Regular issue #6

THE PORTUGUESE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

ISSUE #6 ISSN 2689-1506 (online) ISSN 2689-1492 (print)

FALA AÍ Regular issue #6 April 2025

EDITORIAL LAURA VIEIRA Editor-In-Chief MICHEL SOARES DO CARMO Managing Editor LAURA VIEIRA Digital Editor and Graphic Designer

Caro leitor,

In your hands—or on your screen—is the result of a collaborative project that showcases the best of the Portuguese program at UGA. In a year when language programs and the Humanities are being shut down and defunded across the United States, and artificial intelligence is increasingly misused to undermine creativity, something as simple as picking up a magazine can be an act of resistance. In the following pages, you will read about how learning Portuguese and studying Lusophone cultures have profoundly impacted the lives of everyone in our community. You will find concrete, tangible examples of the empowering value of poetry, music, photography, linguistics, and more. You will learn about genetic rearrangements and international economies, enjoy original literary short stories, discover your new favorite Brazilian musician, and wish you had your very own pão de queijo! The front and back covers of this edition, as well as the section-title pages, feature photos I took during my last trip to the beautiful city of Belo Horizonte. We extend our gratitude to the CURA festival (Circuito Urbano de Arte) for their generosity in sharing their vibrant and powerful mural art, which highlights Brazilian field workers and bears the message “por terra, arte e pão”—for land, art, and bread —reminding us that the fight for our freedoms and rights is inseparable from the fight for beauty, poetry, romance, and love. Enjoy your reading!

Obrigada,

Laura Vieira

DR. DANA BULTMAN Romance Languages Dept. Head DR. CRISTIANE LIRA Portuguese Program Supervisor

CONTENT EDITORS YASMIN PAIVA DE SIQUEIRA TALITA CARVALHO NASSUR ROMÁRIO DE SOUZA SANTOS

STAFF WRITER SIBEL OCAL

FRONT COVER Mural art: “Por terra, arte e pão” Courtesy of CURA (@cura.art) Circuito Urbano de Arte Festival

Photo by Laura Vieira

SUPPORT

TABLE of CONTENTS 4 Spotlight 14 Explore 26 Imagine 35 Palavras Finais

Spotlight

Featured Graduate Student

Fábio Mariano

By Sibel Olcal

Fábio Mariano is an author and a double PhD student from both UGA and UNICAMP. From Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, he has been in Athens since 2022. He shared with us a bit about his academic, professional, and personal journey.

Sibel Olcal: What has been your experience as a student in the Portuguese Program?

Fábio Mariano: I believe the word that defines my experience the most, by far, is “community”. Ever since I got here, I was received very well by my peers - not only the ones in the Portuguese department, but in the whole Romance Languages community. The life of a graduate student is not easy, and that of an international one has its own complications. Being both, I can only be grateful for the ones who have walked this path before. That is one of the keys, I believe, of my happiness here: when things get difficult (in certain moments of the semester or when going through personal problems), I know I can find help within the community, and I try my best to be helpful in return.

When everyone cooperates, learning becomes easier, and we are able to have deep, real conversations about the materials we are dealing with in our classes. I also praise the professors for having such an integral view of our development—they tailor their classes so that what we do there is not only valuable within the work we are doing on that semester, but helps us think, prepare and even produce for future moments of our trajectory.

SO: What has been your favorite part about being an instructor in the Portuguese Program?

Fábio loves cooking and going to the feira in Brazil.

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FM: My case is a little different from that of most of my colleagues, as I have been teaching the only among all Portuguese courses which is taught in English! The course is about Lusophone communities in the United States, and the backbone of our readings is the literature produced by these communities. That said, I believe the thing I enjoy the most in this course is the interview assignment. This is a moment when I see the students relating to the interviewees, as well as with each other, and I find is this a true learning moment for everyone there - including me!

Experience

SO: What are some of your hobbies outside of academics?

FM: Reading is at the top, of course. I am a literature student because I have loved reading since I was a child.

But two other things follow closely: cooking and music. I play the guitar (not very well, though), and I like to put on a record or access those wonderful concerts we have access to, through UGA, in the Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall. I love to prepare meals while listening to some Caetano Veloso, Bob Dylan or Rachmaninoff. I cook a lot of Brazilian, Italian and French meals, and I always try to learn new things from new countries. Every time I am in front of a pan, I love the scents, the transformations, the sounds of cooking! For me, it's a form of art.

SO: What are some achievements you are proud of?

I am a literature student because I have loved reading since I was a child.

FM: I am a writer, and in Brazil, I was contemplated with an award that gave me the possibility of publishing my third book, Ruído Branco. I was involved in every aspect of the production, from legal, to the cover design, to the last proofs; but, most importantly, I got to work with such amazing people in every aspect that I am very honored and humbled to have had this opportunity! The second thing is having led a Model UN club in the high school where I worked in Brazil. We used to take around 30 students, and all of them grew a lot in the process. I set it as a personal objective to help my students get some of the prizes. And in our last participation, we got a collective prize - one that recognized not the individualities, but how they contributed to the group.

SO: What are your plans and hopes after you graduate?

FM: My plan is to become a professor who helps people see the beauty of romance language literatures, especially the ones in Latin America, to fall in love with them and relate to their richness. Since I have pressed pause in my writing career to pursue the Ph.D., one thing I obviously want to do it go back to it - not that I am not writing at the moment, but that is another story. My hope is to find students and readers to whom what I do, teach and write make a difference!

Top: Fábio’s book Ruído Branco published in 2020. Bottom: his collection & some cafezinho.

Experience

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Featured alumna

Isabella Jeremias

By Sibel Olcal

From Minas Gerais, Isabella graduated with her Masters’ in Romance Languages in 2021 and now lives in Fortaleza.

Read about her amazing job in bilingual education, her hardships during the pandemic, and the impact UGA had in her academic, professional, and personal life.

Sibel Olcal: What was your experience as a student in the Portuguese Program?

Man, my experience was interesting. It had some ups and downs. The pandemic happened during my master’s program. At first, it was really nice, really stable, I’d say. But during the pandemic, I had to go back to Brazil. I stayed there for a while and I didn’t have many study materials available—not long before my qualifying exams—which was extremely complicated. However, the program itself was really great. I read a lot of interesting things. I discovered so much. I fell in love with authors I might not have known otherwise. So, it was a crucial program for my life. It showed me that the academic path was really what I wanted to pursue. Overall, it was an incredible experience, despite that little pandemic in the middle.

SO: What is your current job like, and how does being a Portuguese Program alumna affect it?

IJ: Nowadays, I am a bilingual pedagogical specialist at a Brazilian company that offers a program for implementation in regular schools, giving them access to bilingual education. I assist in selling this program from the pedagogical side—that is, I explain to schools how to implement it, how it works, and how it’s possible to achieve some level of bilingualism within their institutions. We know that Brazil is one of the countries with the most English courses, yet the general population doesn’t speak the language, and often, even teachers are not properly trained. Today, we’ve been able to implement this program in many schools, even making it accessible to public schools. We are currently working with the military police, firefighters, and trying to reach those schools as well.

How did UGA’s program impact me? Man, I think both my experience at UGA and my previous experience with Fulbright were invaluable because they gave me the opportunity to work with the CLIL methodology (Content and Language Integrated Learning), which is the foundation of this program that we bring to schools in Brazil.

Isabella and her team of language learning speaciallists.

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Spotlight

It allowed me to teach in the target language, delivering content, where language serves as the medium of instruction. At the time, I already had the idea that this was the right approach, but I think my program gave me the opportunity to put it into practice. So, from my very first job interview, I used examples from the universities I worked at and how I essentially flipped the approach.

While here in Brazil, we talk about using English as the medium of instruction, I had been using Portuguese as the medium. That contrast is quite interesting.

SO: What are some achievements you are proud of?

