Minha Gent(e) !

2007-09-10T05:17:00.000+02:00

It’s just weird. Ambiguous thoughts come to my mind. One year in a photo flash.

Gent. Minha Gent(e). Frenetic bikes. 297 different cosy cafes to go within the ring. Electronic music. What a hell of a city!!! Getting around. Adventure. Clã do Gento. Abu Simbel. Stripes and circles. Electronic for sure with Malaka! Duvel and his companions. Dutch language course. Ik ben moe! Food. Smoking instead of sleeping. Azul and qfwfq...(long time no see… but I kept remembering you). Loads and loads of work. Too much for Erasmus students… but guess what… this is Belgium!!! I can do it. Wake me up. Meeting floor. Sharing little things. Do you have an egg? Wanna join me for diner? Crazy Rebecca crazy… Only we know… Jilly, thank you for embracing me. Steven... I just hope you can find your way… I will be crossing my fingers. Wablief??? Getting lost. Going out, getting in. For a coffee, for a tea, for some papers, for an endless talk. MoCoMa fellows… I wish I would have just told you how life was so much beautiful when you were here. Kasia, everything was so damn “awesome” when you were around :) Kamila, I’m sorry, you’re not as tough as you thing, and you do have a pretty smile…, Nico, Nico… “Hablar portugues e como hablar castelano pero com a boca serrada!” :P we really fit hein? I hope I will still gonna make it… Paris avec toi! Estelle… what a surprise… I still feel ashamed it was so damn late when I really got to know the real you… what a hell of a smile you have… Laurita mona fofa! Come what may in Overpoort. Some did hear, some did laugh about it… we just didn’t care… It was our moment… and het spijt me but we were good! Without any practice or any agreement we just performed it as Nicole and Ewan would do! :P International dinner II. Geo, my lady… can you please tell me the word in English I cannot find to describe you? What wonderful chats we had… Hitch-hiking all the way. Martita, no words for you… I’m just looking forward to see you in your damn gorgeous white suit! :P Oh kouter 17… I wish we could all gather there while rushing from our schools to our homes. Tight hugs. More than 70 beers tasted. Graslei… there are few places on Earth as my Graslei… No matter what they say… for us nothing can beat it... we will always meet in the other side... you know why!;) International talks. Spaghetti with something. Manage! Definitely!!! Duvel. Like is like. Working and getting drunk in different languages. Contrast. Union. Flanders as more dialects than communities. Laptops with tea. Portugal. My dear visitors… I wouldn't be so happy without you around for some days. Gostas pouco gostas. Travels. Stevie Ray. Discovers. In the end it’s always about people. Limits aren’t always bad. Love what you do have. Wafels met chocolade during dawn… texas holder. Salsa. Languages. Compadre. Stripes and circles. Music. Crazy Gentse Feesten. No more Carapils. R&R. Fish with banana - some can do it pretty well while some were just meant to eat it! :P Bezuntai-vos! :P Mosquito Coast, Pink flamingo’s, Hot Club, Dambert, rumba Cabeza, Trapistenhuis, Geus van Gent… I wish you could be settled just around the corner. Luis “o sempre em pé”, I still laugh alone when I take a look to the videos in Boudewijn. Tic? Fries met andalouse sause a.u.b. And then Joana introduced herself - My name is Claudia! ;) Omer, the man. Cycling, cycling… Getting "found". Qual é o teu filme preferido? Mon Coeur, mon amour. Dreadlock. Jubruska or whatever you pronounce it. Karolienska’s moods. ;) One day you will give me a free will kiss. Misórdias. Chilling in parks. Maar ja... So many memories and so few words for it. Wandering around the table. In portuguese we have this expression... Bottles and glasses. Cultural differences end up with general laugh. Can you say this? Bottle cap. VOORUIT. Glass of something. “Kip pis” is finnish means txim-txim in Portuguese, Pupici means beijinhos and zmanquenixa moia curva… well… it’s polish! :P NASDROVIA! Rain. Snow just once. Rain again. Rain all the time. Pepe and Gert. Chips. Bruises. The sun shines and we go out just to appreciate it. There is time for everything is this life. Pannekoeken. Aldi. “Our” garden. onvermijdelijk. Why nooooooot???? J Super uber Turkish bracelets! Little moments count. Wearing high-hills. Trip to funklub (of niet!:P). Are you felling ok? No! Laura Latvia stressed as only she could be – we do like you that way though!:). Going to Slovenia, France, Italy, Ireland, The Nederlands and eventually Portugal. Nuddles met peanut sauce! Leker, leker! ;) Nouvelle vague. Cafeplangent. Artevelde, he is he man! :P Postcards and letters. Learning English. Friendships. Indy and Miya. Spelling mistakes. We just wanna have fun. Parties. Going to the laundry. Izita… can you give me some milk?;) I loved to live with you. Tucking in. verstoppertje. Projects and meetings. Meetings and projects! Passe passe le nioj. :P We are totally ok! Can you imagine? No, so cooooolll!!! :P Sharing, learning is living. Living means now leaving. Farewell. I’m sleppy. I do have to stop. Somewhere and somehow. It’s stupid but it doesn’t feel right. It was just a good journey,… and therefore it just hard to think it’s not going to happen again. Not with the same people, and for sure not in Gent. I really wanted this. I’ve lived it. One of the best years in my life. But not anymore. Everything in life has its time… (my mom used to say…) It’s time to come back to where I belong… and I hope all my beloved ones are still there for me.

When one chapter in your life ends, another one starts.

Tot strakjes mijn Gent(e).

Last days.

2007-09-10T05:02:00.000+02:00

I'm sorry...

2007-09-10T04:22:00.000+02:00

but there are few places more beautiful than this.

Mission accomplished!

2007-09-04T15:43:00.000+02:00

I guess it’s pretty much about it.
My “job” is over, I don’t have my bike, my room, my school and my friends are almost all gone…
I’m flying back to Portugal next Monday.

Lot’s of thoughts/feelings have been coming to my mind lately… Although I would really like to write about them – It helps me to understand what I live/like/want – I don’t think I will have the time for it…

I just packed. I’m going to Brussels to finally get my way there and of course… to meet uncle Picos. :) He was the first with who I smiled here, and I guess he will be one of the last… I come back to were I started… Almost one year after…

Then I’m going to Beringen, somewhere in the only Flanders region I didn’t get the chance to visit… YET! :) I’m really looking forward to it, because I will also meet Mark and that can only be cool…

Then back to Gent to say goodbye...
And it’s over.

But I'm happy with it... It's really time to go home...

Mission accomplished! :)

Home parties are always the best...

2007-09-04T15:17:00.000+02:00

For the majority of students, Eramus can almost be described in a word: PARTY!

“You will have time for everything, and sometimes you will really feel like resting.” – I remember my Viriato telling me something like this, just some weeks after he had arrived from his experience. Luckily for us, he was right! I’m sorry but no human being can party for a year without suffering any (bad) consequences later. I partied until I was sick of it – yeah, you can really get sick of it :P

Although I think I didn’t party much more than I used to do in Lisbon, the public opinion around here says I partied a lot - it something they say about all the portuguese people! I guess it's in our blood:) Well, the fact your floor mates have your age might easily lead you to party even when you don’t want/plan to... and it does. One night it’s poker night, then some friends of one of us come over, then somebody else invite two friends for dinner and you end up drinking a glass of something with them… or two or three… It’s just impossible to see/hear them relaxing with a bunch of beers, without joining them! And even if you try to resist because you have to study or sleep, adrenaline starts pumping in your veins and defeats you.

Those nights were so fun and unexpected that sometimes I dare to organize what I used to call “meeting” :P - You can’t never call it a party until the “party” begins!

My life would be different in Gent if I would have happened to live somewhere else...

Forgotten stop II: Paris

2007-09-02T14:40:00.001+02:00

I just spent there one day this time… I wandered around the places that brought me back some extremely happy memories… (Without a map! I’m sorry but I really know my way there:))

When I was younger I used to say that one day I will live in Paris… I think I still would like to fulfil that dream…

Paris is…well... Paris!

