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Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 201 Likes: 44
Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 201 Likes: 44 |
Chapter 1 is here.TOC (complete story) Thanks for reading.
Last edited by peixinho; 09/30/26 07:46 PM.
Stories are written by the victors.
(Hmm, come to think of it, that's not the exact quote...)
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 442 Likes: 4
Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 442 Likes: 4 |
This is an interesting idea. Clark's knowledge of so many languages wasn't used very much in the series.
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Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 38 Likes: 3
Blogger
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Blogger
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 38 Likes: 3 |
I enjoyed this so much. I felt so immersed in this world. A great idea to have Clark land there with amnesia as in the show. First person pov was perfect for this, we were learning with him. I particularly enjoyed how you used dialogue to reveal so much of the culture, that we learned so much more than just what the location looked like but what the people were like: their daily lives, their work and play, and their mythologies.
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Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 274 Likes: 46
Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 274 Likes: 46 |
I love getting a glimpse into another country like this. The regular day-to-day stuff like playing games and such is fun. Everyone is just like yeah the world might end and we have no idea what is going on outside our little village but news will be here soon - another round of dominoes? People just living life. So often we get laser focused on our main characters. It's nice to step outside that for a while.
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 209 Likes: 32
Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 209 Likes: 32 |
Loving this so far. The Werewolf joke made me giggle and Ive become fixated on it and now I can’t stop thinking we need some werewolf!Clark fic.
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Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 584 Likes: 69
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 584 Likes: 69 |
I love this so far. It is a fun take on one of my favorite episodes. I had to laugh when someone thought Clark was a werewolf. It’s encouraging that Clark is sure that he has a family and friends somewhere and that the sugar in the coffee made him think that there was someone else who also wouldn’t like it. The red, white and blue jersey also stirred something in Clark.
It’s interesting seeing life from a different cultural perspective. Life there is sure different than the noisy, fast paced life in Metropolis but maybe the calmness and slower pace will remind Clark of Smallville.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter! I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Thank you!
P.S. It’s cool that your state’s main team mascot is Superman!
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,016 Likes: 98
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,016 Likes: 98 |
Thanks for a glimpse into your culture. I'm curiously waiting for more. Really well done.
It's never too dark to be cool. 
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Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 569 Likes: 88
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 569 Likes: 88 |
I wrote a story that only I will enjoy!
I feel like some of the best things get written this way! Okay. I've just realized I'm in a hole. Without clothes.
 Oh no, poor Clark! What a start! They're mutts, black or caramel-colored.
Aw, I love that the street dogs found him first. "Aliens in Minas Gerais... There's another story to make cows sleep."
That's an amazing phrase! “Is getting the crazy guy out of the hole a good idea?” someone in the crowd asks.
I love the amount and variance of the audience commentary here! “Well, that’s none of my concern, since I’m not a veterinarian,” Dr. Peixoto declares.
(I also think the name is fun, because it is sort of like they've fished Clark out of this hole, lol) “Oh, right! If you’ve lost your memory, you won’t remember the asteroid!”
That's great! That's so diabolical to do to him! Do any of these things make sense? I don’t think so.
Oh my gosh, poor Clark! Luckily, they don’t bite me, because I don’t feel any itching at all. Well, just the itching in my mind, really.
I love this transition from physical to mental! The coffee has so much sugar that it makes me think there's someone I know who wouldn't like it at all.
Awwww. So sweet that he knows she's there even when he can't remember her! My heart races at the sight, and for some reason I long for the freedom to climb up to that height and jump.
This is such a great way of capturing his instincts! "It's Bahia's jersey. And the team's mascot is Superman, so it's for good luck."
That's so hospitable to give him a futbol kit! These are the nicest people ever! What a great, fun way to get him back in his colors. the little village comes to life.
This whole section and the ongoing description of the community really makes it feel like we're there! “They’re just a bunch of gossips, that’s what they are.”
 This reminds me of where I grew up, too! “Poor boy, he’s so nice he can’t even play dominoes,” comments dona Terezinha. I’m not sure if that’s a criticism or not, but from the way she gives an affectionate pat on my hair, I'd say it isn't.