IJ: First of all, completing my master’s degree at the University of Georgia—that was a huge achievement, and I was very happy about it. I also have some translation publications, published articles, including one in a book on peripheral modernism in the 20th century. So, those are my major academic accomplishments. Fulbright was also a major academic milestone for me.

SO: What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of academics?

IJ: I’m fascinated by makeup. I love doing colorful, crazy makeup looks—just for fun, even if I’m just walking around the house in my pajamas. It’s really just a hobby. Besides that, I like playing board games.

And I absolutely love playing with my cat, Pru Pru, who is the most precious thing in my life. I actually adopted him from a shelter in Atlanta, and I brought him to Brazil. That was a really cool story too.

SO: What are your plans and hopes for 2025?

IJ: This year I’m expecting a promotion at work—it’s almost certain to happen. I also just bought an apartment. That actually happened last year, but this year I’m starting to make my first mortgage payments. I already feel accomplished because this is something I’m just beginning, and I’m able to afford it, which makes me really happy. Man, I wan a lot of joy and happiness! My year is off to a great start. I don’t know—let’s wait and see what 2025 has in store for me. I’m totally ready for the surprises.

I read a lot of interesting things. I discovered so much. I fell in love with authors I might not have known otherwise (...) it was an incredible experience, despite that little pandemic in the middle.

Spotlight

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Student Spotlight Meet some of the students who are highly committed to learning Portuguese and engaging with our community at the University of Georgia!

Sibel Olcal is a fourth-year student studying Supply Chain and

Operations

Management,

Portuguese,

and

International Affairs. She likes reading horror books, hiking, making jewelry, practicing archery, and taking pictures in her free time. She started taking Portuguese classes when she came to college, determined to learn a third language other than Turkish and English, and heard about Flagship. Her favorite Portuguese Program experiences include photographing cultural events, participating in the summer immersion program at Middlebury, and creating the Portuguese Honor Society with Professora Cris.

Hello! My name is Owen White. I am from Memphis, Tennessee, and am a second-year English and History student at UGA. I initially chose Portuguese simply because I liked the way the language sounded, but have, over the past three semesters, grown to more deeply appreciate learning about both the language and cultures of the Lusophone world. I have found my studies of Portuguese invaluable in allowing me to recognize, evaluate, and nuance my understandings of the world around me, and am grateful for the community my studies have helped me foster, both at UGA and beyond. In my free time, I enjoy running, hiking, playing basketball, reading, watching movies, and playing guitar.

Meu nome é Caleb Boggs, e eu sou de Dunwoody, Geórgia.

Eu tô meu primeiro ano na UGA. Meu curso principal é história, e eu estou estudando para ser um professor. Eu gosto de jogar e assistir futebol, passar tempos com meus amigos e minha família, ouvir música (especialmente LCD Soundsystem e of Montreal) e comer maçãs. Eu tô aprendendo português para a minha namorada, porque a família dela são brasileiros e eu quero aprender sobre a cultura brasileira. Até breve!

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PORTUGUESE SPRING EVENTS O

2 0 2 5

MOVIE NIGHT

January 22 | 4:30 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - room 112

AN AFTERNOON OF ART

February 6 | 5:30 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - room 113

MUSICANDO

February 18 | 6:30 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - room 112

PORTUGUÊS EM CENA

March 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - room 112

PETECA WORKSHOP

March 26 | 6:30 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - room 113

GAME NIGHT

April 11 | 5:00 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - room 116

FESTA JUNINA

April 22 | 6 p.m. | Gilbert Hall - rooms 112/116

FOLLOW US AND STAY CONNECTED!

Spotlight

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Português, Promessas e Pessoas Incríveis: Minha Jornada em

Middlebury Alejandro Marín

Parabéns, você foi aceito na escola de Português em Middlebury para o programa de verão!

Eu nunca vou esquecer o dia que recebi esse e-mail, porque definitivamente marcou o início de uma das experiências mais incríveis da minha vida. Soube sobre o programa de língua portuguesa em Middlebury graças à minha amiga Viana (Shoutout to her!!), que já tinha participado e vivia contando sobre as pessoas incríveis que conheceu lá.

Mas tomar a decisão de ir não foi tão fácil. O programa durava sete semanas (o verão inteiro!), eu precisava comprar passagens de avião, pegar um ônibus até Bennington (porque a cidade era tão pequena que nem aeroporto tinha, rsrs) e me preparar mentalmente para o desafio. Meus amigos da universidade ficaram empolgados com a ideia e tinham certeza de que eu ia voltar falando português melhor que um brasileiro. Até hoje, eles tiram sarro do meu sotaque e dizem que eu falo como Neymar Jr. Gostaria ficar famoso como ele, mas só tenho o sotaque, segundo eles.

Então, lá fui eu! Comprei as passagens, preparei minha mala, voei, peguei o ônibus e, finalmente, cheguei na escola em uma sexta-feira. O campus de Middlebury era completamente diferente da minha universidade no Oregon.

Muito menor, com uma biblioteca e uma academia minúscula, uma surpresa para mim. Mas, apesar do tamanho, a experiência foi muito maior do que eu esperava. O campus era um verdadeiro paraíso verde, com aquele clima maluco de julho e agosto: ora fazia calor, ora fazia frio do nada. A paisagem me lembrava bastante o Oregon.

Spotlight

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E então, chegou o tão temido "Pledge Day". No programa, existe um sistema chamado "Language Pledge", onde os estudantes prometem (e se comprometem!) a falar só português. Eu já tinha ouvido falar disso antes, mas, sinceramente, não acreditava que alguém conseguiria seguir essa regra. Só que algo estranho e inacreditável aconteceu: todo mundo cumpriu o pledge! Isso mesmo! Português de manhã, de tarde, de noite, no café da manhã, no almoço, no jantar, no meio do sono (quase). Sete semanas vivendo numa realidade paralela lusófona.

O mais legal foi conhecer gente de todos os lugares: estudantes de diversas universidades, estados, profissões e com diferentes motivos para estudar português. Aprendi muito com eles, e essas interações foram uma das partes mais incríveis da experiência. E não foi só isso! Durante o programa, tive a oportunidade de conhecer brasileiros, portugueses, moçambicanos e até um cabo-verdiano, que apareceu em uma aula para falar sobre a vida na ilha. Foi incrível! O aprendizado não acontecia só na sala de aula, mas também em uma infinidade de atividades culturais.

Tínhamos clubes de coral, escrita, culinária, capoeira, pintura e o meu favorito, clube de teatro! E tudo, absolutamente tudo, era feito em português. O programa foi tão intenso que, no final, eu já estava sonhando em português com a Anitta!! Anitta!!

No campus, a gente sempre falava o tempo todo, não apenas entre nós, mas também com os professores e convidados especiais, que participavam pelo Zoom ou vinham ao campus para ensinar sobre a cultura lusófona. O show de Fado foi uma das experiências mais emocionantes, e, claro, as festas brasileiras foram inesquecíveis.

No final das sete semanas, voltei para casa com um sotaque indefinível, uma playlist cheia de músicas em português e a vontade de voltar ao programa um dia para reviver essa experiência incrível e reencontrar os amigos que fiz.

You can spend a Lusophone Summer in Middleburry!

UGA Portuguese students are eligible to participate.

The deadline for the Summer 2025 program is May 15th.

Click here or scan the QR code to know more about the program and sign up!

Spotlight

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From Brazil to the World: a scientific journey Brazilian UGA student publishes article in leading immunology journal from the Nature Journal Portfolio.

UGA has one of the most renowned and well-rounded veterinary schools in the United States, known for its cutting-edge research, comprehensive clinical training, and strong focus on animal health and biomedical sciences.

From Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Flávio Cagnin Faccin is one of its students who recently had a major accomplishment: his work was featured in npj Vaccines, a highly regarded scientific journal in the Nature Portfolio. Flávio is set to graduate in Spring 2025 with a PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences. He conducts research in the Department of Population Health at UGA, focusing on innovative virology and immunization strategies. His work explores the ability of biological agents, such as microorganisms, to cause disease in a host, both humans and animals.