Forgotten stop: Trouville

2007-09-02T14:33:00.000+02:00

Once I went to France. – Actually twice now that I think about it… :P

My aunt Ana has been living there for a long time, and this year her daughter came over with her family to spend the Christmas with her mom. I joined them :) and for the first time in my life I didn’t spend Christmas in Alentejo.

For me the Christmas evening has always been special. We always create a mess around our evening; my little cousins always anxious while waiting for mid-night, my granny running from the kitchen to the living room 10 times a minute and the rest of us eating as pigs, chatting as Latinos and laughing together around a big table covered with tasty typical dishes… and that’s something I cannot have every month.

This year it was different, but I really liked it too. I must say it was quite a quite Christmas for me, but it was just one of different things I lived here… and you know… I just love to try-out new things!

The nicest part of my staying in Trouville was the fact I finally got to know better my cousins from my father’s family. We see each other each now and then but it’s not that I had spent some days in a row with them… and, once you do it, you really feel closer to them… and these cousins of mine are really interesting and nice people to be with. :)

2007-09-01T20:47:00.000+02:00

Not everything in life happens as you were expecting to… but still, you should always manage a way to seek for happiness!

?

2007-09-01T01:00:00.001+02:00

[Picture taken in “our” park…
I will never forget the trick Nico! :)
...missing those afternoons...]

Last stop: Bouillon

2007-09-01T00:45:00.000+02:00

Finally... the Ardennes! :)

Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to spend there a few days exploring the area, so I just went to Bouillon - but I can say I got the picture though.
It is really a beautiful and pleasant little village in the middle of the green, in the lung of Belgium.
This country is more beautiful than you (I) think (thought).

Forgive me Belgian fellows, I misjudged your country! (Brussels fault!:P)

Talk to strangers! :)

2007-09-01T00:13:00.000+02:00

I want to record this.

When I was doing the check-in to Valladolid (Spain), I thought an unpleasant trip was just about to start. I was taking that flight to reach Coimbra, in Portugal. Why did I go for this long trip just to get there? Low-cost advantages (or not!). So, the plan was hitting Valladolid at 8 p.m and wait 7 hours for the train that would take me to my final destination.

My backpack was pretty heavy and as I didn’t want to pay any extra fee for it I just weighted it before the check-in. But I had so many luggages that to make it easier I just glimpsed the guy in front of me in the queue and asked:

“Can you please look after my luggage for a second?”
“Sure, no problem.”.

I can still remember that moment because actually I was already thinking I could just try to start a small talk with him – I was pretty bored and couldn’t deal with the fact I would spend more than 10 hours without talking to someone. :P When I got back to my queuing position I said “Thank you” but I was too worried with my extra two kilos to think about small talks – but I thought that was the moment… I could just have told him that I had extra-weight, that I had to figure out a way not to pay for it (because it was what I was just doing!) and bla bla… and if he would happen to be in the mood to talk too, he would just follow my (not) interesting conversation and keep it going!. :P But I did none of this. I was tooo busy with my luggage.

Afterwards, while I was moving shoes from my backpack to a side bag I could use as hand luggage, this tall blond guy with a huge backpack stops behind me…

“Do you know what the weight-limit is?” – American guy with a f*ckin American accent (Really, I swear! :P)
“15 kilos” – me
“For sure I ain’t gonna make it. Have you been to Valladolid?” – American guy
“No, I’m actually going to Portugal, but I know there’s not much to do around there” - me
“Are you going to Portugal?” – the Belgian guy surprisingly says – “Me too!”
“I just lost my flight to Barcelona and said to the Ryanair guys to put me in a plain to Spain, no way that I’m going to stay in this shitty place.” – American guy

Some minutes later, after talking about the way the three of us were intending to take once we land in Spanish field…

“You’re a couch surfer right?” – Belgian guy
“Yeah,… I’ve been travelling around Europe. Men, it was been the experience of my life… (…) and I’m going to Barcelona to try to get a job there.” – American guy
“Why don’t you try Portugal? It’s much nicer we can tell - ask her… and besides, as I’m renting a car in Valladolid to reach Cabeças de Basto, I might as well have a companion and you can even sleep at my place if you want to. Afterwards, you can take a train to Faro or so…” – Belgian guy
“Ok, it sounds nice.” – American guy

“I’m Peter.” – American dude :P
“I’m Mark.”- Belgian guy
“I’m Ana.”

Well, I would really like to be able to put in words how awesome and interesting were the hours that follow that unexpected meeting... Me and Mark spent all the flight talking… all the time… what a hell of chatting… and I decided to take his lift to Portugal too, in order to avoid waiting 7 hours for the train, and because after two intensive hours talking with him, I knew that I could do it for a lot more!

An hour later, there I was, with a Belgian and an American in a Spanish renting car on our way to the north of Portugal. It was so much fun. I felt that we were just coming out from a movie… really… Mark’s life story…airplanes, Peter trying his best on asking for directions with his Spanish, the Spanish in the mood for French while I was trying Spanish but only Dutch words where coming out to my head, staying or not staying for the night at Mark’s, dilemmas, opinions… we spent about 8 hours together and by the time we split (say I stepped out in Guimarães), we had already some in-jokes. In few hours you can swap so many experiences and get to know little parts of strangers. Some times you’re lucky, and you meet people who make your day worthier. :)

Really, this kind of meetings make you realize how much people there might be out there with who you can mingle with.

I will never forget the good short time I shared with those two… and I know… I will see you sooner (Mark;)) or later(Peter:P)!

2007-08-30T01:52:00.001+02:00

Biking without hands!!!

2007-08-30T01:41:00.000+02:00

I finally did it!
ALRIGHT!!! ;)

p.s. keep in mind that I couldn't even scratch my nose when I first got my yellow here...

Sint Martens Latem area

2007-08-30T00:33:00.001+02:00

Welcome to the Belgian Hollywood.

Sint Martens Latem is not even 10km far from Gent. Just by taking a look at the street that connects these two areas one can notice that he is stepping into a different” world”. Lexus, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes and Rovers are some of the cars you can buy on the way to Latem…

But then you see the houses and the gardens and you realize it all…

I’ve been discovering this area with two opposite thoughts in my mind. On one hand, it’s impossible not to admire the lovely beautiful rich houses and to wonder how their inside should be or what a big party you would give there, If you would live there… On the other hand I wonder if this people really worked hard for it and if they actually take benefit from all the luxury they have. And it’s inevitable not to think… some people with so much, and others living with so much less.

But still, everybody is able to appreciate the beauty.

Flashback XI

2007-08-27T01:19:00.001+02:00

I will never forget the moment I saw you standing at my door when I wasn’t expecting you…

“Come downstairs to check your post because you might have something for you…”

I cannot describe how happy I was when I had realized that my “mail” was you. I keep still remembering those moments…

Alpha Mike…

Visitors.

2007-08-27T00:57:00.000+02:00

I used to say I didn’t miss my life in Portugal and my beloved ones that much. It was bearable, and I meant it.

The fact you are living a new life in a new country speaks for itself. It’s challenging (!) and since you know it won’t last long you just wanna live it! You just wanna live it and there is no much space left for the hardest part of being away from home… But I know there was another reason that helped me out. I was damn lucky. I had a lot of “visitors” as I used to say – or just some fellows who were coming not to pay the night somewhere else in Gent. :P They were my strongest connection to my roots. They brought me coffee, “unique” alcoholic Portuguese drinks, little gifts, news, but especially they brought me love! They embraced me as if I had never been away, and I’m sure that made the difference.

Some of them came just for a couple of nights, but others spent so much time here that when they were gone, it seemed a part of mijn Gent(e) was gone too. It was sooooooooo good to have you around and to share a little bit of my Belgian experience with you.

p.s. Nunão és um totó. Ritinha, totó número 2. MeireleZinho não te perdoo. Verinha, quase quase. Driquinha e Almacinha... foi uma pena! Miguelito e Viri.. eu percebo, estais perdoados! :P

Facto II

2007-08-27T00:22:00.000+02:00

If I would like to write about everything I lived here, I would spend half of the time writing.

