We Surfed - Couchsurfing Lisbon and Lessons in Portugal

Portugal Travels: August 24-August 31

We could not have been more lucky for our first Couchsurfing experience to have such an amazing guy and his beautiful daughter who is full of energy and life. Her imagination and ability to articulate in English was impressive. Her contagious laughter and inquisitive mind constantly kept us on our toes as she somehow had boundless energy upon waking in the morning, through evening when we were even ready to crash. Though it seems a disservice to recap such a wonderful time in Portugal below, it’s only right to share a few favorite stories and reflections. 

The Arrival - Lessons of Patience and Awareness

The first night arriving was an adventure that began with our cranky bus driver who almost kept us from getting on the bus because of lack of a physical ticket (never been a problem before). He then promptly let me know when seeing my grocery bag of our lunch and snacks that we couldn’t eat on the bus (an 8 hour journey). We were running a bit late though very grateful for our Air Bnb gals in Vigo who drove us so we didn’t have to walk the massive hill to the station. Of course our luck after finally getting shooed onboard despite the drivers disgruntled demeanor, the only seats left were right in the front. Just keep smiling, we thought as we laughed at our lack of luck and growling stomachs. We tried to stay quiet, sing along to a few American tunes quietly, and smile when he kept glancing at us. Fortunately, within 3 hours, we had a long food break to finally devour our meals and continue trying to get the driver to crack a smile. Despite valiant efforts, him nearly leaving Sarah at a bathroom stop, and us abiding by his rules, we barely got a side smile arriving in Lisbon around 9. We knew we had a bit of a trek from the bus station to Rodrigo, our Couchsurfer’s home, but fortunately had amazing directions and have been been more confident in our public transportation despite language barriers. With our huge packs and bags, we decided to quickly ask where, in the huge Grand Central like station, we ought to go. We needed to take a metro, to the ferry, to a train to get to Alhos Vedros. As we continued along, we ensured the directions made sense and Sarah turned her phone off as there had been no chargers on our bus. Arriving in Alhos Vedros, we agreed to turn the phone on and double check what our instructions were for the 4 minute walk to his home. At 11pm, lack of street lights, cafes, bars, and abandoned buildings and graffiti is intimidating when you don’t know where you are. Google maps was up and running with 4% battery, and telling us it was a 20 minute walk. How is that real we both thought!? I took quick photos of the map and the step by step, and after starting to try walking away from the train we both felt uneasy. The phone was going to die, mine was not even finding service off airplane mode, and the road looked bleak. Spider senses were crawling and we walked with exceptional awareness and heightened senses kicking in that truly alleviated the pain of our heavy packs. A few almost wrong turns, and finally we see a street sign that matched our guys after the 20 minute walk! We made it! Despite a struggle with the key for a while to open the door, we figured it out and made prevailed. Once inside, lights were out and we started slowly peaking in the rooms until finding ours. A perfect space that would be our own for the next week. After recollecting our trip and late arrival with Rodrigo the following day, we can now laugh that our panicked sense of disconnect upon the phone dying and google maps not being available then withdrew our ability to look around and think - there is always a way above or below the tracks at a stop, and we missed it, which forced a different route that lengthened our time and sketchy night walking significantly. We surely will not make such mistakes again! 

Charm in a Big City - Lessons of Familiarity and Archatecture Infatuation

After arriving late and sleeping in a bit, we kept our plan of a full day in Lisbon on the agenda. As we retraced our route back to the city and exited the ferry to start our walking adventures, we wound our way through a few side streets when the feeling became suspiciously similar to experiences I have have in San Francisco. What amplified this perception is their large bridge XYZ that looks remarkably like the Golden Gate Bridge. The streets were narrow and had extensive hills and buildings filled with charm. Trolly cars flooded the main roads with people packing in and happily continuing along. Though so uniquely different, a tiny piece of us felt connected to back home. It’s inevitable that a part of our experiences, no matter where we are, continue to shape our lens and our perceptions as we continue to acquire new experiences and cultures. The climb to the castle view of the waters and cityscape proved worth the walk, and we enjoyed a snack and free WiFi with a view. Looking down on the city, and as we wandered the streets, I was perplexed by the artistic graffiti that flooded the buildings coupled by delicate tiled structures with beautiful details. I always wonder in my awe of architecture and design, if the people here even see the texture and life the colors and variety bring. Likewise, if I miss many beautiful elements within my daily routine and places I more typically frequent just because I have become so accustomed to tuning it out to hyper focus elsewhere. Imagine how much we may be missing in our own routines due to our habitual routes, methods, or brain fog. As we watched a beautiful sunset and full moon rise over the water, the dichotomy of having the city and sea so close seems to work just fine here. I surely appreciate the distinction and co-existence of such places and continue to reflect on the ability to truly balance oneself throughout all elements. 

Kindness and Imagination in Our Home - Lessons of Humanity and Childhood Creativity

The simple concept of Couchsurfing and someone being willing to open their home to you without the expectation of returning anything monetarily lent us anxiously excited to meet this stranger and his daughter. When browsing options prior, we resonated with the fact he had a daughter, who was a main focus of the cultural and language enrichment allowing guests provides to their family. After meeting Rodrigo and Sariah, our expectations continued to be blown away. As we arrived back from Lisbon in the evening, we could hear a little girl from the balcony five stories up, excitedly chattering as we approached. We knew it was our girl. Giddily running up the stairs to greet our family, we met a beautiful and quite energetic 7 year old who had even better English than I was expecting! Using WhatsApp, we had already planned on going out with Rodrigo for a drink, and ice cream for Sariah. Around the corner, we sat with locals and began chatting with our family about some of our adventures, what else we ought to do, and our understanding of Portuguese. We also learned of another guest who would arrive the following day and stay with us while she prepared to teach yoga locally and help Sariah as well with her English. We already felt like we were becoming a little family, and I knew it would be hard to leave such wonderful people. As we continued to spend time around the home, taking some time to relax, and Sarah to get better from a bought of stomach illness, our excitement to learn more from the family was natural and enhanced from Nicki arriving with her varied experiences and perspective as well. We all indulged in the creativity and excitement of Sariah and some of her imaginative lava monster traps, dragon fighters, and dinosaur zoo keepers. Her giggle, excitement, and innocent inquiries were so pure. Her desire was to constantly be with ‘the girls’ as she always articulated, even kicking Daddy out sometimes. She loved talking with us about all of her ideas and made sure we all got our hair brushed by her since she loved doing hair. She mentioned wanting to maybe do that for a job which we then all asked what she thought she wanted to be when she grew up. Her response was perfect. She said “I want to be an explorer”. We applauded this idea and reminded her that she never should stop exploring, no matter what she is when she grows up. She should always be an explorer. Shouldn’t we all? 

The idea of sharing ideas, backgrounds, perspective, and learning history of where we were and where our day trips to the southern coast had to offer, continued to remind me of the necessity of such open and trusted environments for merely expressing our unique human experiences. Everything we do becomes a memory and a story we are capable of sharing. Our lens is our own, yet the ability to gain inexplicable amounts of personal growth requires being challenged and expanding our mental constructs to try to appreciate and grasp how others experience the world we live in. Maximizing how we are relatable instead of different, disbanding language barriers and previous cultural expectations or stigmas, and being willing and open to grow, will only lead to more opportunity and more comfort in self realization. It is a means to enhance our true selves, our relationships, our careers, family life, health and overall happiness. Keep growing. Be more inquisitive. Know that we are all always a work in progress. 

Portugal showed up. What a beautiful country, with beautiful humans, and lovely reminders of the important things in life. 

Estamos gratos. Obrigado Portugal.