Name: Mustafa Böyükata

Age: 33

Scholarship: postgraduate

Home country: Turkey

Time of Portuguese learning: 3 months

Narrative collected by Fernanda Sousa Carvalho -November 26^th,2004

- Your name?

Mustafa, Mustafa Böyükata.

- Your age?

Thirty three.

- Your home country?

Turkey. Turquia.

- How have you been studying Portuguese?

I came here almost three months ago, by the way maybe after ... through ... after  six ... I decided to study myself so it is almost three months.

- How have you been studying it ... what do you do to improve your Portuguese?

In fact I don’t I need Portuguese for my work. I make a “pós-doutorado”here.  So my colleagues speak English very well. Our communication is in English, till now. And by the time I want to learn Portuguese, because I am [in country Brazil now...] everybody speak Portuguese, on the street, on the road, everywhere, so it is better to learn Portuguese, if I find more time.

- What kind of materials have you been using?

I have just a book that you use in the course here in UFMG, Portuguese course for foreign language. And I try to follow the book, time to time, I want to finish  every chapter. Sometimes people help me for learning all the sentences of the book. And I have dictionaries, English/ Portuguese, Portuguese/English, and also I have a book. I bought... I have bought it for coming here, in Turkey. Not bad. For my learn, just for day life practice, daily speech of sentences Portuguese/ Turkish, Turkish / Portuguese and pronunciation of Portuguese sentences in Turkish sounds. And there’re some simple dictionaries, Turkish/ Portuguese, they help me, I hope so. And I use sometimes to define [the words] of  Portuguese/ English , and friends support me, sometimes dictionaries, [...] And it is a good matter for me to live to live in a ..country people all speak Portuguese. So ...

- Why do you chose ... why did you choose learning Portuguese by yourself instead of taking a course?

In fact I wanted to take a course but when I arrived here,  the courses in UFMG ... it was because all had started before one month ago and I  wasn’t here. So it is not  good to attend  course after one month, for me. I don’t mind, I was in “julho”, Portuguese, maybe second semester, if I can find a chance for different level I don’t know there [is] any evaluation for different level ... I don’t know there [is]evaluation for determining language level [...] different classes I want to attend. But the course is just two hours in the week and the course is just a bit expensive for to two hours course. But it doesn’t matter, it will not be problem, I can find a chance. I want to attend.