2007-08-21T22:53:00.001+02:00

2007-08-21T22:39:00.001+02:00

Language is power.

Last stop: Portugal II

2007-08-20T22:38:00.000+02:00

Without letting much people know, in the end of July, I went to Portugal for a second time since I’m here… yeah, indeed (…).

I went there to spend some time with João, and that’s what I did. We spent four nights at his little cosy summer house in Zaboeira, somewhere in the middle of Portugal (take it literally). Honestly… I keep discovering beautiful places there… unbelievably beautiful! Zaboeira lies in a hill that leads to a dam. We could just walk 3 minutes and we were diving ourselves in the water, under an “unbreathable” heat that reached 40Cº - it was the warmest day of the year they said… I guess Portugal was happy to have me again ;). It’s was nice to be back too, but I got older! :P

2007-08-20T22:32:00.001+02:00

No matter where we are… we are together.

Ola Kala

2007-08-17T22:01:00.000+02:00

"Have you ever felt that nothing's ever going your way?
Every good thing that you find is always running away

Don't be afraid
Don't be afraid
'cause everything is gonna turn to be OK
Don't be afraid"

Chocolade Bar in Gent.

2007-08-17T00:12:00.001+02:00

...

2007-08-17T00:02:00.000+02:00

"...mas filha tu não podes ter tudo! Nunca vais conseguir visitar todos os países, ver todos os filmes ou ler todos os livros. Tens de estabelecer prioridades, e se o fizeres serás ainda mais feliz."
"...but sweetheart (:P) you cannot have everything! You will never be able to visit all the countries, watch all the movies or read all the books. You need to have priorities, and if you'll do it you'll be even happier."

by Rui Mesquita a.k.a Papa! ;)

"...mas tal como eu tens mais sonhos por minuto que muita gente por hora!"
"... but just like me you have more dreams for minute than a lot of people for hour!"

by Uncle Picos.

11 months ago...

2007-08-16T23:35:00.000+02:00

I landed for the first time in Belgium. I have still lot of fresh memories of that day.

I want to share one.

When I got to the airport in Brussels, physically and psychologically exhausted, I had a guy who knows some friends of mine, waiting for me. The only thing I knew about him at that time was his name, the fact he belonged to a Tuna and I had some idea how he looked like because I had seen him before. Anyhoe… I was pretty lost when I got there, trying not to think in what I had just left behind but focusing in what I was about to start living, when I saw Picos, Luís Monteiro, a.k.a Uncle Picos :P smiling at me. Probably he said welcome and that kind of stuff but I cannot remember, I just wanted a bed…

Anyhoee, he couldn’t be nicer to me. Really. Everybody should have someone like him when one is moving alone to other country. We talked a lot, ate an ice-cream at Zi-Zi :), he took me for my first stroll in Brussels, I met some of his friends, I ate my first Pita in Belgium – somewhere in a side street of Grande Place. I still go there when I’m in Brussels :) Une Pita avec Feta s’il vous plait! – I bought a toothbrush :P, I slept over his place, he made me lunch the next day and after walking the whole afternoon in Brussels he insisted in driving me to Gent. Imagine that he was doing all this for someone he didn’t know, and always with a smile and nice gesture to give. Really, Picos, tu não existes. :)

After that we met sometimes (Brussels, Gent, Ljubjiana) and I easily start to adore this guy… but that’s not why I’m writing this post… For a long time I felt that I didn’t show enough how thankful I am. Picos, obrigado por tudo. :) Até já!

P.s. Of course there were a lot of more people who helped me out without asking anything back, but I guess there are some that for some reason remain special...

Proficiat coração :)

2007-08-15T22:56:00.001+02:00

Brevemente... Zi&Ti together again! :)

P.s. My grandparents got married 48 years ago… Congratulations! :) I hope some day I will celebrate the same day myself… and I hope I will have such a happy nice family as you do. =)

Mini-Europe

2007-08-15T22:34:00.000+02:00

I was intending on discovering the only region in Flanders that is missing me to visit but I found myself in Brussels for one reason: João was there. :) He was stopping over just for one night. :)

So in the following morning (after waking up in the biggest bed I had ever slept on!:P) when I woke up (pretty early!), without nothing planed to do, I decide to take a stroll to the Atomium. On my way to my destination I discovered this and I couldn’t miss it for the world.

I was the fourth to get in the Park but probably the 200^th to leave it. I couldn’t help myself stopping in each model of EU buildings and landscapes and reading as much information available I could. While doing that, I was thinking how I would love to have my Martita there to explain me more about the only building they had there from Poland (shame on them!) and how Laura would tell me so many more interesting things about the Baltic countries that the ones I could read on the free-guidebook. I could also imagine Nico and Laura singing while their anthem was on, and imagine Jonna standing up for showing that Finnish can talk a lot! :) (I wish uncle Jacques had took us there… but I already send him a suggestion for the next MoCoMa generation ;))

The Park totally fulfilled my expectations with its European beautiful mini-places. An Invitation for travelling… I really need to venture out through Europe again…

The Park is a source of EU knowledge and surely helped me consolidating mine (I will always mix up the EU institutions fuctions though :P). Besides, I discovered a lot of funny things:

- in Finland there are more saunas than cars;
- Dutch are the Europeans most likely to go on a trip during their free time (I wond€r why…) ;
- Belgians eat more chips than anyone else (Nooooo) ;
- Portugal is the European country with the oldest borders;
- Germans are the European most likely to consult a doctor;
- The proverb “A guest at home is a blessed home” captures the quintessence of the Polish hospitality (we know :));
- At the beginning of the 10^th century, Bulgaria was the largest kingdom in Europe;
- Every European spends 15 years sitting down at his table for eating.

I must say I was really surprised with the Portuguese presence there. We have not one, not two, but 5 models of Portuguese buildings and landscape, namely; Guimarães Castel (the cradle city of Portugal), Oceanário, Belém Tower, Ribeira do Porto and Algarve. They are sooo beautiful that I felt like transporting myself to Portugal. I was sitting in front of the tower reading the information and enjoying the “Portuguese atmosphere” around there when I heard our anthem – they have them all there, just press the button :) - you cannot imagine… I had to contain my tears… (but take it easy, just some two or three ;)) and I felt like screaming: “C’mon Look at this? Portugal is beautiful!!! What the hell are you waiting for for visit it?”

Definitely a nice place to visit especially if you’re as crazy as I am for the old continent…

The "F" word... Food!

2007-08-15T19:00:00.000+02:00

“Heb jij een baby’tje in jouw buik?”

That was the question Nona asked me last week while I was standing up near the door of her room folding her old clothes. Although it isn’t good for me :P I will help you out with the translation:

“Do you have a baby in your belly?”

You know… kids always tell the truth… so I guess it’s official… I gained some weight during this year in the chocolate, fries and beerland.

Indeed, eating is a pleasure, and the best excuse to invite or to be invited over for dinner. We did it a lot – I seldom ate alone – and the moments shared at the table were definitely important for me. Between passing the salt and the pepper you get to know what someone did that day or intend to do on the following one… you might think this is mundane, and for sure it is, but If you really wanna to have someone in your life, these moments count.

When I thought about living 100% on my own for the first time in my life, I expected (and my mom too:P) to learn how to cook.

Well, what can I say? (I’m surrounded by good cooks(?)…

Often the deal was “you cook, I clean”, but even when I tried to cook something more complex there was always somebody more expert giving tips… as too many cooks spoil the broth (I mean it literally this time;)) I normally gave the meal preparation away for them…

(It’s so funny, even when some friends where coming over to eat at my place, they cooked… :P)

I can even count with my fingers (so Portuguese…) how many times did I really prepare a complete meal totally by myself. But in the end, I think I kind of learned some tricks and I definitely can do more than I could, but still… I’m not that hell of a cook.

Smakelijk! :)

Weather in Belgium.

