I know I haven’t wrote in a while I apologize. It seems I do so much thinking in my head that I forget to express it on paper (well blog form) There so much I want to share I just get overwhelmed even thinking about it. A brief synopsis of the event that happen last week when I thought I would be homeless:
So when I arrived in Portugal I was arranged to stay in a residence hall call Teodoro. The first week it was just me on the first floor with no roommate, it was great. I began to meet new people that lived in the baixo=basement and these people would stay in the baixo for a few days or weeks and then find an apartment and leave. Or they would return to their home country. I met people from Australia, Italia, Brazil, Angola, and Spain. Well the following week after recieveing a room mate and getting to know her I was told I had to move in the baixo. Well let me tell you about the baixo. It is very dirty and no one cleans up because people are constantly coming and going. The bathrooms have tons of hair everywhere, trash is overflowing and it smells(because here in Portugal the sewage isn’t great so you have to through the toilet paper in the trash). There are ants that rule the kitchen everyday. Once I found out I moved downstairs I double checked with my program director Ana Paula and she told me this is correct because I am a mobility student(mobility and ERMUS-students from Europe) have to live down there. I explained to her that it was very dirty and I didn’t want to move. She told me there was nothing she could do because she doesn’t work for the residence halls(I know that) and that I should look for an apartment. Yeah she is very helpful. I barely see this woman, I think there shouldn’t even be a program director if they are not helping you. I mean help besides the financial parts and helping me with class (which she didn’t cause she was out of town). I don’t know, but it makes me want to start my own program or be a program director for a university or school because I know first hand what the students needs are. It’s hard to move to a completely different country and just JUMP right into a new culture. A person has many concerns and questions, but it’s hard to express to a program director if they appear not to care. But hey not everyone in the world wants to be your friend, and we all learn that. Easy or hard way. Back to the story, I moved to basement and then I started looking for an apartments. SUPER HARD TO LOOK FOR APARTMENTS. I mean signs are everywhere but I get so nervous and I worry about how I am speaking Portuguese on the phone. I seen a few rooms but they were not right for me or to expensive. A friend from brazil who just moved to Portugal for school as well asked me did I want to move in with her? I told her I’m only her for 6 months and she expressed that’s alright. Well the two problems were her house was far and expensive. But on the flip side it was super clean, nice, big, and I would have my own room. The best part was the bathroom, it was brand new and ha not only a shower but also bath tub. So after thinking about it I decided I would rather spend more money to live with people I know kind of well then move into a place with complete strangers. So I moved in and gave my keys to the old residence person. After putting all my clothes away and making my bed I began to put up pictures and make it feel more like home. Well to my surprise the next day the lady who invited me to live with her and her other roommate came to my door and told me they wanted to talk to me. Well, it was early in the morning and I hadn’t woke up yet, so after getting myself together I listened to what they had to say. They told me that it would be better for them if I found another place to stay because they are staying in Coimbra for 2 years. I was shocked! I just moved in and you want me to leave?? What kind of stuff is that? I was confused and kept asking them why? Like what do you mean? You knew I was only going to be in Coimbra for 6 months, what’s the big deal? Then they said “It may be hard to find someone to move in after you leave.” Yeah ok. Well after that I packed all my stuff and bounced. Left my key on the table and say tchau=bye. I took a cab back to the residence that I just left. The lady was surprised and I tried to explain to her the situation. I was so upset that I couldn’t even think straight. I asked my friend Natalia to help me explain the situation in Portuguese. The lady told me that because I gave her my keys I lost my spot in the residence hall and I would have to find somewhere else. Well where was I going to go now? Ugg man I was super stress and worried. I think because of this situation and the fact that I was already overwhelmed about everything in Coimbra and I just broke down (a little bit, I’m alright now). I sat down in silence for like half an hour trying to figure out something. My friend suggested that I should see the head lady of the residence halls, so we walked to her office. We had to wait because they were on lunch break. So after want felt like forever she came to her office and opened her office with open arms. She was so warm and nice, I felt really calm talking to her. After explaining the situation she was concerned and wanted to help me. She said that she could find another room in the baixo for me or I could move into Polo III. My friend told me that I would love Polo III and that it was very clean and nice. Its father than Teodoro but its alright. So just like that I became happy, I gathered all my things and moved into Polo III after I left her office. She told me if ever I needed anything even to talk that I could come to her office, I felt sincerity in her voice and I told her thanks and I would visit her. Polo III is really nice residence hall. Its like 5-6 min by bus and 10-15 by foot, but its perfect to me because its super clean! Everything is white in the inside, I mean except the kitchen and the commons areas(like harry potter) have beautiful bright colors. The kitchen is a bright green which always puts a smile in my face. I currently don’t have a roommate (cross my fingers it stays that way) and I have meet nothing but nice people. Vanessa and Felippe have been really kind to me, we have lunch and dinner together often. They are both from brazil, Vanessa is here for 6 months and Felippe is here for 2 years( I told him good luck, but he likes it here so he shouldn’t have any problems). Vanessa is a great cook! She cooks the most flavorful foods I have ever had, we had this pasta with cheese and spinach and she made the tomato sauce from scratch, ummm.. man almost better than my mommas food..lol not.
Well, things are good now! Classes started October 11 and already got my head spinning. I have a packet of homework and a test next week! I think I’m going to bring my cell phone and use the voice recorded for my terra Portuguese course which is Portuguese geography. I really enjoyed the class, its an intermediate class and my other classes are elementary, but within elementary there are 3 levels and I’m in 3 ;) I have Portuguese language, conversation, composition, laboratory, and Portuguese geography. However the laboratory class I don’t received credit for at UW Madison so that’s why I am taking the Portuguese Geography course. So the laboratory class is optional although my program person told me is a great class that I should take. It’s a class were you learn the sounding of each of the letters and how to speak “proper Portuguese.” I put it in quotes because what I am learning here is kind of opposite of what I learned in school and in Brazil. The Portuguese speak with there mouth fechado=closed and the Brazilian aberto=open. Its easy for me to have a conversation with a Brazilian and understand then Portuguese people. I don’t have to many Portuguese friends here to even practice understanding, and my professor’s speak slowly and clearly so I have no problem hearing them. I must admit I am counting the days I am in Brazil, but of course I am taking FULL advantage of my education here in Coimbra because it’s a great university with lots of HISTORY. Like the harry potters that walk around every day..lol ps. cant wait till November a new harry potter movie comes out!
I'm serious, there just missing wands. lol
Excuses me have you seen harry around?
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