My Language Learning Journey is a new campaign from the Portuguese Community of OLS. This time we interviewed Leona, she is a student from Erasmus+ studies and, she is doing her mobility in Porto. Keep reading to know more about Leona's mobility experience and the adaptation to the Portuguese language!
Can you present and talk a little bit about yourself?
Hello, I’m Leona, I have 23 years old, I’m in my master’s and this is my last semester as a student. I’m from Croatia more specifically in Zagreb and I study Geography. I’m doing my mobility program in Porto. I’m currently studying at the University of Porto at FLUP (Faculdade de Línguas da Universidade do Porto).
*Source: Picture of Leona taken by Antea Faraguna
Andrea is doing an Erasmus+ Studies, what does this mean? The Erasmus+ Programme is a European funding programme established in 1987 offering university students the possibility of studying or doing an internship abroad in another country for a period of at least 2 months and a maximum of 12 months per cycle of studies.
Can you tell us where you did your mobility? How and why did you choose the place to go?
So, why Porto? Porto is a really famous destination in my home country for geographers, I heard a lot of friends talking about it, so when I was in my first or maybe second year of university, I already knew for sure that Porto would be my first choice for Erasmus. I have been to Portugal yet and I knew that it was an amazing country to travel to with a lot of things to see, that’s why I chose it. I can say that was my only choice, it was a risk, and only two people got in from my university to go to Porto. Before coming to Erasmus, I needed to have a certificate in B2 language.
What language did you study and why is it important for you to learn languages? How was your experience getting used to the language?
I know English, Croatian, and a little bit of German but I don’t use it that much. I didn’t know Portuguese at all when I came to Portugal, but I learned basic stuff during this semester. Everyone here speaks English really, so I never had any difficulty, just sometimes with locals, but that was expected. In that case, I would try my best to speak Portuguese. Everyone in the university and shops speaks English, but actually, I was surprised that at my university the classes were all in Portuguese. I had some difficulties in some subjects because part of the class was always in Portuguese. So, it was really important for me to try my best to learn a little bit more Portuguese.
LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Did OLS help you to improve your language level? What do you think about the platform, do you think it is useful, do you advise Erasmus students to use the community?
Yes, definitely! I needed to do the English test and just after that, I entered on OLS Portuguese Community, since it was not mandatory for me to have Portuguese language skills. The blog articles are really fun and interesting. I think OLS is useful, but I think that should be more promoted if I knew more about the communities at the beginning of my Erasmus would be much more useful for my experience.
What advice would you give to someone who is starting to learn a new language?
My main advice would be to try to talk with locals or for example, when you are on your daily tasks, like going to the supermarket, etc. try to say basic things and ask things in Portuguese.
MOBILITY EXPERIENCE
*Source: Leona Matotek
How was your mobility experience?
This was my first mobility experience! I can say that the best things from my Erasmus were definitely meeting new people, having good friends, and the connections I have here I think are going be for a lifetime and I loved that the city is never asleep, every day I go out I meet new people, we share our experiences out home countries and different cultures. Traveling was also one of the best things I did during these months, Portugal is a beautiful country, and the climate is amazing. Also, something unique that I realized during my time here, is that I was never alone in my country, I was always surrounded by people, so this time in Portugal I liked walking alone, and listening to music alone, I started appreciating more my own time and that was surprising for me! I didn’t have any bad experiences but maybe I can say about the improvement in some classes since it was sometimes difficult for me to focus and study in the Portuguese language. So, my recommendation in Porto would probably catch the sunset, it doesn’t need to be Jardim do Morro, it can be at Palácio de Cristal and surfing, this was also new for me, and I loved it! Actually, Porto is my favorite that I visited in Portugal, but I would recommend the Islands (Madeira and Açores) and also Guimarães, I loved the cozy and historical vibe of the city!
Any advice you would like to give to someone preparing to go on mobility? What do you think are the main challenges?
Maybe don’t stress so much in the beginning if you don’t find friends immediately, because after you’ll find friends for a lifetime and in general don’t stress a lot about being alone or at university, take it slowly as Portuguese people do and do you best to be happy!
How did the mobility/volunteering/internship help you to grow?
I like being more by myself now and also, I’m more tolerant and more relaxed because I need this experience to show myself that I need to slow down a little bit in my life. I also started eating better and moving more!
Would you like to do an interview for the Portuguese OLS community and share about your mobility experience in Portugal?
Click here and let me know if you would like to participate!
I would like to thank Leona for her time and great chat! Muito Obrigada!
See you,
Juliane, OLS Community Manager - Portuguese