Portugal Posts
A Culture Shock Journey From The Southern To The Northern Hemisphere
Culture Shock, Or Rather, Hemisphere ShockHeather Markel, Writer, Speaker, Photographer, Traveler, Business StrategistSo much I didn't know about the world.After 10 months in South America and Africa, I've just returned to the Northern Hemisphere. It's the place I've...
Culture and Diversity Seen Through Food, Scenery and Cows
(Haggis, neeps and tatties enjoyed in Scotland.) Reflecting on my adventure so far, I've found that some of the most interesting cultural differences are seen by food, people, scenery (and cows!). Here are my observations on what makes the heart of a...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
The Pain of Enjoying Yourself While Finding Yourself
(Photo taken in Nazare, Portugal.) Today (the day I'm writing this post) I feel more lonely than I have in a long time. I've just left a magical small town in Portugal where I met fabulous people, and was able to relax and even feel at home. One of the...
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...
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....
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...