Orchestras and icecream

This has been the last week of month-long, free, open-air concerts in downtown Lisbon. I finally was able to go to one, and with a wonderful group of people. Three friends (two of them theology colleagues), one priest friend visiting from the Azores and his historian friend. We were able to get seats on some steps.. no chairs even though we got there an hour early. I was amazed at how many people packed in, on the surrounding streets and streets overhead, to listen to the orchestra. What is it about sounds put together that moves our soul so much? I think music is a very mysterious thing. 

Pictures of our chat on the steps while waiting, the crowds, my friend Catia enjoying the music and our delicious Santini's icecream afterwards...

The Loneliness of Singlehood

You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have eyes to see” Mother Teresa profoundly remarks in this video (at about 2:20). She explains that, “Material poverty you can always satisfy with material. The unwanted, the unloved, the uncared, the forgotten, the lonely: this is much greater poverty” (at 4:15).

There are many that are unwanted in the US and other First World countries: the handicapped, the elderly, the 123 IVF babies aborted just because they had Down syndrome. However, there is another group of people that are particularly at risk for loneliness and constitute the fastest growing household type in the United States: single people under 65 years.

Lack of community and social interaction is bad for our health, as many studies show. “Joining and participating in one group cuts in half your odds of dying next year” — yet trends over the last 25 years have shown a 58% drop in attending club meetings, a 43% drop in family dinners and a 35% drop in having friends over, as Prof. Robert Putnam has written in his book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.

The Stanford News Service’s Kenneth M. Dixon writes, “The world is more connected than ever before, but people spend less time in person with those they care about. With regards to social interactions, quantity has replaced quality.” I wonder, Is this disconnectedness also linked to the growing number of single people? Is it not only more difficult to form stable, long-lasting friendships, as it is more difficult to date and get married?

Read full article at IgnitumToday...

Nazaré

Daniel and I went on our first bus trip with our folclore dancing group this weekend. We went to Nazaré, a fishing village with a lot of history and nowadays, a lot of beach and tourism. We had time to eat a chocolate-filled churro, enjoy some wind and talk to actual fisherwomen (?). Daniel's audacity to talk to strangers is one thing I would never do on my own, but which really makes my life more interesting! We learned you can eat raw fish that has been dried (he tried some!), that her skin is very damaged from the sun and that she also used to be in a folclore dancing group! Wow, to have something in common with a 70 or 80 year old fishing village lady is really something.

The picture that follow are of a statue called "Mother from Nazaré", a wife watching her fisherman husband leave (how sad!); graffiti; warming up; us :); the oldest member of the folclore group, and the only person who has real, gold jewelry (and all hers!); our sign. Sorry about the blurry ones!

Translating in the jungle

Other than being surprised everyday anew at how amazing and loving my BF Daniel really is (see cute picture below of him playing catch with a wine bottle cork with his godson), I've been staying home a lot and trying to finish translating my 100 pages of thesis into English... for it to possibly be digitally published! Tranlating takes a loooooooong time, but it's all very exciting. 

My basil came inside this week because there were workers getting things dirty outside while working on the roof. Together with my orchids which seem to be taking steroids, my kitchen seemed like the Brazilian amazon. At least that's what Daniel said and I thought it was funny. 

All the books I ordered came at once in the mail... I love getting new books in the mail. Feels just like Christmas. The first recipe I tried from my new Asian cookbook my sister gave me for my birthday turned out... pretty good! And I copied my friend Vanessa's quiche again, this time it got a little burned around the edges. But still delicious...

Beach visits

It has been hoooot here the past few days, as in 40°C/100°F hot with no indoor heating. Luckily, I still live 20 minutes from the beach. My BF Daniel has been enjoying the beach more than I have lately, due to my wimpiness of not being able to get into cold water, but it has been so nice to spend my days looking forward to his visits when he finishes work. And it's also wonderful to see the beach packed, even at 9 p.m., with families, couples and friends walking and hanging out. 

 “The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder.” 
― G.K. Chesterton