Me, You and My Trips

Hello hello everybody, today i will write about my trips, the trips that I made, which weren't so many as you might expect, but were very important for me. 

My first trip was when I was in my 9th grade and I went to Latvia, because my school was kind of “associated" to  Comenius Project. So in the beginning, 10 Latvian’s student arrives to Portugal and stays in Portuguese’s houses. Both my mom and dad agreed to accept and receive a Latvian girl, so the journey begins. When they left Portugal, my English teachers choose 10 students to go to Latvia, and I was one of the 10… and here I go on my way to Latvia. I was so excited, but my mom was scared, because she didn’t know where I was staying and if my hosting family would be friendly to me (that kind of “mom concerns” :D) 

Now, imagine that I’m already in Latvia. We can compare Latvia to a lovely housewife, like those who work peacefully in their fields and have, like, 5 kids. So like our beautiful housewife that is peaceful, quiet, kind and gentile. Latvia it’s a calm country with their own rules and their own history. They are extremely polite and friendly, even being poor they live with little things and very simple, but they don’t care. Although our housewife is very simple, she has her conquers and her battles. And so has Latvia… Latvia has very pride on their sports and their values and they aren’t very “eccentric”, they didn’t appear in international news because some scandal or something like that (like we do… thanks to our politicians --‘) 

Resuming our housewife, she is simple, but kind… she live with the basic things and without superficial things but she is polite and she taught to her kids some moral values that are very important (respect, education and good manners, pride of being who they are, trying always do something that help the others , meaning don’t be selfish) and Latvia represents and demonstrates to tourists this values, they are friendly, generous and they aren’t presumptuous, they are very welcoming.  

To conclude my first trip, I just may say that was perfect, I loved it and I want to go there again to see my Latvian sister and my Latvian family. 

My second trip was this year and I went to New York, yes people, New York, the wonderful city of colors and huge buildings. The city that never sleeps… 

I went with my teachers of English and two more teachers of science, and it was…. PERFECT! I love travel and I love see different perspectives of different cultures and I… oh Gosh I can’t even describe it, so I will tell you so you be able to imagine and see what I saw.

If you know New York, you know that it has its own way of movement, this means that New York has their own rhythm, is like a desperate housewife, because she is always in movement and she never stops, even if she feels tired and she is full of things. So imagine, in the morning our desperate housewife drink her first cup of coffee, New York in the morning if you observe, you can see most of people with a cup of coffee (Starbucks rules :D) exactly like our housewife. During the morning our housewife don't stop, she is driving her sons to school and she go back home preparing things, like lunch, cleaning the house and some night events (parties) we cannot forget that they do all this because it’s his “function” as wife. New York, during the day, don’t stop, with people driving bus and cabs all around trying to get to her job and once they get there they work a lot preparing things for the rest of the day. When the night comes, the housewife’s get ready for cocktail parties, our political events (most are married with influent men) and even "babies showers". So if during the day they are all messed up and they don’t care about their look… at night they are fabulous, with nice dresses, a clean hair and with the help of make-up (thank you Maybeline and others cosmetic lines) they have a perfect skin like she hadn't doing anything all day, besides being in bed and give orders. New York at night, it’s all about lights and she is still in movement, spreading her sparkle and glamour for all people, like our housewife, who while she is in those events, she is always speaking to the others wife and always having a polite gesture and a kind word to give for those who need. So, even working hard all day, she still have strength to get out at night and still be nice and generous. Like New York that open their borders for all immigrants and give what she have the best. 

In a brief resume, our desperate housewife lives with the tendencies, likes to get all controlled and do everything to keep things in order and she works a lot to be successful. New York it’s similar because, she is a messy and stressed city, but at night she get dressed, put their make-up and their high heels and she is ready to kick some ass :D She is glamorous, mysterious and she is the image of perfection. 

Now, I really have to go… I hope you like it like I do. I hope you visit this two distinct, in their own way but amazing as well, countries. 

