The baterfly returns 13/04/2009

Hello all!

I have one hour left before leaving to Aljustrel, so I’ve decided to usefully spend my time on updating this page

The past two weeks have been very busy.  During the week I work and in the weekend I’m off, exploring the country (like a real Magalhães!) as much as I can before I go home.  Together with my cousin Nathalie, I went exploring the Aquaduct and the water reservoirs of Lisbon.  The next weekend I discovered new territories with René and Stefanie: Tomar and Alcanena.  In Tomar we went to visit a convent of Templars, which was very pretty and big!  We also wanted to pay a visit to the local museum of matchboxes (I really wonder what it must look like) that, if we believe to our guide, was the biggest of the region.  And according to Stefanie, we just missed out on a expo “Books, Antiques and Soups”.  Gotta love the combo!  Personally, I wouldn’t let people eating soup come too close to my antiques and books…

Alcanena then… It had a museum of electricity, but it was closed.  Not much to see there, just a quiet village (apparently the local Manhattan according to its citizens).  We must have been very special too, because when we were in the restaurant, people couldn’t keep their eyes off of us.  And they didn’t bother hiding it either.  Which was kind of unconfortable, personally I don’t like people staring at me while I’m eating.

This weekend I’ll be going to visit the Alligator in it’s lair, the fearfull Aljustrel!!!  No, I love Aljustrel and I’m looking forward to going back for a few days.  If I remember well, it’s all about eating and drinking, just my kind of thing   I have already baked some fresh cookies to offer in return   Anyways, I’m going to start preparing my bag!

Have a happy Easter!!

Lisbon’s safety problem 21/03/2009

Lisboa is a great city, with a lot of potential.  But it is being hold back by a vast amount of junkies, criminals and idiots.

I, for example, having blonde hair and blue eyes, cannot walk around in certain neighbourhoods during daytime.  The later it gets in the evening, the more this no-go zone expands.  Even places that are considered as relativly safe, still need you to have eyes on your back and preferably some (male that looks like he doesn’t take shit from anyone) company.  You can imagine how I hate being this dependend and most of all, how I hate that it is taking away my liberty.  I have to ask people to walk me home!

Yesterday, after a fun night out in Bacalhoeiro with Cloé and René, they were walking me home.  We were still in the centre, passing Praça da Figueira as an older lady comes running towards us, telling that we should call someone because a man is being robbed.  We walk on a little and there we see it.  One man standing with his hands up against a wall, another man pushing his entire body against him and grabbing whatever he could get out of the pockets.  They both saw us.  We couldn’t do anything.  Because the problem is that mr. robber most likely has a knife and is not afraid to use it.  The guy being robbed must think we are absolute assholes for leaving him there.  We did call the police as soon as we were out of sight, but you can imagine that it was most likely way too late by the time they got there.  Another problem is that, in my opinion, our attitude and that of most citizens of Lisbon makes way for these criminals to do what they do.  I had to bite my tongue not to yell something at this guy and I felt the great urge of throwing a rock at his idiotic head.  But that wouldn’t help me much.  It might have helped the other guy though…

The thing is, over the past three months I have seen: this, a junkie injecting himself in the middle of the street in broad daylight and one man trying to strangle another one in a full metro (in this case i did yell -being the only one doing something- and went to get security, which apperantly is not done but I still feel the urge of justice and solidarity).  Not to mention the addicts that you see roaming the streets.  I have seen more here in the past three months than in my entire life (including living in a big city as Barcelona, where I can walk where ever I want).

It’s a real pity… And if nobody steps up, if everybody keeps accepting this as “normal”, I see it only getting worse.  Alfacinhas, do something!

Girlpower 19/03/2009

I just had to share this…

Yesterday, the 20-year old Toyoto van of my project, decided to no longer open the back door.  Since that van is used for moving around furniture and other big things (except children), the unusability of the trunk is quite problematic.

Everyone (mainly men of course) tried to open it, some even kicked it, but no one succeeded.  Today, as I needed to store old computers in the van to get them recycled, I was in desperate need of that door.  Then, I saw the light!  Some screws on a panel to get inside the door.  Hmmmm could I have learned something from my wonderful, super amazing 29 years old car Fientje?  After obtaining permission, I climb into the trunk, screw off the panel and… I see something that looks like a lock!  I click it and look at Patricia standing outside at the door.  Let’s try it!!  What were seconds, seemed minutes.  Patricia reached for the handle, pulled it and then the trunk swept open.  Fresh air ran into the van, the light got brighter (the windows are a bit dusty) and all became very clear:  the girl had fixed the car!!!!  The GIRL fixed the car.  Girls, let this be a lesson for you all.  I am not the brightest, I am called clumsy on almost a daily basis.  Yet, some things are easier as they seem.  If you never try, you never know.  After all, what is the worst that can go wrong?  Don’t wait for men to do it, give it a shot yourself.  Be brave, be bold, have some GIRLPOWER!!!

