uma ruiva americana no montijo

(boat to Lisbon)

So, yesterday I went to my friend Jeff's host mom's party, as did Brittany, who is also on Cultures Shocked, and Jeff's German friend Lennart. Jeff lives much closer to Lisboa itself than I do, so I took a boat from Montijo into Lisbon. Apparently I texted Jeff's host mom instead of Jeff when I was getting on the boat, but I also texted Brittany (who had come from Évora much earlier in the day) so I did get some communication with my welcoming party so they knew I was still coming.


After walking out of the boat...station...and into the train station to try and find Jeff and Brittany, and then out of the train station, then back down near the boat, I was getting slightly frustrated (and amused as well, everything is so much funnier for me on exchange) and Pai called to ask if I had found Jeff, and just as he called I saw Brittany's bright red (natural) hair, and Jeff's blondish-red hair, so I was able to tell Pai that yes, I had. Red hair is incredibly useful, especially here...you can tell natural red hair apart from black hair that has been dyed red. So I went over to the two of them and met Lennart, so I finally got to use my minimal German again (I don't know why I constantly want to speak German now! I'm terrible at it!) and we were on our way. We headed up to Belém on the train to go get the famous Pasteis de Belém (coming up soon), but on our way there we saw the Pink House, where the Portuguese president lives.

A year-long exchange is a big step. A huge decision. A lot of money.

It's a lot of work, a long distance, and, some might say, a long time.

Exchange is a big deal.

It seems like an experience so huge it would drown anyone who dared attempt it.

But there's that cliché, it's the little things that count, and I've been thinking about that.

One person, in one country, one community, one family. What's one transplant got to do with anything, really?

Now, think smaller.

A greeting, one kiss on each cheek for family and friends. A brief walk down the road. Two words: "Bom dia" to the two or three people on the sidewalks, to the street sweeper who is scraping away sheep...dung down the street from the bus stop. Getting two chances every day to catch the bus to school. Being called Shel-see-uh instead of Chelsea. Going outside between classes, maybe even going to the café during the 15 minute break, because everyone else in the class is going. Ordering a "sahndsh" (pronunciation) instead of a "sandwich". Saying "Santinho" when someone sneezes. A toilet with two flush options. Recycling receptacles on every street. Finally being able to get hair products that work but no longer being able to find makeup that's light enough. Hearing names like "João" and "Nuria" and never a "Kevin" or "Ashley." Seeing the Good Humor ice cream logo but noticing it says "Olá" instead of Good Humor. Eating tomato jam instead of strawberry.

Each one of those is a little thing, just like seeing palm trees alongside pines in front of the school, and reaching for a tank top when other people are putting on long sleeves. Just like the little rush when you say "bom dia" and they say it back with a toothless grin. Like the stone sidewalks rather than smoothly paved ones. Like needing to wear SPF 50 in September/October or understanding history class.

People say exchange changes your life, that you grow so much and learn about the world and yourself. It's true, but I don't think it's all about the obvious things like leaving your home and learning a new language. Exchange is about the things that make you smile, or that make you think "that really would have bothered me before...but it doesn't," and the times when you don't just feel entertained but when you're fully satisfied and completely and honestly happy for where you are and what you're doing, and you feel like you've done something right. The difference is split into tiny pieces that are absorbed everywhere in the new life and the new world, and eventually within the exchanger...it sounds so corny, it must sound even more so from the outside. Maybe when I've been an exchanger for longer I'll be able to verbalize it better, even if it's half in one language, half in another.

I think it's about when you find yourself surprised to see something that is the same as it was in your old life, but not necessarily pleased. Kind of a "huh, we do that too" feeling, pleasant but not a relief, just an observation.

And you know what? Observing is tiresome when the right words don't exist.

(lesson for all)

On the way home from Lisboa the other day, Cláudio was muito sneezing in the car. After a while he started to say something and he stopped. Then he said "ok, I'm going to say this."

He went on to say that he was going to call himself constipado but he wanted to point out to me that it does not translate to constipated. It's more accurately translated as "congested," or to having a cold.