This is SO CUTE. Looking forward to seeing Clark get his answers!
Looking forward to this summer's Location Challenge! Looks like stories are due around August 1st, and then polls open for voting! And don't forget about the 2026 fundraiser! Head over to the Fundraising page to donate or consider adding a story to the Keepsake Collection fundraising drive!
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,718 Likes: 24
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,718 Likes: 24 |
Oh! Some dogs have come closer. They're mutts, black or caramel-colored.
There had to be a caramelo.  "What if he's an alien? They've already visited Minas Gerais, so maybe they want to visit Bahia too."
The "ET of Varginha". Our very own Roswell incident. Someone got the right idea, but Bahia got a more famous alien. “Good,” the man replies. “The last thing we need is a crazy guy bothering us on what’s probably one of our last days alive.”
Uh-oh.  I look at him, startled, trying to figure out if it’s some kind of joke, or what he meant by that. But apparently my blank expression shows just how confused I am, because before I can open my mouth, he says, “Oh, right! If you’ve lost your memory, you won’t remember the asteroid!”
Nightfall is one of my favorite stories in the series.  Hmm, no, you're too polite to be from Rio de Janeiro.
Hehe.  That's where my familiarity ends. I was amazed that a lot of things feel like reading a story set in a different country. Nuno laughs. "Cuscuz peitinho, you've never had it?"
I've never eaten cuscuz. And I'd never heard that name. It was funny! We eat while watching the sunrise, glorious above the hills and the great imposing rocks that tower over us.
There are mandacarus and cacti everywhere
A very different landscape. Here, we have more fields and plains and we only see cacti in little flowerpots. "It's Bahia's jersey. And the team's mascot is Superman, so it's for good luck."
I only found out about that when the movie came out last year. I thought it was so cool! I'll root for them as long as they're not playing against Grêmio. I decide to read the Monica's Gang comics, and they're quite fun.
It would be still funnier if he was reading this story, which came out in 1993: ![[Linked Image]](https://i.ibb.co/5WzdhbBx/Tirinha-MN-82-1993.jpg) At least this time it's nothing as heavy as the cuscuz, just boiled plantains and avoador, or “flying” cookies, which are very light and have a cheese-like taste.
I've never eaten boiled plantains, either. After looking it up on google I found out we have "avoador", but here we call it "biscoito de polvilho". The doors of most of the houses I can see swing open, revealing residents in different stages of readiness to start the day. From what I gathered yesterday, there must be about twenty houses here in total. They’re small and colorful, some surrounded by fences and banana, orange, and lemon trees, as well as flowers of all kinds. The flour mill is opened up, and a few workers head over there carrying buckets of cassava, but not without greeting us and stopping for a quick chat to ask how I'm doing.
It feels very cozy. And very different. As I told you, here people tend to keep to themselves. I only know the names of the neighbors living next door, and my interaction with them is limited to saying "Good morning" and "Good afternoon." My mother sometimes stops and talks to some of her neighbors, but they don't visit each other. If someone needs help, everyone pitches in, but that sense of familiarity exists only with family and close friends. Now I understand why people from some states think people here are cold. I’m just as amazed as Clark.  “Polite,” seu Conrado teases, shuffling the cards with mastery. “They’re just a bunch of gossips, that’s what they are.”
Haha. I'm loving this story and learning a lot. Fanfic is culture, too. Andreia
"My wife's love is what unites Krypton and Earth in my heart. Without it, without her, I truly would be in hell."
~ Superman: Man of Tomorrow #15
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Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 569 Likes: 88
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 569 Likes: 88 |
Chapter 2!only the battery-powered radio has the courage to keep playing.
That's such poetic phrasing! “My God, could Superman be dead? Holy Mother of God…” Dona Ana Andrade’s voice, once so steady, now sounds trembling and sorrowful.
Really nice contrast to her other lines; gives it more of an impact. "Late July," someone adds. "Until mid-month there's the World Cup."
Priorities! "Ah, I wouldn't die in peace knowing there was good cachaça in my pantry that I hadn't tried,"
Again, loving these priorities! You don't look like a stranger to me. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before...
