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| January 2009 |
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Happy New Year!
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Last year was astonishing in many regards. While Brazil gained recognition for its resources, real estate, and investment opportunities, politics and the financial markets in the U.S. dominated the news. Many people from both countries have experienced changes directly due to the global economy.
When we see the long view, we know that Brazil remains full of potential, supported by a banking system with multiple safeguards, trained professionals working in almost the same time zone as the U.S., and lucrative natural resources. The economy has forced us to be thoughtful about where we invest our money, and Brazil Station is aware our clients and students want services and classes that are effective, affordable, and create career options.
That is why we added courses in Business Portuguese and Legal Portuguese. That is why we provide translations and interpretations, and services aiding professionals and their families moving to Brazil. That is why we organize activities to encourage new connections, such as Professional Networking luncheons and free social events in Portuguese. That is why we are offering 12 new classes this month, here and in Brazil, for business, personal, travel, and cultural purposes. And we will continue to sponsor movie nights, dance lessons, capoeira classes and other events open to the public, as we have for the last five years, since all of us need inexpensive outlets to just relax and enjoy. As we continue to serve our mission in making Brazil more accessible, we have evolved to serve your pressing needs.
We have added services and classes following your requests and your need to adapt to the current economic climate. We have grown through your input, so if you have more ideas, please contact me directly at Aparecida@BrazilStation.com. If you have any questions about our upcoming classes or events, contact us at Info@BrazilStation.com.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and meaningful new year.
Aparecida Teixeira
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Visit Brazil: Lençóis Maranhenses
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The beautiful white dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park.
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Located on Brazil's north shore in the State of Maranhão, the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is an area of about 300 square kilometers. The unique ecosystem gets its name from its pristine white sand dunes that look like gently draped bed sheets—lençóis in Portuguese. Despite its desert-like appearance, the region receives an annual rainfall of 1,600mm (62.9 inches), 300 times more than in the Sahara. Frequent rains during the first six months of the year create ponds of crystal clear water in the depression between dunes. After the rainy season, the lagoons are home of many species of fishes, turtles, and clams. These lagoons eventually dry up completely in the subsequent months of drought.
On the borders of the park you can find big mangroves that are home of crabs, clams, and birds. The region is one of the best in Brazil for bird watching. While the region has little infrastructure for tourism, in nearby Barreirinhas you will find hotels, hostels, restaurants, and handicrafts shops.
The Lençóis Maranhenses were featured in the Brazilian film Casa de Areia (The House of Sand) by Andrucha Waddington. For more info about Lençóis, check: http://www.parquelencois.com.br/english/lencois_maranhenses.php.
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| Did You Know...? |
This month we present the Vitória Régia legend. Vitória Régia is a water lily that grows on the Amazon River Basin. It is known to be the largest water lily in the world, with leaves of 2 meters in diameter. This is its legend:
Naia was a young girl belonging to a native Brazilian tribe. She believed that the moon was a handsome warrior, Jaci. She would spend long hours at night, staring into the night sky and admiring the moon. She even tried to touch the moon to get close to the man she loved. She first climbed a tree, but the moon was out of her reach. She also climbed up hills to feel the moon, but once again, the moon was too far away. One night, Naia stared at the river water. The full moon was reflecting its image on the water's surface. Naia, in her innocence, thought the moon had come to bathe itself in the river and allow her to touch it. She dove into the deep waters to meet her love and there disappeared forever.
The moon, feeling pity for the young lost life, transformed Naia into a giant water lily, the Vitória Régia. It has an inebriating perfume and petals that spread on the water to receive the full light of the moon.
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Social Events in January
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A festive crew at Brazil Station's holiday party!
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Bate papo—Tuesday, January 13 at 7pm
You are invited for a bate-papo (relaxed conversation) in Portuguese at Guy & Gallard. The event is free (you pay what you consume) and it is an opportunity to practice Portuguese and meet new people. All levels of Portuguese speakers are welcome, from beginners to native speakers.