“The article basically describes the development of a vaccine from its earliest stages. The virus has some modifications that make the vaccine safer and more protective.” Flávio says. “It does not have genetic rearrangement, which is a very important thing in influenza.”

As the first author, Flávio participated in all stages of the in vitro initial development of the vaccine and also led all the in vivo studies. He worked under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Perez, who is the senior author of the article. “He was responsible for the funding acquisition and the final version of the manuscript, and I did the data collection and interpretation and the first versions.”

Flávio, a graduate from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil, has always been drawn to scientific research over clinical practice. “My sister is a doctor in veterinary pathology, so I have always been influenced to do research. I have been working with viruses since my undergrad.” In Brazilian public universities, students have the opportunity to begin their scientific journeys early in their college years. Flávio worked with research and diagnosis at UFSM, with scholarships from CNPq (the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, an entity linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to encourage research in Brazil) and FAPERGS (Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul).

Notably, students in public universities do not pay tuition, making it an accessible way to engage in research and develop critical thinking skills.

“It is important to mention these public scholarships because without them, I couldn’t have come to UGA. Everything I learned at UFSM was the basis of what I do today in my PhD.” In August 2024, Flávio and his research team were thrilled to learn that their article on aspects of pathogenicity and vaccine development related to types of influenza was published in npj Vaccines.

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Spotlight

Flavio Cargnin Faccin

“This vaccine became so interesting because we were able to demonstrate, for the first time, that it is possible to develop a vaccine that does not genetically reassort with field viruses, which is a major concern when using live attenuated vaccines. It is also non-transmissible and can be applied in mass vaccination settings, which is also difficult with most vaccines available today. It was tested on chickens, and it is very different from what is normally published, because most vaccines are inactivated, which are very safe, but have weak immunogenicity and are not very long-lasting. It’s suggestive that our vaccine protects animals for a longer period.”

Flávio describes his experience at UGA as “very positive”. He first came to Athens as an intern, when he was still a veterinary student, in 2019. Then, he returned for his PhD. The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on Flávio’s academic journey: he had to postpone his PhD for almost one year. “I started with online classes and that was very stressful. Also, I couldn’t make any friends that way.”

“My lab has a lot of resources, so my academic and professional life was greatly assisted by that.” Flávio expressed gratitude for the support of his advisor for not having to work on other time-consuming activities, as is common among graduate students, especially international students. For example, he didn't have to work as a TA (teaching assistant) and could dedicate himself solely to moving his research forward and developing his articles.

His personal experience on campus was just as positive.

“I made a lot of friends here in Athens. I have a huge passion for the people I met here and who are still with me today. I really like the community in general. There are a lot of things to do.” He enjoys playing volleyball and tennis, and going out with friends to the downtown bars on weekends. But Flávio describes himself as a “very organized person”, and is proud of having masterfully balanced a healthy and fun social life with an accomplished academic career.

Future Dr. Faccin is now headed to Emory University for a post-doc program, where he will continue his research in virology. “I will continue working with influenza, but in the evolution and genetics area. It's a little bit different from what I do now, which is developing vaccines. It's a very large lab, and I'm very excited to move to Atlanta!”

Click here or scan the QR code to read Flávio’s full article

Flávio received an award at the International Society for Vaccines Annual Congress in Switzerland, 2023

Experience

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Explore

A taste of Brazil Loheta Chinna Food is nutrition. Food is family. And most importantly, food is culture. People across the world have a tangible connection with what they eat, cook, and share with others. This connection ties them to all that comes before them, forming who they fundamentally are as a person. You can go to a friend's house or a relative’s party and expect to see the same foods that you grew up with, and at the same time, taste the uniqueness of each family. These simple and vital structures of society are why it is essential to understand the history behind foods from Brazilian culture. So take seat and learn more about Brazilian culture through its rich and beautiful food!

feijoada Feijoada is a smoky and savory combination of pork meats in a black bean stew, served with white rice, sautéed collards, farofa (toasted cassava flour) and orange slices.

Not only is this a food that can be found on every family’s table, but it is a defining food of Brazilian culture in that it is Brazil’s national dish. It is a food that connects all identities in Brazil, no matter how small or big your family is. It is often referred to as Brazil’s comfort food, but it is also commonly served on the weekends for celebrations or gatherings of friends and families. Fun fact: many regions in Brazil have cultures that eat feijoada, typically different days of the week. If there is one last thing you need to know about feijoada, it is that its richness represents the diversity and identity of Brazil

açaí

You have probably seen açaí at your local smoothie store, but did you know that in its original version it is eaten as a savory side? The fruit that looks like a berry grows in bunches from beautiful palm trees in the Amazon, and it’s mostly cultivated, consumed, and exported from the state of Pará. Although the smoothie or ice cream versions are popular in Brazil too, the traditional Northern açaí is a staple every-day dish, rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Its earthy taste and creamy texture can be consumed in many ways, and its roots are deeply tied with indigenous communities and cultures from the Amazon rainforest. Many people in Pará pair açaí with fried fish or manioc flour for a hearty and nutritious meal. Beyond its cultural significance, the açaí industry also plays a vital role in the livelihoods of many Amazonian families. Fun fact: It’s pronounced “ah-sa-EE”!

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u e q ca o m Moqueca is a seafood stew that contains some sort of fish or shrimp, coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, coriander, lime, and palm oil. It is a food that mirrors the variety within Brazilian culture, representing a combination of Portuguese, African, and indigenous influences in its taste. Like other foods in Brazil, it is often cooked differently based on the region it is being cooked in. Some places like to add colorau (annatto seed powder), and other places replace palm oil with olive oil and paprika. It is often served with a side of rice and pirão, a creamy sauce made from cassava flour and the stew's flavorful broth. Fun fact: this cultural food has existed for over 300 years and roots from its coastal regions, emphasizing just how rooted this food is within Brazilian culture.

d a e g i i r r o b

Brigadeiros are a common and traditional Brazilian dessert that is usually made from condensed milk, butter, cocoa powder, and rolled in chocolate sprinkles. Like most other desserts across many cultures, brigadeiros are food of celebration in Brazil. They are commonly made for birthdays, weddings, or even simple get-togethers. They are food representing community and happiness of those around them. Sprinkles can be of many colors and shpes, and even tastes, like coconut flakes. In fact, there’s a version that replaces chocolate for coconut and it’s called beijinho (little kiss). Fun fact: Brigadeiros are thought to have originated from the political campaign of Eduardo Gomes, as they were made to promote his campaign. Gomes was an air force brigadier, which influenced the name of brigadeiros. Pro-tip: if you want to try making brigadeiros, make sure you use Nestlé’s La Lechera condensed milk, and add a can of crema for the right consistensy.

Explore

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A nova música brasileira Natalie Saenz

Nós já sabemos que a música é um dos aspectos mais importantes da vida. A cultura musical é um dos mais diversos e ricos aspectos de cultura do Brasil. A primeira coisa que a gente pensa quando falamos de cultura no Brasil é a música. O Brasil está cheio de diferentes tipos e estilos de música como, funk, pop, rock e outros também sertanejo!

Vamos descobrir que o Brasil tem muitos cantores populares com diferentes estilos de pop, funk, R & B e pagode! A música brasileira é reconhecida mundialmente por sua originalidade e capacidade de misturar influências regionais e internacionais. Não importa o estilo, sempre há uma canção que reflete a alma e a energia do povo brasileiro.

Uma cantora e atriz brasileira que é uma das artistas mais populares e influentes do Brasil, com grande impacto tanto no país quanto internacionalmente. Ela é conhecida por misturar pop, funk e reggaeton. Também tem muitas colaborações com artistas internacionais como J Balvin, Cardi B e Major Lazer, que ajudaram a consolidar seu sucesso fora do Brasil. Canções como “Envolver” e “Vai Malandra” foram algumas das mais conhecidas no Brasil! Ela é um ícone da música contemporânea brasileira e inspira milhões de fãs com sua autenticidade e estilo único.