Do you always wear those glasses?
Such a fun little bit, though! Sounds like a job for Superman? The terrible things people can do in moments of desperation...
Truly. That's heartbreaking. "What's the point of you remembering the capital of Australia but not your own name?"
Okay, love her! That's such a teenager reply! But I want it to mean something.
Awww! You don't play soccer, but you play basketball and baseball?
Great clues to add up! That also explains why Bahia's team colors felt so familiar to me.
That's so cute. I hope so. Because that would probably mean we're going to live. That's such a lovely cue to take from the animals! Looking forward to the third part!
Looking forward to this summer's Location Challenge! Looks like stories are due around August 1st, and then polls open for voting! And don't forget about the 2026 fundraiser! Head over to the Fundraising page to donate or consider adding a story to the Keepsake Collection fundraising drive!
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Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 201 Likes: 44
Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 201 Likes: 44 |
![[Linked Image]](https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/froehlich/k015.gif) ![[Linked Image]](https://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/liebe/n030.gif) Amy Prime - Thank you for commenting! Yes, I would have loved to see this explored on the show. When Clark talked to the dogs, he spoke in English, which is the language that comes most naturally to him, but as soon as the children shouted in Portuguese, his brain naturally adapted to the new language without him even realizing it (which is why I didn't add it to the narration). This was also inspired by AmandaK's idea. Idontknowwhatthatmeans - Thank you so much! Your comment genuinely made me happy. AmandaK - Exactly, just people living their lives. Even on the last day of humanity on Earth, I can't imagine us just waiting for death. For better or worse, we would do something. Thank you for commenting! 90stvfangirl - Thank you for your comment! Yes, that could be a fun idea Songbird - Thank you so much! Yes, I think he needed that optimism deep down to make up for being far away from everyone he knew. As for the shirt, Bahia's soccer team made a special jersey last year to celebrate the release of the new Superman movie. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan got their own jerseys too. Bakasi - Thank you so much for reading and commenting! JadedEvie - Thank you for your comment! I love the amount and variance of the audience commentary here!
I love writing this kind of scene, with random lines and several people commenting on an event over one another!  (I also think the name is fun, because it is sort of like they've fished Clark out of this hole, lol)
I hadn't thought of that pun, but I loved it and now I'm adopting it as canon ![[Linked Image]](https://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/konfus/c070.gif) Ultra Woman - Thank you for commenting! The "ET of Varginha". Our very own Roswell incident.
Btw, the ET of Varginha incident happened after 1994, which is when Dust takes place, but I couldn't resist adding a reference to it! Oops, I just realized I forgot to mention in the notes that it was just a joke. I hope that, if there's any carioca secretly reading this, they didn't take offense A very different landscape. Here, we have more fields and plains and we only see cacti in little flowerpots.
Oh yeah, I remember studying Pampa at school. I only found out about that when the movie came out last year. I thought it was so cool! I'll root for them as long as they're not playing against Grêmio.
Haha! I loved the new jersey they made! It would be still funnier if he was reading this story, which came out in 1993:
I didn't know this comic existed, thank you for sharing it! I love how Monica's Gang puts all kinds of random things into its stories. And the way they write foreign names is so funny. I found out we have "avoador", but here we call it "biscoito de polvilho".
A lot of people here call them that too. But I prefer voador/avoador. I found what you said interesting, about how at some point you almost felt like the story was taking place in another country. When I was a child, I read a text written by someone from the South that was full of regional expressions, and I barely understood anything. It's fascinating to notice our differences and how rich our cultures are. That's really cool! Chapter 2 is up!
Stories are written by the victors.
(Hmm, come to think of it, that's not the exact quote...)
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1 member likes this:
Ultra Woman |
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,016 Likes: 98
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,016 Likes: 98 |
German and French was right, though in German he said - "And now I speak German."
Thanks for another great chapter. Love the conversations throughout the story.
It's never too dark to be cool.
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1 member likes this:
peixinho |
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Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 569 Likes: 88
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 569 Likes: 88 |
Chapter 3!As I'm still watching the chickens, they start fighting among themselves over some food. It seems the moment of optimism is gone.
