Opinions

Alejandro

“Meu nome é Alejandro (Ale), tenho 42 anos, e fui aluno do intercambio com a escola do Brasil em salvador. Não vou esquecer a experiência, e ficará como um das melhores lembranças da minha vida. O português não é uma língua que você estuda, é uma cultura que você tem que conhecer. Não vou conseguir explicar com as palavras. Mas posso te dizer que a cor e a musica de a língua portuguesa só consegue-se no Brasil mesmo.”

Alizah Brozgold This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

After having attended about 10 language schools throughout Latin America, I can say with conviction that Dialogo School is among the best! From a pedagogical perspective, the staff provide an expertly structured and stimulating program that helps students progress while ensuring that material is reviewed as needed. The multimedia materials keep the classes fun and engaging, whether it's watching a brief video or listening to Bossa Nova. The school building is beautifully maintained and is located on a quiet residential street very close to stores, restaurants, and the beach. School excursions and special free classes (e.g. dance and cooking) add much to the experience of living and learning in Salvador. Finally, my home stay was fantastic! The comfortable accommodations and interactions with the family really made being there a wonderful immersion experience. I'd be delighted to respond to any specific questions that prospective students might have about my Dialogo experience.

Robert Fritz

My name is Robert Fritz and I am a graduate student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Indiana University. After completing a couple of semesters of basic Portuguese, I wanted to take my language proficiency to the next level by visiting Brazil. A brief internet search turned up Dialogo Language School in Salvador, Bahia. From the moment I contacted the staff at Dialogo they were very helpful and efficient in providing me with all the information I needed to enroll in their program. I had received a grant from my university to fund my studies there and Gisele Reis, the director, provided me with all the information I needed to meet my grant requirements. She and the rest of the staff at Dialogo customized my program of study to suit my needs and my level of language proficiency so that I could get the most out of my lessons. I was impressed by the quality of instruction. My teachers taught me advanced grammar concepts and provided me with written and spoken exercises to practice my new found knowledge. Group lessons provided a context in which to apply what I learned and individual lessons provided me with the opportunity to focus on particular topics. By the end of my six weeks at Dialogo, I was speaking Portuguese better than ever and I was more than satisfied with the results. I have returned to Indiana University where I am currently enrolled in a 500-level Portuguese literature class. I am able to understand and participate in all class discussions because of my experience at Dialogo. My teachers there prepared me well!

Nithin Paul

"What I really appreciated about Diálogo was how many options the school created for us. We had trips to historic sites, a surfing weekend, day-long excursions, and everything was ready for us, Jailson really took care of us. The school also arranged day trips to local festivals with tour guides who knew the layout of the city and made us feel at ease. In the classroom, the professors are easy going, fun-loving, and professional. They knew exactly what I needed to know to communicate in the city. Because of my Portuguese classes, I was able to chat with locals and experience the city in a different way.” Email Nithin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !

Mariane

Marianne came to us from Switzerland and spent the month of January in Salvador. As a singer, Marianne took advantage of the city’s thriving music scene. She sang in various places around the city, including the Museum of Modern Art’s weekly Jazz music session. There, she found the atmosphere lively and open and the musicians friendly and welcoming. She also enjoyed singing at music clubs in Salvador’s Rio Vermelho neighborhood!

Angelina Meehan

Angelina studies art history at the University of Delaware. As an art history major, she has particularly enjoyed visiting the twin cities of Cachoeira and São Felix. There, she loved the character of Cachoeira and seeing the architectural restoration projects underway. Here in Salvador, Angelina has really enjoyed the “feel of the city;” she describes it as relaxed while maintaining the commotion of a big city. She finds the people in the city friendly, welcoming and accessible.

Fola Odumosu

Fola came to Diálogo from London. In Salvador, Fola has enjoyed seeing different religious ceremonies, going to the movies and various parties around the city, and of course being on the beach. In January, Fola went with Diálogo to the Festival of Bonfim where she walked all the way to Bonfim Church with the procession. On the walk to the church she saw new parts of the city and watched dozens of dance groups pass by. She enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the festival – everyone in good spirits, stopping in the street to dance, and most importantly coming together!

Seb Costey
"Before I even got there, Brazil already meant a lot to me as I was full of wonderful clichés about this exotic country. Dialogo was my first point of entry into Brazil and it somehow exceeded my already very high expectations. I would say the strengths Portuguese Language school are: 1) the human warmth of all its members of staff, from the cleaning lady to the director of studies, including the teaching and admin staff; 2) the teaching method which gives you a solid base and a very good command of the Portuguese fundamentals; 3) the professionalism of everybody aforementioned. Dialogo also gave me a very good insight on Brazilian culture that proved very useful later on when I decided to go on a 3 month journey around the North and North East regions. In a nutshell, during the 6 weeks I spent at Dialogo and around the city of Salvador, I had a brilliant time whilst learning a new language and I am forever grateful to them for that reason. I am now back working in France as a Language trainer and guess what, I even teach Portuguese classes nowadays, using some of the methods and activities I learned at Dialogo, such as working with music, etc..." This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it