The other day I read an article about Portugal and it is not about old glories.
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/sponsored_sections/country_focus/portugal/portugal.pdf
Most people don’t know much about Portugal. When I mention I come from Portugal all they can think of is Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Vasco da Gama. Older people think of Amália.
I’ve heard a couple of funny things like: “Oh, you’re Portuguese? Last year I went to Barcelona.” Dah! Once I was asked if we had ATM’s. I couldn’t resist answering my parents keep their money in the cookie jar! My favourite is when people start speaking in Spanish to me. I feel like crying. But I am not surprised, Portugal is never on the news and it is almost impossible to find Portuguese writers in the bookshops. We only hear about Portugal in the summer because of the fires or the missing children.
1 comment:
Hoi Gi! Ja Portugal... Ok in English not Dutch. In 2001 I went to Portugal for the first time. We visited Lisboa and Lagos. Unfortunately the capital was really under construction... :-(. We took the train to Algarve... it was such a great feeling sitting between "normal" people and no tourists at all. I still doesn't speak Portugese but I think we found some kind of communication. The second time I heard something about Portugal was in A'dam... I had two Portugeses on my language course... and the funny story that we both come from Porto and one of them took classes with the other's sister. The world is so small. Do you remember Gi ;-)? We talked a lot about your country the last years.
The third time was a year later - 2003. I met Ai again and his brother was living in Lisboa.
Last year I was very sad only hearing from the missing kid.. Portugal is so much more!! One day I will visit this country again and hopefully the funny hammer party in Porto ;-))
Post a Comment