2 weeks to go

And now with two weeks remaining in Portugal we have found our rhythm. It takes time to adjust to this drastically different way of life and I never remember this.

I’m speaking Portuguese more comfortably and fluently than ever before. Since Duarte has been so busy with family and with work, I have taken it upon myself to get out and do some things on my own.

Yesterday I ran from Quinta da Mata to the city and then back up. On my way, I overcame two aggressively yappy ankle biting dogs; a flock of sheep, 3 sheep herding dogs and a shepherd, a man and his horse and cart working the fields, a number of old men hanging around talking with other old men who gazed at me awkwardly, a mother stork and her 3 juveniles in a tall nest above me, layers and layers of animal poop and my own tentativeness about it all. I will call that success.

Today is Wednesday. Wednesdays are the days when all forms of commerce come to town. There are hordes of gypsies selling everything from underwear, pirated movies and cheap plastic toys, to wallets, sporting goods and electronics. The local farmers bring in their vegetables and fruit and the men with livestock bring in their cattle, their horses, their sheep, goats, donkeys, pigs, you name it. Over the years, I’ve come to dislike the animal section of “feira” as I find the incessant “mehing” of the baby sheep quite stressful. Their cries stir up my motherly instincts and I find myself sad and anxious and yearning to help them.

Jenna walked into the rugged animal feira today wearing her purple crocs, a pink dress, a veil (yes, a veil) and a purse slung around her shoulders. She was like a delicate little flower entering a harsh, aggressive environment. Neither of us enjoyed the scene very much and thus we waited in the car while Marcos and Filinto negotiated a new harness for our burra named “Flash.”

It’s all going so much more smoothly than it did in the first week. D’s parents are now talking to me a bit. We have settled on food we agree upon and I’m finding time to do the things I need to do to feel comfortable. It just takes time to remember that we like each other and that we can communicate and we all desire the same things for our family.

I’m grateful for this time that my children have with their grandparents. I like to think about Marcos visiting Portugal with a girlfriend in the future and sharing his beloved childhood memories from this place. He is in his element here – appropriately stimulated and with each passing year he gains more freedom around the farm. He would be happier with friends around but really it is all so good. I envy his childhood. He has seen so much.

Jenna is the belle of Quinta da Mata…such a tough little girl, yet so feminine. I feel so fortunate the share life with her. Jenna is funny and dynamic. She is introspective, capable and so incredibly smart. Her grandmother adores her. Actually, everyone does. She is quite captivating.

Enough for now. I need to go to bed before the church bell rings twelve.