A Fun & Full Week

As we hit the midpoint of our journey in Lisbon, the reality of how little time we have left has started to dawn on us. Nonetheless, the past few days have been the most fun and the most full of the program so far. Coming off of Tuesday’s excursion in Setúbal, the group was exhausted but managed to rally for an awesome day back at the Study Center, which is located in the Social and Human Sciences campus of one of Lisbon’s best universities, NOVA. We were joined by an EU Parliamentarian, who taught us about the European Union’s history, functions, and innerworkings. Students spent the evening finishing up their group projects, to be presented on the final days of the program. Each group selected a global issue and will propose a plan for how to address that issue, drawing from what they’ve learned in the course (be it from Bruno’s lessons, peer discussions, or Q&A sessions from the guest speakers). 

Thursday brought yet another adventure out of the bustle of the city: a much-needed beach day at Costa da Caparica. However, this wasn’t just any normal beach day because we went surfing! For most students, this was their first time surfing, and many doubted their capabilities at the beginning of the lesson. Sliding into the extremely tight surf suits proved a particular challenge, especially under the heat of the sun. This was made even more challenging by our first task - carrying the boards (while wearing the suits) across the beach to the water. Contrary to popular belief, surf boards are not as light as they appear. We began the lessons by stretching and jogging to warm up our bodies before learning the proper form for switching from a belly-down position on a board to a standing position. Despite what seemed like a nearly impossible task from the outset, every single student managed to get on the board, ride out a few waves, and even get into a standing or half-standing position throughout the course of the two hour lesson, thanks to a few awesome Portuguese surf instructors. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach and in the very cold Atlantic water. 

The following day, our class was visited by representatives from a local NGO called Crescer. Crescer supports newly arrived refugees in Lisbon by providing temporary housing, job placement assistance, and opportunities to help refugees integrate into the community. We learned about the path to citizenship for refugees as well as the cultural barriers and other difficulties many face when settling in Portugal. We were fortunate enough to hear from a Kurdish Syrian refugee and now translator for Crescer named Ahmed, who generously shared his story of leaving Northern Syria, migrating first to Iraq then Turkey, before travelling on a migrant boat to Greece and eventually arriving in Lisbon. Continuing on the theme of the day, we visited an exhibit by the internationally celebrated Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei, whose work centers on the themes of migration, imprisonment, and human rights.

Over the weekend, we participated in a park clean-up, an astronomy night under the stars, and a scavenger hunt in downtown Lisbon (which involved students singing in Portuguese). We also hiked several miles to an amazing view point of the city, enjoyed some of Lisbon’s most adorable cafes, and shared stories around the dinner table. The time has flown by faster than we could have imagined, but spirits are high heading into Week 3 and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the journey holds!