Contact us at Events@BrazilStation.com to RSVP.
Guy & Gallard
475 Park Ave South (btwn. 31st & 32nd Streets)
New York, NY 10016
212-447-5282
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Networking Luncheon in Portuguese—Wednesday, January 21, 1-2pm
Brazil Station is the first company in the tri-state area solely dedicated to Portuguese language services. Our mission is to bring Brazil a little closer to the United States. Brazil Station's Professional Networking Luncheon is an opportunity to connect with others who share an interest in Brazil. The luncheon is conducted in Portuguese and facilitated by Aparecida Teixeira, President of Brazil Station.
Our next monthly Professional Networking Luncheon will be on Wednesday, January 21 at 1pm. The lunch will be held at Via Brasil, a midtown restaurant offering authentic Brazilian cuisine. The $35 ticket includes lunch, light refreshments, and dessert; a cash bar will also be available. The event will be limited to 20 people.
For more information and to reserve your spot, contact us at Events@BrazilStation.com or 646-319-5391.
Via Brazil
34 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
212-997-1158
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Brazilian Movie Night—Friday, January 30 from 7-9pm
Brazilian Movie Night is an opportunity to practice Portuguese while watching great Brazilian movies - popcorn included! After the movie we will have a group discussion. We hope you can make it!
For this coming event we will show the comedy Se Eu Fosse Você (If I Were You). Publicist Cláudio and teacher Helena have been married for many years, but they do not understand and respect each other's feelings and points of view. Cláudio sees Helena as a shopper and "little choral teacher" and Helena sees him as an insensitive and rough man. On the night before his fiftieth birthday, they argue at home and say at the same time "If I were you," just as Mars, Earth and Jupiter become aligned. When they wake-up the following morning, they have switched bodies and have to face their friends, co-workers, and everything else in the other one's body.
The movie is in Portuguese with English subtitles. Tickets are $7 per person and are available to the first 10 registrants. Registration is required since we expect a Waiting List.
For more information or to register, contact us at Events@BrazilStation.com or call 646-287-6645. Please RSVP by Wednesday, January 21.
Brazil Station
304 Park Ave South, 11th floor (at 23rd St.)
New York, NY 10010
646-287-6645 |
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| Brazilian Events in NYC |
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New York Festival of Song presents "Latin Lovers" at Julliard.
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New York Festival of Song Presents "Latin Lovers"—Wednesday, January 14 at 8pm. A free concert of works from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay-featuring the music of Piazzolla, Jobim,Villa-Lobos, Gardel, and many more. Fourth Annual collaboration with Juilliard, hosted at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater.
This collaboration between NYFOS and The Juilliard School celebrates the creative energy and superlative vocal talent of tomorrow's brightest stars, building on NYFOS's distinctive programming and performing style. Alumni of the joint program have already begun to participate in NYFOS's mainstage concerts alongside our more seasoned artists, while also taking their place in opera houses and concert halls around the world. "Latin Lovers" celebrates the sensuous, harmonically rich art songs, theater songs, and dance music of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Uruguay, with music by Astor Piazzolla, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Gardel and many others.
"Latin Lovers" will feature NYFOS Artistic Director Steven Blier as pianist-arranger and host. "The experience of programming and performing with my students has only gotten more profound with each passing season," says Blier. "Though written in an immediately absorbable popular style, these Latin American songs deal with burning issues: class distinctions, racial tensions, social unrest, and sexual obsession." Reflecting on the rehearsal process, he commented, "With every student I have experienced that moment every coach waits for—when their everyday persona slips away and the genie lurking inside the song takes over the room."
"Latin Lovers" will be performed at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard, 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues. Tickets are free and will be available in person only at the Juilliard Box Office beginning January 5. For more information, visit the Calendar of Events at http://www.juilliard.edu, or http://www.nyfos.org.
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New Classes Starting in January
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A private lesson meets in the Brazil Station offices.
