Let's put our hands together...

Tired of goodbyes.

First the people that I loved here, then my bike, now my room and later the city…

It’s impossible not to have flashes of this year in your mind…
It’s impossible to contain the tears…
It’s ending, and althought I really wanna go home, … it hurts…

Onvermijdelijk…

They say it’s a good sign…

2 - 1 = 1

Malaka was with me from the very first beginning…

The differences between us always existed but they were never a barrier for us to share, learn and laugh. To share is one of the most important verbs of this journey… and I shared a lot with mijn Malaka.

Impossible to forget all the stress and laughs just before the presentations when we, once again, could realize we were 100% Portuguese – everybody was already done while we were just starting the report… I remember a special night when we finished the power point presentation at 7 a.m. and we couldn’t help ourselves but laughing preparing the oral presentation over the knee (Portuguese expression :P) with over the top ideas.

But this was the stupidest and non-representative moment that I remembered now – I confess I’m a bit tired tonight, but a lot of changes had happened around here and I'm starting to do the final assessment of this year in Belgium – but Malaka voor me is way more than that...

Deliiiicious vegetarian meals, relaxing moments staring at Sint Baffs, electronic music, things that only him isn't chocked with, weather depressions, coffee and cigarrettes, parties and parties - og my God, I think I will reallly need to join you in Lisbon ;) - 8 languages, teka teka teka teka, laughs and stress, creativity Polaroid's, Gent, Graslei and the park, free dances with freaky faces that only he can do... f*ck malaka, it was amazingly cool and productive (!) to have you as one of the most important pieces of this puzzle! f*ck malaka...

We didn’t even have the change to say goodbye... our “last night” was one of those nights during Gentse Feesten where we were finding and losing everybody all the time... misschien is beter zoals dis...
... and anyhoee, I can already imagine myself listening to your complains about ISCSP while drinking a Portuguese coffee and remembering the old good times in Belgium... :)

[The “Portuguese Gento” was completely dismantled… but a lot of different joyful moments come to my mind now I think you’re not here anymore… The late evening dinners and the conversations until dawn are definitely kept in a special place… Few things here could top those moments… It was really important for me to have you in my integration and discovering period here in Gent… ah… nostálgia... besuntamo-nos quando?:)]

Flashback VIII

Acreditas no país das maravilhas?
Ao que ele responde prontamente - Não... só com pastilhas.
[Risos, montes deles]

Do you believe in dreamland?
And he immediately answers - No... only with pills.
[Laughs, lots of them]

Ok, in English isn't that fun because the words don't rime...

Malakas lines on November 6th, 2007.

Zonder haat straat was just stuck to my window… This is still mijn kamer… Even that just for two nights more… This is still mijn kamer…

Epah...

Chegar a casa enquanto o sol nasce, checkar o mail porque o pc ficou ligado e constatar que tenho 4 pequenos mails de 4 grandes amores... haverá lá algum final de "noite" mais perfeito... :)

Cada vez mais perto.

Eventually... Gentse Feesten! :)

Back in my beloved city tomorrow! :)

“I can’t wait for the weekend to begin…I can’t wait…"
After 10 months hearing about it ALL-THE-F*CKIN’-TIME, I will finally be there!!!
So, don't think I'm dead if you don't hear about me for a while... ;)

They say that I will love Gent even more… but I think that’s a hell of a job!

June 13th, 2007

We already knew that after this year our lives wouldn’t be the same…
But we couldn’t suspect that we could apply the same to our bodies… ;)
Maar ja… WHYYY NOOOOOT??? ;)

[Portuuugal missing you all…]

There are few things better than a child's smile...

Gelukkige Verjaardag schattig Nona! :)
7 kusjes van Ana voor jou!

Flashback VII

Once – not that long ago actually - I had a blue envelope from Portugal standing on our mailing spot.

I decided to open it just after the presentation I had in that day (which was the last by the way:)), as a “reward” I thought…

I was speechless when I found a white empty sheet of paper folded in three with a patch inside it…

I still am… that’s why I haven’t been able to reply back…

Fruity day

Today I went together with Nona, her cousins, Granny and aunts, to catch blueberries in a Belgium field! It was so amazing that after 2 hours I thought we had only been there for half an hour! It was the first time I did it and I had a really relaxed and fruity time!

Melon, apple, blueberries, red berries, mango, peach, strawberries, kiwi,... - and some other I cannot really remember because they were mixed on the rich fruit salad I had for dessert! - I ate them all! ;)

[I’m still working on “The Belgium family way of living”… discovering their values, their attitudes towards the members… and I'm just loving it! How can people be so similar but so different…]

When you think you know Gent as the palm of your hand (strictly translation :P) you discover a painting on a wall that you passed through endless times.

Belgium at its best!!!

When you are abroad, you seldom know what is happening somewhere else but in the city you are in. I’m even worse. Although I’m studying Communication sciences I’m ashamed to say that a lot of important facts/information pass by me as waste passes by rich people.

