I have really enjoyed my stay in Portugal and most of all the people. Those who I have had the privilege to interact with in Portugal have been some of the most kind, patient, and caring people I know. I have been attending a church here and was invited to one of the family's home for a house warming. I was very excited to fellowship with them and try to home-cooked Portuguese food. The food was delicious. We had roasted beef, rice and beans, and potatoes in a tomato sauce. Here are some photos:
Also, I spent a lot of time with the children during the housewarming.
They had me sit down and watch Tico e Teco (Chip & Dale for all of those who remember watching). It was in Portuguese so I did not understand it but I remembered every episode they had me watch because my brother, sister, and I used to watch the show together. They had a particular episode they really loved and I vividly remember my siblings and I having it on replay because it was so funny to us. I just thought it was interesting that a new generation of children across the Atlantic, in a different culture, are still watching the same cartoons, laughing at the exact same thing ("Apple core, Baltimore, who's your friend? Me"), and put the same episodes on repeat. In fact, I wanted to tell the kids that I used to watch it when I was a child. The children and I communicate with nonverbal gestures, some odd form of broken Portuguese on my part, and with the English words they pick up from school or their father. In my attempt to tell them that I watched it as a kid, apparently I said my children watch it. I got some odd looks, like, well where are your kids then? :)
As I mentioned earlier, everyone in Portugal has been so kind and welcoming and I feel this the most from the children I have interacted with, whether in my personal life or during site visits. One little girl, who is 7, has been an absolute joy. She is so smart, so kind, always willing to help, and always has a smile on her face. She even teaches me Portuguese and corrects my pronunciation. My heart jumps every time she calls me, " Shahnohn vem aqui!" It's the little things like this that remind me of why I want to work with children and continue to advocate for them!
Also, I spent a lot of time with the children during the housewarming.
They had me sit down and watch Tico e Teco (Chip & Dale for all of those who remember watching). It was in Portuguese so I did not understand it but I remembered every episode they had me watch because my brother, sister, and I used to watch the show together. They had a particular episode they really loved and I vividly remember my siblings and I having it on replay because it was so funny to us. I just thought it was interesting that a new generation of children across the Atlantic, in a different culture, are still watching the same cartoons, laughing at the exact same thing ("Apple core, Baltimore, who's your friend? Me"), and put the same episodes on repeat. In fact, I wanted to tell the kids that I used to watch it when I was a child. The children and I communicate with nonverbal gestures, some odd form of broken Portuguese on my part, and with the English words they pick up from school or their father. In my attempt to tell them that I watched it as a kid, apparently I said my children watch it. I got some odd looks, like, well where are your kids then? :)
As I mentioned earlier, everyone in Portugal has been so kind and welcoming and I feel this the most from the children I have interacted with, whether in my personal life or during site visits. One little girl, who is 7, has been an absolute joy. She is so smart, so kind, always willing to help, and always has a smile on her face. She even teaches me Portuguese and corrects my pronunciation. My heart jumps every time she calls me, " Shahnohn vem aqui!" It's the little things like this that remind me of why I want to work with children and continue to advocate for them!
 |
| She made this for me when I came to visit |
No comments:
Post a Comment