Beautiful Places

There are many beautiful places here. One day our team leader took us for a drive and we stopped at one area and walked around a little.

They have these kinds of "non-portable" potties near the beach areas. We didn't go in that day but are told that they are nice and clean but you have to pay 50 euro cents to use them.

Language School Is Fun but Hard

I haven't taken my camera with me to school yet but will one day and get a picture of our room and teacher. The building is nice and well kept but they still have the old brass speaking tubes in the walls and tiny brass door peepholes.

We are really enjoying our class time with our teacher and not only learning language but also learning about culture and getting to know Senhora Isabel personally. Mike and Sarah (our friends and fellow team members) are the only other students in the class and it is an encouragement to share time like this together.

Today is Saturday and right now Don and I should be studying language, but we are sitting on the couch trying to get a lot of things on the to-do list done. (There are people we know who are at the beach for the day!) We have set up Skype on my computer, Don is working on a monthly report (very frustrated right now with Word), and we keep thinking of the things we have not done yet but really need to have in process - like applications for the monthly metro card, the library card, the car toll pass...

Anyway, about the language - after two weeks of school we are understanding some things but realize that it is going to be a long time before we will be able to communicate in Portuguese! We will continue with the school that we are in for another month and then we will transfer over to a university for their semester class. It will at least be a shorter metro ride ; ) Still, we ask you to pray for perseverance and understanding!

Yes, We Live in a Pink Apartment Building

We live in a nice area of Lisbon called Telheiras. It is what our language teacher called a middle class, but very nice, neighborhood. A

good place to live.

There are other colored buildings besides pink, but there is a lot of pink. We were told that pink was the color of royalty.

The blacktop area goes down to the underground garage.

Our windows and balcony (in the last picture) look out on a nice green area and across the way to other pink (and yellow) buildings.

This view is very different from the backyard view we used to have but I am very thankful that we do have some trees and grass to rest our eyes on.

If we walk down the sidewalk (in the view off the balcony) we come to a nice area between buildings with benches and wide sidewalks, little shops, cafes, and restaurants. There is a small mercado (market) that sells breads, fruits, milk, juice, and other small items. We bought some peaches, lemons, limes, and bread rolls there the other day when we were walking back from the Metro. I'll take some pictures of that area another day.

On The Way to Language School

Well, here are some views of the route we take (by car) to our language school. Of course now we are taking the Metro (subway) everyday, but for a few days we braved the roads, three lanes going the same way and sometimes four. This particular morning we were a little ahead of the rush. The top right picture is taken from our classroom window - we are on the 3rd floor. Across the street are several buildings that have tile fronts. It is strange to see some of the more modern buildings right next to some of the buildings that are from ages ago.

Last weekend we went to a park to meet our team members and enjoy a nice evening of fellowship. The weather had been hot during the day but in the evening under the shade trees it was very pleasant. The children played on the playgrounds while the adults sat in the shade and talked and enjoyed some snacks.

They gave us a "goody bag" and when we got back to the apartment, it was fun to see the notes that were attached to each goody. We have already gotten into some of the goodies and the notes are even more handy.

The note attached to the Snicker's bar says, "Ooooh! You're in language school? Hang in there - you're gonna be awhile!" at the bottom - "snicker, snicker". Another one, attached to Kit Kat bars says, "Sometimes you just need to take a break (or give someone ELSE a break)! "gimme a break, gimme a break ... "

I am encouraged by the card that says, "Some days, the only good reason to go to language class is the elderly couple that gave to Lottie Moon." It was attached to a little bag of gold, chocolate coins - Euro coins, of course, and just reminds us of the privilege we have because of people who love the Lord and care to give.

Pizza?

We've been told by our children that pizza in other countries is not the same as the kind we are

used to in the States. Okay, so we knew that and expected things to be a little different but I had to laugh last night at the shocked expression on Don's face when we opened the box.

We had walked about an 8 minute walk from our apartment to pick up some pizza for supper. He'd ordered a special deal and we carried the boxes home. Don had ordered a "frango" (chicken) pizza but this is what it looked like when we opened the box. Yes, there was some shredded chicken but I'm not sure what they call that other topping. They look and taste like little hot dogs or those vienna sausages in a can. Needless to say, Don wasn't too impressed with the taste. The special was two pizzas and a bottle of coke, so at least the other pizza was something he liked - a pepperoni and mushroom. The funny thing is that everything here tastes just a little different - even when it is the same brand that we have.

Food, Phones, and Driving - Yikes!

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we had language classes in the mornings from 9-12:00, and the afternoons were full of running other errands. One of the first things we had to do was go get a tax number so that we can get a bank card, and then we went get a cell phone so that we could be in touch with our team members. That's Don and me in the picture talking with the sales guy, who was happy to practice his English.

We can walk from our apartment to a mall like store that has what amounts to a big super Walmart, another store like a Home Depot, and a big electronic store, among smaller shops, too.

Now our experience in the food store was somewhat different since Don and I went alone. There are so many items on the shelves and only a few recognizable brands. I did get some Tide laundry detergent but most everything else was a guess. Some of the things we bought were good and some, well, we'll just try another brand next time. Most of the workers only shook their heads when I asked, "Falla Ingles?" until towards the end of the trip when Don found a young man that could help us with some questions.

That's "our" car, an Asta, parked in front of our building. We also have an underground garage spot that is ours, too. Like most cars here it is a standard transmission and a sporty drive. But the driving experience so far is not relaxing! You have to be on the alert constantly for people zipping out in front of you or coming up fast from behind. And even with a borrowed GPS we have made mistakes very easily and have to really work to get back to the right place.

We have decided to start taking the subway to our language classes even though we have about a 12 minute walk to the station. They have told us that the traffic these days is not so bad since so many people are still on holiday, but wait until September. Maybe by then we will have figured out our way all over the city on the Metro and won't have to use the car much at all.