Além de sua carreira musical, também se destaca como empresária e defensora de causas sociais, sendo uma referência global em várias áreas. Sua trajetória serve como exemplo de perseverança e inovação, consolidando seu lugar como uma das artistas mais versáteis e admiradas da atualidade.

Uma dupla sertaneja formada por um par de irmãos em 2010. São famosos por seu trabalho nas canções “Vem Novinha”, “Até Você Voltar” e também “Cuida Bem Dela”. Eles ganharam popularidade através do YouTube, onde suas músicas começaram a viralizar. A música de Henrique e Juliano gira em torno de letras que falam sobre amor, desilusões e situações cotidianas. A dupla já colaborou com outros grandes nomes da música sertaneja, como Marília Mendonça e Jorge Mateus, que continuam influenciando músicas que ressoam profundamente com o público.

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Uma das artistas e compositores mais populares e ouvidas no Brasil. Ela nasceu em Amambai, no Mato Grosso do Sul, e se lançou como cantora em 2012. O primeiro single dela foi “Boiadeira” e ela também ficou conhecida no país com a canção “Pipoco”. Mais tarde, “Pipoco” alavancou número 1 no ranking do Spotify Brasil. Com o tempo, Ana Castela se tornou um dos grandes nomes do Sertanejo com a música “Nosso Quadro” e outras canções como “Roça em Mim”. Ela é frequentemente chamada de "Boiadeira" por sua conexão com as raízes do campo e sua representação única da cultura rural brasileira. Ana Castela tem inspirado uma nova geração de mulheres no Sertanejo, quebrando barreiras e ampliando o espaço feminino no gênero.

Uma cantora de funk muito conhecida por seu trabalho que mistura diversos gêneros como pop, pagode e R & B. Começou sua carreira por outro nome, “MC Beyoncé”, mas mudou para o nome Ludmilla em 2013. Seu primeiro grande sucesso foi “Hoje”, lançado em 2014. Essa música ajudou a firmar sua posição na música pop e funk brasileiro. Algo interessante sobre Ludmilla é que ela foi a primeira cantora negra do Brasil a chegar ao topo da lista Global Viral do Spotify. Ela é uma grande inspiração que representa a cultura negra na música brasileira.

A última dupla sertaneja brasileira que vamos falar sobre é Zé Neto e Cristiano. Eles são uma dupla composta por dois amigos próximos. Eles compartilham uma paixão pela música desde a infância que continuam a usar para expressar seu amor de um estilo sertanejo e uma música tradicional no Brasil. A música de Neto e Cristiano é bem conhecida por sua mistura de temas românticos e elementos com melodias cativantes e um toque moderno. Algumas músicas mais populares da dupla sertaneja são: “Barulho do Foguete”, “Enchendo e Derramando” e também “Você Beberia ou Não Beberia?”. Seu trabalho com a música sertaneja é uma grande inspiração para outros nomes grandes como Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano que também baseiam seu trabalho nas letras e melodias de amor.

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Portuguese Passion Tess Holloway This semester, my passion for learning languages led me to join the Portuguese Flagship program. I am a strong believer that learning a new language opens your eyes to an entirely new culture and, in turn, opens your heart to new perspectives, growing your empathy and compassion for the people you share the world with. I discovered this first through learning Spanish, and as I continued my language learning journey with Spanish, I knew I didn’t want to stop there.

When I enrolled in the accelerated Portuguese class this semester, my expectation was that it would be very similar to my first Spanish class. I anticipated vocabulary lists, grammar breakdowns, and fill-in-theblank tests because that was my high school Spanish experience: formulaic and memorization-based.

Boy, was I wrong.

My experience with learning Portuguese this semester is much more comparable to my experience learning Spanish while studying abroad. I had the opportunity last summer to study in Santiago, Chile, and I saw more improvement in my Spanish in three short weeks than I did in the entire school year before. I was overwhelmed at first in an environment of complete immersion, but I soon experienced rapid growth in my speaking ability. I never thought I would be able to say that a classroom language learning environment could be reminiscent of the immersion of a study abroad, but that was before I stepped into my Portuguese classroom. Spending every minute of classroom time reading, writing, and speaking instead of going over lists of vocab and grammar rules mimicked the immersion of my study abroad that proved to be far more effective for me. Remembering my first couple of years of learning Spanish, I never expected to experience so much success and so little frustration with learning Portuguese.

Upon completing my first semester of Portuguese and reflecting on the journey so far, I can’t help but wish that I had learned Spanish this way. I wonder how many more students in my high school would have viewed Spanish as an engaging class and an important life skill if this classroom model was used. I wonder how many of them would have continued learning and become fluent. Although I can’t change the past, I can be grateful to now be part of a truly special program for language learning. I am incredibly excited to continue to grow in the Portuguese Flagship program, one which makes me feel that my opportunities and potential are endless.

Image source: UGA Franklin News

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O SUS e seu impacto nas áreas rurais de baixa renda do Brasil Manasa Prasad Como estudante de genética e pré-medicina, sempre me interessei pelo impacto da biologia e da medicina na vida das pessoas, especialmente das comunidades mais vulneráveis. Estudando o sistema de saúde brasileiro em minhas aulas de português na UGA, fiquei profundamente tocada pelo compromisso do Brasil em garantir assistência médica gratuita às famílias de baixa renda em áreas rurais. Imagino um futuro em que todos possam ter a possibilidade de buscar ajuda médica, independentemente da sua localização ou condição financeira. O Brasil é um país vasto e diversificado, com regiões urbanas densamente povoadas e extensas áreas rurais. O acesso à saúde em locais mais remotos sempre foi um desafio, especialmente para populações de baixa renda. No entanto, o país desenvolveu o Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), cujo objetivo é garantir o atendimento médico gratuito a toda a população.

Uma das principais iniciativas do SUS para as áreas rurais é a Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF). Esse programa envia equipes compostas por médicos, enfermeiros e agentes comunitários de saúde para localidades remotas. Essas equipes realizam visitas domiciliares regulares, identificando problemas de saúde e promovendo prevenção e educação em saúde. Essa proximidade com a comunidade permite uma atenção personalizada e contínua. O ESF desempenha um papel fundamental na redução de doenças preveníveis, como diabete e hipertensão, além de atuar em campanhas de vacinação e na assistência ao prénatal. Isso tem sido vital para regiões onde o acesso a hospitais e clínicas é limitado. Há muitos lugares assim na América, mas infelizmente há apenas opções limitadas para eles com um custo.

Embora o SUS seja um sistema impressionante, ele enfrenta desafios contínuos. A distribuição desigual de médicos e a falta de infraestrutura em certas áreas rurais ainda dificultam o acesso à saúde. Além disso, o subfinanciamento do sistema e as longas filas de espera são questões que afetam tanto as áreas rurais quanto urbanas. Apesar desses desafios, os esforços do SUS para fornecer cuidados de saúde nas áreas rurais continuam a ser um modelo de inclusão e equidade. Programas como a ESF mostram como a inovação e o compromisso com a saúde pública podem transformar a vida de milhões de brasileiros que, de outra forma, não teriam acesso a cuidados médicos. O SUS é um exemplo poderoso de como um sistema de saúde pode ser estruturado para atender toda a população, especialmente aqueles em áreas de baixa renda. O Brasil continua a lutar para garantir que seus cidadãos, independentemente de onde vivam, possam ter acesso aos cuidados de saúde que merecem. Para as áreas rurais, isso significa uma vida mais saudável, com maior qualidade de vida e esperança para o futuro.

Ao refletir sobre o SUS, vejo como ele poderia inspirar mudanças nos Estados Unidos. Famílias de baixa renda merecem mais do que a luta constante para acessar cuidados básicos. O Brasil, com todos os seus desafios, conseguiu criar um sistema que busca atender os mais vulneráveis, e isso me dá esperança de que podemos fazer o mesmo.

