My parents just recently visited us here in Portugal. It was my Mom Anna’s 2nd time to Portugal (toured Europe with her sister Cynthia when they were in their 20’s), but it was my Dad John’s first time overseas. FIRST TIME.
We just had some new MAF teammates from America join us here in Coimbra for Portuguese language learning 1 week before my parents got here. They will be here for a year, like us, then move to Mozambique too. We had the privilege of orienting them: grocery stores, where to get needed paperwork done for their stay, where/how to register for classes/ daycare, and teach them a few local customs (double kiss on the cheeks, etc…). A pilot/mechanic and a high school math teacher… quick-learners, well-traveled, smart, logical, new parents, as sweet as can be. NOT THEIR FIRST TIME OVERSEAS.
Who was most amusing to show around town?
My Dad.
Oh, his face. PRICELESS.
Roasted pig on a spit over a fire is a very popular food here (Leitão). So, naturally, you can buy a pig at the grocery store. 7 euro per kilo. What a deal!
I’m not quite sure how to eat chicken feet. But, good for them not letting that part of the body go to waste! 5 euro for a bag of 3 dozen feet!
At our 2 major grocery stores here, you have to insert a 50 cent coin to “rent” a shopping cart. Once you return it, you get your money back. Great way to keep carts organized, because everyone wants their 50 cents back! I go a step further and have this plastic 50 cent coin… ensures that I always have that size coin available and don’t spend it!
When this beauty drove by, Dad just hysterically laughed. He thought it was a joke. “I’ve heard of these, but I’ve never seen one up close! They’re so small!” He waited for the driver and his wife to park and walk inside the store before he started inspecting it, peaking inside, and measuring the length of the vehicle with his feet (yes, he walked it out… 8 feet). Then he had to get a picture with it and tell a joke. “What does the smart car say it wants to be when it grows up? A VW bug!” Hillarious, Dad 🙂
Mom had to get a picture of the one plugged in. She was more impressed with the technology than tickled by it’s tiny appearance like Dad 🙂
We were so excited to teach Mom and Dad about some of the Portuguese we’ve been learning. But this one still makes us a little batty. The “u” is an “oo” sound like in noodle. The “x” is a “sh” sound like in shout. The “e” is often silent when it’s at the end of a word. So how is this word pronounced? P-OO-SH. Like “push.” And what does that word on the door mean? Pull. Ugh! Go figure.
Before we went food shopping at the mall one morning, Dad and I decided to go upstairs and get a cup of coffee. We sat down and started sipping. Now Dad likes to take his time and nurse his cup o’ joe. “Maybe we can get these in paper to-go cups so we can start shopping?” I asked the baristas in Portuguese. But, alas, they just shook their head like nobody had ever asked such a silly question before. No paper cups to-go. You sit and enjoy your café here in Portugal. Or you get a shot of expresso like every other local and down it in 2 minutes while at a standing table top. THAT is to-go. And if you really want fast-food with the convenience of drive-thru and paper products, McDonald’s is the only place with that combo. There’s 2 in town. That’s it. No other drive-thru’s. Definite culture shock for this American! (To be fair, we were in shock too when we first moved here.)
To give him some major credit, my dad really did do a fantastic job adjusting to his first travels overseas. He really did. When we ordered cod fish (bacaulhau) and goat stew (very popular traditional Portuguese dishes) at a top notch authentic restaurant here in town, he happily tried it and ate it. And even had seconds! When Steve and I took Mom and Dad to listen to traditional Portuguese music (Fado), he bought a CD and shook hands with the artist. When we ventured outside of town to explore ancient Roman ruins and a castle from the 1st century AD (the city of Conímbriga and Montemore-o-Velho Castle) in the rain on an ice cold day, he followed along, listened to the tour by Steve, and even conquered his fear of heights by traversing the inside of the fort’s walls along an extremely narrow walkway. I am so proud of my Dad for venturing beyond his comfort zones and being so brave!