Kiss Kiss 

Published by: Catarina 

Let it Snow Let it Snow

Oh, well… Hi, my name is Gillian and I am from New York, yes, I know it is a beautiful city, full of life, but today I am not here to talk about my city, but about my amazing and different Christmas, without snow…

It was the first Christmas I spent alone! I was bored with my life. In that year I was fired, I lost my boyfriend, I move to a town far, far away from my parents.

I felt miserable, so a friend of mine advice me to do something for me, so without thinking twice I bought a ticket to Mexico…most exactly in Guadalajara! I spent a lot of money, money I didn’t quite have, but was worth it… oh it was!

Well first of all, my stay was in a hotel namedCamino Real Guadalajara, WHY? Because the internet said so, it had so many likes, and it was in front of a mall and in 15 minutes from the center of the city.

Guadalajara, it is one of the few cities of the Mexico, that still have a lot of Mexican Traditions, it is peaceful, but in the nights it changes and becomes modern and frenetic… But first of getting drunk, I had to pray a little, came one, it was Christmas… so I went to the Cathedral, it is huge and beautiful, my eyes didn’t stop moving, I didn’t know to what to look, everything was perfect.

Then, I had to eat fish tacos with Guacamole and ships, and I can tell you that, that was tacos, the ones We eat in America they are good, but the tacos in Mexico… my God, two words: LEGEN….DARY =)

And OMG, the sombreros, I never laugh so much in my life, the dances, the music, the mariachis, everything was so funny, so entertaining, I had the time of my life. In the last restaurant that I went, with some Americans that I met in my hotel, they went to our table and start singing, and dancing to us, it was wonderful; I had a smile the all time.

They don’t have Christmas traditions, but they have others, in November and December (December the month I went there), it happen the International Fair of Books in Guadalajara, and… books are like my sin, so I went home with some more kilograms in my bag.

It was a very spectacular travel, and I want to repeat the experience (Because now I have a job and I am saving to go again to the city, that fills my dreams, with dances, guitars and sombreros)

Oh, I almost forget, before I went home I had to drink a glass of Tequila… and yes it is much better in the city where it was invented :b

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Published by Margarida

A surprise trip

"I woke up early in the morning, supposedly a normal day, I got up, brushed my teeth and got ready for another day of classes, the last day of the week (Thank God). When I went down to go get breakfast, I saw my parents whispering very quietly and when they saw me, they left just as if they had been caught. How strange. I ignored and ate my cereal. They took me and my sister to school. Yes, I have a sister. And by the way my name is Nathan and my sister is Jamie. I am 12 years old and she has 5. Well, finished the presentations, we went to school ...

(...)

Hello, hello again.  I already can continue to count how was my day, that just improve with the end of classes. Now yes I have a close up weekends to myself. Thanks Godness. When my parents came to get me to school, I noticed there were even stranger than the morning, I saw my sister very quiet and thought: "How strange it is usually not so quiet" something was wrong, but I did not know what it was. While my father was driving I noticed that he was not doing the normal route and we were not going home, I turned too quickly and asked, "Why do not we go home?". They ignored me and I repeated the question, this time they heard, but still did not respond. I asked again, angry, and this time answered each in his own way, "Come to Grandma" / "We go to the supermarket" Ahaha they were caught. I continued to ask questions trying to figure out what we would do. Until I see that we reached the airport. I was astounded. Airport? How could it be? I turned to face my parents and they looked at me smiling. Finally explained to me that we were going to Lapland. Yes, Lapland, the land of Father Christmas. Do not know if you know, but I LOVE Father Christmas, despite knowing that it does not exist, he's always been a very important figure to me and always made ​​my Christmas much fun, like listening my father arguing with my mother because he hates carrots and had to eat a half to pretend that Santa Claus existed. Ahaha I miss those times. Just wait a bit, because we will do the check-in.

(...)

Come to Lapland was a dream come true, that everything here is beautiful. All whitey clear and very cold. But people are very nice, and we were housed in a rustic lodge-style, the rooms are beautiful and very warm. In a little time, we think we'll have dinner and eat salmon because  is a fish very common here. Maybe sooner we can go sightseeing and glimpse the Northern Lights that are phenomena that happen here often in the winter. I can only say, before going to shower, this is the best Christmas ever.

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas"

Published by: Catarina