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Ao longo da história dos negócios do mundo, o Brasil teve uma demografia favorável para ser uma potência econômica global. No entanto, a história econômica do mundo e a estrutura econômica do país não permitiram que a economia crescesse e fosse produtiva. Muitas pessoas se perguntam se o Brasil tem potencial para se tornar uma potência global no futuro, ou se esses problemas vão impedir o sucesso do país. É importante entender a relevância do Brasil na economia global porque as potências econômicas são o início de todas as decisões globais. Muito do sucesso do Brasil se deve às suas relações internacionais via BRICS; no entanto, para continuar o seu sucesso, o país deve diminuir os seus problemas internos.

No passado, o mundo aceitou que um único país, os Estados Unidos, determinasse a agenda mundial. Esse poder veio do acesso aos recursos naturais e humanos, tecnologia e outros. Como outros países não tinham esses mesmos recursos, os Estados Unidos puderam usar métodos baseados em finanças para criar o que queria no mundo. Por exemplo, o artigo Especialista: Brasil tem capacidade para ser potência na era da ‘Pós-Guerra Fria Tardia’, do portal Forças Terrestres, afirma que o país financiou ditaduras em países latino-americanos para controlar o desenvolvimento.

tradicional “capitalismo ocidental.” Isto causou um aumento da multipolaridade na economia global.

Significado: vários países têm influência sobre os eventos econômicos e sociais do mundo. O Brasil está ganhando atenção ao lado de seus parceiros, e alguns atribuem esse crescimento ao BRICS--uma organização que inclui Brasil, Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul. Atualmente, a organização não tem uma lista formal de critérios ou um processo formal de aplicação. Agora, um país deve anunciar interesse ou ser convidado por um membro, então todos os membros devem aprovar a aceitação. No entanto, no início da década de 2020, os líderes da organização anunciaram a sua intenção de criar um processo organizado para expandir o número de países membros. O objetivo desta organização é criar cooperação econômica entre os membros para ganhar poder global; um exemplo de como os BRICS beneficiou os países membros e a criação do Novo Banco de Desenvolvimento. Isso permite que países, como o Brasil, mobilizem recursos para infraestrutura e desenvolvimento sustentável em mercados emergentes sem a ajuda das atuais potências globais.

Isto diminui a necessidade de tradicionais instituições do Ocidente (FMI, BID, Banco Mundial) e, portanto, diminui o poder que os países ocidentais têm sobre o mundo. O BRICS cria a libertação do controle ocidente, o apoio à multipolaridade, e a parceria com economias em crescimento que poderiam permitir que o Brasil fosse uma potência global.

Mais especificamente, durante a Guerra Fria, os EUA apoiaram ditadores com dinheiro e militares na Argentina, Bolívia, Brasil, Chile, Cuba, República Dominicana, Equador, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicarágua, e Panamá para promover os interesses comerciais e o sistema de governo americano. Essas ditaduras também causaram o caos dentro desses países, evitando assim ameaças externas ao poder dos EUA. A aceitação global desta prática de controle impediram que países rivais econômicos se desenvolvessem, incluindo o Brasil. No entanto, alguns dos parceiros do Brasil, a Rússia e a China, chegaram ao poder sem o

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No entanto, para continuar a ganhar apoio, o Brasil deve enfrentar alguns problemas econômicos internos, especificamente a sua instabilidade política e corrupção. A corrupção do país representa uma grave ameaça à economia do Brasil, perturbando seu crescimento e estabilidade.

A difusão de práticas corruptas cria um ambiente de negócios distorcido onde o favoritismo, o suborno, e a fraude florescem, impedindo a competição justa. Na economia, causa alocação ineficiente de recursos e distribuições injustas de riqueza. O desvio de fundos através de práticas corruptas remove recursos de serviços públicos vitais, como assistência médica e educação, aumentando as desigualdades sociais. Em uma escala global, um estudo do Banco Mundial afirma que 69% das empresas brasileiras consideram que a corrupção é a sua principal preocupação. Esse medo impede muitas pessoas de abrir e interagir com empresas, inibindo a economia.

No entanto, a economia brasileira enfrenta uma miríade de problemas internos que impedem o seu potencial de crescimento, além da corrupção. Um dos principais desafios são as ineficiências burocráticas, que complicam as operações comerciais e sufocam as iniciativas empreendedoras.

As empresas não podem inovar devido a estruturas fiscais complexas e regulamentos comerciais gerais.

Além disso, o sistema educativo do país permite uma lacuna entre as necessidades da força de trabalho e os resultados educativos, contribuindo ainda mais para ineficiências econômicas. Finalmente, o Brasil não tem infraestrutura adequada de transporte e energia, o que diminui a produtividade e aumenta os custos operacionais. Resolver esses problemas internos por meio de reformas e investimentos estratégicos é essencial para acessar o potencial econômico do Brasil e promover o crescimento sustentado.

Em suma, o Brasil tem capacidade de se tornar uma potência global com a ajuda do BRICS, desde que aborde eficazmente a corrupção e outros problemas importantes. Normalmente, uma nação deve alcançar o sucesso interno antes de atingir a proeminência global total. Para o Brasil, isso poderia incluir melhor educação, infraestrutura, regulamentação de fraudes, crescimento sustentável, entre outras coisas. É essencial que economistas, políticos, e civis compreendam esta ideia para contribuir para o sucesso do seu país e aumentar a sua competitividade no mundo econômico global.

Presidente da República do Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Presidente da República Popular da China, Xi Jinping, Presidente da África do Sul, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Primeiro-Ministro da Índia, Narendra Damodardas e Ministro das Relações Exteriores da Rússia, Sergey Lavrov durante a XV cúpula do BRICS em Joanesburgo - África do Sul, 23/08/2023.

Foto: Ricardo Stuckert/PR

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Guia Teórico-Prático do Intercâmbio Virtual resenha do novo livro de Laura Rampazzo e Viviane de Souza Klen-Alves Moore

Elisa Bedê Braga Na obra Guia Teórico-Prático do Intercâmbio Virtual, Laura Rampazzo e Viviane de Souza Klen-Alves Moore fazem um apanhado histórico dos Intercâmbios Virtuais no ensino, discorrendo sobre a teoria e a prática deste tipo de projeto no Brasil e em outros países. Com uma linguagem objetiva e acessível, e visando a democratização do conhecimento produzido na universidade, as autoras exploram o uso de tecnologias digitais da comunicação para fins educacionais e propõem recomendações práticas para profissionais que desejam realizar esse tipo de iniciativa.

A obra começa introduzindo o conceito de Intercâmbio Virtual (IV), caracterizado por uma iniciativa educacional e cultural planejada por educadores para “promover aprendizagens específicas e facilitar o contato entre culturas” (16).

O IV amplia o acesso dos estudantes ao contato internacional sem a necessidade do deslocamento, permitindo que desenvolvam competências globais fundamentais e ganhem mais confiança e experiência em sua jornada linguístico-cultural. As autoras traçam um histórico do surgimento dos Intercâmbios Virtuais (IVs), que têm suas raízes na década de 90, inicialmente sob o conceito de telecolaboração, impulsionado pelo desenvolvimento inicial da internet e ferramentas de comunicação online. Foi com os avanços tecnológicos subsequentes, incluindo plataformas de videoconferência e ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem, que os IVs ganharam maior destaque e se consolidaram como uma modalidade educacional. As restrições de mobilidade causadas pela pandemia de COVID-19 no ano de 2020 foram um fator fundamental nesse desenvolvimento, oferecendo oportunidades de aprendizado intercultural e colaboração internacional em um contexto globalizado.

O Guia também ressalta a importância do Contato Intercultural (CI), que ocorre quando indivíduos de diferentes culturas se comunicam e negociam suas diferenças culturais ao interagir (Balayasnikova e Kubota, apud Rampazzo e Moore, 30).

