My Portuguese learning is in high gear as I have discovered rather quickly that it's not possible to get around by solely speaking Spanish alone. I am in the "Portuñol" stage where the best I can do is speak as much Portuguese as I know and then fill in the blanks with Spanish words pronounced in my best attempts of the Brazilian Portuguese accent. It's not pretty.
Right now I feel like where I'm at with learning Portuguese is both super annoying and really exciting. It's annoying because I communicate like a toddler - slow and stuttering while people patiently smile and nod in encouragement. But it's exciting as well because my linguistic knowledge just about doubles every day and I can literally see and feel myself being able to speak better as time goes by.
I'm practicing by doing language exchanges with students and professors, working through books, listening to podcasts and making flashcards. Loni and I have also labeled our entire house with helpful little green stickers. This means that I can tell you all the vocabulary for toothbrush, bed, sink, door, stove etc. but not anything else that I might actually use on a day to day basis. The main ingredient for effective language learning? Patience.
Mmmmmm, yes, the house labeling. A nice stage. Just don't use masking tape and leave it up for years or it won't ever come off :)
I'm so glad you got the book with the stickers! I hope it surprises you and actually comes in handy someday. :-) My personal favorite that I learned was xicara de cha (which I am drinking right now, as it happens).