At this morning's Monday briefing, we had some giggles talking about unsolicited advice/interventions from hairdressers and chemists 😂 I was once asked if I'd ever thought about having a hair transplant, for example, which surprised me! But it turns out to be cultural, maybe?! Anyway, it's a new week, so let's get out there this week and SPEAK PORTUGUESE, and hopefully find some more awkward moments! This morning with @Peter Haglund and @Brian Mathers we discussed how repeated radio and Spotify ads, especially that Portuguese Shopify advert (anyone else know it?), can be used as language-learning and comprehension material - we could even decipher it together 🤔 Tips were shared from fluent foreigners Chris and Natasha (see video 👇), including reading Correio da Manhã daily, watching Portuguese soap operas, avoiding too much time with expats 😂, and generally getting out and speaking. A Portuguese-dubbed Tom Sawyer is on TV, BTW. See also the latest set of practical “missions” and vocabulary modules (about 20) for real-life situations like the barber, café, dining out, DIY, doctor, and talking about pets, plus a swearing module available by DM - HERE And if you need inspiration, choose 1-5 of these conversational catalysts. The emphasis this week - going back to SWAT basics - is on “showing up,” speaking first, adapting mid-sentence, using phrases to ask people to slow down, and teaching someone else one thing, with plans for buddy groups including Portuguese volunteers. So let's go get awkward!!! And...IMPORTANT: Please share your commitment(s) for the week in the comments 👇, and make use of 'Wenger's Law of Intentionality' - if you set yoursef up, you'll probably make more progress than if you commit to nothing.

📍 A tarte de nata mais famosa do mundo - uma massa folhada estaladiça com creme de ovos caramelizado, polvilhada com canela. O símbolo comestível de Portugal. 🎂 Nasceu nas cozinhas do Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, em Belém, no início do século XIX. Os monges usavam as claras dos ovos para engomar as roupas - e aproveitavam as gemas para fazer doces. Em 1834, quando os mosteiros foram encerrados, os monges venderam a receita secreta a um comerciante local. Em 1837, abriu a lendária Fábrica dos Pastéis de Belém - que ainda hoje usa a receita original. 💡 Há uma diferença importante que todo o português conhece: pastel de Belém é o original, feito apenas numa loja em Belém desde 1837. Pastel de nata é o nome genérico - encontra-se em qualquer café do país, mas a receita não é a mesma. A receita original é um segredo guardado por apenas alguns mestres pasteleiros, que trabalham numa sala separada, longe dos olhares curiosos. Os monges que inventaram esta maravilha não fizeram fortuna - mas deram ao mundo um dos melhores doces de sempre. 🍽️ Vá à Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, em Lisboa - fila incluída, vale sempre a pena. Coma quente, com canela e açúcar em pó. E não aceite imitações. 🗣️ Vocabulário: - a massa folhada - puff pastry - o creme - the custard - a canela - cinnamon - engomar - to starch / to iron clothes 💬 "Um pastel de nata quente com canela é uma das melhores coisas do mundo." ❓ Hora do quiz: Onde foi inventado o pastel de nata?

Thanks @Bob Wenger, Viv, @Brian Mathers & @Peter Haglund for committing to your missions for the week. Desculpe @Lori Wong, sorry we didn't get to you, but message me separately please 🙏 @Carl Munson's personal missions for the week... missions for the week 1. Dissect a formal Portuguese letter - Overcome the “court summons” feeling of official mail (banks, insurers, etc.). He plans a module on letter formalities/grammar. 2. Learn a Portuguese song (aim for karaoke-level; even “Happy Birthday” counts). Future online karaoke idea floated. 3. Escalate an existing mission - e.g., his own neighbor/atestado task (ask the parish president + another resident to accompany him). 4. “Break the spell” - Identify habitual self-blocks (“I’m too old,” “I’m bad at languages,” etc.) and work on them by Friday. He’ll write about common reasons people avoid speaking. 5. Teach someone else a bit of Portuguese (even a short household mini-lesson). People can pick from these, invent their own, or use classroom missions; review on Friday. What VIPs committed to - Viv: Read a letter; escalate a mission; “ring this bell”; teach “him” some Portuguese. Possibly learn a song. - Bob: Keep talking to his dog Gus in Portuguese + learn more commands. Prepare language for the neighbor lady on walks (especially explaining the dog is fixed/castrated — “es dominado?” situation). Learn the Happy Birthday song. Expand neighbor conversations (tech/DIY, farm/tractor talk, etc.). Essentially several neighbor + pet-focused tasks. - Peter & Brian (Mathers Haglund household): Do banking in Portuguese. Visit the Mercado (Governo) in Setúbal. Go to “Sunsets at the Castle” (São Jorge) in Lisbon on a Saturday and try speaking with people there. Brian also: learn the birthday song + possibly read a letter. - Ongoing: watching cartoons, an RTP 1 human-interest show, the game show Agarra se Puderes (“Catch Me If You Can”), and Preço Certo.

[ Olá bom dia! Tudo bem? Falou português esta semana?! Please share your wins and woes n the comments👇. REMINDER: See you upgraded premium people (VIPs) at the Friday de-brief, 5pm today, to discuss your week. Bring a drink!] 📍 O rei de Portugal que recusou financiar Cristóvão Colombo - e depois dividiu o mundo com Espanha. Um dos monarcas mais inteligentes e implacáveis da história europeia. 🎂 Nascimento: 3 de março de 1455, em Lisboa, filho do Rei D. Afonso V. Morreu a 25 de outubro de 1495, em Alvor, no Algarve, com 40 anos. 💡 D. João II centralizou o poder, quebrou a força da nobreza - e matou pessoalmente o seu cunhado, o Duque de Viseu, com as próprias mãos. Chamavam-lhe o Príncipe Perfeito - mas também o Tirano, dependendo do ponto de vista. Quando Colombo voltou da América em 1493 e parou em Lisboa para se gabar, D. João II disse-lhe simplesmente que as novas terras pertenciam a Portugal, segundo os tratados existentes. Depois ameaçou enviar uma armada para reclamar as terras. Espanha correu para negociar - e assim nasceu o Tratado de Tordesilhas de 1494, que dividiu o mundo inteiro entre Portugal e Espanha. 🍽️ Visite a Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição em Alvor, no Algarve - onde D. João II morreu - e explore o Palácio Nacional de Sintra, que ele favoreceu durante o seu reinado. 🗣️ Vocabulário: - o rei - the king - o tratado - the treaty - o poder - power - implacável - ruthless, unrelenting 💬 "D. João II dividiu o mundo entre Portugal e Espanha." ❓ Hora do quiz: Porque é que D. João II recusou financiar Cristóvão Colombo?

How are you doing? Tudo bem? - UPGRADED VIPs: How's it going? Tumbleweed or Triumph?! - NEW Cadets: Please say "Olá" in the comments - Congrats @Matthias Lanuschny - top cadet at midweek! - Thanks to our vizinhos portugueses @António Ferreira & @Rui Correia for your authentic support and tolerance! - PREMIUM members: Check out the new missions & special ops in the Bootcamp - UPGRADE HERE to PREMIUM for more input, support & the weekly briefings - NB There's a NEW A-Z culture module and comprehension quiz, daily, on the community timeline para todos! Boa sorte e divirta-se!