Working out in Portuguese...

I started going to a really fancy gym here...because they have a great pool. It's like being at an expensive spa...and I couldn't resist joining. It costs about 80 euros a month ($105.00) - which is a little expensive for me. But, the good thing is, you can go as often as you want and take as many classes as you want. This makes it a good deal. And, I would never be able to afford this type of gym in the US. It's called Virgin Active and is in a hotel here in Lisbon. I usually go there to swim and use the jacuzzi and saunas (I know, pretty fancy...) but since the pool has been closed for two weeks, I decided to take some exercise classes. They have all kinds of classes all day every day. So far I've taken pilates, yoga, zumba, body balance (cardio workout with weights) and V-Core (stomach/abdominal exercises). When I go to a class for the first time, I introduce myself to the teacher and tell them I don't speak Portuguese. They are all really nice and they can speak English but they do the classes in Portuguese. So, I have to look at them and everybody else and try to copy their movements and once in a while the teacher will look at me and say something in English if they think I really need it, like 'breathe in and breathe out" because I might not be able to notice that from just looking at everyone. It's cool having to just immerse in a different language. I get to hear a lot of "mais", which means "more" and I can understand the numbers, um, dois, tres, etc. when they are counting how many times we do stuff...but a lot of it just washes over me. People usually clap when the class is over and then the teacher stands by the door and says bye to everyone one by one. I don't remember if they say "tchau" (bye) or something else so I'll pay attention next time and see.

The other cool thing about this gym is that the first day you go there, after you sign up, they have you stand on this machine and hold two sensors in your hands and it takes a reading about your body. It shows weight and fat and muscle percentage in your body and a lot of other statistics I don't really understand yet. Anyway, just wanted to share that experience of listening to a class in a language you don't really understand much of. It's very interesting.