2007-08-13T22:10:00.001+02:00

Day 1Day 2Footnote: This is the Belgian reality from Mid-April to the end of September…In the meantime you can only expect raindrops after raindrops.

Flashback X

2007-08-13T22:03:00.000+02:00

Once I was in a cemetery in Gent when I saw one of those plastic objects made for watering the plants (I cannot find the translation for “regador” :P May you help me?).

I was about to water some flowers that seemed to be forgotten when a friend interrupted me with a smile as I was doing something childish: “But Ana, you’re in Belgium, we don’t need to water them…” - “Ah ja!...”

Only in Flanders...

2007-08-11T00:34:00.000+02:00

There are so many dialects in this piece of land that sometimes (say quite often) on the television they put subtitles in "proper" Dutch translating one of the hardest Dutch dialects - the one from West-Flanders.

But only here the majority of the population can speak fluently three languages (Dutch, French and English)… when not four or five…

They have a lot to teach us…

What is it that…

2007-08-10T23:21:00.000+02:00

It was white in the beginning and completely colourful in the end?
It made me cry when I start destroying it and laugh when it was completely destroyed?

Life keeps on going…

2007-08-10T23:10:00.001+02:00

Count down.

2007-08-10T18:47:00.001+02:00

31 days to go...

Just because I like it...

2007-08-10T00:13:00.001+02:00

Fortunately...

2007-08-08T23:20:00.000+02:00

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

2007-08-08T00:46:00.001+02:00

Ben je ook zo gek op Vlaanderen?

Are you also so crazy about Flanders?

Last stops: Kortemark, Werken and Diksmuide (and some little towns in between :P)

2007-08-07T23:45:00.000+02:00

Compadre Korneel and I had planned for a long time this little trip to his hometown and surroundings, but it was never a good time either for me or for him... (I thought it would be just one more of the things I intended for ages but I wouldn’t accomplish here…)

[It’s unbelievable… Belgium is so small that with some days with a car you can get to know it pretty well… I mean, the “countryside” isn’t unreachable at all! – I’m not one of those who stick to capitals and tourist places when I really intend to know deeply a country…]

Anyway, I finally saw myself on my way to Werken (werken means “to work”;)), on the back of Korneel’s bike, taking pictures of every lovely house that I found on the way (my concept of lovely turned to be a little bit broad though:P). I finally saw myself as one of those “typical Belgians” (although I was taking pictures as a Japanese…:P) I used to gaze at from the train window when I was going somewhere else… From my window, everybody was so happy, wealthy, healthy and serene while biking along with their children or rushing because the bus was almost passing by… And I always wanted to be among them!

I was so into it! Korneel was laughing at my little happiness feelings caused by the fact I was there… in the middle of nowhere… biking in the Belgian field…

I love this architecture they had been preserving around here. Tiny houses, dark and stairs-shape roofs, dark bricks (in the city) and big but simple and usually dark houses, sometimes with a lighter roof and lighter bricks, but always with a lovely well treated garden and colourful flowers vases (in the countryside). I would love to have one of these for my own… but I should admit… after 24 hours around, one can tell that there is neither much to see not to do.

But I was with Korneel… and he is one of those people I feel I can talk and laugh with for hours... :) so not only I discovered a bit more of mijn vlaanderen but also I had a really nice time discovering a little of Korneel’s past and routs… it’s always interesting to get to know a bit more of your friends…

Flashback IX

2007-08-07T23:05:00.000+02:00

Once me, Laura, Mire, Nico and Estelle went out for what we called a pub tour (but Laurita was sooo much funnier saying it with her lovely Spanish accent… She had to repeat it three times before I could understand it :P)… and I was a sort of guide – who else? Those guys only knew Charlatan and Overpoort! :P For that reason it was so nice to see there smiles when they realized that in a few pedestrian streets there were cosy and warm tiny places to discover.

It was already a long time ago (at least so it seems, time here f*ckin’ flies…) and I can only keep in mind we were not really in the mood when we began… but… Belgian beers are the strongest and everybody knows that… :P thus, after a round in Pink Flamingo’s, “Bierhuis” (Waterhuis aan de Beirkantt), Hot Club de Gent and some speculous in one of the most romantic spots of Gent, some of us were already stumbling, extremely happy and a bit nostalgic too…

By the time we hit ‘t Galgenhuisje (the smallest bar in town - “But this is soooo small, but this is so small…” :P “Told ya” )we knew we would end there our (call it mini) pub tour.

It was just one more of those nights around the table and the beers… full of stories, languages and laughs… no extraordinary feat to be told… but still, it was one of the last, Estelle was drinking beer J, some were discovering Gent… and bah… we talked a lot about everything we had lived and were about to leave…

That’s what I will miss the most… daily mundane things with you…

Carapils effect

2007-08-06T23:54:00.001+02:00

10 days on... 10 days off...

2007-08-06T23:42:00.001+02:00

After 8 nights and 10 days living and wandering around Gentse Feesten atmosphere I’m able to describe what my 5 senses absorbed.

The city centre was packed. If I didn’t miss any main stage there were 7 spread in the old and most beautiful part of the city. Besides that, there were some tents and bars which provided us a lot of different styles of music and also gigs and anonymous groups of musicians playing on the streets. Music for every taste!

Uncountable street theatre artists. Some of them really good – those one can watch twice without blinking. After some afternoons seeing loads of them, I could already smile and nod as a greeting sign.

In the afternoon children licked the leftovers of their chocolate ice-cream on their lips while giving little steps between the clown who turned balloons into animals and the girl who made their wishes come truth when they dropped a coin for her.

Enough is not enough for Gentians so several different activities and initiatives were held everywhere. You could get in a caravan and listening some comic guys singing a song in a funny way, see ice sculptures, learn different kinds of dances – the Irish ones were definitely the funniest; you could even feel that you and the rest of the people there were a consistent dancing group and not some people who randomly gathered… - buying every stuff one can imagine in the market, eating the biggest waffle ever seen :P, drinking mint tea in a Moroccan tent, going mad on a funfair attraction, …

Good food. Good fast food. Too many carapils – cannot drink them anymore.
Best concerts: Bonobo and Boshemi – ok I should have seen more and strolled less…
Spots to be: St Jacobs plein and Boudelou Park.

Everything for free.

One of the best festival atmosphere where I have ever been.

They won! I love Gent even more! =)

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

But, (there is always a but...) after 10 intensive days we realize that 10 days is way to much. That’s why the Gentse Feesten experts skip some nights in the beginning… to assure they can enjoy until the last second…

I also recognized (and I admitted it with knot in my throat…) that this isn’t my city anymore… … … my beloved ones are almost all gone… I don’t have much to do here but to face reality (this is over) and live on memories… and there is no sustainable and joyful life based upon memories.

I love my Belgian friends, but they often are away from Gent when they don’t have school… besides, it’s holydays time…

It’s time to go home…

p.s. A footnote for Ritita… Gentse Feesten wasn’t the same without you! :) I’m soooo glad I had you back in our town… Living with you, wandering and appreciating little moments, long talks until the dawn… as you said, we will still live a lot together, now I know it! :)

schattig...

2007-08-06T23:25:00.000+02:00

Today Nona told me something like:
“Jij zal blijven ok? Niet ga de cinema ok?”
And then she added:
“Cinema is zoals a Tv, maar een groet Tv.” (while moving away her hands in opposite directions to show me what she meant with groet!)

I laugh and smile!
“Nona, cinema is cinema en engels. Maar dank je voor jou effort" (with dutch accent, I bet is not effort:P)

And she laughed too... :)

Será?

2007-08-06T00:16:00.000+02:00

"O mais importante nos erros é não repeti-los."
"The most important thing about mistakes is not to repeat them."

by Nádia Borges Duarte

yellowzinha

2007-08-04T21:58:00.000+02:00

I still don’t believe that she isn’t parked outside waiting for me any moment… definitely one of the most loyal friends one can have :P …

But believe me when I say that it was hard to get rid of her…

Undoubtedly I changed my perspective about cycling as a mean of transportation… no matter it rained or not, everyday I was going down and uphill (little hills in Gent you know… :P) with her… impossible to describe the freeness she gave me.