As he explained this, Filipa was translating to Portuguese to tell Mãe and Pai what was going on, so basically everyone started laughing at different times thinking about the misunderstandings that could have been had Cláudio not told me now.

em sumário:
constipado =/= constipated

(but it's still funny)

I remembered the other thing I'd discovered that I forgot to say in the other post. That was a confusing sentence. Anyway:

at first I was kind of bummed that my host family had me get TMN for my cell phone, because more people have Vodafone and it's cheaper to SMS/call someone on the same network, but the last few numbers I've gotten from people have been 96 numbers, i.e. TMN: Randi, Renate, Jeff... it's so exciting!

if you're me, that is.

hoje foi bom, (today was good), I like the new turma, and there are these two goth guys in there, that cracks me up--i had never considered the possibility of Portu-goths, but, surprise! they exist. My Geografia teacher also had Ana Filipa and Cláudio at different times, but I don't think he understood when I was trying to tell him that (in Portuguese). He really didn't like the American exchange student who was at this school last year, because she would never say hello to the teacher or talk to the other students, even if they spoke to her...she may have just been shy, but the people here are so warm and friendly that it isn't that hard to reach out to them. Anyway, I focused very hard in that class, paid attention the whole time, and took notes, so I could show that I'm an active participant and make it clear that not all Americans act like that (I've also heard that she acted very superior to everyone, which is not cool at all). Geografia here is more like "History of Geography" but I actually did understand a lot of it. It's funny, the more complicated the concepts, the easier it is to understand, because when the words are more technical, they're English cognates (words that are very similar and recognizable), so reading is especially easy (well, "easy") but now I'm understanding more spoken Portuguese as well. I also learned my first Norwegian word other than "hej" today, though I'm probably going to spell it wrong: Klipfisk...it means bacalhau or cod, Renate taught us. I hope to learn more Norsk this year...it's not going to get confused with Portuguese, I can be sure of that, while the languages are somewhat related (Indo-European languages), they're REALLY different, the sounds, the writing, the structure...I really love languages, haha.

The teachers are, again, really nice, but now I also have almost all my afternoons completely free...it's wonderful...so I come home for lunch, some days it's just me and Mãe (Mom, as in host mom), other times Cláudio is home as well. Mãe says that lunch is a light meal because there isn't very much time...

the Portuguese definition of a "light meal" is one that could feed everyone in, say, Bangladesh rather than India...in other words, it's still a LOT of food. But it was nice, my host mom and I talked in almost entirely Portuguese, then she went back to work.

But anyway, now that I've talked about things that nobody would talk about except for the fact that it's in a foreign country, I'll get on to those descobrimentinhos I mentioned:

It occurred to me today that the stop signs here are, in fact, stop signs. They say "STOP." in English. Obviously I had seen them before today, but it just sunk in, now that I'm learning more Portuguese and speaking less English, that it wasn't the right language.

And now I can't think of the other miniature discovery/realization. But I thought of a different one: until I can actually understand more Portuguese, some of my classes are like watching operas...the Portuguese gesture so much and so comically that it's always interesting to watch even if they're speaking ridiculously fast...that's the case with my new historia teacher.

Well, I think that's enough for right now, tchau e boa tarde para todos!

