My Lisbon Experience so far!

My Lisbon Experience so far!

I've been in Lisbon for almost 3 months, which is a surprising amount of time considering that my placement is almost a third complete! So far Portugal and Lisbon have welcomed me with open arms. My arrival was in January, a few weeks before my project actually started. I wanted to accustom myself with the local way of life before any of the work actually started. I took the time to explore the city, meet people, try new foods, listen to the language and immerse myself into this experience. I have been really taken aback by the beauty of this city. There are stark contrasts between Lisbon and my small town in the UK. Coming from North Wales, I am used to countryside, farms, local pubs and virtually non existent public transport. Suddenly Lisbon has taken over my conscience with its bustling streets and warm balmy weather. I have been inundated with different smells and tastes that I do not encounter when I'm at home, especially when it comes to food and drink.  Its hard not to fall in love with a way of life that is focussed on the act of eating together and socialising.

My project has been very involving, with many different learning curves in the process. The main language of the office is Portuguese, so I have been plunged into the deep end in terms of communication. Although everybody speaks English very well at the office, there is strong emphasis on picking up the lingo in order to communicate and embrace the culture. This has been aided by the twice weekly intensive course which is designed to get you talking in a short space of time. So far I'm growing in confidence, using phrases and actually starting to understand. I'm finding it quite amazing how the mind can just pick up a language when it is forced to. After my 9 month placement, my goal is to be relatively conversational in Portuguese, which means I may have to ditch my English for the time being! 

I have already been very involved within the running of the association, which I'm really enjoying. I have had the chance to participate in the running of a week long seminar for other European organisations and integrate with local youths for English conversation lessons. I know that once the summer arrives properly here in Lisbon, the schedule will only get busier. I am really excited to continue my learning process and develop my own ideas throughout the placement.

I think that EVS has given me a fantastic opportunity. I feel so lucky to be able to carry out my placement in such good surroundings and with great people. I think that European and international awareness is so important to understand and through my EVS, I am not only able to learn more about Portugal, but also about other internationals I meet along the way.

 Tom Green

 

Theresa on EVS in Portugal - 2012

My name is Theresa and I have completed six out of nine months of my EVS in Lisbon, Portugal. It has been a very varied, funny, challenging and rewarding experience. I had previously studied in Lisbon and fell in love with the city – its beautiful hilltop viewpoints, antique trams through the cobbled streets, and unique nightlife and music – however, I wanted to experience real Portuguese life by volunteering within the local community.

My project is based at the department for old people at a borough council (Junta de Freguesia de Carnide), where they organise educational and social activities for senior citizens. Everyone has been very friendly and encouraging of my linguistic efforts, so I really feel part of the community, and as though I have gained about 100 surrogate grandparents! Some of the activities I’ve been involved in are: a soup festival, helping with English and IT lessons, a protest against cuts to local government, a trip to the Algarve, and a “sardinhada” – a huge party with lots of grilled sardines and traditional music to celebrate the national holidays in June.

As part of these holidays, each district of Lisbon performs a march, including athemed song and dance, and these are displayed down the main avenue. The old people and children from Carnide also gave a performance and I was asked to be the “godmother” of the march (shown in the photograph). It was so much fun to wear such an elaborate costume and an honour to participate in something so typically Portuguese. Another highlight of my project has been the summer camps during July and August, in which we took 100 people to the beach, swimming pool and different cultural activities every day. I am frequently amazed at how much energy and silly sense of humour these old people have, for example the event we did on the last day of the summer camp: a cross-dressing fashion show on the beach, which everyone took very seriously!

I live in an apartment in the city centre with other volunteers from Macedonia, Spain, Slovenia and Brazil. The flat is great and we often have big international dinners, with other EVS volunteers from around Portugal coming to visit. At times, my EVS project has been quite challenging, and I have had to adapt to a lot of new situations and way of working. Living abroad is a fantastic adventure, but I think no one is immune to occasional homesickness (I was really sad to be away from London during the Olympics!) and at the beginning it’s exhausting just to cope with everyday tasks.

I feel that I am learning all the time during my project: a different language, how to engage with elderly people, the structure of local government organisations…as well as learning more about my own interests and capabilities, and becoming more independent and confident in myself. But the most important thing I have learned so far is that when you get old, the fun doesn’t have to stop!