Charlene in Setubal, Portugal

Take a look at the history of the Portugese language  At the roots, Portuguese is a Latin language, with different layers of nomadic influences and of the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula. Of all other Latin languages, Portuguese seems the most similar to Spanish. As the two languages ​​are grown from similar cultures and have had almost the same influences over the years. In fact, a Portuguese can easily understand what a Spaniard says and vice versa, although there are some obvious differences between the two languages, especially in pronunciation of words, spelling, and so forth. The similarities between Portuguese and Spanish are not over yet. Both languages ​​had their Golden Age during the colonial era, where explorers from both countries explored the new countries of South America and founded large communities. The Spaniards colonized areas that form part of Argentina and Mexico today, and Portuguese settlers came to land in present Brazil. Therefore, Portuguese is still

Santuàrio de Nossa Senhora do Cabo Espichel Do Cabo Espichel is a cape located in the west of Sesimbra. This is a very touristic place because of the breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and because of the beautiful surrounding landscapes.  Besides the scenery and the sea view, this place is also famous for a sanctuary complex.Very close to the edge of the high cliffs, there is a complex, including a church that is still used nowadays. In the past, the cape was used as a defense of Portugal. When the country came to a quieter waterside, a sanctuary was built. This sanctuary was dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Cabo.  The church was built in 1701, with the cloister pendants on both sides, where the pilgrims were previously taken.  When you enter the church, you can still find some important artistic pieces. For example, you can find the main altar with the image of Senhora do Cabo, the paintings in perspective on the ceiling and the paintings

Castelo de Sesimbra  Besides the golden beaches and the deep blue sea, Sesimbra has many other things to offer. Immediately noticeable when you enter Sesimbra, is the huge Castelo de Sesimbra, which occupies almost all of the hill around the small town. The castle is classified as a National Monument. It is one of the last remaining castles near the sea in Sesimbra. Until today, this castle has been kept quite well. The castle dates from the 12th century and was originally from the Moors. When the Moorish castle was captured in 1165 by the first king of Portugal, D. Alfonso Henriques, the castle came in hands of the Portuguese. However, this didn't last long because the Moors took revenge much later and conquered the castle back at their turn. It was only in the 13th century that it returned to the Portuguese by a revival of the new king of Portugal, D. Sancho I. This king donated the castle to the Order of Santiago so that they would repopulate and defend them. That way,

De Queijo de Azeitao After many generations, this cheese has become a real delicacy in Setubal. The famous Portugese cheese is made of raw sheep's milk. The cheese curd comes form the Cynara Carduculus, also known as the cardboard plant. This means that the cheese is completely vegetarian.  The history of Azeitao cheese, dates from 1830 when a man named Gaspar Henriques de Paiva, moved form Monsanto to Azeitao. He was a farmer who had many sheep in his hometown. In Monsanto he met Castelo Branco, a cheese maker who had sheep of the same breed as Gaspar. The mil of this breed was used in the preparation of the cheese. Castelo, the cheese maker, taught Gaspar all the secrets of the cheese production. Later, when Gaspar moved to Azeitao, he taught the sheperds of Azeitao the secrets of the production process. The cheese became a very big succes, passed over from generation to generation, making it the most famous cheese of Azeitao. The cheese production process has a lot of

Moscatel de Setubal The Moscatel de Sétubal is one of the most famous specialties in the region. A tasteful, sweet, fortified dessert wine. At least that's what the Portuguese people think about it. For me, personally, this wine was way too sweet, I didn't like it. It is a fortified wine which means that during fermentation, when the desired search content is reached, fermentation is stopped by addition of wine alcohol. Around 17-18% alcohol is added. The Moscatel is the most produced dessert wine. You have him with and without years. Older Moscatels, for example, are more expensive because they have taken care of for a very long time. We could find such barrels in the hostel where we were. The wine in these barrels was still ripe. When we arrived at the winery, we were first accompanied by a guide at an old mansion where former wine was made. You could see on the photos how this wine was made and what materials they used for it. Over the years it has been somewha

After working with several programs in class, it was time to build something on our own. We were going to make an app. With MIT, you can easily create your own app. What is MIT app inventor? App Inventor lets you develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. The App Inventor servers store your work and help you keep track of your projects. You build apps by working with: The  App Inventor Designer , where you select the components for your app. The  App Inventor Blocks Editor , where you assemble program blocks that specify how the components should behave. You assemble programs visually, fitting pieces together like pieces of a puzzle. Your app appears on the phone step-by-step as you add pieces to it, so you can test your work as you build. When you're done, you can package your app and produce a stand-alone application to install. If you don't have an Android phone, you can build your apps using the  And

Rock climbing is an activity in which participants  climb  up, down or across natural  rock   formations or artificial  rock walls . The goal is to reach the endpoint without falling.  Rock climbing is a physically and mentally demanding sport, one that often tests a climber's strength, endurance, agility and balance along with mental control. It can be a dangerous activity and knowledge of proper  climbing techniques  and usage of specialized  climbing equipment  is crucial for the safe completion of routes.  Because of the wide range and variety of rock formations around the world, rock climbing has been separated into several different styles and sub-disciplines. Because no one of us had the actual knowledge of climbing which is needed if you want to climb the big rocks, the teacher took us to the small rocks. We had to put on the right equipment and protection before we started to climb. The teacher went first to show us how we had to do it.  Alt

What did we do? For this class, we had to create a ping pong game just by using tutorials form youtube. We used MIT app inventor 2 for making the game. Thereby we got a link to the tutorials on youtube which allowed us to help making the game.  It was not that hard to create the game because the tutorials were very clear. The guy who made the tutorials explained everything very well which made everything easier.  Below you can see the ping pong game I made during class. What is MIT app inventor? App Inventor lets you develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. The App Inventor servers store your work and help you keep track of your projects. You build apps by working with: The  App Inventor Designer , where you select the components for your app. The  App Inventor Blocks Editor , where you assemble program blocks that specify how the components should behave. You assemble programs visually, fitting pi

Pixton Nowadays, the strip is very popular and common in our culture. Especially for those who are planning to be a teacher or even work with children. ME ! :)  You don't have to be a gifted draftsman to make a strip with pixton. Everyone can do this by using pixton. Nowadays, everything had to be fast and quick, even for teachers because we don't always have that much time to make something special. We don't have time to take whole stories to is.  The videoclip and comic strip are therefore among the most popular cultural expressions. Except for the fact that you can share comics with the world, you can also use them to explain complicated things quickly and easily. Perfect to use it at the primary school because the way of teaching is not always explaining things just by giving them the theoretical part. Sometimes children enjoy to get education in a fun way without them even realizing that they get educated at that time. With pixton, everyon

After several classes in Setubal, we went to Troia for our last class. We took our bikes and went to Troia by ferry.   The sun was shining, over 25 degrees, everyone was in a good mood, everyone was happy and exciting for our biking trip. Even I couldn't wait to see what else Troia had to offer than the beach.    When we arrived at Troia, we couldn't wait to hump on our bike and drive through the 'Island'.   While we were driving, it was so quiet and peaceful, no cars, no traffic, no noise, just the students and our bikes. It was so nice!  Our first stop was at the Ruins of the Roman people, which was really really really wonderful to visit! I loved it for sure! (more information, look at the other blog about the ruins) Than we drove further to an abandoned house near the beach because I really wanted to see it form the inside. But unfortunately it was locked from every  possible side so there was no possibility to even get in. Af