beijinhos!
Chelsea

ok. HOJE (today):
My host brother went to school earlier than me today, because his classes started earlier, but he woke me up before he left. I got ready, ate breakfast, made sure I had the keys and locked the doors and all of that, then as I started walking down the street, I realized I didn't have my bus tickets.
Sooo I dug through my bag to see if they were in there, dug through my wallet, nothing. I came back in, spent about 15 minutes looking in my room for the tickets, then finally looked in the pockets of some old pairs of pants and found two tickets in the fourth pair I looked at.
Then I didn't know where my keys were. I dug around the room for that, suddenly becoming religious (Please, god, come on, come on, come on), then remembered...oh yeah, I left the keys in the door.
So, I headed to school. Meanwhile, I had missed the bus, so I hurried to get to the next one, and then got to school. Turns out I would have been on time for my first class (Fis. Ed...yuck) but I didn't go because I decided that today I would change my turma to a Social Sciences one in 12° grade. While I was writing down what I would say to the secretaries or director or whoever I had to talk to,
two girls from my turma walked over and asked why I wasn't going to class, so I had to explain in Portinglês that I wanted to change the turma (course) but not because of the people, just because it was more what I'm interested in and more useful on college applications in the U.S.
So, I was getting up the nerve to go to the director's office when my phone beeped, and I realized I had gotten an SMS, and it was from the Norwegian girl, who I still haven't met at this point. She was texting from her Geography class. We texted back and forth a few times, talked about meeting up, and then none of my messages would send, so when it was break time, I sat outside the students' building with the cafeteria and snack bar and other things, waiting to see Renate from Norway, hoping she'd come by even though none of the messages with my location mentioned had actually been sent.
The only boy in my turma came up and said "what's going on, Chelsea?" so I told him about waiting for the Norwegian girl and how I'd be changing turmas...he had a "WHAT?!" face so I explained, "not because of the people" and he wished me luck...then as I was about to walk off to the building with the secretaries, a few girls were walking by, one smiled at me, and I realized it was Renate, so I talked to her briefly, changed my turma, which was really complicated because I speak little Portuguese and it takes all five secretaries in the room to put together even a partial conversation in English, but it was worked out. Then I went to my "Technical Aspects of Expression and Communication" class, explained as well as I could that I had changed turmas but would still come to this class.

After that class, I was free to go home, which was exciting. i waited for my host brother for a little bit, then decided I'd just go to the bus stop by myself. Wellllll I got on a bus headed to Setúbal...I quickly discovered that I have to get on a bus headed to Barreiro and THEN Setúbal, so the bus was going the wrong way, and I had to get off, walk a little ways to the next bus stop going the way I needed to go,

 and then I got off at the first stop I recognized, and kept walking in that direction, for I'm sure at least 1 or 2 km and then realized I was back at the bus stop near the school. I had partially walked, partially ridden, in just about a circle. This after just yesterday I talked about how I was managing public transportation well. But anyway I waited FOREVER there at the stop by the school and then finally a bus marked Barreiro came that way...I got on the bus, and a man asked me something in Portuguese that I didn't understand, and I responded "Não falo português" and then he said it again, and I said "Lançada" which is where I live, and he said "that's good, that's right" and punched my ticket. I got off at the right stop, was walking home, thought "Oh, I'll stop and get an ice cream on my way home" because there's a little restaurant/snack bar place on my street. I walked up to it, and saw a sign that basically said
"Customers: We're on Vacation"
so I walked home. I was exhausted. I told the whole thing to my host brother who could not believe how much I had walked. Then I had pineapple and chocolate milk and water and more water and shoved my face in water, and now I feel better. But...hoje tem sido um dia tão estranho (today has been such a strange day).

(cell phone and castle, among other things)

So, on my third day here (yesterday), we all ate breakfast (they have tomato jam, which is absolutely amazing) then went to get o meu telemóvel, or, my cell phone. I got the cheapest unlocked (meaning I can use it in the US too) cell phone I could get, which is still pretty sweet.

After that we went to the Castelo de Palmela, an old castle in Setúbal. Some of the views were amazing--I probably took pictures of some of the same things from several angles about...85 billion times, but every time I looked, it was so striking. I LOVE Portugal! à serio! 85 billion pictures are worth even more words, so I won't really write about anything else castle-related. Oh, but basically we went there because the weather was supposed to be bad so we couldn't go to the beach. They told me «This isn't the most beautiful castle, it's just the closest one.» That's such a «You Know You're in Europe When...» moment--«Yes, we'll take you to the nearest castle and show you around.» I love it.

At some point after the castle, we all went to Forum Montijo, which is the nearby mall--really nearby, bué fixe, and I forget why, but in the Forum Montijo, Filipa, Cláudio, and I went in a store called Bliss, which has electronics, music, movies, and books. I decided to buy a Portuguese for Retards--I mean, foreigners--book with practice exercises. Then we went home and I forget what we ate, but it was good, then we had Pasteis de Nata (it's like a custard tart, basically)...I looove Pasteis de Nata. I forget what dinner was that day so it must not have been too shocking.