Também é levada em consideração a complexidade do CI em um mundo globalizado e altamente dependente das interconexões digitais, uma vez que a cultura se torna desterritorializada e a língua pode ser equivalente a múltiplas perspectivas culturais. Os IVs são propícios para o CI, criando uma janela para a exploração benéfica e produtiva de outras culturas que ocorre em um período limitado. Assim, enquanto os indivíduos desenvolvem competências linguísticas e interculturais, eles ainda precisam lidar com barreiras linguísticas e culturais, além de desenvolverem estratégias contra preconceitos, estereótipos e o risco de uniformização.

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Da perspectiva da mediação da aprendizagem, o moderador é uma figura chave do IV. Ele é como um elo entre os estudantes e os propósitos do projeto, provocando reflexões e potencializando o processo de aprendizagem (Rampazzo e Moore 46). Uma outra parte essencial dos IVs é a avaliação, visto que ela permite que os participantes reflitam, aprendam e tomem decisões que possibilitem melhorias pessoais e institucionais. As autoras mencionam diferentes tipos de avaliação, quebrando o estigma de que elas precisam, necessariamente, equivaler-se a exames padronizados. Em um modelo de aprendizagem ativa, a avaliação pode, e deve, considerar múltiplas vozes. Assim, a avaliação do professor não se faz de forma unilateral, mas também inclui a avaliação por pares e a autoavaliação.

Por fim, Rampazzo e Moore oferecem um conjunto valioso de recomendações práticas para a implementação de Intercâmbios Virtuais (IVs) em instituições de ensino, estruturadas em três fases cruciais: antes, durante e depois da implementação. Na fase anterior à implementação, as autoras enfatizam a importância do planejamento estratégico, que inclui a definição de objetivos claros, a identificação de parceiros institucionais, a seleção de tecnologias apropriadas e a capacitação dos docentes envolvidos. Durante a fase de implementação, destacam a necessidade de um acompanhamento contínuo das atividades, o fomento à interação entre os participantes, o suporte técnico adequado e a avaliação formativa do processo. Já na fase posterior à implementação, ressaltam a importância da avaliação somativa dos resultados, da disseminação das boas práticas e da reflexão sobre os aprendizados para o aprimoramento de futuras edições.

Essas recomendações são solidamente ancoradas em quatro exemplos reais e bem-sucedidos de IVs, que ilustram a diversidade de abordagens e os potenciais benefícios dessa modalidade: Teletandem Brasil (2006), BRaVE-Unesp (2018), Soliya’s Connect Program (2003), e Global Goals (2018). A obra, portanto, se configura como uma excelente introdução ao conceito de IVs, oferecendo um panorama abrangente e prático sobre o tema. Mais do que isso, constitui uma leitura essencial para educadores e gestores que demonstram interesse em implementar essa prática inovadora em suas instituições de ensino, fornecendo ferramentas valiosas para o planejamento, a execução e a avaliação de intercâmbios virtuais eficazes e transformadores.

Clique ou escaneie o código QR para conhecer mais sobre o livro e adquiri-lo no site da editora Pontes.

As autoras Laura Rampazzo (esq.) e Viviane de Souza Klen-Alves Moore (dir.)

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Poesia aula de português haikai

palavrinhas

Sophie Speno

Luana Santos quem diria, um dia que essas palavrinhas, pequeninas mas cheias de emoção e impacto seriam capazes de apontar um rumo, um destino um caminho nunca antes vislumbrado mas com potencial de trazer conforto e significado à um coração perdido

Lugares aonde você vai Na aula de português Trazem saudade

antes de ir embora Ro Sungmin Park olhando para ti, olhando para o futuro com coração aberto a tua visão brilhante, a esperança no teu olho as mudanças da vida são as aventuras as histórias são contadas para curar a alma nem uma dúvida que a cidade toda vai te gostar nós temos te amado com todo nosso ser só não perde o teu senso de direção para casa para onde o teu compasso aponta o lugar em que tu moras não é o teu lar não existe na terra nem no mar sei porque te conheço de cor todas tuas cores, amor vou cantar até o fim saudades de ti lembra de mim

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I look to you, looking to the future with an open heart your bright vision, a hope from the start adventure lies in the changes of life your stories will cure our strife don't worry if they fail to see your being because we have loved you with our entire being don't lose your way home to us you'll always point north the place where you live is not yours it exists nowhere on the earth I know you by heart, and more everything your heart beats for I'll sing to the end what is life without you friend may you receive all the love I send

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Conto

Mudança Romário de Souza Santos

Quando a gente se mudou da fazenda, eu caí. Era beira da noite e a gente ia em caravana, peregrinos carregando os pedaços de matéria, os últimos restos nossos que ficavam. Perto da ponte, a bicicleta me derrubou – pum – e ralei o cotovelo. Senti firme o ardido do ralado. Continuei indo porque precisava, mas ralava também meu coração imaginar a minha avó ficando. Apático eu ia, talvez por isso tivesse caído, tão alheio às pedras que seduziram as minhas rodas. O tombo me fez adquirir o estado de mudança – nunca mais, com a minha bicicleta, eu subiria a íngreme ladeira da ponte.

Meu pai brigou comigo – ele era assim: culpava a vítima. Cair era sofrer ao mesmo tempo a dor e as palavras feias. Com a comida era igual: se caísse, perdia-se o prato, mas não a fome, nem a responsabilidade individual da queda. Era um exímio detector de culpados, eximindo-se assim de sê-lo.

Não ia à igreja, mas assimilava o cristianismo – de culpa entendia bem. No campinho, quando nos surpreendia brigando, ele chegava, botava o canivete para fora e rasgava a bola. Era cinematográfico ver o meu pai chegar, levantar a bola bem alto, dizendo – aqui! E partia o capotão ao meio, as partes tacando-as no chão. Chorando a gente saía um para cada lado, e a culpa era nossa, porque quem nos mandou brigar.

Meu pai era de momento: quando aguardávamos o escândalo que lhe era próprio, ele chegava e achava tudo normal, dentro dos conformes. Mas nas coisinhas simples ele implicava e o que era pequeno ficava grande; tão grande que às vezes ele explodia, e a gente libertava o choro acumulado de raiva.

Por isso, depois da queda fiquei esperando as palavras de meu pai, que não vieram. Ele estava sensível pela mudança – pela primeira vez pagaria aluguel. A vida na fazenda tinha vantagens, mas lá no bairro teria emprego, e a fazenda já não nos tinha. Eram os tempos. Esfolar a pele era dolorido, por isso eu preferia um talho fundo. Uma vez fui descascar a cana, a faca escorregou e rasgou meu indicador. Vi o fundo branco, o osso, talvez. Minha mãe disse que, cortando o meu nervo, perdia-se o movimento. Quantas coisas eu perderia! Sangrou muito, mas o pior era aquele ralado, porque queimava. E eu me mudei ardendo.

Chegando lá no Campo Alegre a casa não tinha quase nada. Só cama, porque os móveis principais eram da minha avó e ficariam com ela na fazenda. Comida, era à lenha. Na primeira noite, minha mãe fez um macarrão; tinha gosto de fumaça e eu não gostei. Disse-lhe: sua comida mudou, mãe. Ela me explicou que era a fumaça, que saía do fogão em busca de onde se assentar – o cabelo, a roupa, o macarrão. Apegava-se para não desaparecer e era impossível passar alheio à fumaça. Depois eu me acostumei e não sentia mais o gosto-cheiro. Mas na escola todo mundo sentia em mim incorporado.

A casa nova era cheia de surpresas. Um dia foi chovendo tanto que a água foi beirando a porta, foi subindo que nem a maré. Então a gente buscou o rodo, encheu balde atrás de balde empurrando fora o que dava.

Minha mãe chorou – ela, que adorava chuva, passou a temê-la; passou a lamentar a nossa pouca abundância de sorte. Eu sentia saudade da fazenda. Os meus pais, também, mas eu só adivinhava isso no pequeno gesto. Nunca me disseram: sinto falta.

