Our First Few Days in Portugal

Although we had COVID-19 restrictions (so the groups were divided into pods)  we still found a way to have fun and bond in our smaller groups!  

On Tuesday we had a scavenger hunt and visited the Museum of Work. At first the hunt started off as a competition within the pod, but in the end we all became one team to try and find the locations! We walked through the neighborhood to eventually reach the museum. Once we arrived we learned about Portugal's history with farming and the fishing industry. We got to see a replica of an old market and real farming tools that were previously used. We ended the outing by taking a picture in front of the ocean, and on our way back to the hotel we were searching for ways Portugal  represents the importance of the ocean!

The next day, after learning about river ecosystems in class we got to eat our lunch on the beach for the first time! While there, we got to enjoy the nice breeze and dip our feet in the water! After that, we had our second Portuguese lesson with Sandro while looking out at the ocean. We went over our previous lesson and learned how to describe ourselves along with colors and greetings. Later in the day, we got to go back to the beach and go swimming! Everybody had a good time as we were all looking forward to it all week! After swimming we played uno and then headed back to the garden to eat dinner. While there, we met a cute dog which we named Roofy! At first one of our pod mates thought Roofy was a boy and named her Roofus but after  awhile we figured out that wasn’t the case. We wanted her name to be similar and finally agreed on Roofy. Finally, at the end of the night we watched a documentary that informed us on the pros/cons of dams and how they affect humans, the planet, and other animal species. After watching the movie my pod hung out for a while on the patio and then headed off to our rooms reminiscing on the times we shared together!

On Thursday it was a rainy day but we still wanted to make the most of it! We started the day with class and learned about estuaries and coastal lagoon ecosystems. We then had lunch on the patio under the over hang as we still wanted some fresh air. Later in the day we had a traditional Portuguese dance class! It was really fun to see everybody in my pod working together to try and learn the dances that we were taught! We watched another documentary for class that was about the different animal species in Portugal. I got to test my language skills by ordering a Coca-Cola in Portuguese!  My pod ended the night by playing a serious game of uno in the lobby!

Written by Mia Hatcher