For that I lived more, I had an independent way of coming back home anytime (specially during the night when the streets insisted in not being straight! :P), I didn’t spend money on public transports, I didn’t pollute, I did exercise, I had a lot of fun just because I love biking and finally, I learn a lot about bikes – fixing bikes included!

It’s so damn cool! I’m really surprised that I enjoyed so much solving those kinds of problems that you normally call a boy to solve (as I did each time João was here:P).

But now, my friends, I emancipate myself! I can do it! ;) And I assure you I spent a pleasant time dirtying my hands. Let me know if you need my services (flat tires, dynamos, lights, metal thingies over the wheels, bells, seats...)! ;)

Let's put our hands together...

2007-07-28T06:32:00.001+02:00

Tired of goodbyes.

2007-07-28T06:26:00.000+02:00

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

2007-07-27T03:37:00.000+02:00

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

2007-07-27T03:10:00.000+02:00

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.

2007-07-26T20:42:00.000+02:00

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...

2007-07-17T06:16:00.001+02:00

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! :)

2007-07-13T00:44:00.000+02:00

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

2007-07-13T00:27:00.000+02:00

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…]

2007-07-13T00:02:00.000+02:00

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

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

Flashback VII

2007-07-11T23:38:00.000+02:00

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

2007-07-11T23:28:00.000+02:00

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…]

2007-07-11T23:18:00.000+02:00

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!!!

2007-07-11T00:22:00.000+02:00

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!

2007-07-10T23:35:00.000+02:00

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

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

Flashback VI

2007-07-10T22:41:00.000+02:00

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

2007-07-07T00:11:00.000+02:00

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!

2007-07-03T00:01:00.001+02:00

Flashback V

2007-07-02T23:54:00.001+02:00

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?

2007-07-02T00:25:00.000+02:00

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?

ahhh... Gent!!!

2007-06-18T07:51:00.000+02:00

...you better understand it!

2007-06-16T05:28:00.000+02:00

Can you imagine?

2007-06-15T04:01:00.000+02:00

I gave my last presentation today…

Kami will be the first one to leave Gent… already tomorrow…

Lots of farewell meeting plans starting right after the last presentations tomorrow morning…

It’s weird… Really, I cannot help myself thinking about it…

It’s amazing how you connect to different people in such a short period of time. One thing I’m sure about… here things are felt in a more intense way.

...

MoCoMa was a really good surprise.

I could write about my fellows for hours. =) … but I’m already sort of nostalgic to do it… so I will just post some smiles…
“A smile is worth 1000 words”...

No, I cannot imagine how Gent will be without you…

I have a little shining star...

2007-06-13T04:50:00.000+02:00

Feelings...

2007-06-12T03:32:00.000+02:00

The more we live here the more we realize that we will miss this…

It’s almost over… coming to an end they say… but nobody really wants to face it… and the best way to avoid the nostalgic thoughts in your mind is just living… sharing, hugging and planning as we weren’t leaving… living and leaving…

The more we live the less we want to leave…

“I don’t want to leave you guys” – I totally subscribe mon Nico…

Last stop: Portugal... :)

2007-06-08T19:48:00.000+02:00

I promised myself that I wouldn’t go to my country until I was going to stay, “I wanna live it as a “whole” I used to say... I said that even if I would go there, I wouldn’t visit Lisbon… and, even if I was forced to go to Lisbon, I wouldn’t go to my place…

Well, not everything in life happens as you wish… and sometimes you really must to give away some things for other things… and this time, it was definitely for a good reason, the best I could have…

So well, I went to Portugal. Finally…

It was weird being surrounded by people who words I could understand… it’s was even weirder to be able to read everything… and besides, I’ve never been so much time away from my beloved ones and I was nervous just to think that I would feel them in my arms…

Apart from that I was just afraid. Almost 9 months passed since I left Lisbon and I was afraid that lot of things had changed. As almost all my predictions - concerning this journey – went wrong, I failed one more time…

“Everything” was just in the place that I left them… and Lisbon is still my Lisbon.

In three days I walked around my favourite places – and tasca :) - I drunk the so famous Portuguese coffee, I saw my family, smashed some of my little precious – my cousins – I hugged my friends… and I stared at m.a… I even had time to discover a new sightseeing point in the old part of the city and to dance in a typical popular party while eating farturas… :P

In the end, I came back happier… just because India lima oscar victor echo yankee oscar uniform alpha november delta India delta oscar november oscar tango charlie alpha romeo echo india foxtrot oscar uniform romeo charlie oscar delta echo india sierra sierra oscar sierra india mike papa lima echo tango hotel alpha tango echo victor echo romeo yankee bravo oscar delta yankee uniform november delta echo romeo sierra tango alpha november delta sierra India tango… :)

Há loucuras que só se cometem por amor...

2007-06-02T06:22:00.001+02:00

www = writing writing writing...

2007-05-31T23:13:00.000+02:00

Presentation in the morning, research and meeting in the afternoon, writing during the night…over and over again… everybody is fed up of it!

And to make things worse, as I’m me, of course that I still want to show the bar X to my family, have breakfast with my uncle in the city center, pass in Graslei – even if for only 10 minutes during the lunch break- or at someone’s place for a cup of tea even if you have a terrible headache because you haven’t sleep much during the last days…

Honestly. I love all the benefits of this technology era, I love having a laptop which I can carry with me everywhere… but I rather be somewhere sit in the garden talking and laughing than somewhere where there are more laptops than people!!!

Maar ja... welcome to Belgium!
"But I can't complain... at least I have Ghent,.. and the cafés..." :) and I'm becoming uma croma!!! - ah, saudade de escrever em português... :) agora já sou allowed! :P

www.climatecrisis.net

2007-05-31T02:12:00.000+02:00

Everybody MUST see this movie! NOW!

...and I just can't get enough...

2007-05-26T05:14:00.001+02:00

Tonight in Graslei....

2007-05-26T05:01:00.000+02:00

Suddenly the Portuguese anthem was heard…our big small ben clock set half past one a.m…. people on the both side of the canal were singing it… Awesome… and there were some Belgian friends saying… “YOU shut up! We are Belgians, we don’t make noise… ” eheheh.

…Contra os canhões marchar marchar!!!!!

Latest MoCoMa news...

2007-05-25T02:49:00.000+02:00

- Tonight was the international dinner and we had so much food that tomorrow at noon everybody will go back to the polish place to finish the food. :P

- “Why not?” (You should pronounce it as Marta did when we were surprised with her engagement next year!!!) is, for the moment, the most popular sentence among us.

- According to Laura (you’re crazy woman!;)) you can have a pain, or you can have a pain and a half!

- Nico pimped my life! :P

- The more north your country is, the earlier you will leave the party…

- Laura from Latvia 12points had (not anymore) the nicest house here in Gent, and Laura "tu eres mona" takes the silver medal... ;)

- Less then 4 weeks to go… too much work and little time to enjoy everything… but we are managing…

- Graslei hasn’t been spoiled by us last days, but we will compensate you!

- We, MoCoMa students are in every web corner!

- We hate wikis! :P

- Portuguese girl is f*ckin’ loving her classmates the most when they are almost leaving… it’s not fair…

Almost Frankfurt

2007-05-25T02:24:00.000+02:00

“Everybody was supposed to go to Frankfurt”.

Somebody didn’t buy the ticket (Shame on Miagui).
But somebody did. But this somebody lost the bus 3 times in the same day (How is it possible? Ask sleepy, tired and disorganized Ana Mesquita).