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Crônica

My language, minha cultura Bella Leonard

Portuguese was my first language. Before I could speak English fluently, I was speaking Portuguese. However, once I started school, the teachers told my Mom that I didn’t speak English well enough, and that she needed to start speaking primarily English at home. Following this switch, I completely lost the ability to speak Portuguese. Although my Grandparents and Aunts still spoke it around me, it wasn’t enough to stop me from slowly beginning to forget.

My Mom grew up in Brazil, with both her parents being from there. They moved frequently, living in cities such as Rio and São Paulo before moving to a suburb right outside of Philadelphia when she was in high school. My grandparents ended up staying in PA as well, and had a house 30 minutes away from me throughout my childhood, where I grew up spending many weekends.

Although I was slowly forgetting the language, I was always exposed to bits of Brazilian culture. I grew up making brigadeiros with my Vovó, eating pão de queijo at every family event, constantly being surrounded by the language, and taking trips to visit family in Brazil. My Vovó would always bring me back treats such as língua de gato chocolates every time she visited Brazil as well. I always strongly resonated with that part of my identity, however, it was hard to navigate having that side of my family as I slowly began to lose the language.

Throughout my elementary education, anytime something remotely related to Brazilian culture came up, I always wanted to be the one who knew everything. Even a few weeks ago, making brigadeiros for my Portuguese class, I wanted to be the one who had the background knowledge because of my family. It’s always been hard to navigate not being that person when it becomes apparently clear that everyone else has some sort of connection as well. It becomes hard to resonate with the culture so strongly when I don’t even have the ability to speak the language anymore.

Taking Portuguese classes at UGA, I’m opening up doors for myself to get involved with my culture more, and to be able to communicate better with my family, specifically my Vovô, who doesn’t speak great English. It is frustrating to be so confused trying to learn a language I grew up speaking, but I look forward to the classes to come and the opportunity to not only grow as a speaker, but to gain the ability to truly connect with my family.

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Fotografia Ipanema b

Rio de Janeiro Ana Júlia Carnaval

each Sugarloaf Mountain

Saguí-de-tufos-brancos (White-ear marmoset)

ach e b a n ba Copacaom above fr Imagine

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Conto

This Is All Your Doing Lorena Limongi

Everything went to shit after Laura died. Although our relationship wasn’t perfect, she was still the only good thing to come out of my sorry life. Laura with the light brown coils that fell over her shoulders, Laura with the green eyes, with the Portuguese accent, with the fierce disposition. My Laura. And then one day, she was gone.

Most of my friends didn’t stick around, they thought my misfortune was contagious and distanced themselves entirely. The ones who did stay were even worse, the way they constantly looked at me with pity made socialization unbearable. Work wasn’t much better, I made it through by the skin of my teeth, and admittedly I started drinking more than I should just to get through the day. I’m sure you would, too.

It was a Tuesday morning, I was still drunk from the night before, drifting between sleep and consciousness, when I heard a ping coming from my phone. It was a text from my Meemaw, asking if I wanted to come stay the weekend sometime soon. I knew it would be healthy for me to get away for a couple of days, so I called in sick that Friday and drove down to Florida in my old Honda Accord.

My grandparents lived in Maideen, a retiree town so isolated that the nearest Piggly Wiggly was over twenty miles out, in spitting range of Tallahassee. There wasn’t much to do besides the quieter pursuits—hunting, fishing, nature photography—which meant that only rich old recluses and hippies made a home among the sycamores and alligators. My grandparents were a lucky mixture of old, well-off, and hippies, and Grandpa’s retirement from a prolific career as a paleontologist and the professorship that followed afforded them their lifestyle. But all this matters very little. All that should concern you is that I drove to Maideen, so that I may explain to you the circumstances which led me to leave in such a haste.

As I approached the driveway that sunny Friday afternoon, I saw them both waving at me. It was the first time I’d seen either of them since Laura’s death, and I noticed that for the first time the cobblestone and brick exterior of their home, Meemaw’s meticulously manicured garden, all sorts of things I would never get to have with the only person I wanted them with. I resented them for it.

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Before I could properly get out of the car, Meemaw held me into a suffocating embrace. “Hello, my baby! It’s so wonderful to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too,” I said, shifting in her arms, unsure of whether or not I really meant it.

It was an awkward day. I will spare you the details, though in no small part because I recall very little of it.

Then again, none of it matters, except for the next clear memory I have, after an argument with Grandpa after dinner. I remember a nearly empty bottle of Pinot Noir sitting next to an open photography book on the coffee table. Wood snapped and cracked in the fireplace, and their dog sighed heavily, slumbered over Grandpa’s bony lap. I do not remember what the argument was about, but I remember Meemaw, who sat on her favorite rocking chair, did not try to interject until the tension between him and I had grown palpable.

“Why don’t we talk about something else,” she spoke carefully to me, as if soothing a stray cat. Then, to her husband, “why don’t you show Daniel that project you’ve been working on?”

Grandpa’s face lit up with recognition. He got up and headed to his study, to the dog’s indignance.

“Ed has gotten into woodcut printing. He took on the project of turning some of his favorite fossils into woodcut prints. He wants to make all sorts of things with them, book stamps, Holiday greeting cards…”

I nodded, and filled my glass with the rest of the wine.

Nothing more Grandpa-like than fossil prints for holiday greeting cards.

“Here it is!” I heard him from the other room. “The one that started it all…” He walked back into the living room and handed me a block of wood about an inch thick.

“What is it?” I squinted, afraid I might offend his lackluster woodcutting skills. I could see that thing was a fossil, but I didn’t know a single animal that looked anything like it.

Grandpa’s eyes beamed. “They are two animals. Here, let me show you.” He laid the block down between the

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two of us and used his index finger to trace the thick, broad vertebra that broke the print down in the middle. The Thrinaxodon’s, he called it. Its skull was bent unnaturally backwards, pressed into the edges of the print, its body too big for the space that enclosed it.

“Do you see where there’s a spinal fracture? Right above it, that’s the Broomistega’s head.” The bones of the second creature were thinner, broken in many places, some of which were in the Thrinaxodon’s space. “I used different carving stencils so it’s easier to tell them apart, but part of why I like this piece so much is that unless you’re paying attention, you cannot tell where the one begins and the other one ends.”

The wine had made me comfortably dizzy, but I felt suddenly queasy. “What happened to them?” I asked.

“That’s the thing, nobody’s really sure,” Meemaw interjected, clearly filled with pride for her husband’s work. Any dumb thing impressed Meemaw. “If I understand it right, the Broomistega was likely pushed onto the Thrinaxodon by floodwater, except we don’t know what it was doing in that burrow in the first place, because it wasn’t a burrowing animal at all.”

“He wasn’t hunting?”

Grandpa shook his head. “There’s no evidence of a struggle between them, no bite marks, no nothing. The Broomistega’s bones were already fractured when it crawled inside.”

“Odd,” I said, hoping they’d drop the subject.

“There is absolutely no reason why these two should ever have come across one another, let alone die together, like this. It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard of. I had to make something out of it.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I splured out.

“I’m sorry?”

“I said, for fuck’s sake, that’s morbid for the holidays.”

“What in the world has gotten onto you, Daniel?”

After that, I heard Meemaw trying to soothe me over Grandpa’s angered retaliation, but I could not make out the specifics with the ringing in my ears. They knew Laura and I had our issues, but to insinuate her death was my fault like everyone else was beyond cruel. They were my family. They were supposed to have my back.

“You were insinuating something, weren’t you?” My voice wasn’t more than a shaky whisper.

They looked at me with widened eyes, and it dawned on me. They were afraid of me. And so was everyone.

Everyone thought I was a monster.

“That’s just fucked up, you know? All of this, it’s just fucked up.” I repeated that, over and over. I couldn’t say anything else. My grandparent’s just stood there, unsure of what to do with me or themselves. Maybe if they had known, things would have turned out differently. Yet, for all the years they had on this earth, neither of them ever learned what to say to a broken man. The curse of a happy life, I suppose. I got up, stumbled over the table, recomposed myself. Then, as calmly as I could, I walked out the door. How I wish the fear in their eyes wasn’t the last memory I had of them.

