So I’m now at 15 weeks and 5 days pregnant, with 170 days remaining until operation b-day (or d-date)… it’s RIDICULOUS how difficult it’s proving to find Portuguese books. It’s the 6th (by many counts, 5th) most spoken language IN THE WORLD, 10th in the US, and yet it’s easier to find Japanese resources, even though I live in Maine… far from Japanese populations, and not so far from the New England “hotspots” of Portuguese heritage. The internet doesn’t get me much farther ahead. Other than a couple Usborne “First Hundred” and “First Thousand Words in Portuguese” books, I’m pretty much doomed to paying hefty shipping to get books sent from Portugal. Or, asking my Portuguese friends and host family to pay hefty shipping to get stuff sent from there to here.
Not fair!
When even the internet won’t help, you know you’re doomed… do I even BOTHER to continue my search for Portuguese-language playgroups in Maine? I’m considering trying to start a tutoring group at the local library for small children whose parents want to expose them to another language but don’t have the ability themselves, that would give my kid somewhat of an opportunity to practice the language (or I could do the lessons somewhere else and charge for them, that would be nice).
So, who knows. 5-6 months left and I’m hoping I’ll have plenty of resources before the baby’s born, because I think it’s SO important to read to babies while they’re very young, and I’m determined to read and speak only Portuguese to my little one. We’ll see.
