I think I failed to appreciate at first what a risk it was to invest the time & money needed to…read moredive into an immersion program overseas for a full month, but I had the passion to learn, after a long time studying on my own in the US, & I'm so glad I found Lusa Language School. In terms of curriculum, & the passion & patience of the instructors...some of my biggest laughs & most heartrending moments came from my class & private sessions there, encountering Portuguese culture & history in that way. In general, out on the street, people would usually indulge my attempts even when I was screwing up. Some were very happy & eager to help. But our teacher was talking about the relationship to language in Portugal, & how you're kind of forced to assume that foreigners aren't even going to try, & I found that pretty sad, but I guess it's true. I don't want to be that guy, though, & I felt both educated & uplifted by the efforts of the staff here, all of whom have that characteristically rich & understated Portuguese cosmopolitan style. To continue a theme for the trip I suppose, I was ready for the possibility that my time could be really mediocre, or that the teachers would be really uptight, or that I wouldn't understand anything, or who knows, right? But I immediately felt welcome, I got so many of my questions answered. I got to incorporate themes & ideas that I'm genuinely excited about, which I think is so crucial in learning. My tutor & I were working on a phrase, A riqueza que vem por ter escolhido bem...The wealth that comes from having chosen well. Much love to Lusa Language School. :-] CR