More news from Lisboooa! 19/03/2009

First of all: happy daddy-day to the best dad in the world!!!  (you know who you are )

Sooo what’s been going on the past week…

I went to Barcelona with Paulinho for a long weekend, it was really nice to see him, my friends and the city again!  We mainly walked around through the city, not visiting anything in particular since we’ve both seen it all   By the way, Paulo, where are the pictures?

Then, two days ago I discovered a new crazy guy in my bairro!  Across the street we already have the lady with a hairdo that looks like the tower of Pisa.  She has this thing with cars.  She usually tries to get in those that are waiting for the green light.  Then there is another crazy, the yelling man!  He just walks around and suddenly he shouts something nasty.  If you are just crossing him in the moment that he shouts, that is kind of scary.  But it’s something you shouldn’t take personal, he also shouts when he’s alone in the street.  And now, my newest discovery!   A man in his fourties who seems pretty normal at first glance.  Except… he rolled up his pants on his right leg only, walks like a girl with an attitude (one hand on his waist, the other one making wrist-movements)  and he makes sensual dances with… the trashbins.  I know I am not supposed to laugh with people that have some kind of “problem” -depends what you define as problem- but you should’ve seen it, it was so funny to watch!  And he seemed happy too, that is the most important!

Hmmm furthermore… uh, a very unique event!  I made mathematics homework with the kids (1) in portuguese (2)!!  I’m good  

And I also recieved a package with goodies yesterday from Belgium (mommie) which was highly appreciated!  Now, I have to get back to work!

 

beijinhos!

 

ps: i’ve posted a new link to a video about extreme sheep herding.  It’s really funny and also amazing to see the creativity of sheppards!

So you do want to know… 08/03/2009

I am writing this blog from my sunny terrace in the centre of Lisboa.  Blue skies, 22 degrees, white legs getting tanned without an entire beach to see it.  Wonderful!  And I just took two pictures to prove it :p

View from my terras (including my monkeytoes)

Sunshinyday

I know, i’m teasing you but you would do the same to me if you had the chance.  And actually, it’s pretty annoying to write a blog like this, since I can barely see the screen with the sun blindig my eyes.

Yesterday was also a nice day.  In the afternoon I went to help out Cloé in her new garden.  Well by the time I got there, most of the work was done, but at least I was outside!  We pulled some weeds, I got stung by the palmtree on several occasions (with bumpy red marks on my arms and hands as a consequence), then we made a nice improvised diner with Rene, Anna and her boyfriend and then we made a fire in the garden.  It was very cool, the fire in the garden with a view over the city.  It made a lot of smoke though (dry palmleaves seem to be smokey and I’ve learned that mud doesn’t burn), but only one neighbour complained.  Well we think he did because we didn’t understood a word of what he was mumbling.  We’re not even sure if it was portuguese   Later that night, one of the cats escaped in a complete panic and confusão since she didn’t recognise the garden.  The poor animal was so startled that she jumped over the wall, going 4m down!  She then climed into a tree, crying and crying.  Guess in who’s tree… the one of angry man!  Another girl that lives in the appartment went to get Frieda (the cat).  When the cat came back, they had to wash her because she had blood on her feet.  Not hers, angry mans   Poor guy, maybe he wasn’t that angry with us after all…   Or now he really is…

After that we went to a nice bar near Marques de Pombal (our new discovery) where we had a nice cocktail and ended an interesting day!

Anyways, I have some e-mails to write which I will do inside because I’m starting to sweat (yuk) and a bee is buzzing around my head all the time.  Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your day!

xxx

Morangos 03/03/2009

Today I bought half a kilo of strawberries;

Guess how much I’ve paid for them….

Remember, it’s the first week of march.  If february was a normal month in daylenght, it would still be february now!

So, how much I’ve paid for 500gr of strawberries?

75 euroCENTS,  30 good old Belgian Franks.

And they were delicious

Enjoy the view

(P.S.: my strawberries are not in this picture, but in my stomach )

Mondays 02/03/2009

To prove that I do listen to mommie sometimes, here’s some more news for you!

Today is just another monday, but after a well-filled weekend!  On friday there was a goodbye party for Stefan, the first volunteer to leave our family.  So that was a bit sad…

Saturday we all went to a concert of Carlos (a Spanish volunteer from nearby Santarem) with an Irish friend of his in… an Irish pub!  They played nice music and afterwards we had a little party of our own on the street!  Our instruments were a guitar, my highheeled shoes and the clapping of our hands.  Very nice

Sunday is resting day, also for the volunteers.  We took it easy and in the evening we went to a Japanese restaurant near Saldanha.  Also very nice.

Today is monday, so another workingday.  In Tercena all is calm and time for me to go look for some food because I’m starving!

(pictures on facebook only for privacyreasons…)

I am the worst… 28/02/2009

… and most undisciplined blogger of the universe

Once again, it took me a while to write a new post.  I hope from now on, things will get better because I finally have my laptop back!  As some of you might already know, the cable of my laptop gave up on me.  For almost three months I had to use this very old (but incredibly awesome) laptop that could barely run two programs at the same time.  This didn’t really motivate me to try to get to this website, write and upload pictures.  But, now I have no more excuses!

