I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving however you chose to celebrate. We managed to celebrate it twice this year. On Thanksgiving Eve we attended a dinner for 55 expats (of which a large percentage were from CA) where we feasted on two huge turkeys cooked to perfection, with an assortment of side dishes and desserts. The event was held in an old, very eclectic building that was once a department store, so there are many display cabinets that are now filled with collections of antique toys, cameras, dolls, etc. There is even an old Fiat hanging on one wall. After our meal, we were entertained by a trapeze artist and musician. Some of my classmates also attended and dined with us. The following evening we had a wonderful potluck Thanksgiving dinner with the two couples we've become close with and their three teens. Here's what we learned about buying turkeys in Portugal: whole turkeys, fresh or frozen, are not sold in grocery stores/butcher shops, however you can order one for pick up, typically within a day. Once your order is placed, a turkey is butchered and transported, head and all (minus the feathers), to the shop. Our friends (and hosts) for Thanksgiving, Chala and Bob, found this out when they arrived to pick up the turkey. The butcher accommodated their request to remove all the unnecessary parts for them. We also discovered that cranberries are not a thing here, so we used lingonberries instead. I baked an apple pie using Portuguese flour (not gluten-free) but was pleasantly surprised that I was able to enjoy a piece myself because flour here isn't treated with Round-up, nor is it the hard red wheat grown exclusively in the U.S. I don't plan to get carried away, but it was really nice not to have a reaction to the flour.
On Monday (11/27) I arrived in Miami and spent a wonderful few days with our Miami based kids and grandkids. It was a wonderful visit and I was treated like a queen. Thursday evening I arrived in CA to spend a little time with family and friends and take care of some business before returning home in mid-December. Nick is holding down the fort in Porto. Now that I'm in a language school, it's a bit stressful to be leaving before our winter break, especially because our first written test is coming up in December. Fortunately, I will be able to join my class via Zoom on Mondays and Wednesdays however, it will be in the morning. The goal is to pass both the A1 and A2 classes over the next few years and earn a certificate for each. In order to bypass the written/oral test when applying for Citizenship, (after 5 years of residence) you must have completed and passed levels A1 & A2. Wish me luck.
One of the nice things about this language school is the fact that they also want to teach us about the culture. Each month they plan events and field trips to different places of interest. Last week we had a field trip to the local zoo and found it to be much more fun than we anticipated. The zoo features a beautiful light show each night, filled with models of all the various animals/fish/bugs that inhabit the zoo. I posted many photos from there on Instagram if you are interested. In December they have scheduled a cooking class which, unfortunately, I will miss.
On November 7th our Prime Minister resigned. Lots of intrigue! Advisors to the Prime Minister were actually arrested in order to be questioned and to prevent anyone from fleeing. This all revolves around possible "deals" made for lithium and green hydrogen projects. At this point, the Prime Minister himself has not been implicated however, they are investigating further, obviously, to see if he was involved. The good news is that as soon as he found out about the charges being leveled against members of his staff, he handed in his resignation to the President, so as not to be a distraction. The President then decided to dissolve the Parliament and call for new elections, which will be held in March. His decision to wait until March was to allow for the national budget to be finalized and approved by vote on November 29th, which is a good thing, because a minimum wage increase was due to go into effect in January. The new minimum wage will be 820 Euros/mo., an increase of 60 Euros/mo. That currently equates to about $876/mo. The Prime Minister is staying in place in a caretaker role until the elections in March.
We have no clue what to expect from this election. There is certainly talk of the "right wing" party called Chega, possibly winning, however, according to some people I've heard from, our "right wing" in Portugal would be considered center-right in other places. And we have six different parties as well. Having only come out from under a 50-year dictatorship in 1974, who knows what the people will want. This is still a very liberal country, but a poor one as well. Many people cannot even afford to buy a home. Young people can't afford to rent so they continue to live with their parents into their 30's. What I don't see as a big issue here is the hatred of immigrants that seems to be so polarizing in so many countries, so it remains to be seen whether that will become a big issue in the elections. Other than billboards, I've seen no campaign ads and am not even sure who is running yet (as residents, we are not eligible to vote). Whoever wins still has to build a coalition government. According to my instructor, Joanna, Portugal is known for being very collaborative by nature and a number of Portuguese officials have been elected many times over for bigger positions in the EU because of their willingness to work across the aisle, so we'll see what happens.
Stay well and stay safe. Wishing you a great holiday season!
Adeus, abraços e beijos,
MaryLou Photos in order: Pre-Thanksgiving dinner Thanksgiving at Chala and Bob's Evening walk through the zoo
