A beautiful view of Jalapão.

Jalapão is a state park located in the central Brazilian state of Tocantins. The newest Brazilian state, Tocantins was formed in 1988 from the northern part of Goiás. Since its founding, Tocantins has been the fastest-growing state in Brazil. The rapidly growing agriculture and agro-industry based economy attracts immigrants from the rest of Brazil. The park's name comes from a combination of the words "jalapa," a bitter medicinal plant, and the Portuguese word for bread, pão, that locals eat with the plant to balance its bitter flavor.

Despite often being referred to as "Jalapão desert", the nickname can be misleading. The park more closely resembles an oasis, with many rivers, waterfalls and springs. Fauna abounds; the manned wolf, the pampas deer, the rhea, the great anteater, the jaguar and other regional species hide in the typical hinterland vegetation to escape the high temperatures. Jalapão is the perfect setting for eco-tourism and extreme sports.

For more info about Jalapão, visit: http://tocantinsbrazil.to.gov.br/

Some examples of hand woven baskets made from the "golden grass," capim dourado.

Jalapão is home to the capim dourado. This "golden grass" sprouts only on the paths of Jalapão, and nowhere else.

The thin stem of the grass has an intense metallic shine and is used by local women to produce a variety of craft items. In their gifted hands the grass is turned into bags, earrings, bracelets, hats, baskets and various decorative objects. These beautiful and unique pieces have found a market outside Tocantins'borders, and are available throughout Brazil and abroad.

Enjoy a caipirinha, learn about immigration law, and join a free Brazilian percussion class.

Bate Papo - Tuesday, January 26 at 6pm

You are invited for a Bate Papo (relaxed conversation) in Portuguese at SushiSamba. The event is free (you pay what you consume) and it is an opportunity to practice Portuguese and meet new people. There will be a happy hour at the bar from 4-7pm with caipirinhas for $5.

Contact us at info@brazilstation.com to RSVP or visit http://www.meetup.com/BrazilianPortuguese/calendar/12308746/ for more information.

SushiSamba Sugarcane Lounge
245 Park Ave. South - between 19th and 20th St
New York, NY 10003

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Free Brazilian Percussion Classes - Tuesday January 19 at 7 - 8pm

The New York Samba School has kicked off its arts and cultural programs offering free Brazilian percussion classes to the public in Queens. Classes are on-going on Tuesdays and are taught by some of New York City's top Brazilian musicians including Carlos "Caco" de Oliveira, Edson da Silva ("Café"), and Adriano Santos. Experience is not necessary. You are encouraged to bring your own instruments, but instruments are available to rent for $5. The event is scheduled every Tuesday.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the percussion classes, Brazilians and non-Brazilians alike. Those interested in volunteering to build the Samba School are especially encouraged to participate. Contact Caco at info@sambanation.org or 718 484 1801.

For more information about the classes and instructors, visit http://sambanationcommunity.ning.com/events.

Empire Rehearsal Studios
47-32 32nd Place (inside the Ice Pavilion building - go to the office)Long Island City, NY 11101

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Green Card Q&A- Wednesday, January 20 and 27 from 7-9pm

Immigration lawyer Douglas Lightman from Lightman Law Firm LLC will be presenting a private Q&A session focusing on the different methods to obtain a Green Card. Topics will include: how long it takes, what you need to do, and how much it costs. Depending on interest level, Brazil Station may provide future events focusing in other immigration issues.

The event will take place in the Lightman Lawfirms' conference room. We ask those interested in attending this event to RSVP to events@brazilstation.com. There is a 12 person limit for this event. Please let us know if you are unable to attend so that we may fill you spot. Please arrive on time. The session begins promptly at 7:00pm.

Check out http://www.lightmanlawfirm.com for information about immigration.

Lightman Law Firm LLC
345 7th Ave, 21st floor - between 29 and 30th St.
New York, NY 10001

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Beginners Samba Class - Sunday, January 31 from 4 - 5:30pm

The Samba for Beginners class starts with a 30 minutes warm up that exercises basic isolation of the body, following by stretching and strengthening exercises. After the warm up the instructor Danielle Lima introduces the students to samba no pé (basic samba step) and passo marcado (simple choreographies), both typical of the Rio Carnaval. The entire class is conducted to the upbeat and irresistible sounds of Brazilian music. The cost is $15 per person.

