Has anyone done a study abroad in Portugal?

If so, please tell me what city you were in, if possible, what school and most importantly whether if you liked it or not.





I want to learn Portuguese, I would much prefer Brazil but my parents won't let me because they say it's too dangerous, can anyone tell me whether if Portugal is worth it or should I wait until I'm older and can go to Brazil? Thanks!

Has anyone done a study abroad in Portugal?
Olá, Ocean26!





I did "Cursos de Verão" (Summer Classes) in Portugal. The first time was Summer '83 in Lisbon at the University of Lisbon; the second, Summer '91 in Aveiro at the University of Aveiro. Summer of '90 I just bopped around the country on my own, going to different folk festivals. That's when I fell in love with Aveiro.





I love, love, love Aveiro! I don't know that I can put my finger on why; it's just a feeling that I get. So many people there went out of their way to make me feel special, but it's not just the people; it's the city and surrounding region itself:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/vitor107/41...





At this site you can do a virtual visit to Aveiro and its district:


http://perso.orange.fr/tuga/aveiro1





I love Portugal, the Portuguese, and Portuguese...but! If what you're wanting is Brazil, Portugal is going to be very different. Just as Brazilian Portuguese is very different from European Portuguese. (I've studied both.)





Is Portugal worth it? Yes! No question about it! If you have the opportunity to study there, then take it! You can always do Brazil later. And that way you'll learn both varieties of Portuguese.





(Btw, I moderate a Yahoo group for learning/practicing Portuguese, like a bunch of penpals; one of our members is a high school exchange student in Recife, Brazil. If you're interested, click on my icon and email me!)
Reply:Olá!


Well, the previous answer says it all. Portuguese from Portugal is quite different from Portuguese from Brazil, grammar, pronounciation etc. Lisbon is a great place to go with plenty schools and Uni where you can study, but that said Aveiro is quite nice as well. It's a smaller city but you have a Uni and a few language schools like Royal School of Languages. The staff is great in both places, the city is safe and it's a different place to visit. Everybody who comes to Portugal goes Algarve or Lisbon, and there are other nice places. Brazil is lovely, but depending on where exactly you go it may be quite dangerous. If you want more info you can email me emortagua@hotmail.com