The plan B was to change the date standing on the ticket (a little falsification:P) and try to catch the same bus but 24h later. And so I did. But I didn’t succeed because that night nobody from Gent wanted to go to Frankfurt but me…

Bucas, we will go there some day… :)

Almost FanKlub... :P

2007-05-25T02:16:00.000+02:00

I’ve been introduced to electro music since I’m leaving this experience with my Malaka and I can say that I’ve discovered something that I really need. When I don’t go to one of the parties that I use to call “his kind of parties” for a long time, I miss it, and I can’t wait for the next one…

FunKlub is one of the most famous spots for those parties around here. One specific party Malaka likes to go for month, in Antwerp. Since October that he was inviting me and since October that I was giving him excuses not to go (other plans, work, money…). But apparently April was THE month and I was going. Or not! :P

We gather at my place for some food and drinks… talking, laughing and drinking for some hours… and the rest I won’t tell… but I can say that we DID get to Antwerp – it was the first time for me there, and I was so excited for that too, Antwerp finally! – but not to FanKlub, at least me, Laura and Nico.

But undoubtedly it was a night and a trip in the train we will never forget… :)

P.s. We will try again this month, right?

Flashback IV

2007-05-22T23:33:00.000+02:00

There was an exhibition of some art students. One of them decided to create this – according to me – stupid black room with black light. On the ground there were a bunch of mice running from a corner to another, trying to escape from the big feet of the humans that were around. It was even harder to see them because they had this brilliant idea of covering the ground with polystyrene – I guess it was part of the “art demonstration” which no one really understood the purpose of.

While grabbing those little mice in my hands one of the guys (I think it was Korneel) was whispering me words like “you know, those little lab mice are going to dieeee heeerrreee…”. I was touched :P So I said that I was going to take one home. Luis asked me to keep a second one for him, and so I did.

I was the last one to arrive home and Steven had gone before me, with our two “pets”, named Threeninho and Fourninho.

When I got home I was really surprised to see almost everybody from the floor in my room. Wow… coollieee - I thought - until Yves said: “We ain’t gonna keep them!” and Hanna added “I cannot sleep knowing there are mice in the room next door” After a long period of discussion and deliberation I was obliged to accept the decision and I left them on the park, in a very cold winter night… :(

But we will always remember you both… :P

Last stop: The Nederlands

2007-05-22T22:51:00.000+02:00

Last month I went to the Nederlands with my Romanian friend Georgiana, Geo for me. My “elements” =) were in Amsterdam, and some friends of Geo as well. It was the Queen’s day and night… and we can tell it was a hell of a party. It reminded me Saint António’s day in Lisbon… the best party of the year for me…

During these festivities, Dutch people don’t work. Instead of that, they rather take their boats, invite some friends, and dance while sailing in the canals… it’s awesome!

Besides, Amsterdam is always Amsterdam… the canals, the boats and the cosy beautiful houses, the good weed, the relaxed atmosphere, … Amsterdam is just beautiful.

One of the nicest parts of my third visit to Amsterdam was the introduction of a totally new concept for me. Have you heard about SQUATting? Well, to squat is “to live in an empty building or area of land without the permission of the owner”! So cool! Normally in the Nederlands – our Dutch connections told us – they do it in company buildings which means that they have HUGEEE rooms and no kitchen – so they make up one!

And I JUST LOVED the squat where I was sleeping in. There was no object that you couldn’t find in that “house”… useless boats in the “garden”, useless computers in the corridor – let’s say JUST 3 or 4…

Our host, Alwin was really cool too. (Hospitality club benefits! :) )

DEFINITELY (and this definitely is, once again, dedicated to mon amour Nico ;) - I know that you just love it:P) the freest spot ever! You can do whatever you want to as long as you respect the others. And so they live happily… :)

We hitch-hiked all the way from the border until Amsterdam, and then later from Amsterdam to lovely Delft – my dear Joaninha is there doing Erasmus.
On my way back to Gent I was alone, but I want to get a lift – at least to prove everybody that was doable! So I was standing on the road to Rotterdam for 7 minutes, with my thumb up, laughing with myself… when the cops came. I was so pissed of… Ok, it’s “not that you cannot hitch-hike although it’s dangerous and bla bla… but you cannot stay here… you might provoke an accident and bla bla…” Rrrr… my motivation was completely destroyed so I just took the train…

But I can’t complain… at least train trips around here are really pleasant! =) And I was back in Gent… again… :)

Come what may.

2007-05-10T23:32:00.000+02:00

India foxtrot yankee oscar uniform echo victor echo romeo sierra echo echo tango hotel india sierra… Alpha mike oscar (tango romeo alpha charlie índia november hotel oscar) tango echo juliet oscar alpha oscar.
Echo india sierra sierra oscar november alpha oscar mike echo papa oscar delta echo sierra november echo golf alpha romeo...

Something's wrong...

2007-05-10T23:06:00.000+02:00

The wheather changed suddenly. A car hit me while I was biking but I’ve only got some bruises. I don’t want to leave, but I want to go. Loads of work to be done and lots of people to spend time with.
The Erasmus itself will be finished by June 15^th. (Don’t Panic, don’t Panic…)

And something’s wrong…

Homesick?

2007-05-10T22:54:00.000+02:00

I love bars in Gent, but there is no such place as Tejo Bar…

When you walk in the most typical neighbourhood in Lisbon, Alfama, you may stumble across a little cosy room with a normal front door. You will think that you’re in a private house; the books, the games, the instruments, the personal notes and the pictures hanging on the wall will easily lead you to that conclusion. You’re in Tejo Bar though.

Mané and his wife are a Brazilian couple who moved to Portugal some decades ago. As artists, they used to exhibit their work in a room downstairs their bedroom, and as open-mind people, they show it to everybody by maintaining the door always open.

The paintings leaded to conversations. Interesting conversations demanded “having a seat” and eventually to: “Hey Mané, do you by any chance have a beer in your fridge?”

Beer after beer, night after night… Unknown people become friends, and friends always come back with other friends. Mané didn’t have any option but to open an “official bar”.

The 10 tables arrangement in such a small room - you cannot even clap your hands, just scratch them on each other – invites you to have a role-play in the night. To play the instruments, to go to the counter and serve your own beer, to read the books and play chess, to declaim the poem’s day or sing, to leave a post-it, to take a cigarette from a box - or to put one inside for those who have just finished their pack - are some of the “activities” that one tends to do there. The costumer is invited to be a friend who feels at home in a very relaxed and unpredictable atmosphere.

Curiously many of the customers are foreign people who are travelling and because of that is seldom hearing only Portuguese. The cultural differences are totally welcomed in the spot – especially when Mané pushes everybody to sing the same song, at the same time, but in eight different languages…

The night will depend on the level of initiative and interaction among everybody and that is what makes Tejo Bar a different place to be.

Tejo Bar
Rua do Vigário No. 1
Lisbon,
Portugal

No one can stop us…

2007-05-05T03:34:00.001+02:00

Apparently this is the warmest year ever in Belgium and one can notice everybody is more energetic than before – if you bear in mind that for weeks the Sun didn’t even visit us once, you will understand.

Parks are occupied by students talking, studying, eating, playing and relaxing, Graslei is THE place to be each night and many “daily tasks” are done outside – sometimes people grab their food and go to have dinner in a park.

For the first time in my life, I can’t stay at home when the Sun is shining – ok, sometimes laziness wins and I go just across to “our” park... - and I’m enjoying a lot this “new passion”, I’m rediscovering nature…

Maybe that's the reason why I haven't posted that much recently... Travelling, enjoying Gent and Gentians have also been irresistible to me...

Quality of life.

2007-05-05T03:20:00.000+02:00

Last stop: Ireeeeland

2007-05-04T15:03:00.000+02:00

Some words about Ireland by Poulain and Seninho.

Last minute check-in. Last bag sticker. The chewing gum. Right turn to be left. Strictly Ireland. Plan: South! "Her is een nacht...". Jimmy, the youngest truck driver in Ireland! Twins toothbrushes. Sun, lots of it. Green, fuckin' green. Cows and Sheeeeeeps! Farmer's Farm. Mééééé all night long. Breakfast included! Kilkenny, lovely Kilkenny. Lovely hostel, nice beer. But... er... but. THE Leprechaun!

