Peevish pronunciation

So one of my pet-peeves is the point 30 seconds into any conversation with a new person where they ask where I'm from. This is obviously not something that is meant to be offensive in any way, and is usually asked with genuine kindness and curiosity. Cuiabá is not filled with foreigners (nor actually people born here), and most people I meet are curious as to how I like Cuiabá, how I can stand the heat, and how I ended up here.

Never-the-less, I would very much like to be able to make it past 30 seconds without it being obvious that I'm not from here. Partly, I think, due to the distinct 'outsider' feeling I get when this is the first question asked. It would likely be easier to accept that I am an outsider than to perfect my portuguese grammar and pronunciation. Who knows which is healthier in the long term, but the latter is easier to be proactive about. So I picked up the third level Rosetta Stone, and have spent a couple of weekends being haunted by diphthongs and nasalized sounds. Thankfully, Rosetta Stone is actually pretty entertaining. As is my husband when he looks up from his reports to shout out corrections.