For that reason I created a quick easy link to one of the prestigious Portuguese newspapers on my homepage. Nevertheless, it didn’t work out, so I barely know what is happening in my own country…

The day before yesterday (when I started writing this post :P) I checked it out though… and I was surprised when I discover there were 7 NEW WONDERS of the world!!! And the winners were announced in Lisbon!!! Allez…

Inspired by these, several list of 7 wonders were created here and there, so I challenged myself to create the 7 wonders of Belgium, or should I say Flanders? [If blackle ;) made you stumble upon this website please notice that this in not an official list, but just the perspective of a Portuguese girl that did – oh my god… already using the past tense… - eramus in Gent, Flanders, Belgium].

After a hard period of discussion and deliberation with myself, I’m glad to introduce you the 7 wonders of Belgium/Flanders! =) (random order)

1| Chocolates

2| Waffles

3| Beers

4| Cafés’ Culture

5| Bikes Lifestyle

6| Brugge7| Graslei (not surprisingly hein?)

Let's blackle!

http://www.blackle.com/
Wanna know why?

C'mon... it doesn't cost anything... and it saves energy... Geen excuses!

Flashback VI

Once, me, Rui and our beloved French friends were sitting around my unsteady kitchen table.

It was the “studying period” and everybody was busy with the last projects. Still, we just couldn’t miss the opportunity to be together… MoCoMa was almost ending… and as Nico said that day: “you will not miss that fucking works but your fucking new friends”… and so, we acted according to our beliefs.

After dinner I took my guitar and I we tried to perform “Mon Coeur, Mon Amour” from Anais! Of courseeeeeeeeeee :)
We were following with our eyes the lyrics on my laptop’s screen, the three of us tried to accompany the guitar cords - at least until Yves interrupted us, because he was trying to study... Sorrrry YVES!!! Malaka stood there. I think he sang the refrains with us… :P

I kept that moment… I took a “picture” with my memory camera without letting you know… :)

I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy those kind of simple daily things with you… so I lived it as if it was the last time… just in case…

Mon couer, mon amour, mon amour, mon coeur! :)
One day, I promise you, I will know the lyrics by hard, and as I will speak fluently French, mon accent sera parfait! :P

Bisous a tout!

Last stops| Now and then: Brussels, Terneuzen, Bruges, Oostende and Antwerp

They say Belgium is the centre of Europe but even those who are bad at geography know, without taking a look at the map, that isn’t true – Polish people win once again ;)

Anyhoe, Belgium became more and more important in the economic and politic map due to the fact of being the country where the majority of the European Union Institutions are settled.

And why was Belgium “chosen” for that? Well, there are a few reasons that support the choice. When EU gave its first steps back in the year of 1950, Belgium was actually in a good geographical position. The countries that were joining the “EU” at that stage, the borders with three of the strongest economies in Europe (The Nederlands, Germany and France) and also the proximity to UK lead me to that conclusion.
The other main reason is related to the fact that Belgium is this small country with 3 official languages that “divide” the country in 3 parts – apart from Brussels which is the 4^th part for being officially neutral and at the same time the capital – 7 parliaments and 6 governments – don’t ask me to explain, not even Belgians do! – and a lot of differences and gaps emerge because of the political, economic and cultural mess. But in the end, Belgium manages to work it out things, and for that, it's a good example of "unity in diversity" - by the way, it's EU's motto! ;)

We, as Erasmus students benefit from both reasons, but mainly, we noticed that the second one is more relevant in our lifestyle. Everything is just on the corner!

Although we didn’t have as much time as we thought we would, we travelled a lot, and not everybody can say that he/she is going to the Nederlands just for a coffee(…).

In the last month I manage to go to Brussels, Terneuzen (The Nederlands), Bruges, Oostende and Antwerp…

Some words to highlight what pictures can’t. ;)

BRUSSELS – 27 minutes with the fastest train

I don’t know how many times have I been there, but not more than 10. I always remember the first time that I ventured myself in Brussels, the first time that I was actually abroad. To be honest I didn’t really liked Brussels by that time, ok, I didn’t like it at all. I think the grey part of the city meaning the buildings, the traffic, pollution and of course, the weather – c’mon, rain in August? – got all my attention and the only positive thing that I could remark by that time was the Grand place… gorgeous! “A nicely proportioned cobbled square surrounded by grand and ornate buildings”.
3 years later, I have a different perspective of the city. Ok, it still as its grey part, but I have discovered other colours more. Green. Brussels has big parks and it is not as hard at it seemed to me the first time, to sit on the grass. Besides, there are a lot of immigrants from all over the world settling down there, and one can really feel there presence around – for instance, in the two “portuguese” neighbourhoods you cannot talk Portuguese “because they won’t understand you”, and you can actually find restaurants and cafes with names such as Mirandela ou Vem beber uma bejeca (kidding:P). In fact, a quarter of the living population in Brussels is from abroad, I guess that is what makes the city one of the most friendly to foreign people. But the think that I appreciated more there is the fact that “everything is happening in Brussels!”. Is just amazing! Concerts, festivals, initiatives, one day this, another day that…Awesome!

