Lisboa Na Rua.....watching Fado movies outside

I got to do something really fun and interesting last Saturday night. My new friend Shelly invited me to go watch some films outside. Both films were about "fado" music. The first movie was an old silent film and two fado guitarists played live during the movie as a soundtrack. That was really fantastic. They were such good musicians and what they played really complemented the film well. The second movie was a documentary about Amalia Rodrigues, probably the most famous fado singer in the world. Fado means "fate" and is a kind of Portuguese music that expresses sadness and longing or "saudade". This word is hard to translate in English but many people compare it to the word "nostalgia". My friend Bozena found this link about fado if you want to learn more:

Fado: The Soul of Portugal

It was a really exciting evening in many ways. First, it was a very good program with live music. Shelly made the point that in Portugal, even in times of "austerity" or a bad economy, the government still funds lots of arts-related events that are free. Pretty cool. And, for me, I got to watch a film, listen and read subtitles in the language I am trying to learn - what a fun way to learn, right ? Also, the place that this event was held is in a neighborhood called Mouraria. This is a really interesting part of Lisbon or Lisboa, in Portuguese, that has a history of Fado so it was a perfect place to show these films. And, before the first film started, there was a slide show of photographs of people who live in the neighborhood. This was very interesting and everyone clapped afterwards. One of the photos of people was Helder Moutinho, a wonderful fado singer I had seen at the restaurant behind where they screened the films. So cool to see his photo and know that he is an important part of this neighborhood ! See below if you want more info about Mouraria:

Mouraria Neighborhood Guide

The feeling in the air that night seemed special. It seemed like it was a real celebration of the neighborhood and the culture of Lisboa and the people. It was like a party and took place in a little courtyard - a place called "Largo de Severa" which is where a wonderful restaurant and fado club. Here is more info about this restaurant and club called Maria de Mouraria.

Maria de Mouraria

Well, I know this is getting to be a long blog entry so I'll try to wrap it up. It was a great night for me. I didn't know anything about Amalia Rodrigues and she led quite an interesting life. David Byrne introduced the film and said she sang not just about the sadness of people but the sadness of the universe. What an amazing way to get to know more about Lisboa and fado ! Here are my photos from that evening. I wish I could have gotten photos of the two guitarists but they were in darkness on a stage below the screen.

Working out in Portuguese...

I started going to a really fancy gym here...because they have a great pool. It's like being at an expensive spa...and I couldn't resist joining. It costs about 80 euros a month ($105.00) - which is a little expensive for me. But, the good thing is, you can go as often as you want and take as many classes as you want. This makes it a good deal. And, I would never be able to afford this type of gym in the US. It's called Virgin Active and is in a hotel here in Lisbon. I usually go there to swim and use the jacuzzi and saunas (I know, pretty fancy...) but since the pool has been closed for two weeks, I decided to take some exercise classes. They have all kinds of classes all day every day. So far I've taken pilates, yoga, zumba, body balance (cardio workout with weights) and V-Core (stomach/abdominal exercises). When I go to a class for the first time, I introduce myself to the teacher and tell them I don't speak Portuguese. They are all really nice and they can speak English but they do the classes in Portuguese. So, I have to look at them and everybody else and try to copy their movements and once in a while the teacher will look at me and say something in English if they think I really need it, like 'breathe in and breathe out" because I might not be able to notice that from just looking at everyone. It's cool having to just immerse in a different language. I get to hear a lot of "mais", which means "more" and I can understand the numbers, um, dois, tres, etc. when they are counting how many times we do stuff...but a lot of it just washes over me. People usually clap when the class is over and then the teacher stands by the door and says bye to everyone one by one. I don't remember if they say "tchau" (bye) or something else so I'll pay attention next time and see.

The other cool thing about this gym is that the first day you go there, after you sign up, they have you stand on this machine and hold two sensors in your hands and it takes a reading about your body. It shows weight and fat and muscle percentage in your body and a lot of other statistics I don't really understand yet. Anyway, just wanted to share that experience of listening to a class in a language you don't really understand much of. It's very interesting.

Sunglasses and São Vicente de Fora Monastery...