And today, my first day of school-- the first time I've really been scared during the whole process of my exchange so far. To make matters worse, gym was my first class--I took it as an omen. My host sister came with me to school, but after introducing me to the director of the school and some of my teachers, and dropping me off outside the gym building, she had to go and try to take care of my bus pass (they do so much for me here!). Soooo I was left alone outside the gym building feeling incredibly foreign (red hair, whitey white skin, and freckles--not your standard Portuguese look). I decided I had to talk to someone so I introduced myself to these two girls who seemed pleasant who were also waiting outside the building, my first self-introduction with my halting Portuguese: «O meu nome é Chelsea. Eu sou uma intercambista dos Estados Unidos. A minha turma é decimo-primero E.» One of the girls looked at my schedule, then looked at me and said «Where is your class?» in English, to which I replied «Não sei» (I don't know). Anyway, I went in the building and talked to the woman in the front--every building has one of these, at least at E.S. Poeta Joaquim Serra and they're like secretaries and janitors rolled into one. So I asked her «Onde está--» and pointed to my schedule where it says 11E because I didn't want to say it again. She acted exasperated and started looking through her binder with all its information when a girl stepped out of the line headed into the main part of the gym and said «Come with me. I speak English. This is your class.» And so I met Teresa. She introduced me to her friends Mafalda and Joana, who don't speak any English, and to two other people in the class who do speak English, Maria Teresa and Damién (the only guy in the Acção Social turma in 10°, 11°, and 12° grades). All of the classes on the first day were short, just summaries of what the year would hold for us. The head teacher of the turma speaks no English, but in her class, «Técnicas de Expressão e Comunicação» she told everyone that they had to take care of me and realize that they were going to be my impression of Portugal. At that point, everyone was still marveling at my name: «Shel-see-uh--como o equipo!» (Like the [futebol] team!)

That class was interesting, the teacher had everyone, including me, introduce ourselves without words, so we could communicate equally well. I really like that teacher, she's nice but not patronizing. Next I went home for lunch, and came back for Português, where the teacher has a high-pitched, lispy voice. And never laughs. I don't like her too much. Then there was Saúde e Socorrismo, where the teacher is ok but the class is «Health and First Aid» and I'm waaaaay too squeamish for that and it's boring. So I hope I can drop that class and Fis. Ed. I hate Fis. Ed. SO MUCH. I won't even try to describe the crappiness of the activities we did in that class. 90 minutes of gym is INSANITY.

I think that about covers my first day, but I'm always here if you want to ask any questions.

Olá outra vez! (Hello again)

It's my second day here, and it's been interesting.

On the first day, I got off the airplane in Lisbon, then got on a shuttle from the plane to the airport, where I again got a luggage cart--thank God for those things. I then waited for-freaking-ever at the luggage claim with Randi and Daro for our bags. After our flight's 20 minute delay, and the really long wait for the baggage, we were dying to meet our families (Randi & Daro mostly just wanted to meet their new beds and sleep, but close enough). When all the luggage finally came, we walked out to what must be the lobby of the airport. At the door, Randi and I met António Valádas, the ASSE program director in Portugal. When we walked out, I looked briefly and saw my host family and a tall reddish-blondish guy (Jeff from Cultures Shocked!) My host mom and sister walked right past me when I walked down this giant ramp thing, so until they realized that they'd passed me, I hugged Jeff, Cláudio, and Henrique (Pai) hello.

About 15-20 minutes later, we were home. They carried all my bags up for me, I gave them their gifts, and tried to call my mom on Skype, but failed and settled for e-mail instead. Soon it was time for dinner, and we ate «sopa de campo» or «field soup» with various vegetables and also chouriço (sausage). They told me I could try the chouriço if I wanted and if not, I could put it aside--at that point they didn't fully understand the concept of a semi-vegetarian (I don't eat mammals).

My host siblings were headed to a rehearsal for the local orchestra (or band...I really don't know about these things), and I was going to go with them, but I felt dizzy (tonta) so I lay down instead and fell asleep. My host family, especially my siblings, were insanely worried, like I was going to drop dead all of a sudden. It was strange how much they cared when I was only a bit dizzy but more than that, it was very sweet.

