It’s been two weeks since I got to Lisbon and I can truly say I’m so happy that I’m here. I have been traveling around Portugal, meeting new people, and learning so much. It has been a very interesting journey so far.
I was welcomed at the Lisbon airport by the barista at a coffee shop where I tried to use my Portuguese for the first time. I practiced my order in my head in the line leading up to the cashier and once it was my turn I said it, according to me, sounding like a native ‘Lisboeta’. The lady asked me a set of follow-up questions that left me speechless. Was she speaking Portuguese? I did not understand a single thing. I quickly switched to English admitting my limited knowledge of the language with a shy smile.
I met a lot of people during the program introduction and have been getting to know Lisbon as well. I have fallen in love with its beautiful buildings covered in ‘azulejos’, its welcoming people, and even the slippery side-walks going up and down hills that have made me trip more than once. I have been slowly mastering the metro system and understanding Portuguese culture more and more every day. I have been lucky enough to travel to some Portuguese beaches and am in awe of the beauties I have encountered. I am getting my summer tan back and am feeling great. I have slowly been incorporating more Portuguese into my daily life and been using less English or Spanish in my interactions, although ill admit that ‘Portuñol’ is typically what comes out naturally from me and what has been working best. I have not yet gathered the courage to try the famous ‘Sardinhas’ but I have enjoyed other delicious fresh fish and Portuguese food. My favorite dessert is officially the ‘pasteis de nata’ and I love me some good ‘entremiadas’ or ‘bifanas’ for lunch. I am slowly getting over the fact that iced coffee is not really a thing and am learning to enjoy just a simple ‘cafe com leite’.
I am working for the non-profit organization ‘Renovar a Mouraria’ and I think I couldn’t have found a better place to intern at. The people there are so welcoming, the work they do is so important and I have been able to participate in activities that have taught me about Portugal; its people, and its culture more than any other thing I can think of. These first few weeks we have been working on organizing the community parties for the ‘Festas dos Santos Populares’. I have been serving food at parties (in Portuguese :)), meeting amazing people, learning about the social context of Lisbon and its history, and getting to talk to people who have really enriched my life in amazing ways.
Although I am really happy I cannot say it has been easy. I have encountered multiple cultural incidents where the culture shock has left me feeling confused and even uncomfortable. The pace of work is definitely slower than what I’m used to. The response time between emails is longer and the main form of communication is verbal: leaving a lot of room for misunderstandings. However, I feel like this change of pace is exactly what I needed in my life. I have been doing things with more intention, I have been fully enjoying my breaks, I have been living the present moment and really getting to know my colleagues and bosses at a personal level. I have found a connection with myself that I felt the fast-paced corporate world in America had taken from me. I am very grateful for what I’m living and although it’s been hard to get used to, I am enjoying living the Portuguese way. 🙂
