New everything

Where do I begin?

After four days of searching for a room in rainy weather and much frustration and hopelessness, I stumbled across this place. A girl at school who knew I was looking for a place introduced me to Marta - my current apartment mate. Marta told me she had a room available near the center, not far from a metro station and that I could come and see it. Well, I did. And I took it. It's a bit pricey but it's Ok for now. The price includes utilities and other little stuff like laundry detergent...I also have towels, bed sheets, a very well equiped kitchen, all sorts of appliances, so it's Ok. - again, for now.

So I've been here 10 days and I've gotten used to the place. Besides us, we have a boy living too, Henrique. He is at work all day and I barely see him. I also barely see Marta, which doesn't bother me. Marta's parents come often around here. They cook for themselves and their daughter, they clean up sometimes, and they are very nice actually. Her mom knows english well; better then any of them.
Here are a few shots of the place, for you to get a sense of the vibe around here:

What else?
School. I apologize for  the pictures. These were mainly taken to show R around the university, and not for the blog. But I don't have anything else, yet, so these will have to do.

The school is really nice and simple, very minimalistic. The teachers are so nice, also.
This week was my first week of school. I had an introductory course on Tuesday where all the teachers presented themselves and what they were going to teach and loads of other interesting stuff. I think. I don't know. I couldn't understand a word. Ok, maybe I did understand, but just 1/3 of it. Portughese is fucking hard!!! It's frustrating, really is. And most of the teachers know very little English. Others just tell me to learn Portughese and not even try to explain in English.

Until Christmas I have five distinct courses. After the holidays I'll have more.
This year, I found out, I'm only going to learn about menswear.  Fucking menswear.
So I have a course on that, with an asshole: where I learn about shirts, collars, fabrics, pants, jackets.
Then I have a course called Contextual Studies: theoretical and pretty hard, especially in Portughese. Then I have Advanced Virtual Models course - 3D programs on the computer.
Then something called Product Engineering - haven't done yet/ will do next week.
Then something that would translate as Modeling/ Confection - haven't done that either.

I now have eight weeks/ or seven- with God's help until I come home for Christmas. I can't wait.

Aparently these days (the weekend) were Fashion Portugal days and there were several presentations in downtown Porto. On Friday evening, me and three of my group girls went to see some. It was interesting, for sure. I guess you can check it out here. But we didn't get to see that much because we were tired from classes and soon after we were on our way home.
My new friends are nice. A bit odd, but nice. Of course they're odd, I don't know them yet. They try and help me out with translating and explain to me again certain stuff I didn't get in class. We have lunch together at school, they're happy they get to practice their English and they're trying to make me speak more portughese by refusing to answer me if I adress a question in English and not in Portughese. One is from Brasil, one from Madeira and the other from a town north of Matosinhos.

The city is great, like really. The weather is so nice and I can't wait to go the beach. I haven't had time to really go about and visit stuff but I figured I got time. I really do want to rent a bike and go about with that. Surely it would save time and would be so fun. I'm working on that.

hotel bathroom details - cause I like it

Arriving in and the first few days - Portugal

The trip was fine, I guess. A bit tiresome, of course.
I took off from Otopeni and so getting there by bus wasn't the greatest. I hate buses.
I flew to Lisbon, a 4 hour flight, and then from there another 40-50 minutes to Porto. We were served breakfast on the first flight, and it was decent enough. Just your regular: omelet, ham, bread + tea/coffee+ croissant, butter, jam+ yogurt, fruit salad. It was just what I needed after the lousy bus ride.

 {room service}

 {I love me a good bathroom with a window}

 {view from my window}

 

I need to find a room, very soon.

The hotel I'm staying in is great. But I'm done with it. I want to get my own room, with a kitchen where I can cook and make tea.
I want to settle in and start school and walk around the city and just relax. But I can't, not until I get my place.
I absolutely hate looking for a new place. Now, imagine having to do that in a new larger city and having to speak and settle the details in a foreign language. It's just the worst. I got lost a coupe of times while trying to find an address and just gave up and went home. The owners ain't coming to get you there, not even if you ask them to. Apartment/ room searching sucks.

Quick check in

 

I'm grateful for many things. Here are a few.

 

 {great fall proof}

 {Pupi, being this fat while I'm feeding her a stick...}

 {this belly}

 {these eyes}

 {this tongue}

 {these jars, labeled by R}

 {the climbers/ adventurers}

 {blurred one}

 {photo-bombing my photo: still life with beer and access bracelets}

 {ooouups nightfall/scary situation at this point}

 {brainstorming ideas on how to get back in the city}

We did get to Hamak, eventually. Just a bit too late. Too late to fully enjoy the place. We got there in the afternoon and by the time we had all the straps on we were told to hurry up, cause they were closing the thing because it was getting dark. I chickened out for two reasons: they supposedly had no more gloves - and you do need them, like really. And two: they don't have one or two easier tracks to get the hang on things and warm up before they make you do the harder ones: yellow, blue and the deadliest of them all: red. So R and Adra managed to do the yellow and blue ones. I am proud of them. It really was difficult. But maybe that's just me. 

It's nice, into the woods, many things to do kind of place and has an Adventure Park. Just not that great of an adventure park. Certainly not like I experienced at Brasov.

Then we had half a beer and we were off to "the station", hoping to catch a ride home. We waited and waited but then it seemed hopeless, being Sunday evening and all. Then a woman with a car offered us a ride back and we were thrilled. And we got back safe and unraped, which is awsome. Adra even went on a date afterwards.

I baked cookies, brownie and a lemon yogurt cake for R's birthday today and I packed them and delivered them to his workplace, where he had a little get together with his mates. And they all liked everything very much, and I felt so proud...almost as if I had actually invented the recipes myself.
The recipes are here / here and here. The cookies are the ones I made for a party in May, check the post here.  And they're totally worth it, even if they're crazy expensive to make. The yogurt cake is a classic around here. I just swap the grapefruit with a lemon. The brownie is also an all time favourite.
I recommend trying any of them out. Mom bloggers of America know their shit.