English:  I took my first Brazilian Portuguese lessons 5 years ago in Florianopolis; but these were not with Celisa and my initial progress was slow. I already had a Spanish grounding but the differences between the two languages are significant, especially with pronunciation, so I was getting confused. Then, after coming out of a supermarket, I got a blessing! I saw Celisa’s unique car advertising her Portuguese classes. I called. We met and I’ve never looked back. In just half a lesson with Celisa my confusions became clear. I instantly gained appreciation of the language patterns and pronunciation and for me this alone was a huge leap. It was magic. There are varous qualities about Celisa, which make up her magic. First, she is able to adapt and flex her teaching style. In hand with that she is a fantastic people person, able to read the personality and learning style of each student. These two qualities together enable Celisa to tailor teaching to the optimum learning for each unique individual. She also has meticulous professionalism. I contacted her again after 5 years and she still had her former notes on my lessons on file. Now add Celisa’s genuine passion and knowledge of etymology and history of languages to this recipe. With this she enables learners to rapidly appreciate differences and similarities between languages; in such a way that provides students a shortcut to knowing what is right without having to depend heavily on memory. Most of all Celisa cares. She cares so much that she delivers precision while demanding it from you. She has immense patience for a learner struggling to find the correct words, yet persistent with the patience. Her attentive care is nothing but pure love for her students. Yes, that’s it! Celisa is a loving teacher. Her heart is in it. Her heart is in her students. Her heart is in her language. Her heart is in her land. And she is innately driven to marry all of these for her student’s accelerated learning of language.  And this shows in a multitude of ways – With Celisa, you not only get the alphabet, words and grammar, but also she shares so much of herself with you: local knowledge, culture and the rhythm of her place – and all tailored to what she has read about who you are. She tailors to her students and this is rare. Canto means song and her teaching ability really flows like a song. In my case, she came to know that I wish to understand the lyrics of Bossa Nova songs and so classes were tailored to that, incorporating song verses, for which I am so passionate as driving challenges to push me forward with enthusiasm and flare.
Finally, speaking of songs and recipes, it must also be said that Celisa’s new Live and Learn programme is highly recommended.
She opens her home for students to live in and provides a delicious and healthy breakfast with typical local produce. Alongside
formal classes, students constantly speak in Portuguese with Celisa and have opportunity to engage with her around local culture, music, dinners and friends, who are all kind to speak slowly for her students.
Celisa’s Live & Learn programme is a privileged way to learn.