That's such a comical opener! Then, seu Antônio interrupts the moment: “I can’t believe Superman isn’t going to save us… He must know that this World Cup was supposed to be Brazil’s fourth title…”
Priorities! Those players are worse than Wolf!
I love that they've really adopted him - teasing and nickame and all! She pointed at the kids, eager to steal the ball from the opposing team. "As long as they keep dreaming, we still are."
This is so Superman coded - it fits perfectly here! I take advantage of the pause in her fast speech to recall the aroma of cookies fresh out of the oven.
Aw, that's such a sweet detail. They already took my poetry from me; they're not going to take my sincerity too.
This is such a sad story! But Dalua really has the right ideas under her sadness. if the asteroid really does wipe us out, the earth will truly recite her verses across the world when the sand from here spreads.
That's so poetic, as well! I think if she had been robbed in a contest, she would have set the judges on fire, not her poetry notebook.
YES! The scent my body insisted on remembering, the person I would want to spend the end of the world with.
Awww! Our byline, Lane and Kent!
Okay, SO super sweet that he remembers himself only as part of her. Seu Conrado and dona Terezinha are hugging and waving at me, and I realize how much I liked this place – these people. I really will have to come back here someday.
That's so sweet, too! It's really great how many different kinds of love you captured in this story. If I disappear again, I don't want any city to fall into the kind of chaos Betinho described. That, I suspect, is something the whole world needs to hear and learn.
Powerful broader context here! This is such a fabulous snapshot that we never got to see on the show - even though we know Clark traveled extensively, and now, Superman certainly does to! So glad that you joined this challenge!
Looking forward to this summer's Location Challenge! Looks like stories are due around August 1st, and then polls open for voting! And don't forget about the 2026 fundraiser! Head over to the Fundraising page to donate or consider adding a story to the Keepsake Collection fundraising drive!
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,882 Likes: 12
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,882 Likes: 12 |
Here I am! Chapter 1:You might not know that about me but I am a sucker for Latin American culture 😁 so I really love what you're doing here! The people who found Clark and their guesses already give an excellent picture! I needed the mention of soap operas, let me tell you! xDD But yes. There is. Of that I can be sure. Because my heart is heavy with longing. If I close my eyes, I can recall the smells: earth, warm cookies fresh from the oven, snow. Coffee, pen ink, the scent of a new notebook, and a floral perfume. Those are the ones I should be with...
Awwwwwwww my heart!!! Or you should be doing something!, my conscience screams. But I don't understand. What can I do?
Oooh I really like this!! The super need inside him!! My heart races at the sight, and for some reason I long for the freedom to climb up to that height and jump.
My God, do I have suicidal tendencies? Is that how I ended up in that hole?
LOL, poor Clark! 😅 I used to watch Turma da Mônica on the TV!!! Thank you for including it!! I love watching everyone in their everyday lives! The kids with the nicknames! A perfect place for Clark to land in - I'm sure he'd enjoy it so much if he weren't so confused!! Chapter 2:Betinho raises his hand. "Can I talk? What Tapioca said makes sense. My old teacher Chico and the folks at the radio station in town – and you know they're well-informed and know their stuff – are sure the Americans are going to stop the asteroid. And I didn't quite understand what they explained to me, but I agree anyway, because just look at the movies! Whenever these things happen, it’s the United States that deals with them. Is there an asteroid? It crashes into the United States. Is there an apocalyptic monster that wants to destroy the world? It’ll start with the United States. Is there an alien trying to make contact with a human? It’ll land in the United States. Even Superman himself settled there! And anyway, there’s not much we can do. Panicking or having a heart attack won’t help at all. Dr. Peixoto won’t be able to treat everybody.”
What a speech! "Thanks. Come here, who are you, anyway? You don't look like a stranger to me. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."
I don't look like a stranger? Could he really have seen me before? This might be a clue to who I am! "Really? Where?"
"I don't know. You look like someone I've seen on TV. Do you always wear those glasses?"