My language exercise for yesterday was...to walk into a store near my apartment that sells glasses and sunglasses and ask someone to "tighten" the screws on my sunglasses so they would stay on better. So, I looked up the word "tighten" and in Portuguese, it is "apertar"...(which I have already forgotten and just had to go look up again...). So, I went in and asked the woman optometrist there: Se faz favor, pode aperta meus óculos de sol ? Actually, I probably got as far as "pode aperta" and then said "estes" or just gestured, and she got it and took my glasses and went to tighten them. So, I started to look at sunglasses in the shop and saw some I liked and when she came back, I asked her, in Portuguese, if she had a certain style in black. Something like, "voce tem em preto" ? And, here is where things always get difficult...people will often answer my question with a long answer (or even a short answer) which I don't understand. But, this time, she used the word "crianças" which means children and I was able to understand that one word and the idea that they don't make children's sunglasses in black which we both laughed about. So, I thanked her and left and felt very proud of being able to understand the response to my question. Of course, the next person I spoke to in the wine shop and asked if they had "espumante" or sparkling wine, said no and gave me a long explanation why...of which I understood nothing. So, I just said "thanks and see you next time"...and left quickly. I need to go back and have that conversation again...and learn to be more honest about saying, I don't understand.


After those two stops, I decided to be a tourist and visit the castle and a famous and a very beautiful monastery here. A "monastery" is place where a group of religious people live (the men are called "monks" and the women are called "nuns"). Usually, there are "cloisters", a type of building where the monks or nuns live, attached to a church. The word "cloister" means to separate and live separately from other non-religious people within enclosed walls.The monastery I visited in Lisbon is called Sao Vicente de Fora. It is famous for its cloisters which have a lot of beautiful blue and white tiles that decorate it and show pictures of its history.

Here are some photos of the monastery and the wonderful views from the roof or bell tower.

Looking down into the cloisters:

A very nice view of Lisboa - you can see part of the castle to the right among the trees on the hill:

Here is the bell tower - I got to hear the 3:00 bells !

Here is an example of the tile work there:

Here is one more pic to show a better view of the cloisters:

Padlocks....and the never ending need to improve...

Yesterday, I needed to go buy a padlock because I started going to a gym here. So, I looked up the word "padlock" in my English-Portuguese dictionary and it is "cadeado". So, I left my apartment and looked for a store that might sell padlocks. Right across the street, I saw a store that sold household things. So I went in and said: Bom dia. Preciso um cadeado (Good day...I need a padlock....) well, I guess my pronunciation was not easy to understand. The man repeated what I said but couldn't identify what I wanted. I started to show with body language and say the word "chave" for key...he still didn't understand me....I looked around for a piece of paper to maybe draw a padlock...and then somehow he said or showed me something that was near the padlocks he had and I was able to point to one....what a relief. Then he said the word "cadeado" and I tried to repeat it several times...well, lucky for me he was very kind and I found what I needed...but, as you can see, my life is challenging right now. I can't really speak the language very much and it is hard for people to understand me because my pronunciation is always wrong.

This made me start thinking about my students and the need they have to always improve their English. What an exhausting and tiring position to be in to always have to learn more, do better, keep growing. You can't stop trying to learn or you won't be able to interact. Hmm....I'm so lazy. I don't really have to try to improve at much in my daily life....well, sometimes I try to exercise more, or play music more regularly, or eat healthier...but I never have to try to improve my language skills every day. And, that is what I am really thinking about a lot these days. How hard it is to be in a position where you have to keep improving all the time. You can't rest for long and you can't ever stop. What a hard thing...my students are so amazing that they keep going with English. They are going to be my inspiration to do better with learning Portuguese. Starting today.

My Apartment

Oi ! (means "hi" in Portuguese)

I arrived in Lisbon...or, in Portuguese, Lisboa, July 13th but...then I went on vacation and left to travel with a friend and see different parts of the country. Now I am back so it's time to start sharing my experiences here in Portugal. Let's start with my apartment and my neighborhood because it's really cool ! I live in an area called Santa Catarina. It's between two other neighborhoods here - Barrio Alto and Chiado. I am very very lucky because I found the most beautiful apartment to rent. It has a view of the river Tagus (Tejo) in the front and a little terrace with another nice view in the back.

Here are some photos:

This is the view from my front window ! You can usually see sailboats and ferries going back and forth. It's so entertaining to watch - better than TV.

And, here is the view from the back terrace:

Here is my living room:

Here is my dining room:

Here is my terrace:

Sometimes it is really hard to leave my apartment and go out into the world...but I force myself...and when I come back, it is always so nice to see it again.