Learning Portuguese Brazilian Style!

For those interested in spending a few months in Brazil, I personally know two schools that offer a good class room style teaching-learning.

Rio de Janeiro's PUC-Rio in the Gavea area...

http://www.cce.puc-rio.br/letras/portuguesingles.htm

AND

Sao Paulo and Maceio have www.fastforward.com.br

Hope this helps.

PUC-Rio offers annual intensive course January-February 2009.

http://www.cce.puc-rio.br/informativ...intensivo.html

I would like to inform you people that this FAST FORWARD SCHOOL IS NOT GOOD AT ALL. I studied there for 45 days and Marcia, the director, and the secretary was never helpful, i.e. when Marcia is there, because it's rare to see her in the school. Also, you MUST check these points:
- students never receive feedbacks
- instructors often arrive there late (but I insisted to leave the class later too, that's a right of mine, right?)
- the classrooms are hot (neither AC nor fans)
- crowded classrooms (I attended a class in the coffee room once)
- they don't separate students of different levels (I know some portuguese, once I'm argentinian, but they put me to learn it with some germans (nothing against them) that couldn't say Hello in portuguese)

The homestay program of theirs is not good either, once the apartment they've sent me into was not so good and the its owners were kinda mean to me (don't these guys from Fast Forward interview these people? They should enjoy having gue$t$ and not the opposite).

I just want to warn you people, because I know some colleagues of mine that were studying there that they quit after one week studying there because they got really mad.

Hope this can be useful for you when choosing a Portuguese school.

Tchau.

Hi Rodrigoedus,

Welcome, and I agree 100%. Although Fast Forward is located in a relatively safe, nice little town in NE Brazil, the Brazilians working there are not reliable. I had to call the director numerous times and email and still no response, and this is after I met him in person. While visiting the school I felt there was no real sense of urgency. If you enroll in Fast Forward; do it as a side deal while on vacation in Maceio. If you're serious about Portuguese then I suggest learning at one of the many schools in SP or Rio such as Brasas.

Rodrigoedus- thanks for the heads up!

Rodrigo,

Now I remember his name, 'Ernesto'... and he's the director of the school, or he was last year. I even went so far as to offer Ernesto free 30 day advertising, and he still didn't return my calls, emails.

Brazilians, most of them seem so unreliable and that's why I'll never open a business in Brazil.

[veloire]

Originally Posted by Gringos.com

Rodrigo,

Now I remember his name, 'Ernesto'... and he's the director of the school, or he was last year. I even went so far as to offer Ernesto free 30 day advertising, and he still didn't return my calls, emails.

Brazilians, most of them seem so unreliable and that's why I'll never open a business in Brazil.

Brazilians often late, a big part of the population is used to corruption and there are a long list of problems that I could list about the country, however, my experience that generally they are not less reliable than people in the US or other countries. I lived two years in Sao Paulo, made my living from business and in the future I plan to do business there again.
I do not have the desire to live there because of corruption and crime.