the view from our balcony

 

Day 16:

Somehow our day off had left us more ready for bed than our days of preaching work. It felt so nice to finally sleep in- our wonderful breakfast of French crêpes didn't actually take place until noon. Nutella, bananas, syrup, peanut butter, and friends in pajamas was definitely a great start to the sunny day. After breakfast, we all headed out to the mall, not specifically looking for much more than some vitamin c and a warm place that got us out of the house. We wandered aimlessly for a while and just enjoyed each other's company.

After our time roaming about the shopping center, we received an invitation from our friend Kayla to join her and her roommates for dinner. Something I found out today- in Portuguese culture breakfast usually consists of coffee and a pastry, lunch around twelve is a feast, at five it is custom to have another pastry, and dinner is usually at nine or so in the evening. Lesson learned; never skip lunch thinking you can survive until dinner. We had so much fun, though, with Kayla and her roommates. Kayla herself is native to Brazil and has only been in Portugal for three weeks, whereas her roommates have lived in Portugal for the majority of their lives. All three of them are pioneers trying to learn the English language and doing very well for how short of a period they have been practicing. The rest of the evening was a struggle to communicate that lead most conversations ending in bursts of laughter. Friends and food- perfect way to end any day. Alas, we finally get to sleep again! Day 17 will be our first attempt at searching the campuses for English speaking students- we are all very excited for that.

Today's Positives:

Caught up a little on some much needed sleep

Spent the day with good friends, having good conversation

Met some new friends and had a good time

The sun is starting to stay out for us!

the city at night