In the morning, everyone with their varying levels of English proficiency confirmed that I was ok. We went and got my schoolbooks and school supplies, and I didn't need nearly as much here as at home, because you don't need a separate binder for each subject, so I just got one multi-subject notebook and pencils and pens and all that (and Tony, if you're reading this, I didn't find a «normal» pencil case, what a shame). When we came back from shopping, it was time for lunch-- huge culture shock at this meal: carapão, I think...basically a giant sardine served whole. With the skin and the scales and the eyes and everything, and lots of salt. I ate most of it, but my eyes bust have been huge when I first saw the lunch laid out. During lunch, Mãe's parents visited, and I gave them a candleholder and Maine candy--chocolate covered blueberries and cranberries. Anyway, they talked on and on in Portuguese, a lot of it to me, and said how pretty I am. I love the Portuguese, haha, "Nice to meet you, you're pretty!" A little while later, Filipa and I went to a local futebol game where two of her guy friends were playing. I learned some important words.. «FALTA» and «PENALTY». There were so many adults getting worked up over a teenagers' game; it was priceless. It also wasn't in the American way of living through your kids and beating the crap out of the kid if his team doesn't win. It was just really fun, which is what it's all about, right?

At night we went to a festival in Moita honoring their saint (not sure which). We met up with my other host-grandparents and walked around, smelling the amazing Portuguese fair food--no blooming onions, but churros everywhere you look--que bom. Then we saw a famous Portuguese singer perform, I wish I could remember his name. All I know is that it starts with a J, but many Portuguese names do-- Jorge, Joaquim, João, José, among others. Anyway, my host mom loves him and that was fun but I was completely tired and bored by the end. my host g-parents left then, but we walked over to ANOTHER concert that was going on, much to my dismay, but the first full song we heard was «Cocaine» by Eric Clapton, which I enjoy, AND it's in English, so that was cool, and the same band went on to play a few American songs from the 1950's and 60's, like Rock Around the Clock. I love that kind of music, so I got up (even though my feet were killing me from standing up through the first concert), and started swing dancing-- we were right in the town center at that time too, and there was a slightly raised platform so people could see me but it was really fun and my host parents knew the songs too, so they were dancing. I really love my host parents, they're fun to watch because they really care about each other and have fun together.

Sooo basically after that we went home, churro-smell wafting after us as if to say «Don't go now» but...we had to.

And that was day two.

Here I am in the Frankfurt airport with the other exchangers to Portugal with ASSE, Randi and Daro. We just separated from the Italy, Spain, and Turkey exchangers. I'm dizzy and kind of overwhelmed by the Germans in the airport but I'm so excited. I haven't cried at all yet (knock on wood).
Our gate just got changed, but now that I have a luggage cart, it makes life easier.

Even though we just changed gates. Again.

I really have nothing of interest to say, but I'm out of the U.S. so I should write something, eh?

I'll write again when I'm in Portugal!

Tchau.


(Randi, me, and Callum [Spain] in the Frankfurt airport)

ladies, gentlemen, boys, girls, and morse high school students:
(bahaha. i entertained myself. yay.)

I wanted to clear some things up because a lot of people are still mystified by this whole exchange student thing even though we have like...five every year that come to our school and at least one who leaves our school every year to go somewhere else. but I am not criticizing you, dears, just clarifying.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Portugal. P-O-R-T-U-G-A-L. It's on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe, just west of Spain. It is not the same thing as Spain, nor do people speak Spanish in Portugal. There are cultural similarities but also many, many, many differences. Among them, there's the fact that Portugal is better ;) Spain's cool too, don't get me wrong, but Portugal is underrated and I've heard more than enough about Spain to last me a lifetime or several.

HOW LONG WILL YOU BE GONE?
Almost 10 months. I'll be living with a host family and attending high school again for another year, but it'll be Portuguese-style. And rad. And fixe (Portuguese for "cool": pronounced "feesh").

WHEN DO YOU LEAVE HERE?
I leave Maine on September 12. I leave the US on September 13, and land in Frankfurt, Germany, for a layover. In the afternoon of the 14th, I'll be in Portugal, with my host family, being happy.

