School of Modern Languages Newcastle University Spring 2013 PORTUGUESE@NEWCASTLE Edited by Ana assunção and loiana pavlichenko A warm welcome from our staff We are very pleased to present to you the first edition of the Portuguese Newsletter. We intend to offer you an insight into the Portuguese learning experience at Newcastle University through our students’ testimo- nies. You will also find a word from our Deputy Head of School and SPLAS Degree Programme Direc- tor. We hope the newsletter shows you how involved our staff and students are in promoting Portuguese language and Lusophone culture inside and outside the classroom. Our first year studying Portuguese at Newcastle Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the Before coming to Newcastle we world, and thanks to a population of almost 200 million had never studied Portuguese. in Brazil, it is the most spoken language in South We think our experience with America and in the Southern hemisphere. After a bril- Portuguese has been really liant first year in Newcastle, we are looking forwarding positive and with regular work to improving our skills for our third year, which will be and diligence we have progressed a lot and unbelieva- spent abroad, in Portugal or in Brazil! bly quickly. Despite our initial worries about finding By Timothy Anstey and Edward Taylor Portuguese difficult, we quickly got used to the lan- *The text was written in Portuguese and translated into English by Loiana Pavlichenko. guage with our class practice and very soon we were taking part in Portuguese social events, in which stu- dents, teachers and native speakers of Portuguese liv- ing in Newcastle get together to have fun. The events are really relaxed and informal and a great opportunity to improve our speaking and listening skills. Although there are similarities between Spanish and Portuguese, which helps with the grammar, they are worlds apart, especially the rhythm and intonation of the languages. We are extremely happy to have chosen Portuguese as part of our degree, as it is a very important language. Celebrating Portuguese at Newcastle: João de Vallera, Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, visits the University On 7 March, Newcastle University had the honour of welcoming the Portuguese ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency João de Vallera. Our guest had accepted an invitation to give a Public Lecture in the University’s ‘Insights’ Programme and to visit the Instituto Camões - Centre for Portuguese Language. He was accompanied by the Attaché for Education Affairs, Dr Regina Duarte. How often have we passed Blake’s Coffee House on Grey Street, without noticing a small plaque outside reminding us that, from 1874 to 1879, this building housed the office of consul Eça de Queirós, one of Portugal’s leading writers. The Newcastle years were among his most productive and saw the publication of his celebrated novel Cousin Basílio. More than a century later, Portuguese language and culture are still alive on the Tyne. The Instituto Camões in Lisbon, the cultural arm of the Portuguese Foreign Office, has supported the teaching of Portuguese at our alma mater for almost 50 years. During this time, we have had outstanding leitores (teachers sent out from Lisbon to deliver the Portuguese language programme), such as our current colleague Dr Ana Assunção. In 2001, the first Centre of Portuguese Language in the UK was opened at Newcastle. The Centre organises a seminar series with high-calibre speakers, from academics and human rights activists to writers and Oscar-nominated filmmakers. Guests have come from Portugal, Brazil, Angola, and Timor- Loroeste. The seminar reaches out to staff and students of all Faculties and the Portuguese community in Newcastle. In 2010, Professor António Costa Pinto, Portugal's leading historian of the twentieth century, gave a Public Lecture on the centenary of the Portuguese republic. Portuguese at Newcastle is currently healthier than ever. In fact, student numbers are rising more dynamically than in any other foreign language. During his visit His Excellency and Dr Duarte had the opportunity to speak in their native tongue to undergraduate and postgraduate students from Modern Languages, Politics, History, and Sociology. Some had studied Portuguese for only six months, but were already able to communicate. Others had just returned from their Year Abroad (third year of studies) in Portugal or Brazil and demonstrated a near-native proficiency in the language, as the ambassador noted. One of our graduates who stayed on to study for a PhD on a lusophone topic and had received a generous grant from the Instituto Camões, Steven Robinson, presented our guest with his thesis on the Europeanisation of Portuguese foreign policy over the past four decades. His Excellency realised that he was actually not the only ‘ambassador’ in the room. Many students are