In almost all of my Portuguese classes, I am either the only one or one of two or three students who is not a heritage speaker. When I first transferred to UMass this was difficult; at my old school there had been more new learners than heritage speakers. I was immediately very intimidated by the overwhelming percentage of people who already spoke fluent Portuguese in almost every one of my classes. And I don’t expect this will change soon, since the majority of people who major in Portuguese are, understandably, people who want to learn more about their heritage and/or want their degree to show that they speak another language.

For any non heritage speaker in my situation, I would say that while this feels discouraging at first, stick with it because in the end it’s a blessing in disguise. I learned Portuguese so much quicker in the advanced classes than I think I would have otherwise, because the people around me were comfortable speaking in Portuguese during class. As soon as I entered class it was all Portuguese for the next hour or so, and more than that, my classmates spoke in a very colloquial way that helped me better learn and understand how people speak to each other in everyday life in Brazil (as opposed to the more formal Portuguese you normally learn in a classroom). I was able to learn more slang and everyday phrases from my classmates as they spoke to each other before, during and after class.

It’s also just a great environment to be in! Everybody around me was able to connect with each other because of their shared heritage, and I learned a lot of things about Brazilian culture thanks to this fact. Never once did I feel excluded or like I didn’t fit in, despite the fact that I couldn’t relate to my classmates or teachers by means of my heritage; everyone is so inclusive and more than willing to teach you about their culture. It’s kind of like being in an immersion program! Being surrounded by heritage speakers is honestly so great, and I am so thankful to have been a part of the Portuguese program here for that very reason. I think I will be one of two non-heritage speakers to graduate in spring 2020 (fingers crossed) with a Portuguese primary major, and I am so happy!