Ed pretended to brush off the praise. “One theory is that the Broomistega had entered the Burrow for shelter. It really was a shame that Thrinaxodon got caught up in it at all. Poor thing never stood a chance.

It was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Before I knew it, I was pulling out of the driveway. I needed to go for a drive to calm my mind. I rolled down my windows then turned on some music–a country station I didn’t bother to change out of–reached for the glove compartment and wrapped my hands around a sterling silver flask that had resided in my car for the past few months. I unscrewed the cap and turned on the highway. I imagined Laura on the passenger seat, her curls a mess across her face, looking concerned.

“Put that goddamn flask down,” she would have said.

I stared at both of them, incredulous. In a flash, I remembered a text I saw on Laura’s phone from her friend. It said, wrong place, wrong time. He is not the love of your life. But how could they have known? It did not matter. I was too far gone.

But I didn’t. I kept driving, drifting my attention between the flask and the road ahead. Everything seemed to come in and out of focus, more so from the tears I tried to contain than from the alcohol, the bending and cracking of branches on every beech tree

“Ed might be a scientist,” Meemaw’s eyes gleamed. “But I’ve always known him to be an artist at heart.”

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blending in with the wind, and when they weren’t blurry, every leaf seemed to have Laura’s face stamped on it. I took another gulp, and then the singer on the radio seemed to say her name at every other verse, so I turned it off and put my foot on the accelerator, unable to contain my tears any longer.

Then, suddenly, Laura was in front of me, straight on the dark road ahead, and I put my foot on the brake as hard as I could. Then I heard a deafening screech followed by a loud bang, and everything went black.

As I came to, the first thing I noticed was a vile taste in my mouth, as if something had crawled into it and died. It was dark, and my skin and clothes felt damp and cold. I tried to calm down, to remind myself of what had happened. I was in my car, driving home in the middle of the night, and I hit… A deer? A person? A ghost? I instinctively reached for my seatbelt, and that was when I noticed I was no longer in my car. I was splayed on my stomach, somewhere that felt like wet rocks at the bottom of a lake bed.

I tried to get up, but there was something above me and I hit my head hard, which made the darkness around me spin. Wherever I was, I had barely enough space to lay on my elbows. I felt a dull pain spread across my left leg, but I didn’t have enough space to turn my head around to check why.

Then I heard a voice, somewhere ahead of me. “Dan?” “I’m right here!” I yelled to the voice, dragging myself forward as best as I could. “I think… I think my leg is broken. I don’t know where I am, I was in a car accident, and…”

“Daniel,” the voice was close now. I would’ve recognized it among a crowd of millions.

I held my breath. “Laura?”

There she was, splayed, crawling on her elbows. I blinked, slowly getting used to the darkness, beginning to make out her form. She was naked, muddied, scraped throughout most of her body, especially her arms and her neck. Her curls matted at her scalp, and there was something wrong with her head: It looked as if someone had attempted to remold a lump of clay after it was almost dry. The sight of it made me sick.

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“Baby, is that really you?” I said, reaching for her.

Things had happened—were happening—so fast, I didn’t yet consider how she could be there. She stared off into the distance with sunken eyes, dried blood prickling from the corners of her mouth. I stared into glassy eyes that did not – no, would not – look back at me. “This isn’t happening to you. It’s happening to us. It was always happening to us. This is all your doing, Dan. You brought us here.”

“I don’t know where we are, Laura, I just wanted to go home,” I protested. I could swear there were tears streaming down her hollowed cheeks. “I am so lost without you.”

With a lot of effort, she stretched out a thin hand back towards me. I took it and I kissed it, wetting it with my own tears. I inched myself closer. “Why did you do it?”

She slowly shook her head. “It wasn’t on purpose, Danny. I never wanted to die. I just wanted out.” She was as still as the rock that entrapped us. “I wanted to leave you, but you wouldn’t let me. I wanted out… but I didn’t want to die.” She squeezed my hand, harder than I thought possible. “That night I had decided… to leave.

I wanted to celebrate… But really I was coping with fear. But it doesn’t matter now.”

I didn’t know how to respond. For the first time, she looked straight into my eyes, and it took away my breath. I was speaking to a dead woman. “If I had left you. You… weren’t going to hurt yourself, were you?”

A surge of red-hot anger flushed through me, and I felt an irresistible urge, stopped only by the tightness of the burrow and the brokenness of my body, to leap over to her and show her how the stupidity of her words made me feel. Despite everything, even in death, she still blamed me. She could never see the ways in which she made me a broken man.

“Why are you doing this to me?” was all I said instead.

She hesitated before responding. There seemed to be a hint of disappointment in her otherwise expressionless voice. "I am not."

My body shook so intensely I couldn't tell when the burrow started trembling too. “You went off with all those men, shoved all those dicks and drugs up your mouth and ass, and then you died, left me alone to clean up the mess, and you dare blame it on me? I’m not a monster just because I couldn’t live without you.”

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She stared at me but said nothing. Her silence angered me even more. “You killed us. You brought me here because you couldn't stand what you had done and had to take me down with you.”

Laura opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a thunderous boom coming from seemingly every corner of the burrow, and her fingers grew into claws sinking deep into my skin. I winced and begged her to let go.

But she didn’t. Instead, her body began to contort, breaking at every joint before her skin melted down to the bone. I tried to pull away as hard as I could, but there was nothing I could do. I waited for the ceiling to collapse on us and braced for certain death.

But death never came. I was not allowed such a release.

As quickly as it began, the trembling ceased. The only sign Laura was ever there was the bony claw, which impaled my hand and dug deep into the earth beneath.

And here I have been ever since, alone. With the impossible amount of time I’ve had to ponder over the events that led to my demise, I’ve come to conclude this was a test, one which I failed. If it began once I fell into this place or much, much earlier, I don’t know. As I’ve mentioned, my mind has been cloudy, though it’s not from the alcohol, as such shouldn’t affect the thinking processes of a body suspended between life and death.

Even as I retell this story, I believe this place has taken the worst of me—resentment, hate, anger—and magnified it until it is all that’s remained. I hold on to it because it is all I have left. If I let go, I wonder if I will finally cease to be, and if my prison shall then look for the next embittered soul to entrap. But then I think about Laura, and wonder whether her flesh will return to the fossil that pins me down to tell me she’s forgiven me for everything I put us through. I do not know, but if I let go, I never will. So I hold on, and I wait. Perhaps, someone will find me. And perhaps, out of my misery, they will be inspired enough to carve a woodcut print of the remnants of my broken bones.

Lorena Limongi is a writer from São Paulo, Brazil, and a graduate of the University of Georgia. She has received recognition for her research on Lusophone abolitionist literatures, as well as awards and grants for her creative and academic work. Her thesis research examined the portrayal of vampires in Gothic Literature, and their connection to Eastern European nationalism and anxieties therein. She lives in Athens with her husband and cat, where she is currently working on her first collection of short stories.

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Palavras Finais If we had to capture the essence of Fala Aí in just one word, it would be diversidade—the richness that comes from different voices, perspectives, and lived experiences. This volume is the product of a truly collective effort, shaped by the dedication of our writers, editors, designers, and guest contributors. To everyone who shared their words, stories, and insights with us—muito obrigado. Your contributions are what make this magazine a space of connection and discovery. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Department of Romance Languages, whose unwavering support has been with us since our very first issue in 2016. To the Portuguese Program, for turning Gilbert Hall into more than just a building—for making it a home where Brazilian cultures thrive and Portuguese learners find community. And, of course, a heartfelt thank you to you, our reader. Whether this is your first time flipping through our pages or you’ve been with us from the start, your engagement gives this project meaning. We hope you’ve found inspiration, curiosity, and perhaps even a new favorite song, poem, or dish along the way.

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