Brandon Penrod

Olá Pessoal! Hi y’all! My name is Brandon Penrod (my Brazilian name is Bernardo), and I am a 2021-2022 Gilman Alumni Ambassador. In 2019, I studied abroad on the dynamic island of Florianópolis, off the coast of southern Brazil. In my previous blog, I wrote about the ‘Brazilian Buddy’ system that my study abroad program, USAC, implemented to connect us with local Brazilian students. Today, I want to share with you a friendship I made with another Brazilian student who wasn’t actually a part of the Brazilian Buddy program. Her name is Kathleen, and she has become one of my closest friends in life. 

Kathleen is a dental student at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, or UFSC. Oddly enough, most of my Brazilian friends are also dental students. She is Brazilian-American and trilingual in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. I could include a list of reasons why she is a phenomenal friend, but what I will always appreciate her most for is that she took me under her wing and guided me through Brazilian culture, and continues to do so today. She pushes me out of my comfort zone and encourages me to keep striving for my dreams. When it comes to language and culture, we serve as each other’s main sources of information. 

Kathleen and I met during my very first visit to a gigantic on-campus social gathering, dubbed an UFSC party, one evening. Did you know that at many Brazilian universities, students hold parties, events, and social gatherings on campus, even at night, and it is an accepted part of the university and student culture? I was invited by my Brazilian buddy, Kauê, who brought along Kathleen and some other friends. I didn’t realize after that evening that we would become so close, but we did. It was actually after I had already ended my program that we began to grow closer. 

Over the past 2 ½ years, we have visited each other’s families in Florida and Brazil, celebrated Carnaval in Florianópolis, traveled to New York, D.C., and Miami with our little sisters, and spent a life-changing weekend in Puerto Rico together. I have also visited Kathleen (and her two cats, Rosalia and Coraline) in Brazil several times. As of April 2022, Kathleen is actually in New York City completing a dental externship at Cornell, and I am planning on visiting her while she’s there. Unexpectedly, we’ve become travel buddies, and I am so grateful that we travel well together. If you’ve ever traveled with friends, then you know things don’t always go to plan–sometimes it’s part of the adventure! 

My favorite memories with Kathleen have always been where we found ourselves in paradoxical situations. Our trip to Puerto Rico embodies that best. Of course, our trip did not go to plan. On our way to San Juan, we were stressed and were running behind on time. Because we were the last to check in for the flight, we were given the last two remaining seats, which happened to be in Business class. When we arrived in San Juan, we realized we had booked the hotel for the wrong dates, and after hours of trying to plan where to go, our friend Fabian (another USAC student we met in Brazil!), offered to pick us up and take us to his home. While visiting San Felipe del Morro Castle in San Juan, we walked into a suffocating swarm of gnats and I destroyed my Apple Watch, all within the span of 10 minutes. However, it was one of the greatest sights we’ve ever visited. One day, we went all around the city just looking for a cup of coffee, and couldn’t find any. We never did find coffee that day, but we did get to walk all around Old San Juan and the gorgeous waterfront. Despite the misfortunes, and with the help of Fabian and a positive attitude, we made the most of our trip. It goes to show that no matter what, you will always have a good time when you’re with a good friend.   

I wish for our friendship to be an example of how, sometimes, we find friends in unexpected places. We live in a digital world now, where friendships can be maintained despite physical distance. Our greatest friendships may or may not be with the people we’re able to see every day, and that’s okay. Kathleen and I don’t get to see each other often, but here we are today. Our friendship wouldn’t have been possible without the Gilman Scholarship, and for that, I am forever thankful. 

Here’s to friendship, wherever we find it in the world!

Oi, Gente! Tudo bem? Hi everyone! How are you? My name is Brandon Penrod, and I am a 2021-2022 Gilman Alumni Ambassador. I studied abroad with the Gilman Scholarship in Florianópolis, Brazil, in the summer of 2019.

 

My journey with Gilman began in early 2019. I was set to graduate from Loyola University Chicago by the end of that summer. I had landed a role as a Peace Corps Youth Development Volunteer in Eswatini, departing in the fall. In my position, I would be using SiSwati and Portuguese language in my day-to-day activities, working with kids of all ages. I wanted to serve as the best volunteer I could, so I started to learn those languages as soon as I knew Peace Corps was my next adventure. However, I did not have adequate access to Portuguese or SiSwati language classes and resources. I consider myself a lifelong polyglot-in-training, particularly with critical languages, and I consistently seek opportunities to work on my language skills. From experience in Thailand, Turkey, and Italy, I know that experiential learning and an immersive environment are the best tools to learn and conquer a language. I decided to apply to study abroad one last time in my undergraduate studies in Brazil. I applied for the Gilman scholarship and the Critical Need Language Award (CNLA) to aid my journey. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Little did I know that I would fall head-over-heels in love with Portuguese during my three months in Brazil. My program provider paired students with “Brazilian Buddies.” I formed an incredible bond with my buddy, Kauê, who introduced me to other Brazilians, whom I consider some of my closest friends today. Early in my experience, I immersed myself in Brazilian culture and friendship, which was the key reason I learned Portuguese so efficiently and continued learning after I left Brazil. I also had an incredible Portuguese professor, Daniela, who ensured each class felt meaningful and fulfilling.

When I returned from Brazil, I found several ways to keep my connection to the Portuguese language alive. I’d like to share my advice, and it applies to anyone learning any other languages as well.

1. Maintain the relationships you have made abroad and in your language learning journey. It may seem obvious, but it is critical. Reach out to your acquaintances and friends. Reach out to that professor. Give life updates and ask for theirs. Practice your skills with them in writing and over the phone if possible. Take a moment each week to send a message to someone who is a part of your journey. I promise they will love to hear from you and know that you continue to learn the language(s) that brought you together.
2. Consider tutoring in your native language! There are numerous virtual and in-person platforms for language exchange. Not all of them are tutor-based. One of my side gigs during my post-grad life was tutoring English via Cambly. Because of my knowledge of Portuguese, I ended up mainly tutoring Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican students. My Portuguese language skills improved while tutoring English since I often needed to explain concepts in Portuguese. Over the past two years, I have formed excellent language-based relationships with my students. I look forward to tutoring each week because my students and I often end up teaching each other!
3. Take advantage of formal classes if possible! Though I am in graduate school now, and time is precious, I am dedicating one class per semester to the advanced study of Portuguese. Formal language classes are essential for many of us. For me, my Portuguese class is an outlet of expression outside of my typical classes. Whether you are enrolled in an academic program or not, various institutions and organizations offer virtual classes every semester.
4. Continue pursuing other scholarship and fellowship opportunities to learn your language. The State Department offers several programs that focus on language learning as a significant component, such as CLS, Boren, and Fulbright. Don’t let opportunities for your advancement in a language slip away. Apply yourself and see what happens.
5. Music. From a Neuroscience perspective, listening to music in your target language helps you learn and retain language information without realizing it (our brains are pretty powerful, aren’t they?). Listen to whatever makes you happy. In terms of Portuguese, my favorite genres are Tropicália from the 1960s and 1970s, Samba, and modern Funk. Every language has music to be appreciated; it’s up to you to find it.

Language learning is a never-ending journey. We even continue to learn our native languages throughout our lives. Whether you have forgotten some of your language skills, haven’t had time, or just haven’t felt motivated, remember that it’s never too late to put the effort in wherever you are in your journey. There is so much to explore. We are all capable despite the chaos of life.

Boa sorte em sua jornada linguística! Good luck on your language journey!