Aveiro - The Venice of Portugal

Estação de Caminhos-de-Ferro (Old Aveiro train station)

This weekend I am without my "Terrible Twos" Amalia and Alex (just kidding they are great) because they are visiting Barcelona. I was thinking of going with them, but flights just got to be too expensive as did the flights for France (one of my other possible options for this weekend). So, what did I do? Went to a random city: The city of Aveiro.

We have a few maps in our kitchen - of the world and of Portugal alone. After class Friday afternoon I came home and looked at the map, saw the city Aveiro and googled it. Aveiro is in between Coimbra and Porto and the ria de Aveiro is around the city. So this morning I woke up, got dressed, packed myself a chorizo sandwich and headed to the train station.

Igreja da Misericórdia

When I first arrived in Aveiro I asked for information on returning trains as well as a map of the city. The times on the internet aren't always the most reliable, and I didn't have time to write down any information about the city the night before because my internet was down. The train station didn't have anything - I mean, why should I expect them to have a schedule of the outgoing trains right? However, I stepped into a little newspaper / magazine kiosque that had some free packets for tourists. And that's what I was right? A tourist for the day. I ordered my galão like a non-tourist but then blew my cover by opening up the map that was filled with pictures of the top things to see in Aveiro. After this I set off onto the main street - Avenida Doutor Lourenço Peixinho.

It was super nice weather - around 70 degrees - and everything reminded me so much of a mix between Malibu, California and San Francisco. It was super strange to be reminded of home in such a random city, but comforting at the same time. I didn't see everything the tourist map suggested because honestly that was not the point of this trip for me. I enjoy being surprised, taking pictures of what I feel is interesting and taking in what's around me (not exactly going to search for it on a map). I saw the town hall, the Igreja de Misericórdia, Theatro Aveirense, Assembleia Municipal, The old train station, a gorgeous park Rossio close to the Central Canal.

"Do you see the Venice in me?"

Aveiro is called the "Venice of Portugal" because of the canal that runs through the city. Gondolas crowd the river, taking on tourists who want this Portuguese Italian experience. The city is by no way flooded, but I suppose it has it's own type of venetian charm - I'll let you know if I ever make it to Venice. Gosh, I don't travel anywhere... ;)

So I must confess that I did not only do sight-seeing and accidentally take pictures without knowing the black and white setting was on. I also did some shopping and took another galão break. All in all it was a great day. I rushed home, took a shower, and ate before heading to a church here in Coimbra with my friend Felipe. It is literally right down the street from my apartment. Even though I pass it everyday, I had never noticed it until I went tonight. The church is small, but everyone was super welcoming. Most of the people there are Brazilians so songs were a bit difficult to sing at first because 1 - it's in Portuguese, and 2 - it's in Brazilian Portuguese, but I think I'll be going back again.

At the beginning of my day and at the end as I was on the train home watching the sunset I started to think "Life here in Portugal might not be so terrible".

Abraço,
Tatiana

Março Madness

It's about time I update this again, and since I seem to have some extra time today right now seemed about right. 

At least I didn't have to walk up these to go to "class"
 this morning because of the location of our new apartment

Today I woke up an hour after my alarm to get to class. No worries, I wasn't late, but it wouldn't have even mattered because class was canceled. Whoops, thanks for the warning! :) This event just seemed to be yet another example of my life here in Portugal. As I've told my mom, you just have to laugh, but sometimes it's crazy to think of how things just don't right. I think that I'm going to have a nice surprise when I go back to the US because simple things like being able to make your coffee in the morning will be seen à la fois easy et as a gift. 

My time thus far here in Coimbra has been pretty fun, but very different. My roommates and the only other two girls in the program from Madison have had fun in our new apartment making dinner or just chorizo and butter sandwiches. We have mastered getting groceries from the store to our apartment, but the rest of Portugal seems to stil be a bit of a challenge. Like I said, you have to laugh... a lot. At the fact that stores are closed or if they are open, unable to do function, that the machine eats your bank card, that our mail goes to some unknown location, that there is no gas for our stove at the moment, that we have to pay for the residence hall even though we're not living there, and that our classes are often canceled. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. I don't wan tot be perceived as that American studying abroad that will only complain about the "cultural differences" rather than embracing them. I do love Portugal in the way Portugal should be loved. It is a wonderful old country with stone roads and lots of history. Yes, there are tourists, but not as many flocking the streets like in Paris, and for the most part, people are super friendly. Also, the galão is one of my best friends - be sure to try it but not to spill it all over your lap and then drop the glass on the stone ground. Don't want to stain the stones ;)

We just had a few vacation days for Carnaval. I decided to go to Paris to finally get my visa so I could study here. The plan was to pick up my visa in Paris and then when I arrived back in Coimbra, register to get my temporary resident card which would allow me to be here until August. Even though the visa woman never contacted me back for a meeting and was not there when I arrived, I figured I had nothing to lose and I needed to get my visa, which apparently was ready. Someone else, Eduardo Santos (who also studied in Coimbra figure toi), took my passport and put in my visa. Great, right?! They only problem? Wrong type of visa. I was so close! Laugh. I received a temporary stay visa instead of a resident visa. Long story short: after talking to the person helping me with all of this in Coimbra I am not getting a temporary resident card, might have to leave Portugal by June 5, and for the moment don't have to pay anything. It was a bit frustrating but it's part of life I suppose. The good thing: I am even more determined to receive my Portuguese nationality / citizenship through my dad and so I am actively researching and looking at the possibilities. 

I thought today would be a good time to blog because I have just been thinking a lot about my study abroad experiences as a whole. It's normal to compare last semester to this one, discovering the different benefits and overall differences betweens these two European countries. Like I mentioned, I love Portugal for reasons I didn't love Paris, and now I'll say equally that I love Paris for things that I don't enjoy about Portugal. It is the case everywhere, advantages and disadvantages, but it's okay. People are often more warm and welcoming in Coimbra than in Paris (not always, in general) and they are probably canceling class or closing stores early for a good cause, like a coffee or galao break for example. At least that means I get to take those breaks, too. And in Paris, well the classes and requirements of the program just seemed a bit more rigorous. In Coimbra, it’s almost like to you to challenge yourself. Immersion isn’t as easy - we are surrounded by other exchange students and often are used to speaking English. We have to actively make the choice to be immersed. So far I’ve been immersed to the administration system ;), but now it’s time to focus more on the language learning.

Those have been my thoughts lately. I am currently working on Portuguese homework and looking for summer internships in Europe and back home. It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Europe for over 8 months. 8 months. I’ve definitely learned more than languages, and in all I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve gained a better idea of what I want to do with my studies and of how I’d like to live my life, and just waiting of what will happen next. 

In other news... Here are some pictures of what's I've been seeing lately:

Took a trip to the Conímbriga ruins: Thermal baths

 In front of the Cathedral in Rouen.

Picture of kitchen in our new apartment. She's a looker, huh?