Danielle Lima was born in Rio de Janeiro and grew up performing with Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, one of Brazil's most famous samba schools. Danielle Lima is also a Certified Teachers Artist of the program Dancing Classrooms from American Ballroom Theater, Certified YOGA Instructor at YOGA Effects in NYC and Karma Kids Yoga certified teacher. She has been teaching dance professionally for over 7 years.

For more information visit http://www.meetup.com/BrazilianPortuguese/calendar/12308717/.

Learn more about Samba here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_(Brazilian_dance)#Samba_no_p.C3.A9

New York City Center
130 W 56th St 6th floor - between 6th & 7th Ave
New York, NY 10019

Individual classes at Brazil Station ensure personalized attention.

We will have several new Group classes starting in the coming weeks. Other groups may be formed based on demand.

Música Brasil - Samba, Bossa Nova and MPB
This is a group class for people who enjoy Brazilian music and want to learn more about this fascinating part of Brazilian history. The course will examine popular Brazilian music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s in the context of musical, political, and cultural movements. Due to many requests, the course will be taught in English as well as Portuguese. See schedule below.

1. Música Brasil - Samba, Bossa Nova e MPBgroup class in Portuguese will start on Wednesday, January 20 at 6:15pm.

2. NIB - Beginner Level 1 group class will start on Monday, January 25 at 6:15pm. It is for individuals with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.

3. NIBS - Beginner Level 1 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Monday, January 25 at 8pm. It is for individuals fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with little or no knowledge of Portuguese.

4. N2B - Beginner Level 2group class will start on Thursday, January 21 at 6:15pm. It is for individuals who have some knowledge of Portuguese.

5. N2BS - Beginner Level 2 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Thursday, January 21 at 8pm. It is for individuals fluent in Spanish and/or Italian with some knowledge of Portuguese.

6. N1IS - Intermediate Level 1 group class for Spanish Speakers will start on Tuesday, January 19 at 8pm. It is for individuals who know the present, past and future tense in Portuguese.

If you'd like to register or have questions about any of our Portuguese, Brazilian business or culture classes, please contact us at info@brazilstation.com or by calling 646-287-6645.

Brazil Station
304 Park Ave South, 11th floor (at 23rd St.)
New York, NY 10010
646-287-6645

Contact us to assess your current level and to discuss your goals for learning at 646-287-6645 or newsletter@brazilstation.com.

We offer Private and Semi-private classes from Monday to Saturday. You may begin taking classes with us one any day, at any time. In addition to our traditional Portuguese classes, Brazil Stationalso offers Portuguese for Spanish and Italian Speakers, Business Portuguese, Brazilain Law, Musica Brasil, Brazilian History and Travel Classes. We teach off-site classes and Corporate Language Education as well.

Saudade

1. Estou com saudades de você.- I miss you.

2. Estou com saudades de casa. - I'm homesick.

Muito

1. Muito obrigado. - Thank you very much.

2. Ele fala português muito bem. - He speaks Portuguese very well.

3. Este filme é muito melhor que o outro. - This movie is much better than the other one..

4. Vai levar muito tempo para acabar o projeto. - It will take a lot of time to finish the project.

5. Tenho muitos amigos. - I have a lot of friends./ I have many friends.

Vivo

1. O animal ainda está vivo. - The animal is still alive.

2. Eu assisti um show ao vivo. - I saw a live show.

3. Esse cara é muito vivo. - This guy is very clever.

Regime

1. Estou de regime. - I'm on a diet.

2. Houve muita repressão durante o regime militar. - There was a lot of repression during the military regime.

Trocar

1. Ela está trocando de roupa agora. - She is changing her clothes now.

2. Preciso trocar dólares por reais. - I need to exchange dollars for reais.

3. Vou trocar o rádio, pois está com defeito. - I'm going to replace the radio because it's defective.

Quebrado

1. O copo está quebrado. - The glass is broken.

2. Eu estou quebrado. - I'm broke.

Pé

1. Eu machuquei meu pé direito. - I hurt my right foot.

2. Tem um pé de laranja no jardim. - There is an orange tree in the garden.

3. O pé (foot) da cadeira está quebrado. - The leg of the chair is broken.

Lembrar

1. Eu não consigo me lembrar do seu nome. - I can't remember your name.

2. Isto me lembra os velhos tempos. - This reminds me of the old times.