Settling in

After being in Lisbon for five weeks, I can now say that I no longer feel like a glorified tourist, exploring the city and culture for a while longer than the average outsider. My days are not filled with sightseeing, but instead with classes, readings at coffeeshops, and spending time with new friends. I know where to find the cheapest high-quality expressos, I use my memory instead of GoogleMaps to get to my classes, and I can even tell you which buses to avoid if you want to get home with a semblance of personal space. I know which grocery stores to go on days when I need a piece of home, and, unfortunately, I’m well-acquainted with the Apple repair system in Lisbon after my laptop stopping working completely during the second week of classes. I am no longer a visitor; I am a resident.

That’s not to say I know everything about the city or its people– I have barely scratched the surface there, and I still have so much to learn– but I finally feel like I’ve settled in.

Starting classes has definitely helped with that process, adding structure to my day and reminding me that I’m still a student, even if I’m on a different continent. Studying here, however, is definitely very different than at UMass. For one, the program that I am in here, Study in Portugal Network, allows us to take classes at four universities: University of Lisbon, Portuguese Catholic University, Nova University, and ISCTE. (That’s not how a typical Portuguese university works– just my program.) Personally, I take five classes at three universities on four different campuses. So yeah, it’s a bit confusing at first.

But in addition to putting my navigation skills to the test, the education system in Lisbon is going to require me to be organized with my time. In the United States, most of my classes have assignments and readings over the course of the semester, with culminating exams and projects at the middle and end of the semester. Here, I have to do readings so that I can participate in class, but aside from my Portuguese language class, I do not really have many small assignments. To make up for that, however, I have already been assigned 125 pages worth of writing for the end of the semester. So unlike at home, I will not be able to leave my big papers to the last few weeks of school and, instead, need to start writing really soon. Honestly, I still haven’t really figured out how I’m going to get everything done, but I’m going to try to make a plan and stick with it so I’m not entirely overwhelmed when December arrives.

On the bright side, the lack of short-term assignments has given me more flexibility to travel. Two weeks ago, for instance, I was able to go north to the cities of Aljubarrota, Arouca, and Porto with my program. In Aljubarrota, we learned about the famous battle in which the vastly outnumbered Portuguese army fought off the Castilians, in Arouca, we did an eight kilometer hike at the Passadiços do Paiva, and in Porto, we explored the city with a local guide.

The beautiful views in Arouca made it well-worth the four hour hike.

Every Portuguese city that I’ve visited is breathtaking, and Porto was no exception. On the left is a partial view from the Luiz I Bridge. On the left, my new friends and I have our backs to the river and the neighboring city of Gaia.

Then, last weekend, I went to the town of Óbidos with my visiting host family to go to a birthday party for their family friends. It was a great way for me to meet new people, practice my Portuguese, eat an abundant amount of delicious foods, and simply see a new place. Óbidos is a medieval villa with completely different architecture than I had been exposed to in other cities here and the view from the mountain top was incredible. The streets were also filled with performers, making the walk around the town even more entertaining. This was also the first time I was able to spend a full day with my host family and I really enjoyed getting to know them and appreciated them showing me around and being flexible with switching back and forth between Portuguese and English for my sake.

It is thanks to people like them that Lisbon now is starting to feel like a home to me, and I cannot thank them enough. This first month has been incredible and I can’t wait to see what the next three months have in store!

Here is the medieval Castle of Óbidos, which has been controlled by the Romans, the Moors, and the Portuguese, all contributing to its unique architecture.