Hah, I thought he looked at him funny before, too! I already love Betinho Dalua is so likeable too! I love her thirst for languages and trying to speak English! I am sevencheen is oldjy. // Oh, with the ‘t’ from Rio Grande do Norte! - heee ;D I only know Portuguese from songs (and a bit of Duolingo, lol) but I'm enjoying all the references to the accents! And good job with the Greek, btw! I'll be back soon for Chapter 3!!
What we've got here is failure to communicate...
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,882 Likes: 12
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,882 Likes: 12 |
Chapter 3:Ooh, I just learned a song! Actually, I saw that you included the whole list in your notes, so thank you for that, I'm going to look them all up! This was such a great story, with a lovely ending! Thank you for sharing a piece of your home with us!! ❤️❤️❤️
What we've got here is failure to communicate...
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 568 Likes: 77
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 568 Likes: 77 |
Well, you certainly weren't the only one who enjoyed it, because I did too!
I really love these little slice of life pieces. I always know that people are people, no meter where they are, and I love seeing how they live their lives!
I find it interesting how you and Ultra Woman have different experiences with the same country too!
Come hang out in the Discord server! Just make a Discord account and click this https://discord.gg/fv2bAVVUBQ to join. Discord can be a little intimidating, but we keep our server simple and are always happy to help people learn their way around!
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Joined: Dec 2024
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 201 Likes: 44 |
Replying to Bakasi and JadedEvie: German and French was right, though in German he said - "And now I speak German."
Thanks for another great chapter. Love the conversations throughout the story.
Well, I guess we really can't completely trust Google Translate or these kinds of tools haha. I hope I didn't accidentally swear at anyone in Japanese  Thank you for commenting, I'm glad you liked the dialogue. Truly. That's heartbreaking.
Indeed, it is... I've been thinking a lot about themes like this lately. That's such a lovely cue to take from the animals!
I really believe that nature has a lot to teach us in all kinds of situations and in many different ways  I love that they've really adopted him - teasing and nickame and all!
Yes, exactly - that's the ultimate proof that he was accepted in the community!  Dalua really has the right ideas under her sadness.
 Me and Dalua: Thanks! Okay, SO super sweet that he remembers himself only as part of her.
Deep down, he's just a married man (even though neither he nor his wife knows that ). I wanted his memory to return partly because of her to follow how this originally happened in ASU. In the end, I felt it turned out a little cheesy, but I hope it wasn't unbearably cheesy That's so sweet, too! It's really great how many different kinds of love you captured in this story. [...] So glad that you joined this challenge!
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me
Stories are written by the victors.
(Hmm, come to think of it, that's not the exact quote...)
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 201 Likes: 44 |
Replying to Verity and AnnaBtG: Well, you certainly weren't the only one who enjoyed it, because I did too!
Thank you, I'm glad! I also think it's amazing to realize how, despite being so different, we're so alike. I needed the mention of soap operas, let me tell you! xDD
Haha, I couldn't leave them out! Both Brazilian and Mexican soap operas were a very present part of my childhood and early adolescence I used to watch Turma da Mônica on the TV!!!
Really? Wow! I developed a good part of my reading skills because of those comics, and I still love the characters to this day. It's so cool to find out that you know them too! I'm sure he'd enjoy it so much if he weren't so confused!!
Yes, totally I only know Portuguese from songs (and a bit of Duolingo, lol)
That's cool! And good job with the Greek, btw!
All the credit goes to Google Translate in this case haha. Unfortunately, everything I know about Greek is limited to a few letters of the alphabet and terms that gave rise to many words in Portuguese. Ooh, I just learned a song! Actually, I saw that you included the whole list in your notes, so thank you for that, I'm going to look them all up!
This is my favorite version of the song Boa Noite, mentioned in chapter 3: link. If you're interested, some other really good ones by the same singer (my favorite!) that I recommend are Meu Bem-Querer, Eu Te Devoro and Oceano. Thank you for sharing a piece of your home with us!!
And I thank you for reading! This cultural exchange we had because of this challenge has been immeasurably valuable
Stories are written by the victors.
(Hmm, come to think of it, that's not the exact quote...)
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