This photo shows a caipirinha drink in a clear glass, set on a wooden deck with tropical plants and pink blooms in the background. The glass is filled with ice, and there's a lemon circle slice on the rim.

Saúde, Alex! Caipirinha Celebration

This photo shows a caipirinha drink in a clear glass, set on a wooden deck with tropical plants and pink blooms in the background. The glass is filled with ice, and there's a lemon circle slice on the rim.

The first proof-of-life photos to ping my phone were of rowdy looking macaws. They peered down from coconut trees, their blue feathers trailing, as if they owned the place. Like a couple of dodos, Nate and I texted Alex and asked if he was at the zoo. “No, I’m in Brazil,” he said.

Of course he was in Brazil, even if we only vaguely remembered sending him off at 2:00 a.m. on a Wednesday—or maybe it was a Thursday—two weeks ago.

The entire Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks household was a-flutter with conflicting advice for Alex’s first study-abroad trip:

  • embrace all new experiences
  • be hyper vigilant in airports
  • have a good time, relax
  • keep your passport stapled to your skin
  • use your Portuguese as much as you can
  • don’t talk to strangers
  • go swimming
  • wear bug spray
  • bring a life preserver
  • don’t walk into trees
  • wear a bicycle helmet with a flashlight attached at night, etc.

Well, Alex had an amazing time in Campo Grande, thanks to his professor who set the trip up—and to all the host professors and community members who provided experiences, classes, and comradery. He learned as much Brazilian Portuguese as he could in two months on his own (the equivalent of the 100-200 levels), and then just winged it when he got there. He even got to present a paper at a conference, and he wants to go back, for sure–and learn more Portuguese.

Fun fact: Alex ditched Duolingo and went with a 1993 textbook I kept from a class I took. So, he went totally low-tech. (Points for humans!)

Also, he loved the food: feijoada, pão de queijo, açaí, tons of fresh fruit and juices—and especially the refreshing Guaraná Antarctica soda, which he says tastes like apples and berries but even better than that.

To celebrate Alex’s safe return and enthusiasm for all things Brazilian, I’m making a caipirinha with cachaça, a kind of distilled liquor. They say you can use rum, but I’m not sure it would be the same.

In a glass, muddle together a lime (cut into wedges) and two teaspoons of bar sugar. Add two ounces of cachaça and garnish with lime. That’s it.

Results: Absolutely refreshing! I can really taste the lime, which I love. The drink is sweet, but not too sweet.

Serve this drink with:

  • A flock of macaws (araras)
  • A pair of jorts (they’re back in style and all the rage—Alex bought some)
  • Pajamas (which are Alex’s secret to a comfy 12-hour flight—and to amusing customs officials upon landing)
  • Streets filled with samba bands
  • Truckloads of Havaianas Flip-Flops
  • Caravans of happy, hitchhiking capybaras.

Your Turn: Do you enjoy learning new languages? If so, how do you prefer to learn? In a classroom? With apps? Pure immersion? A combination?

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Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

22 thoughts on “Saúde, Alex! Caipirinha Celebration”

  5. I learned German through pure immersion backed up by an old-fashioned grammar and vocabulary book. I just threw myself into the conversation and stopped worrying about making mistakes which is the best way to do it. Eventually I started reading newspapers which are usually written at about a grade 9-10 level and help to cement vocabulary and grammar. Classroom is probably the least effective, I would say. Didn’t really help me much.

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  7. I am awful with languages, probably because I have limited desire. But I do think people who know multiple languages are amazing! My daughter teaches in a school in an area that speaks Spanish and I’m amazed at how quickly she picked up the language by a combo of Duolingo, google translate and being thrown into it. She is taking a conversation class this fall

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  8. Ooooh, no! You told him not to talk to strangers! I’m sure that went out the window almost as soon as he set foot here! lol

    We’re Brazilian, we talk to everyone!

    I’m so glad he had a good time here, and that you enjoyed some refreshing caipirinhas! Have an amazing week!

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  10. How exciting for Alex! I love macaws, please post some pics!

    I do German on Duolingo and every alternate month I switch to Irish. Don’t ask me why, it’s an impossible language, especially the spellings, but it was the first one that showed up when I googled ‘languages without gender’. Gender is ghastly!

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    1. I have both Irish and German heritage–along with Italian and English, but I’ve never bothered to learn Irish, Italian, or German–I chose Spanish instead–and now, I’d like to learn French. 🙂

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