Spring

March 13, 2007 – Spring!

Spring has sprung in Portugal! Flowers are blooming, leaves are budding, gardens are being planted, birds are singing and the quality of each day has increased with all of the warmth and sunshine. Finally the rainy season has passed. With spring’s arrival, there is even more to experience and enjoy. It’s hard to drag ourselves indoors as the sun’s bright rays invite us to play more, play longer. I love spring.

There is a notable difference in the behavior of those living around us which I think is due to the change of season. Our village is a quiet place. During the winter months, it was rare to see many people outside, except for the women hanging the laundry in the afternoon. Now there is evidence of life in the sleepy village. Women sit in clusters in the sunny doorways of their homes. They pass the time talking with their neighbors until the men come home. The men sit in the center of the village on benches. With their button down, wool caps and canes, they whiddle at a piece of wood, they talk with their friends and watch the day pass by. At the end of the day, the working men, bring their horses in from plowing the fields. The horses get watered in the village fountain and then they are shut in their space for the night below the small homes of their owners.

It’s hard to believe how quickly time is passing. We are at the half-way point for our 6 month visit. I am in awe of how much we have experienced, felt and changed since our arrival. Looking back at the pictures from our first weeks here, I see an incredible difference. Though my language has always been rough, I now know so many more words, verb endings and I have a better grasp on sentence structure – thanks to my Portuguese teacher. I feel like I have a better idea of what is going on around me. Marcos seems more at peace. He speaks Portuguese well. He is more independent than he was in the beginning and gratefully less angry. He plays outside from noon until 6:00pm each day – coming in with rosy cheeks, dirty hands and a little bit of hunger. Jenna is growing. What happened to our little baby? She walks with steady legs over the rocky, uneven terrain. She understands Portuguese as well or better than English and she is so very happy. Duarte is more relaxed than I have seen him in years. He is enjoying experiencing his culture again and a bit nostalgic for the country that he will leave behind in just a few short months. He lives life fully. These six months, though not always easy, are such a gift to our family.

We have a lot of travel ahead of us in the upcoming weeks. This weekend Duarte will paddle in an extreme kayak race. He has been boating a lot and therefore excited for the opportunity to compete. For Christmas, Duarte gave me a whole week of surf school in the southernmost tip of Portugal. I have always wanted to learn to surf and have been anticipating this week since we arrived. Following the week of surf, Duarte’s family has rented a house in Algarve. Algarve is also in the south of Portugal. It is a well-known travel destination for those from England and Germany. We will visit with the family for a few days and then head back to Chaves before my mom comes to visit for two weeks. The day after she leaves our friends the Werner’s will come to see Portugal and stay with us for 9 days. Marcos is ecstatic over having his buddy Luke to show around. In May, Duarte has some friends coming over to paddle the amazing rivers that are running all around us. There is so much to do.

Spring’s arrival marks our half-way point and it brings warm weather, long, sunny days of fun and friends and family. As I write, I look out from the window of Quinta da Mata to see the valley of Chaves. The birds are singing and the trees are gently swaying with the warm morning breeze. I need to get outside…a new day awaits.