My trips to Starbucks are getting fewer. Firstly, the frappucinos don’t really taste the same, not as sweet and processed like I enjoy them. Secondly, they cost a fortune here. When an average high quality coffee out costs between 50ยข and $1, the almost $6 coffee seems even more obscene.
Here is my problem though…my barista is the only one I have teaching me Portuguese. She won’t let me order now unless it is in Portuguese. She tries to trip me up and asks me random questions. It is tricky stuff, but I have come to really enjoy her brand of torture. I feel like I am paying now, not just for the price of a coffee, but for a little tutoring as well.
Pippa also enjoys doing homeschool at Starbucks. I drink and she works away, while often convincing me that her dedication to learning should have earned her a cinnamon bun. Hard to argue against that logic.
So what am I to do? Stop learning Portuguese and be the annoying foreigner who doesn’t learn the language or just suck it up and buy expensive drinks that I mostly enjoy and learn at the same time?
I am just burdened with real problems.