Greetings everyone and happy birthday to my big brother today!
I'm sure you're all wondering about the results of our first language tests ... well, we both passed! My grade was much better than I expected. 🎉 Now we press on learning and studying for the next test in March. 😬
I had hoped to post a picture of our new, completed laundry space this month, however it won't be installed until later next week, so pictures will be included next month instead. We're enclosing our kitchen balcony and transforming it to our laundry room. Then we'll turn our current, little laundry space into a pantry instead.
My Portuguese driver's license finally arrived in the mail last week. Back in October I had an appointment to make the exchange of my US license at which time they told me not to expect receipt of my new one for 6 months. Lo and behold, the Portuguese government delivered faster than expected!
We also applied for and received our Social Security numbers here in Portugal. Though we don't work here and pay into SS, we needed them for our school records. And, a very nice extra benefit is available ... a medical card that will allow us to seek treatment anywhere in the EU based upon our status as a resident with healthcare coverage here.
Since this is now tax season, we are trying to get everything in order for our accountants. We have NIF Portuguese Tax Identification, numbers used for tracking the taxes we pay on almost every purchase. I don't know if I have explained this previously, but every purchase we make, whether for groceries, toiletries, furniture, etc., is tracked through the Portuguese IRS. We give our NIF number at time of purchase and it shows up on our finance portal at their website. On a regular basis I/we log in to our separate accounts and make sure that purchases are correctly categorized. Then we grant permission for our accountant to access our portals to obtain whatever information they need to prepare our taxes. It's obviously so different from what's done in the states, especially giving out your NIF number out loud in the grocery store checkout line, but apparently no one can steal your identity with your NIF. It's also considered a public service because by giving your NIF, it ensures that the vendor must declare the sale.
I learned an interesting piece of history in my language class this month. Kings Cake, aka Christmas cake and New Year's cake (bolo-rei) has been popular in Porto since 1890. It's also traditionally served on January 6th, Dia de Reis (Epiphany) and can be found in every bakery and grocery store during the holidays. Traditionally it contained a fava bean (raw) and a little metal ornament wrapped in plastic/paper ... if you got a piece of cake with the fava bean, it meant that you had to provide the bolo-rei the following year while if you got the little metal ornament then you were off the hook the following year. Once Portugal became a member of the EU in 1986, they were required to immediately change the recipe and leave out the bean and the ornament due to the choking hazard. I find it fascinating to think about the extent some things had to change to be a part of the EU.
The EU is also requiring all new cars to be equipped with a black box beginning in June 2024. Called an EDR (event data recorder), it records data 5 seconds before a crash and .03 seconds after to help determine causes and responsibilities. And while it doesn't record video or audio, it does monitor speed, turning angle and brake action to name a few things. Since cars in Portugal are quite expensive, especially when purchasing new, I will be curious to hear whether this little item adds much to the price of a new car. All in all, these devices are meant to make the roads safer to drive.
We're currently experiencing spring-like weather here, which is lovely but also concerning. While we here in the north have plenty of water, the south, particularly the Algarve, is facing its worst drought ever. Dams are at 25% capacity or less and residents will have to cut their home water usage by 15%. Meanwhile Spain has also been experiencing a drought for the past two years which has caused them to lose half their production of olive oil (they are the world's biggest olive oil producer). They have instead been purchasing olive oil from Portugal which has driven up the cost to purchase it here, which, to be honest, I haven't yet noticed. I just paid 7 euros for a litre of reserve EVOO, which didn't seem severe to me but I'm now paying more attention.
This past Sunday we went on a photo walk with a group of folks from Internations. It was a nice mix of a few Americans, Irish, Brits, Dutch, Germans and Chinese. We started at Casa da Musica (our symphony hall) then walked over to a nearby park. Our final stop was at a lovely cemetery we didn't even know existed. It's beautiful and huge, with many interesting mausoleums, some of which even have curtains. I'm attaching a few photos from that excursion.
Also, if you are on Instagram/FB I posted a cute video of some traditional folk singers who came to Mercado Bolhao to serenade shoppers this past Saturday. I don't dare try to attach it, or who knows how many emails will bounce back at me.
Wishing you all the best.
Adeus, abraços e beijos, MaryLou
Photos: Casa da Musica is a very modern structure which opened in 2005. The area around it is quite popular with skateboarders. Cemitério de Agramonte is very peaceful and majestic.