But, isn’t it MOST fun when it’s not YOU going through the shock of culture?!
These were just some of the fun highlights of their trip here. And their time here was a short 2 weeks. But what about those of us who have just enough time to adjust, then it’s time to leave? Like me! 1 year is the perfect storm. The first 3 months, I loved everything about Portugal. Everyone recycles, so many at-home gardens, friendly neighbors, etc… I could go on. And what I didn’t like, I thought was cute and quirky. The following 3 months, everything that I thought was cute and quirky became less cute and quirky, maybe even a little irritating! Buses sometimes being on their own timetable and missing them even though I was on time, no central heating and constantly being cold everywhere I go, the Portuguese obsession of putting an egg in/on just about everything (including their pizzas!), and not being able to express myself in Portuguese like an adult.
But then, we went out of town for Christmas break. I got a break from our environment for a little bit, visited Steve’s sister and her family, and returned from a different foreign country. I started to appreciate what I had learned. I had a new perspective. Then, our new teammates came and we were in charge of orienting them. We felt like experts! My parents arrived soon after and we organized 2 weeks of fun things to do with them around town, ordered food and asked for directions in pretty decent Portuguese, and were able to explain a lot of history of the country to them from classes we had taken this last semester.
Culture shock had come full circle… what a beautiful thing.
“Your essential tool is your attitude and the way you choose to react to your circumstances. Your most effective tool for your emotional balance is your sense of humor.” (from the book “The Expert Expat” discussing how to manage culture shock)
I can’t say that I’m quite off this crazy train, however, there’s progress. And it feels really good not to be the new guy in town anymore. The language still overwhelms me at times, the smell of the fish section of the grocery store still makes me gag a little, and sometimes I still just want a #1 at Chick-Fil-A!
But there’s PROGRESS. I don’t ever think you quite arrive. Unless you’re a native. And I’m not. I feel pretty encouraged with how far we’ve come. It’s now less of a culture SHOCK and more of a culture CURVE.
Good prep for June…
When we pack up our lives again….
Move to a completely different country…
AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!
Ahhh!!!
Oh well. At least I know the SHOCK is not FOREVER 😉
Here’s some more photos from my parents visit with us. We are so thankful for Lola and Papa John! And so grateful to have been able to show them around “our” city of Coimbra.
They came bearing many gifts! Jiffy peanut butter, Kraft mac-n-cheese, Desiten… it’s funny what you miss when you’re gone!
There’s just NOTHING like having my parents here to take care of me and my babies! It’s the BEST!
We brought them and our teammates to our little church in the country on Sunday. They were asked to come on stage and have Steve introduce them in Portuguese. Culture shock!
I conquered my fear of eating something with it’s head still on… fish! Good start. Still so much to learn!
Steve and I got to get away for a night! We are only 45 minutes away from the coast. Felt like our beach hometown in Florida. Same ocean too!
We gave Mom and Dad a tour of the University, downtown, and a few medieval cathedrals (one included where the first king of Portugal was buried!). Dad kept commenting how old everything was.
One major project Mom helped me accomplish: make 9 meals from scratch and freeze them for a rainy day! (3 chicken pot pies– MAF recipe– see blog from April ’14, 3 lasagnas– Holly and Celeste, yes, still our old recipe from our college days!, and 3 dishes of chicken enchiladas.) Let’s face it, I’m a full-time student with 2 kids and not a lot of convenient type foods— every week there is a rainy day!
Dad counting out his “play” money. LOL 😉 Also known as the “euro.”
Celebrating the American tradition of a “Superbowl Party”! Buffalo chicken dip, pizza, Doritos, rice crispie treats, good friends, football. It felt like Thanksgiving, minus the turkey. Dad was so excited that everyone spoke English! It’s the little things 🙂
Again, so so so thankful for my Mom and Dad! Their visit encouraged my heart to the moon and back. There’s just something incredibly special about sharing your world with those you love.
The Simpson Scoop 