua na mesma época.

Aos 17, eu estava muito interessada naqueles rapazes brasileiros de ótima aparência!

Certa noite me sentei e conversei com um deles e ele ficou tão feliz de poder praticar seu inglês comigo e elogiou minha pronúncia clara do idioma.

Disse-me que minha maneira de falar o ajudava a acompanhar a conversa. Tornamos-nos bons amigos e nos encontrávamos sempre que podíamos para conversar.

Ouvíamos juntos meus álbuns de jazz: Getz e Gilberto, Garota de Ipanema e ele traduzia pra mim as letras das canções. Ele me explicou o significado da palavra "saudade" e isso me fisgou. Eu quis então aprender Português!

No ano seguinte, após poupar algum dinheiro fui ao Rio num passeio de 45 dias. Nadei no lindo oceano e tomei chope gelado e comi feijão. Fiquei com o bronzeado mais bonito do mundo! Eu até dancei samba!

Hoje, aos 52, ainda tenho saudades do Brasil. Ouço música brasileira todo dia e me recordo daqueles dias maravilhosos.

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