WHEN DO YOU GET BACK?
I leave Portugal on June 20, 2008... I think I'll get back on the 21st? I'm not sure. I don't want to think about it :(

WHAT IS A VISA?
it's a stamp/sticker thing that goes in my passport to signify that I am allowed to live in Portugal for an extended time.

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR VISA/STAMP/STICKER THING?
Well, the US government was kind enough to take way too long to send me my passport, and once I got my passport, some visa law changed that makes them take super long to process. My organization didn't want me to go to Spain to pick up my visa (it has to be picked up outside of Spain, and I was lucky enough that the guy at the Consulate--the place where I apply for my visa--gave me back my passport so I'll still be able to travel) and the date I was told that my visa would be ready was September 21, so I would've had to wait and leave after my group and lame stuff like that...BUT I e-mailed yesterday and told them that my host sister had told me that my host dad will take me to Sevilla to the Portuguese Consulate General there if I pay for gas money, and my organization in the US, ASSE, is going to contact my Portuguese organization, Multiway, to ask what's the best way to go about getting my visa. My host family is going to insist that Multiway let me come when I'm supposed to.

My host family rocks.

WHAT DOES ASSE STAND FOR?
American Scandinavian Student Exchange. It started as an exchange between the Scandinavian countries, then the USA, and now it has partner organizations all over the world, including the lovely Portugal, and Japan...it's the same program Iyo used to come to the US and that Daniel is here with now.

DO THEY SPEAK ENGLISH? DO YOU SPEAK PORTUGUESE?
Some people there speak English. I speak very little Portuguese. I will be learning the language by immersion, so that I will, hopefully, come back fluent in Portuguese and I'll go all bilingual in your face :)

if you have any other questions about Portugal, me, or my exchange, I'll be happy to answer them, because I love going on and on and on about Portugal...sorry... but seriously, keep in touch with me.

Beijinhos! (little kisses)
Chelsea

(copied from my Facebook notes)

I hate visas. Those stupid little stamps or stickers are a royal pain.

I mentioned briefly how irritating they were. Well, today my mother contacted ASSE to ask what they would have me do if my visa wasn't here in time.

We just got a call back from Hanna, the ASSE eastern region boss (I don't remember her official title, but I assure you, it's very official). She told my mother that if I don't get my visa in time, I will have to go WITHOUT my group, without the other Portugal people (hey Randi and Daro), and the Spain kids (hello Callum). BY MYSELF. I don't care so much about the "by myself" thing as a matter of "oh will I make it" because even during my layover in Frankfurt, I'll most likely find someone who speaks English who can tell the depressed and stupid American girl where to go, but I want to hang out with other exchange students! That's a huge part of the experience, and I'm just hoping beyond hope that I get the visa in time so that none of this has to happen. I don't want to have to wait even longer.

I'm already desperate to go, I'm already in pretty much the last group of 07-08 exchangers to leave...if I have to wait even longer, I'm going to lose my mind. I just need to leave my life here behind. That doesn't mean I'll forget about people (the very thought is highly upsetting) but I just need to go. I'm sick of waiting, it only makes me crazier.

And I couldn't have applied for my stupid visa any earlier, because my stupid passport, which I applied for in MARCH, arrived in the end of JULY. so I was already screwed over by the stupid law. I want to thank the U.S. government, and by thank, I mean "not thank at all and in fact hurl profanities and paper airplanes at.them." What the effe.

This exchange has taken enough work already, I don't need anything else to complicate it. I hope the rest of the exchange is absolute cake compared to this...famous last words, right? ai ai ai.

Because thinking of Portugal, no matter how wistfully, does fill me with some joy, I should mention the positive things:
-I got a lot of my host family gifts yesterday
-I've got my prescriptions for medication for the year taken care of
-I found out that there is an H&M store in Montijo, which is in the same municipality I'm in...I'm so excited about that, even though my mother keeps reminding me "YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T JUST SHOP AND SHOP AND SHOP." which I am fully aware of, and besides, things are less appealing to me when they're not on sale. Whatever, she's a mother, and for the most part she's been seeming very excited about my exchange recently.

