Bird watching with a side of Portuguese food: Our day at Lagos Pequena and the Lisbon Cooking Academy

This Thursday our group had an opportunity to do two completely different, yet fun activities. The first was visiting Lagos Pequena, an extremely diverse coastal lagoon that is a protected area. The students split into groups and rotated between 4 stations: a fresh water lagoon with a bird-watching hut, a lagoon with mixed fresh and salt water with a bird-watching hut, an activity where they had to match birds and their adapted features with their habitat, and a listening station where we heard bird calls and tried to identify all of the animals around us through sound. 

We were able to see herons, chickadees, and even a booted eagle (which only lives in Europe and Africa). Each student had a chance to look through binoculars and a very fancy monocular to get a better look at each species. Our guides were knowledgeable and fun. They lett us know that there were no alligators or sharks around, but still had us try to figure out what the large fin we saw in the water belonged to. In the end we found out it was probably an 8 or 9 ft long catfish or bass. 

Our next activity was cooking at the Lisbon Cooking Academy. Many of our students love to cook and have been bragging about their skills since we arrived. Some students gushed about their love of cooking meals for their families or baking for their friends at home. In Portugal, meals are sacred and reserved for spending quality time with loved ones. Based on these two facts I was excited to see all the students in action, and to get to eat with all of the youth I’ve gotten to know over the past few weeks. 

We had 3 main stations: appetizer, dessert, and of course, the main course. Students and staff were able to rotate through and help with each station, after getting a thorough lesson on proper cutting and kitchen safety. We snacked on meats, cheeses, and olives while we all took turns making the meal. We listened to upbeat music as we cut onions, cracked eggs, shredded chicken, and kneaded crust. The Lisbon Cooking Academy did a great job accommodating all of our allergies and food needs. As someone who is gluten and dairy free, I’m rarely allowed to enjoy a delicious dessert like I did with them. The menu was extensive and filling. We made both chicken and tofu, as well as a few of the biggest Pastel de Nata I have ever seen (and vegan chocolate mousse for us vegan or dairy-free folks). The food was amazing and everyone had so much fun eating, cooking, and laughing. This was the perfect second week activity because students and staff had already had time to get to know and trust each other before making a meal together. We felt like one big family and working together definitely solidified our bond.