Monday, April 2, 2012

Benefits of Being Bilingual

Bilingual
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm surrounded by bilinguals, trilingual, and polyglots. It's great! When I get yelled at in traffic, it's often in some foreign language that make "Fuck you!" sound eloquent and pretty. You may find it strange, but it's true. Next time you yell at someone in traffic say, " Merde" (maird) and note all the great smiles you get in return ;)
Needless to say, speaking additional languages brings great benefits. Check out a New York Times article on the benefits of being bilingual.
For Portuguese/Brazilian parents, I recently discovered the Instituto Brasilia de Educacao e Cultura (IBEC). It's a cultural center that teaches kids Brazilian Portuguese. For more info go to www. ibec-ca.org.For those interested in combining their love for Brazilian music, martial arts, and Portuguese, ABADA Capoeira in San Francisco is the place for you or your kids. For first and second generation Brazilians, you may want to ask about Ponto de Cultura. Click on the links above for more information.

No comments:

Post a Comment