whew!

Okay. Iºm here. The keyboard is different here on the Portugese computers so there might be some new and interesting symbols to show up in my upcoming blogs.

The travel day was both smooth and long. My bag was overweight (56lbs) but the kind woman just told me to take something out and sheºd look the other way. I was awake for what felt like 2 days, travelling for 25 hours plus a few hours of preparation and settling in on opposite ends of departing and arriving.

Portugese is not like Spanish, not like Italian, not like French, certainly different from English. I canºt seem to understand it in writing nor speaking. Alas, itºs only day 2 ~ Iºll give myself a little more time. Iºve brought my uptight, rigid, and controlling ways with me. As such, Iºm running up against my tendencies to take over, organize, and make things more efficient. Both the culture and the program itself are dialed differently ~ less concerned with things being on time, smooth, productive, effective, and intense. Did you know that they actually take a 2 hour break in the middle of the freaking day in parts of the world!? Unbelieveable.

In case my making fun of myself is too subtle, I am finding myself shaking my head and laughing at me and how driven I am for things to be efficient, organized, planned, orchestrated and executed. Case in point, the flight from Boston to Heathrow was on time. My flight from Heathrow to Lisbon left early. My 30 minute flight from Lisbon to Faro (1/2 hour flight) was an hour late. FYI ~ my new favourite airline is definitely British Airways - generous, efficient, polite, and on-time. I find myself looking around me and coming up with all sorts of ways that life as it is could be improved. Brilliant! Wherever you go, there you are.

There are 12 of us in the 3 month course. Seems to be equal males and females ranging in age from 19 to 60 years. While it appears I might be in the mathematical middle of ages, Iºm likely in the top 10 percentile. The group seems great. Again, kind, open, enthusiastic, energetic. Maybe Iºm already setting myself out as the grumpy old woman who likes to intimidate others into their acquiescence.

The land is beautiful. The sea is breathtaking. The oranges are mindblowing! I know outside of class and study, I will spend a great deal of time walking and exploring the coastline, in and out of the water. Iºm still a bit overwhelmed, at times wondering what Iºve got myself into. Iºm still a little travel-lagged and tired and disoriented. Ultimately, I know Iºm in the right place and that Iºll find my feet before too long (and my hands!).

hope youºre well, my love to you.