4 leafs shamrock!
Holy Holiday - No alcohol. Maybeee this maybeee that. Colours in Cork's buildings. Relaxing trip to the coast with Shannanigan. Filthy Guinness. Countryside or town? Definitely coun tryside... Camping in the middle of nowhere. City Lights. Tasty cheese, good chouriço, "expensive" wine, and excellent companion. :) To be or not to be Steven's stars. :P "Keep smiling and you will always get a lift!". Jerry, THE Irish. Tradicional Irish music. Diiingle --» Dublin (!!!) 7 lifts, 10 hours, we've did it! M&M. =)

Keith. Cais do Sodré standing on the wall. Nice thoughts, nice conversation. Starbucks. Scones with milk. Zo schattig! =) Playing in the biggest European garden. Roll over once and again. Kiekeboe!! "We can do it". Fish and chips... Ireland, we will come back...

Divagação.

2007-04-22T01:13:00.000+02:00

Quero dizer.
Quero partilhar.
Não consigo, então vivo.

dolce far niente

2007-04-19T02:27:00.000+02:00

Flashback III

2007-04-16T03:14:00.000+02:00

Once, me and Pedro parked our bikes near the supermarket.
We had had them for a week or so, and you could see that in little details. :P
He was locking his bike when it leaned forwards to the other bikes parked there.
5 seconds later there were 7 bikes completely stuck on each others! They felt on the ground as domino’s pieces!!!
We laughed a lot while trying to park them properly again…
Simultaneously the owners were appearing and everybody could understand that FOR SURE we weren’t Flemish – these guys were born on a bike! :P

One of the reasons I like the most living here…

2007-04-14T18:20:00.000+02:00

How can a phone call on your way home (because tonight you reallllly want to rest) and a bunch of unexpected meetings change your plans for the following 10 hours…

“Dinner at my place tonight.”
(Ok, afterwards I will go home - I think…)
“We are late for the concert.”
(Concert? Ok, just a beer then)
“Look there’s A, B and C guy!”
(30 minutes and I’m gone)

Bla bla bla… :)

I just can't help myself...

Me according to mijn Malaka. :)

2007-04-14T04:43:00.000+02:00

Check it out more...

I love Gent...

2007-04-14T04:40:00.000+02:00

"I just can't get enough, I just can't get enough..."

Apresentando alguns amigos...

2007-04-01T05:59:00.000+02:00

I wrote the following post in January/February… Introducing some friends, my “flatmates”. I’m toooo lazy to translate into English… and anyway, they would be able to read it and I don’t want them to know how special they are to me. – I’m kidding… I’m sure they already know that… Absolutely one of the most important parts of this experience…

........................................................................................................................

Já há imenso tempo que quero apresentar as personagens deste filme. Pelo menos parte dos protagonistas. “Não passa de hoje” pensei… Mas já o disse outras tantas vezes… Será?

Somos oito neste piso. Oito. Oito estudantes (?) moram no 1º piso do número 125 da Lucas de Heerestraat. Mais oito no 2º e outros tantos no 3º. Depois ainda há uns tipos ricos e individualistas que têm um estúdio só para eles. Mas aqui as coisas funcionam mesmo por pisos. Eu estou no mais "interactivo" deles todos... pelo menos é o que nós dizemos! :P

A Hanna mal a vejo. Mal a conheço para dizer verdade. Cabelos curtos encaracolados. Farta-se de trabalhar e normalmente só usa o quarto para dormir.
Falamos às vezes, até já provou a ginjinha portuguesa e ajudou-me a salvar o meu poster “We can do it!”, mas pouco mais.

Já a acordei duas vezes às 5 da manhã… Por causa do barulho… Chato…

A Karolien faz com que as pessoas que cá venham comentem: "Moram aqui pessoas estranhas" - risos. Claro que só dizem isto depois de também conhecer a Rebecca!
A Karolien é gótica mas não gosta que a rotulem como gótica. O que quer ela que eu faça; sempre de preto, cabelos pretos corridos, unhas bordeaux, cheirinhos de coisas satânicas - tipo aqueles objectos que eles usam ao peito – e isto sem contar com o quarto forrado a preto, com a cama preta e com o sofá preto. Ela não é preta, mas tem respostas pretas. Assim é a Karolien. E depois de nos primeiros tempos quase se recusar a falar inglês comigo "Se não falarmos dutch ela nunca vai aprender!" e de eu me sentir um pouco como uma estranha para ela, agora até já lhe beijo e abraço, a custo lá os recebe.

Na primeira noite em que dormi em França recebi uma mensagem escrita por ela. "We're drunk and we miss you. Steven and Karolien. Beijos." Não sei até que ponto era sentida mas não me interessa. Só o facto de, eventualmente, "se meter" comigo já me deixa contente - uma vez que no inicio parecia não despertar qualquer sentimento - bom, mau ou até indiferença - nela.
O João diz que daqui por 2 meses já me dá beijinhos... Eheh. A ver vamos...
[Dat klopt! A Karolienska já é das nossas! Que felicidade!:)]

O Yves namora com a Hélène. Mora cá o Yves, e por isso às vezes mora cá a Hélène.
[Agora mora mesmo cá, no 2º piso, mas só dorme lá, tudo o resto fá-lo neste ”nicest floor in the building!”]
Gosto do Yves. Quando cheguei cá falamos logo imenso. Nunca se impuseram muitas barreiras entre nós. Na primeira semana deu-me um poster com as constelações para preencher aquele espaço vazio no meu então "empty room" - eles diziam que era estranho ver um quarto tão vazio, mas a verdade é que os 20 kg de bagagem permitidos pela Virgin-Express não deram para trazer mais do que roupa e coisinhas máximas!

Tem a mania que sabe tudo, e lá saberá algumas coisas. Já está a tirar a segunda licenciatura e parece-me ser bastante bom naquilo que estuda e estudou - a ver pela maneira como lida com cada pequeno problema que tenho no meu computador, é um cromo, resolve-me tudo! É o meu “personal informaticman”.
Vegetariano, sempre a comer caril e demasiado preguiçoso para lavar a loiça imediatamente a seguir a usá-la.
Este fim-de-semana descobri (ou fez-me ver a minha querida Joaninha:)) que também é um bocado psicótico em relação ao fumo e doenças! No outro dia quis ficar com dois ratinhos de laboratório a saber, Trininho e Fourninho, e ele não me deixou! Uma injustiça! Às vezes faz um pouco papel de pai… e nós passamo-nos!

A bonita Kaatje… “Je” em holandês será um equivalente a “inho(a)”. O mais engraçado é que o nome dela é mesmo Kaatje.
Ela é linda. Tipicamente belga da Flandres. Loira, activa, organizada e inteligente. Rapariga de sorriso fácil e contagiante! :)
Apesar de andar sempre a correr de um lado para o outro tem sempre 1001 planos para nós. “Temos de ir nadar, escalar, beber uma Chimey, temos de ir ao Backstage e a Brugge beber uma Garre, ver a Amelie todos juntos, tenho de vos dar aulas de fitness, e isto e aquilo…”. No outro dia até falou em irmos ao Equador quando acabarmos o curso!
Adoro viver com a Kaatje, cada vez mais. Pensa-se que já se conhece bastante uma pessoa, já a consideramos amiga, e depois descobrimos mais, gostamos e ficamos surpreendidos. Com ela tem sido assim.
Deu-me alguma energia para estudar, organizar-me e acordar cedo – “empurrava-me” para o duche a horas decentes!:P
Gosto muito da Kaatje, de partilhar o meu dia-a-dia com ela. É simples, tem sempre uma palavra amiga e é mesmo boa onda, porreira.
Sim, porreira será o adjectivo que melhor a caracterizará!