actively engaged in the ‘Routes into Languages’ programme which sees them work as ambassadors in schools to foster and stimulate interest in the learning of foreign languages. Project director Nick Johnston and final-year student Alexandra Stamper showed that Portuguese plays a significant role in these outreach activities. In consonance with its mission as a world-class civic university, Newcastle also opens its state- of-the-art facilities for language learning to members of the public. Andrew Grenfell and his team guided our guests through the impressive Language Resource Centre. Instituto Camões and Newcastle University are determined to continue their long- standing and fruitful collaboration. We are immensely grateful to the Portuguese government and embassy for its investment and trust in the future of the leitorado and Centre for Portuguese at Newcastle. Professor Jens R. Hentschke Deputy Head of School - Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies Portuguese language: the year abroad My year abroad in Coimbra — Portugal tugal, and the stunning Serra da Estrela mountains. It is Nestled between the very easy to visit everywhere in the country from Coimbra and it is worthwhile venturing out of the town to see what large cities of Lisbon else Portugal has to offer. and Porto, Coimbra mixes both tradition Coimbra is the ideal place for any student of Portu- and modernity with the guese to spend their year abroad. Not only do you have the opportunity to greatly improve your Portuguese, but you are monumental Univer- also able to soak up its rich traditional university atmos- sidade de Coimbra fea- turing at the heart of phere and explore the rest of Portugal whilst calling such a beautiful town as Coimbra home. the town. This majestic By Madeleine Robinson centre point perched high on a hill above Coimbra gives you a sense of grandeur and legacy, as well as providing a sub- My year abroad in Lençois — Brazil lime view of the Mondego River and surrounding country- side. Coimbra’s soul is the University and its centuries-old traditions, and any student who studies there will become a member of its close-knit university community, providing warm memories that will last long beyond their university years. I spent the first semester of my year abroad in Coim- bra, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The Univer- sity, although very different to British universities, was a great place to learn and an ideal place to meet other ex- change students as well as the friendly Portuguese students. Being able to combine studying with a warm climate, beauti- ful town and wonderful people was the perfect way to spend I spent 5 months of my year abroad living in the my first semester abroad. North East of Brazil, in the state of Bahia, in a small town The University of Coimbra’s “freshers’ week” was called Lençóis nestled in the middle of the Chapada different to how we do it here in the UK, but it was an in- Diamantina National Park. There, I volunteered, running a credible experience nonetheless as I was able to have first- childrens project that provided support to the local kids in hand experience of Portuguese university traditions, wheth- the form of an academic and social education. er it be the black Harry Potter-esque capes or the baptising It was without a doubt, the best experience of my of freshers in the Mondego River during the Latada festival life! It was extremely challenging and very tiring being in October! The “Queima das Fitas” festival in May is na- responsible for so many children who had differing needs tionally renowned for its incredible parades, performances and behavioural issues but it was also extremely rewarding and concerts, and I definitely plan on returning to Coimbra and I enjoyed every second. I loved living in Brazil and the for this in the future! Brazilians are a huge part of what makes the place so great! As many people know, an important musical genre in The region that I worked in is a poor area and the Portugal is Fado, and Coimbra offers a form of Fado differ- population are affected by many social problems but they ent to other styles around the country. They sing of nostal- still enjoy life. It was a relaxed way of living for me; gia, “saudade” and longing through haunting but beautiful weekends would consist of spending the entire day trekking songs that every visitor to Coimbra must hear. through the national park enjoying the beautiful landscapes The position of and taking some time to relax in the many waterfalls and Coimbra in the centre of swimming holes in the the country allows for ex- area, all of course tensive travelling around bathed in the glorious the country. Cheap train Bahian sun, and a tasty fares and trips organised caipirinha (the local by the ERASMUS group drink of sugar cane meant that I was lucky spirit, lime and sugar) enough to visit the Algarve, to finish off the day.