My Language Learning Journey is a campaign from the OLS Portuguese Community. It aims to share insights into the mobility experiences of international students by exploring their diverse language-learning paths. This time, I interviewed Adrian, an Erasmus+ volunteer currently living in Luso, Portugal. Keep reading to learn more about his mobility experience and his adaptation to the Portuguese language!
*Source: Luso, Portugal by Adrian
PRESENTATION
Can you present and talk a little bit about yourself?
I'm 27 years old, I’m from Romania, from Târgoviște, a small town near Bucharest. I have a lot of hobbies, but most of them are related to music: I play the violin, the guitar, and sometimes the piano. I really enjoy being in nature, and that’s actually the main reason why I’m doing this European Solidarity Corps (ESC) project.
Can you tell us where you are doing your mobility? How and why did you choose the place to go?
My mobility is in Luso, where the project is focused on protecting and restoring the biodiversity of Mata do Bussaco. This means removing invasive species, mostly acacias and blackberries, to free up space so native species can grow again. We also nurse those plants in the park’s nursery at the palace.
I chose this project mainly because I love being in nature. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and this year it finally became a reality. I’ve been here since June, and I will stay until December (I still don’t know if I will extend it or not). I found this association and project on the ESC platform while searching for opportunities in Portugal. I really wanted to come to Portugal, and out of the four projects I was in contact with, this one felt the most connected to what I wanted.
What language did you study and why is it important for you to learn languages?
I started studying French in the first grade, and then in fifth grade I began studying English as well. But even before that, I already knew a bit of English from movies, music, and video games. On my own, I also learned a bit of Italian, and now I’m learning Portuguese. I think it’s important for anyone to know as many languages as they can, or at least the basics. In life, one of the biggest challenges we face is the language barrier. Even though communication seems easier nowadays, especially with social media, I actually feel like it has also become harder in some ways. But when you know more languages, you are already one step closer to understanding someone and connecting with them.
LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
How is your experience getting used to the language?
In the beginning it was a bit scary because the language felt very different, and people speak quite fast here. I couldn’t understand anything at first. Even if I knew certain words, I wasn’t able to recognize them in sentences or make a connection. But slowly, after living here for around four months, it started to become easier to understand people around me.
What advice would you give to someone who is starting to learn a new language?
Give yourself the chance to be bad at it first. Speak even if you don’t know it well, that’s the only way to get better. Another thing is that speaking can be difficult if you don’t have anyone to practice with. For example, I studied French for 12 years in school, but I had no one to talk to, so now my French is rusty. Platforms like OLS can make a big difference for anyone who wants to learn a language.
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, yes, I really believe so. It can be useful, and it should be used by many people. You can interact with different people, but in a relaxed environment, not like in a traditional classroom. You can make jokes, you can talk freely. For me, I was initially afraid of interacting with new people at first, and through the speaking sessions I became more relaxed and comfortable.
MOBILITY EXPERIENCE
Is this your first experience abroad?
It wasn’t my first time abroad, but it was my first long experience. Before this, the longest time I stayed abroad was about one month.
How has your mobility experience been?
Something that comes to my mind immediately is the fact that I didn’t really research the village I was going to live in. During the interview, my coordinator told me it was a small village and that I shouldn’t have big expectations. So, my expectations were very low at the beginning. I imagined a tiny village with maybe 100 people. But when I arrived and started discovering it day by day, the streets, the surroundings, and the people, I realized it has a lot of life. Especially during the summer, there were many tourists, everything was crowded and full of energy. So, it really exceeded what I imagined.
About the project, what I loved the most was being in nature all the time. Also, when I first arrived, the people I started working with became very close to me. We formed a strong bond from the beginning. We did a lot of activities together, travelled around Portugal, went to parties, and spent a lot of time together. That was especially nice for me because I was so used to spending time alone and, suddenly, I was surrounded by people I had known for just two weeks. In general, since this is my first long-term experience abroad, I would recommend it to anyone. You discover things about yourself that you didn’t know. You learn to be more tolerant because when you live alone, like I did for many years, you get used to your routines and habits. Then, living with other people who have their own habits teaches you to communicate, understand each other, and adapt. It’s very important for personal development.
Any advice you would like to give to someone preparing to go on mobility?
Maybe the most important thing is to allow yourself to be surprised by what will come. Don’t set specific expectations about the experience, and don’t try to plan everything, because you really cannot imagine it. A lot of beautiful things will happen that you can’t predict. Just allow yourself to live the experience in the present, day by day.
How is the mobility/volunteering/internship helping you to grow?
I got to speak English a lot more than I used to in Romania. So, I’m sure I improved my English skills, especially speaking. I even find myself having thoughts in English, which is funny. Sometimes I catch myself doing it, and I’m like, “Wait, I can think in Romanian too!”.
Would you like to do an interview for the OLS Portuguese Community? Click here and let me know if you would like to participate!
See you,
Juliane, OLS Community Manager - Portuguese