A Rebecca não tem explicação. Russa espadaúda de 29 anos.
É cla-ra-men-te a personagem cá do sítio. Nem dá hipótese. Abrir a porta do meu quarto às 8h30 e deparar-me com ela na cozinha a fazer Ulla-ulla de mini mini shorts e com um top justíssimo foi só o primeiro exemplo.
Farta-se de inventar. Cria o mundo dela e às vezes é difícil percebermos o limite entre a realidade e a ficção. Antes de a conheceres deves saber que não podes acreditar em tudo o que ela diz. Mas asseguro-te que te vais rir… esta mulher não existe e é um gozo viver com ela.
Ficaria aqui até amanhã com as suas estórias e não iria ter nem metade do impacto que tem vivê-las! Por isso, se quiseres saber do que falo… TENS MESMO DE PASSAR POR CÁ! ;)

A Jill foi a primeira que abracei.
Quando o fiz, algures na 1a semana por cá, chamou-me "querida". Ainda hoje o faz. Quando um dia passar uma temporada em Portugal até se passa com tanto abraço! ;)
Querida belga loira que te faz imensas perguntas quando te conhece. Detalhes como a última vez em que choraste ou qual é o teu vegetal favorito contam.
A Jill recebeu-me de braços abertos e foi sem dúvida a primeira a fazer-me sentir em casa.
Não come carne, viciada no seu laptop "Podes guardar-me durante umas horas para ver se estudo alguma coisa?", Tool, nuddles com molho de amendoim se faz favor, rapariga-tipo-nunca-nada-é-um-problema, boa ouvinte, adoro conversar com ela... Fofa, fofa… Adoroo a Jill.

Last but not least… mijn klein broertje! :)
Explicar a ligação que temos demoraria estes quatro meses que vivemos juntos. Não me atrevo sequer a começar a escrever sobre ele... Cumplicidade máxima. Meu “mais que tudo” belga, sem sombra de dúvidas. In-se-pa-rá-veis.
“Maninhe” é talvez das palavras que mais me faz sorrir na Bélgica. :)

[Quaisquer referências temporais deverão ser ignoradas. Muita coisa já mudou, tanta coisa já aconteceu... mas não tenho pachorra para alterar/escrever de novo… Just for you to have an idea…]

..:: Wanna coffee? ::..

2007-03-29T02:23:00.000+02:00

One of my favourite things in Ghent is definitely the Bars that the city presents us.. I’m addicted to the bars of this city!! – “I just can’t get enough, I just can’t get enough”…
It’s hard to choose one and even harder to establish a raking.
So, usually, when I have non-Ghentian friends around – visitors as I call them :P – I always want them to visit as much spots as they can The problem is that as we are Portuguese we never accomplish all the plans we have for some holidays.
In order to compensate that lack, I’ve created this space for you to know all my favourite places! Enjoy. :P

p.s. I wish I could say I haven’t created it because I need it for the website building course I’m attending… - It’s funny, my academic life is being more and more reported in this blog… Weird… I’m less busy then before… I guess I’ve learned how to publish… :)

Flashback II

2007-03-28T06:14:00.000+02:00

Once, in the Christmas period, we went for a very tasty typical northern European countries drink: hot wine. I just love it.

On our way home, I was trying to take a picture of a shop - that reminded me one friend of mine - but as always, Steven was poking me and he wouldn’t let me take the f*ckin stupid picture.

Suddently, these two guys appeared and saved me!

They really hugged me and they even gave something to enlighten my Christmas! – a small matches box with a deeply religious message on it. Apparently they were doing some propaganda with religious purposes, but still, in my perspective, they were doing a great job… Belgians need to learn how to hug… ;)

It's official...

2007-03-26T04:11:00.000+02:00

... and I haven't already start mine.
That's what you get when you keep postponing all your work... though you have done the same last weeks...
I'm still so Portuguese... ;)

Have a nice week!

3 - 1 = 2

2007-03-25T05:27:00.001+02:00

For all the moments that you've made me laugh: NASDROVIA! =)

Do you know how to play fish?

2007-03-25T05:23:00.000+02:00

Eheheh.

Actually he wanted to say: Little Fish! :P
I hope the portuguese people can understand the pun...

Dress up party... or not...

2007-03-25T04:00:00.000+02:00

Describing last night seems impossible to me.
But I want to write it down, at least, I wanna try. – I feel that I must post more often even if it is about something that doesn’t interest anybody – as I said before, I’m keeping this blog for myself more than for you.

So, Steven wanted to cook shrimps, a special recipe he said. Special dinners demand good company, so we invited some friends to come over.

I knew there was a party going on in a student residence, and Hanna had invited me to go there… but as always, you can’t foresee what’s going on after a dinner with friends, so I didn’t compromise myself to show up.

Later on, Iza, the polish girl from the second floor, dropped by to invite us to a “dress up party” – it seemed to be the same party, at Hanna’s place.

The guys were in the mood and so we “dressed up something”. :P

It was also happening “something” in another residence, but we were dressed up – we kept saying this expression for the whole evening!;) - and Steven didn’t really want to dance with a very-girly-pinky-something-between-t-shirt -and-dress somewhere where people were normally dressed!

Ok, so we were going to the so talked dress up party!
There were some missing understandings while we were "biking" but we managed to get into the place – at least we were in a residence and it seemed that was a party going on.

“Nobody is dressed up.”
“I don’t wanna walk there like this.”
“Ah, there’s Steven II, let me just say goodbye to him.” – because Luis is leaving tomorrow for Portugal. :(
“I’m getting in as well. 5 minutes.” - I’m not the kind of person that can wait outside a party place. :P
“JUST BRING LUÍS!”

I guess nobody was really surprised when we were ALL inside the building.
Luckily, they know what the so called “5 Portuguese minutes” mean, but still…
“We were waiting for you outside. Let’s go to the other party!”

Bla Bla Bla. Five minutes more… Plus five and another five…

We went to the bar to say hi to a guy we had met and he gives as a glass of Calimocho (cheapest coke + cheapest wine = very famous cheapest alcoholic drink amongst Spanish students).

“Aren't we leaving?”
…

C’mon, they were feeding us and giving us free Calimocho, what could we do? It would be rude to leave once everybody was so friendly. :P

“I’m going to Brussels tomorrow morning with Rodrigo, I must go home…” – of course Joana didn’t know that he was going to show up at 4 a.m. :P

The moments that followed the first Calimocho glass still make me laugh when I remember them.

“What’s your name?”
“Ola.”
“Hello, what’s your name?”
“Ola, Luis, his name is Ola, he is from Nigeria.”

Two hours in the common toilet!! Common toilet! It’s amazing what you can discover there!
Thousands of words were told by “the clients”. Thousands of laughs were heard in that cubiculum! Thousands of languages were spoken!
People coming in, people coming out.
The door was open and the scenario was changed!
Conversations with people that turned out to be your neighbours – to be more specific I should say “people that are living above you!”

Iza: “Ana, let’s go home?”
Cesar: “Home? But does she leave with you?”
Iza: Yeah, she is living in the first floor.
Cesar: But if she is living with you and I am as well… that means that she is living with me!!!
Ana. Are you kidding me???

Everybody was participating in our “movie” somehow. It's obvious, in every party everybody gets into a point that leads them to the toilet. So the action was there, and we were there too! ;)

The last, but not least, “personage” who opened the toilet’s door was Rodrigo. He was supposed to be asleep, but we were happy to see him… :)

Afterwards we went for a tour in the building and I can say that we felt at home… probably more than we were supposed too… But never mind… :P

The sun was rising up… although we are always the survivors (especially Luis I’m must say the truth :P) we need to leave at some point…

On our way home we laughed until the bones were hurting!!!

[I know this doesn’t sound funny to you, but believe me, if you had seen yourself in that movie, you would laugh with us…]

“Thank you for coming” Pedro said. Apparently that was a sort of a private party where everybody was invited to come! :)

"Thank you Luís" I say now. Without you I wouldn't have had so much fun...

14th Anniversary! (17.3.1993)

2007-03-20T21:11:00.000+01:00

Proficiat!
Happy Birthday!
Joyeux Anniversaire!
Parabéns!

p.s. mais um ano meus amores :)

March 16th 2006

2007-03-16T23:57:00.000+01:00

It's been a year since I'm a bit happier... :)