Portugal Posts

The Insane Parking Ticket

The Insane Parking Ticket

Once in a while, a really funny story happens that's worth its own blog post. Here goes. I parked my rental car in the lovely town of Santarem, Portugal. I was with a friend and we pulled in to a space near a church. We looked around, it seemed legal,...

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The Unsettling Nature of Unconventional Choices

The Unsettling Nature of Unconventional Choices

(Students celebrating the end of their studies in Coimbra, Portugal.) Another thing that’s held me back from beginning to live life on my terms is that, for years, I felt like I was doing something too wild and incomprehensible to be accepted by the many...

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The Surprising Lessons

The Surprising Lessons

What surprises me about my journey is how it ends up giving me different lessons than I expect. I choose a place and have some small expectation of why and what I will gain there and end up learning that why I’m there is so much deeper and different a...

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Learning to Navigate Life Without a GPS

Learning to Navigate Life Without a GPS

One thing about living in Manhattan is there is so much public transportation that owning a car isn't necessary. I have a driver's license but not much occasion to drive. Because I've been staying in a very remote part of Portugal, I've had to rent a car....

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How Long Do The Answers Take?

How Long Do The Answers Take?

Let me be honest. I don’t completely know what I’m doing. I know I want to find myself, and that I want to be the best version of myself possible and do things that are truly aligned with my heart and soul. But day-by-day I don’t have any structure apart...

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Listening to the Rain

Listening to the Rain

Do you ever listen to the sound of the rain? Sitting in a silent home in the middle of nowhere in Portugal, with a huge window I notice that I am captivated by the sound the drops make, and watching the rings they create in the puddles they have made....

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Why Did I Decide to Come to Europe?

Why Did I Decide to Come to Europe?

I had never been to Lisbon before this trip and though it’s beautiful, I notice that it feels like an enormous distraction. I’m here to discover myself and I feel pressured to sight-see and window shop. This is not why I came here, though. Initially I...

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