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1.The Português para Negócios (Business Portuguese) course is designed for intermediate and advanced Portuguese speakers to relate better with clients and colleagues. Just like in English, business in Brazil is conducted in a slightly different language than we use informally. From board meetings and client presentations, to networking lunches and dinner parties, the way you relate to associates and customers can influence the success of your interaction. The class will cover work-related situations and ways to address people in business contexts (use of formal language, presentations, writing messages, meetings, etc.).
Português para Negócios group class in Portuguese will start on Tuesday, January 27 at 8pm.
2. Música Brasil - Samba, Bossa Nova & MPB
The Música Brasil course will touch upon a variety of Brazilian popular music from the 1960s, '70s and '80s within the context of political and cultural movements. Taught by a Brazilian musician, this course will reveal that in Brazil, "traditional" is not the opposite of "modern." Students will gain insight into a culture that has succeeded in incorporating diverse ethnicities.
Música Brasil Class for Portuguese Speakers will start on Monday, January 26 at 6:15pm.
Música Brasil Class for English Speakers will start on Thursday, February 12 at 8pm.
3. N1B - Beginner Level 1 group class will start on Monday, January 12 at 6:15pm. It is for people with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.
4. N1B - Beginner Level 1 group class will start on Saturday, January 24 at 1pm.
5. N1BS - Beginner Level 1 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Tuesday, January 13 at 6:15pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.
6. N1BS - Beginner Level 1 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Saturday, January 24 at 11am. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.
7. N2B - Beginner Level 2 group class will start on Thursday, January 15 at 6:15pm. It is for people who have some knowledge of Portuguese.
8. N2BS - Beginner Level 2 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Tuesday, January 13 at 8pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with some knowledge of Portuguese.
9. N3B - Beginner Level 3 group class will start on Wednesday, January 21 at 8pm. It is for people with a decent knowledge of Portuguese.
10. N3BS - Beginner Level 3 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Monday, January 12 at 8pm. It is for people fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with a decent knowledge of Portuguese.
11. N4B - Beginner Level 4 group class will start on Wednesday, January 14 at 8pm.
12. N4BS - Intermediate Level 1 group class will start on Thursday, January 15 at 8pm.
Contact us to assess your current level and to discuss your goals for learning at Newsletter@BrazilStation.com or 646-287-6645.
We offer Private and Semi-private classes from Monday to Saturday. You can start taking classes with us at any day, any time. In addition to our traditional Portuguese classes, Brazil Stationalso offers Portuguese for Spanish and Italian Speakers, Business Portuguese, and Travel Classes. We teach off-site classes and Corporate Language Education as well.
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January Language Tip
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Networking is a great way to get to know new people. For the first Language Tip in 2009, we want to give some useful tips to help your business networking with Portuguese speakers.
Prazer em conhecê-lo. - It's a pleasure to meet you.
Você pode me dar seu cartão? O meu é este. - Can I have your business card? Here is mine.
Que tipo de trabalho você faz? - What type of work do you do?
Em que empresa você trabalha? - What company do you work?
Como está seu trabalho? - How is the job going?
Você fica muito ocupado nesta época do ano? - Are you busy this time of year?
Eu gostaria que você conhecesse meu colega de trabalho. - I'd like you to meet my co-worker.
Espero que possamos conversar novamente sobre a possibilidade de trabalharmos juntos - We should talk again about working together.
Tenha um bom dia - Have a good day.
(Em um restaurante – In a restaurant)
Eu gostaria de pedir (peixe, frango, carne). - I will order the (fish, chicken, steak).
Um refrigerante (cerveja, vinho, água), por favor. - Can I have a drink (beer, wine, water) please?
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WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED in your feedback. Learning is a dynamic process. Please contact us at Newsletter@BrazilStation.com with your suggestions about submissions, new events, or services.
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD this newsletter to any of your friends who may be interested in joining us to learn about Brazil, or in starting down the road to speaking Portuguese. This newsletter only comes out monthly and is not sent to anyone who doesn't want it.
BRAZIL STATION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE for changes or cancellations of events outside the school.
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