"I'll never go to Portugal ever again."

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I remember saying these words in November 2009 and repeating them many times since. I also remember saying I had absolutely no desire to ever live in Europe. Never say never I guess ...

Let's back up a little bit ...

After the last entry, I went to Morocco for a couple weeks, then flew through Lisbon (my worst flight experience ever) to Boston. I spent about nine months there, worked some random jobs including a couple weeks at the Museum of Science and about five months at Northeastern University.

And then something unexpected happened. My friend Liz called me, freaking out because she was leaving in two weeks for Portugal to get an MBA. She asked (what I thought was rhetorically) if I would go with her. I said that due to my first and only experience in Lisbon that I hated Portugal, the Portuguese, especially their language and had no intention of ever going back to that country, but yeah, I think I would go.

Two weeks later I found myself on a plane.

So I've been living in Porto for the past four months! Unexpected, to say the least, but wonderful. Business school is a bit of a change of pace, but there are some amazing people here that make it all very enjoyable.

In Guinea, and for a long time afterward, I was sort of ... broken. Part of me still is. That country took a lot out of me. I like that it's changed me, but the nightmares that accompany the change aren't always that fun. I have to thank all my friends in Boston for being patient with me while I was recovering. I'm not 100%!y(MISSING)et, but for the first time in my life, people describe me as "the smiling one." Estás sempre sorrindo!

There will be more on my new found appreciation for Portugal later. In the meantime, enjoy a couple pictures.

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Photos

Avenida da Boavista
Liz & her Dad walking out from Casa da Música, Porto

Birthday Dinner
All my classmates gathered for for Indian food and my birthday in Campanha, Porto

Comments

[z]

CAME ACROSS YOUR BLOG & I FOUND IT VERY SURPRISING THAT YOU DIDN'T LIKE PORTUGAL OR ITS PEOPLE. CAN YOU PLEASE DIVULGE WHAT WAS IT YOU DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE & LANGUAGE SINCE I'M CONSIDERING TRAVELLING THERE SOON.

[Skyfire24x]

Liking Portugal
I had a bad experience in the Libson airport and decided to judge the entire country on those 24 hours. Obviously this was more or less a joke though as less than a year later I made the decision to move to Portugal. The title of the post was meant to be ironic. I have been here for almost six months now and I have nothing but praise for the the Portuguese and their country. Everyone here has been beyond nice and welcoming. It is easy to get around, even if you don't speak the language, you can find some amazing food, and compared to the rest of Western Europe, it's really cheap. I highly recommend making Portugal part of your upcoming travel plans. You won't be disappointed.