First meeting, first words

Friday, January 29, 2016

Today I was introduced to the group and the group was introduced it to me for the very first time!"Children, this is Mariana, the Portuguese student that will join us for a few months" all of them looked at me with their curious eyes.  "And now? What can I say? "I thought. I smiled. During the day I tried to adapt my self to each part of the routine. I also tried to create bonds with each child. They taught me the color’s name and how to say "raket” (rocket), a very special word for some of the boys. At the end of the day I already knew everyone's name. However, each one of them remained a completely mystery to me. I have must take it easy. Time can be a really kind helper! 

The language

Monday, January 29, 2016

“But…how is it going to be? How will you be able to communicate with a group of children when you don´t share the same language?” “I don´t know…I think I will have to try it first to be able to answer your question.”When I was 16 years old I started to study Portuguese Sign Language. Since then I’ve been learning it and I am completely fascinated about it!From my personal experience I know the crucial role that language plays in humans life. Language is the support for the knowledge’s construction and it is essential to establish connections with the others.Language is a door open for our soul. But there is more than words in this life. There are things that do not need to be said to be understood it. Life is made of something that transcends us, creating deep connections between everything that exists. We can communicate through music, dance and art. We have the look, touch, the body language, the facial expressions and the energy that passes through each other. To complement that we can also have a friendly smile and a hand waiting to be hold.Then I will let you know how it was.