I am a Californian and on my second trip to Brazil I sought out Portuguese classes because I wanted to understand and speak with my friends that live here in Rio. During this trip I had an apartment in Copacabana so I chose to take a cab to class everyday which intimidated me because I could not converse very well with the cab driver and would usually just tell the individual, “sorry, but I don’t speak Portuguese”. By the third day of class I was able to piece together what the cab driver was saying and by the end of the week I could respond! All of the staff at Portuguese Carioca were warm, enthusiastic, and helpful. My survival course teacher Roberta is a gifted individual, she made the class fun and challenging.I am a Californian and on my second trip to Brazil I sought out Portuguese classes because I wanted to understand and speak with my friends that live here in Rio. During this trip I had an apartment in Copacabana so I chose to take a cab to class everyday which intimidated me because I could not converse very well with the cab driver and would usually just tell the individual, “sorry, but I don’t speak Portuguese”. By the third day of class I was able to piece together what the cab driver was saying and by the end of the week I could respond! All of the staff at Portuguese Carioca were warm, enthusiastic, and helpful. My survival course teacher Roberta is a gifted individual, she made the class fun and challenging. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Portuguese Carioca, and I will be back to take another course as soon as I can!