Finding Her in Heritage

Growing up with immigrant parents I guess you could say that I had a different upbringing compared to most of my peers. Of course, there were times when cultures would clash leaving me stuck between my Portuguese and American identities, but over time I learned to embrace the best of two worlds. I had always wanted to visit mainland Portugal, but I never thought that I would get to experience living here which has provided me with an even better experience than I could have imagined. Studying abroad wasn’t originally part of my academic plans, but here I am in my senior year and this is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Diane Fontes University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

SiPN

2020-07-29T16:18:34+00:00

Diane Fontes University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

https://studyinportugalnetwork.com/testimonials/finding-her-in-heritage/

Happy coincidence

I started learning Portuguese by accident. I spent the majority of my life learning Spanish as a second language. Although my dad is from Peru, I never spoke Spanish with him growing up. I think this is how my love of languages arose. Frustrated that I never learned the language of my dad’s family, in school I dedicated myself to learning Spanish and to sounding as “Peruvian” as possible. Now, two and a half years later, I am a Spanish and Portuguese major studying abroad in Lisbon, Portugal. I never imagined that I would learn to speak Portuguese as quickly as I have, or that I would come to love the Portuguese-speaking world as much as I loved learning Spanish.

Claudia Bellido
Emory University

Life changing lecture

My brother had always encouraged me to study abroad and the start of my junior year seemed like the perfect time to start that adventure. I drew my inspiration for choosing Lisbon, Portugal from my anthropology professor and the many stories he told about living in Portugal and falling in love with the language, food, the people, and the culture.

Natalie Castilleja
University of Missouri Kansas City

Finding Her in Heritage