So, what’s been going on lately…  I got addicted to Grey’s Anatomy last Christmas.  I am now watching season 3, but it’s on Chinese servers so it takes forever to load.  But it’s worth it, although I don’t understand why McSteamy has so much succes.

Fortunately, there is more to life than Grey’s Anatomy.  Mentioning this series in my blog will, by the way, boost up my visitor count.  It happend also last time when I wrote about coelho, the rabbit (not the writer).  Now it looks like I’ll have a double hit   Anyways, the weather here has been fabulous over the past weeks.  Untill today, but let’s just forget about today.  Untill today, it was like summer here.  Temperatures around -and above 20°C, blue skies,… I went to the beach several times and got slightely tanned.  And you know what?  It’s february!  Awesome.

I’m a bit sad that it might rain again.  Well, not sad because of the rain itself, but sad that the streets will become dangerous places to roam.  It so happens to be that portuguese people do not know how to handle an umbrella.  They swing it around and about as if they were all in some rainy musical.  We’re talking open ánd closed umbrellas here!  I mean, for the love of god: keep it vertical at all times!!  Oh and when you cross people, you can always lift it up a bit so you don’t stick someones eyes out.  Then again, maybe they do already lift up the umbrella, but since I’m a giant, that won’t help much… Yes, I’m good at dissing the portuguese people   But they also are really nice, sweet and helpfull people.  And they are the best at cooking fish!  I will miss the bacalhau when I’m back in Belgium.  And I will miss my Minipreço too…  Did I already mention on my blog that I will be coming home sooner?  I’ll be back for good the 4th of may instead of september.  Hurray

So, to make up my slow writing, I hereby leave you with some pictures of Alfama, a neighbourhood in Lisbon where I went yesterday with Stefanie, another Belgian volunteer.  Enjoy

Back to reality 06/01/2009

2nd day at work and it still feels like a monday   After some nice holidays in Belgium and here, reality catches up again and here I am doing nothing at work

The holidays were awesome.  I spent one week at home, seeing all the family and most of the friends.   Then I went back to Portugal, where Paulinho awaited me at the airport.  Here the days were also full, going from one place to another!  We went to Porto, but arrived just too late to visit one of the wine cellars.  Oh well, there will be plenty more opportunities

The pictures I still have to upload, but I’m waiting for my computercable to do this, hopefully that thing won’t take much longer…

In the meanwhile it seems to be nice and chilly back home!  Damn I wish I was there   Here it’s also a bit colder (10 degrees)  but I am aware that that’s nothing compared to up north   So, I’m going to look for some work around here.  I’ll try to make some more interesting posts soon!

xx

Sinterklaaskapoentje! 06/12/2008

Hello everyone!

Finally a new post!!  I apologise for my long absence, I’ve been having some bad times/weeks here and didn’t feel like writing about it.  Thank god that pretty much everything is solved, lessons are learned and I have a nice new place to live!  I will clean my room later and then take some pictures so you can see it!  It is only temporary though, at the end of the month I will move to a bigger room in the same appartment.  I am still living in the centre of Lisbon, now near Marques de Pombal.

Today is also Sinterklaas his big day at home, here the people never heard of him.  So of course, if nobody believes, he won’t show up either.  Result: inspite of the delicious carrot and suger in my shoe, he didn’t bring me anything  I can understand though, after a long trip through Belgium, Portugal must seem like a big detour…  Maybe he left me something at home, mum said that dad was going to call Sinterklaas to see if he could arrange me something

At work things are still fine!  I’m working on a little project now so that I can work a bit more independent.   Yesterday we went to an old governmentbuilding that was closing down.  They left a lot (really a lot) of desks, chairs, computers and even a colour-copying machine behind.  Apperantely everytime one of these buildings closes or moves, they call organisations as mine to come and take what they want for free before they send it all to the trash.   So we dragged some desks and chairs out for the kids and 2 (hopefully working) computers!  Hurray!

Later in the afternoon Patricia and I tried to continue decorating the house for Christmas, which was quite a puzzle!   The trees here are made of plastic and need to be put together.  Only problem: there were only 2 feet and 6 tops.  Then there were a lot of branches… It took us 2 hours to get 1 complete tree out of this.  I don’t know why, but the leftovers have to stay (I would trash them to avoid confusion over the next years).  But ok, it won’t be my problem either next year

What else is there to say… Last weekend I went shopping with my “parents in law”  (this just made me feel very old)!  It was really nice, I already got my christmaspresent from them.  It’s already in use, I really needed those new pants so I couldn’t wait another 3 weeks.  The ones I had here were so worn out that they had holes and, that combined with a chilly wind here… well you can imagine that going outside wasn’t…nice…

Well that’s all for now!  I’m not sure yet what else I will do today, probabely catch up on all the e-mails etc, study a bit for Portuguese class and maybe test the bus to the airport to see how long it takes and where it stops exactly.  Because in exactly two weeks I’ll be coming home for Christmas, hurray!!

many kisses!