TERNEUZEN – not even half an hour with Nico’s car

In the last week of studies, I went with Rui, Estelle and Nico to Terneuzen. For two hours we were in Dutch field (mind the difference between Dutch and Flemish!). You ain’t gonna believe me if I tell you the difference one can notice in the landscape when we cross the border – I didn’t believe Nico either… :P – but really, trust me, Belgians can be relaxed compared to Dutch people. In Belgium, houses look alike the houses one can see in the Nederlands, but the major difference is that there, everything is just perfect. Everything is too delimitated and sometimes you get the idea that nobody is leaving there. How can fields/streets be so well-treated and shiny clean? Check point. Fall on the coffee shop. Me with little high-hills and Estelle buying “cookies”… :) I really loved to be with you guys. :)

BRUGES – less than 25 minutes by train

Bruges deserves definitely the “Venice of the north” title. "The city of Bruges is like a dream, the only difference is that is real. The cobblestone streets, canals and 15th and 16th century architecture make this one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and a tourist magnet for Belgium."
I have been there twice with Portuguese friends that were missing me so much that they needed to visit me :P. It’s a lovely city, undoubtedly beautiful and good for romantic pictures :P but not much is happening there at night… unless you drink two “garres” in a row! ;)

(João, falhei contigo, eu sei! Mas um dia levo-te lá… :))

ANTWERP – 45 minutes by train

The fashion city. A huge street with shops attracts lot of tourists.
I was expecting more from the canal area but the centre is as pretty as Gent’s centre although it doesn’t have the same atmosphere… :P The cathedral is remarkable!
In Antwerp I ate for the first time in my life insects (LARVAS!), pancakes with insects!:P Mhamy! But you can barely feel the insects taste to be honest… but it’s crunchier! Mhamy! :P

OOSTENDE – 30 minutes by train

I was there in November. Wrote some words by that time. Now it was exclusively to show the north sea to Rafinha, Ti, Iza and Dominic. But it was cold and rained a lot… (you wouldn’t say that according to the hundred children on their swimming costume on the beach).

But there is still a lot more to discover: Waterloo, Westvleteren, Kortmark :), Kortrijk, “the nice” part of the coast :P and the French part (the Ardennes, Liege,… )… but for now, I will still explore my region: East-Flanders! (St Martens Latem area to be precise.)

Tot straks!

Flashback V

It's like...

We just like like. It’s hard to explain but it’s like something we can’t help ourselves. It’s like an addiction that you have. Some love chocolate, other can’t live without beers, we just like like. Once in the place – where else could it be that not in Graslei (?)… - we kind of like understand that. Kasia started with like – apparently it seems that there is like a background story behind, but we kind of like don’t care about it… And then we play this game where like you’re not supposed to say like but then you just say it without realizing it. Bla bla bla and there’s like again. It’s funny because like you don’t really realize, although you think that you’re like thinking about the fact that you can’t say like… and then you laugh.

Wablief?

This was one of my first Dutch words and I couldn’t guess how helpful it would be in my last two months here.

I got a job in St. Martens Latem (thanks to Rui, Nico, Estelle and Laura!). It’s hard to explain what I’m actually working on – I cannot get a word for it – but I will try to explain (for those who know the Aupair concept you may stop reading here).

I’m sleeping over at the nicest house where I have ever been with a lovely Belgium family. Guy is the father and Robbe and Nona the children. There are other three beautiful people that it bears to mention. Helinde is Miya’s and Indy’s mother and she works on the shop physically linked to the house. As normal people, Guy and Helinde have to work and they didn’t have anybody to look after and entertain the children, so they contact Aupair who found and hired me! :)

But the Aupair job goes behind being just a babysitter. Basically I would say that I do everything that I can to make things easier around here – but don’t think that I’m a slave, No way! This people are really nice and somehow I’m just one person that for some weeks will be sharing their daily life, not really “working” for them, at least, that’s how I feel about it.

And why wablief all the time? Well, the children are flemish, they don't speak english (on 10, 7, 6 and 4 years old kids is understandable! Even when they are flemish!:P) and mijn nederlands is niet zo goed... can you imagine? No, you just can't. Maar ja, for sure this will be a recurrent topic during the next weeks and for that I’m going to bed now – omdat de kinderen altijd vroeg opstaan ;) (because the children always wake up early) oh yeah, mijn nederlands is finally improving! I’M FORCED TO!

… but as I will have the nights of – and I cannot really go out for a long time because on the following day I need to be fresh as a lettuce (as Joana would say :P), and I’m still 30 minutes far by bike from my beloved city – I intend to write everything (?) that I didn’t have the chance to write before… Para mais tarde recordar… (Because later I will want to remember it…of zo…:P)

Ah, by the way, wablief means something like: What? Sorry? When you don’t understand something that somebody says you just release: Wablief?