Buddha, Thor, Flying Spaghetti Monster, St. Anthony (he's Portuguese, right?) and all the rest:

PLEASE let my visa be ready soon (=with plenty of time to allow me to go with my group). I'll have to go to Boston to pick it up, but that will be much easier now that I've already been there with Clare.

I'm so anxious right now that I can't even handle it.

Some stupid law changed on August 1, now visas are taking longer to go through.

and there are other complications.

so annoying.

if i don't get it in time, i'll have to pick it up in Spain, because it has to be picked up outside of Portugal.

at least Paulo at the consulate general gave me my passport back.

yep, it's pointless, but:

29 days until I leave Maine for NYC
30 days until I leave NYC for Frankfurt
31 days until I arrive in Lisboa from Frankfurt

...there's so much to do, but it still seems like way too long...

BUT I'm trying to enjoy my time here, and hopefully I'll get to say all of my goodbyes (though I'd be going to college anyway, so it's not that big a deal...I'll miss my extended family at Christmas though, that's for sure), because I know from other exchangers that this time is as "magical" and important to the exchange as the time spent abroad.

Still. It's also the time when it's very natural to be DYING TO LEAVE ALREADY.

I can't wait til I don't have to work...I love the book shop, but our summer customers are atrocious most of the time, and they kill my mood.

Portugal, please hurry!

hahaha. that's such an odd, oxymoronic statement...what first drew me to Portugal was the laid-back sense of time.

(and my mother bought our ME--> NYC plane tickets yesterday)

(more about my family)

My host Dad, Henrique, is a Master Sergeant in the Portuguese Air Force.
My host Mom, Cândida, is a "Decoration Store Manager"
My host sister will be starting university this year but she lives at home
My host brother, Cláudio, will go to the same school as me.


My school is called Escola Secundária Poeta Joaquim Serra (Poet Joaquim Serra High School), and I will be in a track called the Course of Social Action in the 11th grade. It's a track that includes some theater, so that's why my host family got me into it. I may try to get into a Visual Arts course instead, so I can be with 12th graders, but it does sound like a neat school.

My host family lives 20 km from Lisbon, so it'll be very easy to get there, and I'm so excited. 

Well this has been a choppy post, but anyway, if you have any questions, just ask!

Beijinhos!

~Chelsea

I have a host family! I have an 18 year old sister, a 15 year old brother, a mom, a dad, and a dog and a cat. and some fish.

all i know is that they live near Lisboa. my host sister, Ana Filipa, e-mailed me yesterday and I just got it today and she sent pictures and i'm crazy-excited.

that's all for now. just a mini-post for a HUGE update. :)

I am very likely going to Portugal next year with ASSE/Multiway exchange organizations. It will be a gap year for me, as I just graduated from high school, but I will attend high school in Portugal. There are always uncertainties, not from the organization but from myself and from my family, but I think I will be going.

If it all works out, I will be leaving on September 13 from JFK airport in NYC, but I'll probably leave Maine a day or so before that (not two days though) to spend some time in the city.

Anyway, that's where it all stands now, I'm waiting for a host family and a host city/school, all of that, and I'm still waiting on my passport, but they say it's still early, so I guess it is.

 

I get the question "Why Portugal?" a lot.

 

Here are some reasons.

The first thing that caught my eye: They pay little attention to time/punctuality, and instead focus on people and relationships. They seem to be very warm people.

 

Portugal seem to be fairly reasonable for a semi-vegetarian, which I am--I don't eat mammals, basically.

The climate seems warm but not excessively so. The language is beautiful and close to Spanish, so it's not much of a stretch for me to learn. It's a European country that uses the Euro but it's still pretty cheap for Americans. Portugal is fun to say. Portuguese is a widely spoken language, also, spoken by more people than speak French. There are so many more reasons, but basically, I've just become obsessed with the Portuguese culture with my minimal knowledge of it and it sounds like an amazing place to go, with traditional culture and modern life, and European but fairly ignored by travelers and exchangers. I think that sums it up. Any questions, just ask.