Native English speaker with certified TOEFL/IELTS/GRE experience. Professional astronomer with 8+ years experience in online teaching. PhD in Physics specializing in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Enjoys

Mais detalhes sobre Swayamtrupta

• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher motivated you to learn it?

  My coming to Brazil was a happy incident. During my PhD years, I had the chance to visit Chile and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) - a leader among the largest observatories in the world. As this was my first trip to the Southern Hemisphere, let alone Chile, I decided to stop by Brazil and Argentina. I then visited Observatório Nacional in Rio de Janeiro and made some friends for life (including my future wife)! And later during the pandemic years, I secured a national fellowship to do a research stay in Brazil. One thing led to another, and I got married to my beautiful wife from here, and thanks to her and her family, Portuguese became second nature to me.

• 2) Name a person (present-day, historical or fictional) who, in your opinion, best represents the culture of the language you teach.

  Although my expertise is in English, I am well-travelled in India (my home country) and around the world. My affinity for experimenting with different cuisines and getting to know their culture and traditions through the eyes of the natives has provided me with lifelong memories. I owe this to my mother, who is a professor of Sanskrit (a language supposedly as old as the mythologies in the Indian sub-continent), and my father, who was an avid traveler and the best trip organizer that I know! I, therefore, cannot pin down a single name, but if I have to, the name that comes to my mind will be: Hermann Hesse - the author of the book Siddhartha (the one who became Buddha).

• 3) Is there any typical word, expression or tradition that you particularly like?

  Oh, there are so many! My almost half a decade of knowing Brazil has led me to many experiences and new words. One of the cherished words for me is "Acaraje" - an epitome of Nordeste cuisine, and something that feels like home for me (in India, we have a similar donut-shaped savoury food, we call it Medu-Vada, made also from beans). Another is "macaxeira" (or mandioca), which I love, especially in its fried version. And who can forget "farofa"? Saudades da farofa!

• 4) Why is learning this language important (whether for school, work or personal purposes)?

  Coming back to English, somehow, this has become the mainstay way to communicate, a yardstick to evaluate merit (unfortunately). Being a non-native speaker who studied English since a kid, it quickly became my first language (the one I am most comfortable with). But as I traveled and met people, made friends from every part of life, I realized the spectrum of communication. This got even serious when I first started to make conversation with my mother-in-law (my mamae) - starting with hand gestures, and Google Translate, to almost communicate like a native Portuguese speaker (poise). This, and many instances of working together with university students around Brazil (some through this platform) have helped me get better at understanding the needs and intricacies of each person's needs. My main goal is to help them understand and overcome their fear of learning a new language.

• 5) What is the biggest difficulty in learning this language and how can this obstacle be overcome?

  As with any language, and more because of the "status" English has, the fear of failing and the fear of not being enough. The biggest fear I have noticed in new learners is that they consume media more than they ever did. Their knowledge is rooted in fast-paced media, oblique slang, and many times incorrect usage of words/phrases. Please don't mind when I say we miss the holistic attitude to learning in this AI-driven era. To articulate one's thoughts is perhaps one of the greatest gifts we have developed as humans. Let's cherish it, develop it, and preserve it.

• 6) Could you share any funny stories and/or curiosities related to your profession or private lessons?

  I have got some. A good friend of mine (who is an ex-student from SuperProf) connected with me as they were planning a business trip to India. Noticing a name that seemed Indian, they wrote to me to enquire about classes. We quickly connected and exchanged our interests about our respective cultures and food. We got them ready for the trip, and overall, it was an enriching experience. And then there was the food. They seemed eager to try some "spicy" cuisine to gauge their level, and after a few tasting menus, went straight to the 5-level chilli. The night and the next day were something of a vague memory. Plus, the mango-flavored buttermilk drink (lassi) is their absolute favorite now.

• 7) Help us get to know you better, tell us a little about your travels, native friends in the language you teach, among others!

  Antarctica - that's the last remaining continent I wish to travel to. I have had the good fortune to have my parents inculcate the travel bug in me since my childhood. And when I got the opportunity to visit Canada for a summer research internship, this opened the doors for my worldwide adventure. I have managed to use up two passports, traveling all across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and a brief stint in Australia. And through social media and apps like Slowly have made many friends across the globe. But I miss home sometimes, and my friends back from India - it is a boon that we have video calling facility to connect and get together, and relive the old times - the summer holidays, the trips to the waterfalls, and the community kitchen adventures, and the intense cricket matches ending with a refreshingly cold "sugarcane" drink. And every time I go to a nearby farmers' market I get to relive that with a cup of "caldo de cana".

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides the ability to communicate in several languages)?

  SuperProf gives me the platform to make new friends - my students teach me a lot! The multitude of topics we get to discuss and seeing them grow in confidence is bliss for me. Their motivation to learn, their eagerness to push forward, is what makes me a SuperProf!