It started as a joke...

So I posted a comment on Julia's photo blog that I'd have to learn Portuguese in order to read what she had written. Originally, it was a throwaway comment, but we played it up a little bit and the more I thought about it, the more it didn't seem like such a bad idea! Now, some may think that I should be working on one of the scandinavian languages since I will be headed there soon, but honestly I'm only going to be in each place for a little while, and they aren't widely spoken outside of scandinavia. Portuguese, on the other hand, has a significant presence on almost every continent in the world (according to Wikipedia). It is apparently one of the top 6 most widely spoken languages! Now others may say that I should perfect my french before moving on to a new language, however I think that my french is about as good as it's going to get without living in an environment where I'm speaking it every day. I'm sure that the same will be said about my portuguese eventually...surely I'm not going to be fluent unless I immerse myself in it, however there is a certain amount that can be learned from books and CDs. Hence my purchase of this package: