A year ago

I asked him...

... and he said yes.

2016

Much has been said about 2016. It's the terrible year, the one that took away so many famous souls, the one where things out of the ordinary happened. Bad and good. I'm pretty sure 2016 will be long remembered for all that.

That's no exception to me. 2016 will always be the year I was unemployed. I didn't expect it to be the whole year but so it became. I have to confess that it was a pretty good year to be unemployed, as I got to see history happening in several occasions and I had the time to actually follow the news properly. I saw the UK leaving the EU. I got up early and I saw Hilary Clinton loosing the election to Trump. I was shocked by all the bad things happening in Europe, Turkey, Syria and others. 

I saw Portugal winning the Euro 2016. I saw as much of the Rio Olympics as possible. I got up in the middle of the night and watched the Oscars live. I saw the Nobel prize gala dinner.

I also made friends from all over the world and I learned a new language. I proved to myself that I can do much more than I think and I regained some of the self-confidence I had previously lost. 

In 10 years abroad, 2016 was the year I travelled the least. In reality, because I still travelled as much in my dreams.

I lost my dearest grandfather. 

I got to understand how wonderful is the man who lives with me. Not that I had any doubt about that before.

I won a new home: Sweden.

2016 was made of ups and downs and so will be 2017. As all the other years were and will be. 

I don't really do resolutions but I do have three wishes for the coming year. 

I would like to be at least as happy as I was in 2016. 

I would like to get a job (preferably good).

I would like you all to have a great 2017, full of good moments, laughter and joy.

Cheers!

The goodbye

It is there, when you are hugging goodbye the person you love the most in the world and you think it will be like this forever, that you question all your choices. I have no doubts I want to live in Sweden and I have no doubts I wouldn't stand living in Portugal for long, but when I my heart contracts and becomes as small as nut as I hug my sister goodbye yet again, I can't help but question it all. 

However, one can't have everything and although living close to her would also mean more sun, warmer weather and closeness to my family and friends, it would also imply a lot more I don't want to have. 

I would see people, including my sister, working hard for little money. I would not stand it to live in a place where in most cases dreams do not count, and one has to be thankful for having a job, no matter how bad it is.
I would not be able to be bullied or to see my colleagues being bullied by employers who do not want to follow the law. No, I wouldn't stand to live in a country where women are fired for getting pregnant and where fathers are not allowed to enjoy their paternity leave, even though that's their right by law.

I wouldn't enjoy either freezing indoors in the winter, when it's 10 ºC outside. I did not enjoy having to sleep with two shirts, three socks and three blankets a week ago in my hometown.

I wouldn't like to go back to such a bureaucratic country. It's true that Portugal is not even the worse place regarding bureaucracy I have lived in, but I do enjoy how smoothly things go in Sweden. Especially after seeing my sister struggling for 3 weeks straight between long phone calls, long queues and a lot of nerves, to simply connect electricity and gas in her new rented flat. Three weeks! On top of that, the electricity company passed along her phone number, through which now she is bombarded with sales phone calls, but when the door bell failed to ring the technician from the same company simply left without even trying to call her to see if she was inside.

I would hate having to watch out every single step I would take on the side walk to avoid all the dog feces. Or even worse and find abandoned animals on the side of the road.

I would not enjoy living in a place where common sense does not rule and people, for instance, smoke near children, just because it's outdoors and it's allowed (e.g. in a stadium, where children can't really move away).

Of course there's also a lot of good things. Those I plan to enjoy every time I'll visit on vacation. Vacation that will always imply the goodbye at the end, but that will also always have the happiness of the first encounter and many other good moments.

Writing this text helped me seeing that although I question my choices sometimes, especially in emotionally fragile moments, deep inside I know that they are right and that I chose the right place to live.

Winter wonderland at Liseberg

Liseberg is a famous amusement park in Sweden and is located in Gothenburg. I'm not a big fan of amusement parks but Liseberg has other kinds of enterteinment as well. Among others it has concerts in the summer, theater, ice skating shows and small cosy shops. In December and during Christmas time the streets of Liseberg are transformed in a Winter Wonderland, with snowy figures, lights and of course, Santa's house!

Liseberg é um parque de diversões famoso na Suécia, que fica em Gotemburgo. Eu não sou grande fã de parques de diversões, mas Liseberg tem outros tipos de entertenimento também. Entre outros, há concertos no verão, teatro, shows de patinagem no gelo e lojinhas acolhedoras. Em Dezembro e durante o Natal, as ruas de Liseberg são transformadas num país das maravilhas invernal, com figuras com neve, luzes e, claro, a casa do Pai Natal!

Unfortunetaly the snow was all fake, since we didn't get snow yet this winter, but it looks very real even from close by.

Infelizmente a neve era falsa porque ainda não tivemos neve este inverno, mas parecia mesmo neve rea,l mesmo de perto.

Johan told me that him and his brother used to this in their garden on snowy days.They would make a lot of snowballs and then place a candle inside. 

O Johan disse-me que costumava fazer isto com o irmão no jardim quando nevava muito. Faziam bolas de neve e punham uma vela lá dentro.

Ice skating ring 

We chose the coldest evening to visit the park (obviously not on purpose!) but we could warm ourselves in the fires spread around the park.

Escolhemos a noite mais fria para ir ao parque (claro que não foi de propósito!), mas havias fogueiras espalhadas pelo parque onde nos podiamos aquecer. 

We went there when the sun was setting, so we could still see the park with some day light and later on when it was just illuminated by all the lights. Although it was cold it all felt very cosy somehow. The Christmas songs playing in the loud speakers might have helped to lighten up the mood as well.

Nós fomos quando o sol se estava a pôr e pudemos ver o parque ainda com alguma luz e mais tarde quando estava apenas iluminado pelas luzes de Natal. Embora estivesse bastante frio o ambiente era bastante aconchegante. As músicas de Natal que tocavam no sistem de som ajudaram a manter o espirito em alta.

Santa's house! / Casa do Pai Natal!

To reach Santa's house one had to walk a long path through a pine forest. It had many curves, because obviously Santa lives really far away! In total it was 108m, which I guess for the little ones who believe in Santa is a really long way to walk. I have to confess that it was exciting even for me! Inside Santa's house were all his helpers making gifts, Santa himself, and space where children could write there letters.

Para chegar à casa do Pai Natal era preciso ir por um longo caminho através de um pinhal nevado. Havia muitas curvas, porque obviamente o Pai Natal vive muito longe! No total eram 108m, o que para os mais pequenos que acreditam no Pai Natal é realmente um longo caminho a pé. Tenho de confessar que foi emocionante até para mim! Dentro da casa de Santa estavam todos os seus ajudantes a fabricar os presentes, o próprio Pai Natal e um espaço onde as crianças podiam escrever cartas.

Left: Santa is speaking to a little girl. Right: The pile of gifts already prepared.

Esquerda: Pai Natal a falar com uma menina. Direita: Um monte de presentes já prontinhos.

Digital wishlist... modern times. / Lista de desejos digital... os tempos modernos.

Since the factory runs 24h a day some of the helpers were resting at the time.

Uma vez que a fabrica funciona 24h por dia, alguns dos ajudantes estavam a descansar.

When we left Santa's house it was much darker and we could enjoy the fantastic Christmas lights. My favourite was the giant tree, with lights in every single branch! I can only imagine how much work it took to decorate that tree. 

Quando saímos da casa do Pai Natal já estava escuro e pudemos apreciar as fantásticas luzes de Natal. A minha favorita foi uma árvore gigante, com luzes em todos os ramos! Imagino o trabalho que aquilo não deu!

My favourite tree / A minha árvore preferida

Besides the lights one can of course ride in the roller coasters and such, although I can imagine how cold it must feel there. There was also some choirs singing Christmas songs and a sword-fight show, that we missed. The experience however, is worth it just to go, walk around and feel the Christmas spirit. It was lovely!

Claro que também se pode andar nas montanhas russas e outras coisas assim, se bem que o ar lá em cima deve estar gelado. Enquanto lá estivemos houve também alguns coros a cantar canções de Natal e um espectáculo de luta de espadas, que não vimos. Ainda assim a experiência vale a pena só para ir passear e sentir o espírito de Natal. Foi adorável!

The Newbie - Surviving Christmas in Sweden

Christmas time is the highlight of the Swedish winter. The days are now very dark, it's cold outside and one just wants to snuggle in the sofa with a cup of tea. However, when December comes the whole country lights up. It's not only the usual Christmas decorations and lights in town, but people also light up their windows with candles and/or a set of lights typical in Sweden. Suddenly, the darkness is forgotten, people go out despite the cold and everybody is happy. 

A época de Natal é a mais do inverno sueco. Os dias são agora muito escuros, está frio lá fora e só nos apetece aconchegar no sofá com uma mantinha e uma caneca de chá. No entanto, quando dezembro chega tudo muda e o país inteiro ilumina-se. Não são apenas as tradicionais decorações e luzes de Natal na cidade, mas também todas as janelas iluminadas com velas e/ou um conjunto de luzes típicas da Suécia. Assim, de repente a escuridão é esquecida, as pessoas saem à rua sem querer saber do frio e toda a gente está feliz.

Our Swedish Christmas lights. Outside, every window has an illuminated star or the same kind of lights.
As nossas luzes de Natal suecas. Lá fora cada janela está iluminada com uma estrela ou com o mesmo tipo de luzes.

In my post for the Newbie about Christmas in Sweden I describe what most swedes do on Christmas Eve and I also talk about other events celebrated during this time, such as advent and Santa Lucia. You can read the whole text here!

No meu post para o Newbie falo sobre o Natal na Suécia, descrevo como é a consoada sueca e falo também de outros eventos celebrados durante este período, como o advento e Santa Lucia. Podem ler o texto completo aqui!

Sankta Lucia

Today is celebrated Saint Lucy, or Sankta Lucia in Swedish. In a nutshell, Saint Lucy was a kind woman that lived in the 1300s, in Italy, that helped prisoners by bringing them food. Since it was dark, she couldn't both carry the food and light at the same time, so she used candles on her head to illuminate the way. Later on she was tortured and became a martyr. Why is this saint celebrated in Sweden when the tale is originally from Italy is not really know, but here are many theories and stories around it. 

Hoje é comemorado o dia da Santa Lucia ou Sankta Lucia em sueco. Em poucas palavras, Santa Lucia era uma mulher amável que viveu nos anos 1300, na Itália, e que ajudou prisioneiros, trazendo-lhes comida. Como estava escuro e ela não conseguia levar a comida e luz ao mesmo tempo, usava velas na cabeça para iluminar o caminho. Mais tarde foi torturada e tornou-se um mártir. Não são conhecidas ao certo as razões de se celebrar este dia na Suécia, uma vez que a história vem originalmente da Itália não, e há várias teorias e histórias diferentes.

Photo from Pinterest

Nowadays, Sankta Lucia is celebrated mostly in schools by chanting Lucia songs, but it also happens that a choir is found singing in the city. The group of singers are all dressed in white and hold candles in their hands. A girl/woman, that is selected in advance to represent Lucia, has four candles in the head. Afterwards, everybody gathers together for a fika (swedish word for coffee break), where Lussebuns (Lussekatter in Swedish), among others, are served. 

Hoje em dia, a Santa Lucia é festejada principalmente nas escolas, com cânticos típicos de Lucia, mas às vezes também há coros a cantar pela cidade. O grupo de cantores está sempre todo vestido de branco e cada pessoa segura numa vela. Uma menina/mulher, que é selecionada com antecedência para representar Lucia, tem quatro velas na cabeça. Depois dos cânticos todos se reúnem para um fika (palavra sueca para coffee break), onde se servem bolinhos de Lusse (Lussekatter em sueco), entre outros.

Our Lussekatter / Os nossos Lussekatter

Lussekatter are super yummy saffron buns, with two raisins each, usually in the shape of an S. Because life is all about integration in new cultures (and I love to try new recipes!), me, Johan and his mum decided to bake Lussekatter last weekend. It was really fun and they turned out really fluffy and good. 

Lussekatter são uns deliciosos bolinhos de açafrão, com duas passas cada um, geralmente na forma de um S. Porque a integração em novas culturas na vida é importante (ou se calhar porque eu adoro experimentar receitas novas!), eu, Johan e a mãe dele decidimos fazer Lussekatter no fim de semana passado. Foi muito divertido e ficaram fofinhos e óptimos.

Of course we didn't stick to the S shape and invented other forms as well. They were all good!
Claro que nos pusemos a inventar nas formas e não fizemos só S. Eram todas boas!

Nobel prize ceremony 2016

I was there and I want to tell you all about it! 

I wish that was completely true. I was there but through the TV only. 

The ceremony is shown on Swedish TV and for the first time I watched almost the entire thing. It all starts with the handling of the prizes, with speeches from the head of each committee. The prizes are handed by the Swedish king himself, who is a relaxed funny person. Protocol exists, but it's not a big thing if one of the laureates forgets in which order to nod (king, Swedish academy and then the audience). After the ceremony comes the long awaited banquet, which lasts for about 4h and counts with music moments in between dishes, and ends with the laureates speeches. The whole day ends with the ball where everybody is finally able to relax and enjoy themselves.

Photo from nobelprize.org

I don't know if it's because of my scientific background, but for me this is the best ceremony in the world, beating even the Oscars. Why is it so special? Because "normal" random people get to sit and talk with the king, queen, princesses and princes, living their own fairy tale for one day. Surely the laureates are incredible people as well, that's also why they are there, but I also know that most academics live a simple life, among books, students and scientific discussions. The, suddenly one day, they get to seat among two members of the royal family and have a long discussion with them about who knows what. That is all visible when you watch the dinner on TV. The laureates, yesterday all men, entered the room with one of the princesses or the queen hanging on their arm, while their wives entered the room holding the arm of a prince or the king. One of the wives was in fact Swedish, although her husband was not, and they have lived in US for years. For her it was even more special, as she had never dreamed of sharing time with the royal family, that she grew up hearing all about. A moment I particularly liked was the exit of the banquet. The wife that was paired with the king stood up, grabbed her purse, the dinner menu, her seat card and all she could take to remember that moment forever, and then happily grabbed the kings arm with a very big smile. That's the spirit of the Nobel Prize. The simplicity of the people that for one night get to live in a fairy tale. 

Photo from http://www.svenskdam.se/

Closest are the king Karl Gustav, and the wife of the laureate Bernard Feringa, that is just behind, with the queen Sylvia. Behind them is the crown princess Victoria and the laureate 

Most of all... I wish I could be there. Not necessary on the kings side, but behind a column of the magnificent blue room in the city hall in Stockholm, watching all this live. 

My career as politician*

Sweden is very well known for its societies and organisational mentality. There's even a joke that says if one locks up three swedes in a room for a few hours, when the door is open again they will come out as president, secretary and extra member of a society, to which they have also written rules for. 

In school we learn not only the language but also the culture. Recently, we had our first student meeting of the course. No one really knew what was going to happen, as it was actually organised by the teachers. As soon as it started we were shown the list of things we had to go through. The first point was to elect a representative.

First thought: not me, not me, not me, not me, not me! I already have so much to do!

Second thought: well, that was really arrogant of me to think I would be even considered, as I started the course only a few weeks ago!

Third thought: yes, I can relax, it's not going to happen.

Fourth thought: or is it?

It was... It happened...

To make it faster the teachers decided to suggest people for representative, secretary and two other ones. They suggested me straight away as a representative and all my colleagues agreed. Whether I was chosen because they wanted to be represented by me or because they didn't want to do it themselves, I will never know.

What that meant was that I would have to chair the meeting, leading about 30 people to discuss through a long list of points in 1h. That was not easy and I was exhausted afterwards! I gained a new respect for diplomats and politicians (although not that much).

It was also quite interesting to see the kind of people/group that can probably be found in every single meeting despite country, city or type of meeting. There are always those who talk the most, the quiet ones, the ones who have no clue and complain about things that somehow don't make sense, etc.

It was a really interesting experience and I learned a lot from it. The teachers also talked with me in the end of the meeting, pointing out what I did well and what I could have done better. They did similar with the student appointed secretary, because none of us knew how to write the minutes of a formal meeting. The whole thing was not just an exercise and it will continue. Now, I have to take the complains and suggestions of my colleagues and have a private meeting with the dean of the school, to discuss them. 

And just like that, unexpectedly, I started my career as a politician. Or maybe not...

*Obviously joking even more than in the post about my career as a tango dancer.

Prague bucket list #16 - Café Imperial

I have moved enough times to know that no matter how early I start the packing, I will spend the last evening panicking over the boxes, bags and things that don't fit. In this way, me and Johan decided to book a nice dinner for the last evening we were in Prague, to make sure we would at least enjoy ourselves a few hours before we left. Prague is full restaurants but we wanted something special, and we booked a degustation menu in Café Imperial. This restaurant has been open for over 100 years and it was the place to be back in the 1920's. We had a 7-course dinner with paired wines, and although the wines were not great (but were good!) the whole experience was very pleasant. My favourite part was to sit in the amazing saloon with high ceilings and colourful mosaic-tiled walls and pillars. 

Já me mudei vezes o suficiente para saber que não importa o quão cedo começo a arrumar tudo, porque vou sempre passar o último serão em pânico sobre as caixas, malas e as coisas que não cabem. Assim eu e Johan decidimos ir jantar fora na última noite que passámos em Praga, para nos certificarmos que íamos aproveitar pelo menos algumas horas nesse dia. Praga é cheia  de restaurantes. Nós queríamos algo especial e reservamos um menu de degustação no Café Imperial. Este restaurante foi aberto há mais de 100 anos e era o local mais in em Praga nos anos 20. O jantar foi composto por 7 pratos com vinhos emparelhados, que não era fantásticos mas eram bons. Toda a experiência foi muito agradável e a minha parte favorita foi estar na sala lindíssima de tectos altos e mosaicos coloridos nas paredes e pilares.

I'm not usually attracted by fancy events or things, but I have to confess that it felt great to leave the sweat pants in the middle of the chaos that was our apartment then, dress up and relax over a 4h dinner. I wanted to remember this dinner forever, as our last evening in the beautiful city of Prague, so I took pictures with my phone, which didn't turn out great, but are enough to revive memories.

Eu não sou geralmente pessoa atraída por eventos chiques ou coisas extravagantes, mas tenho que confessar que foi óptimo largar as calças de fato de treino em cima das caixas, no meio do caos que era o nosso apartamento, vestir-me em modo festa e relaxar durante um jantar de 4h. Queria que fosse um jantar memorável, na nossa última noite na bela cidade de Praga, e então tirei fotografias com o meu telefone. Não ficaram fantásticas mas servem para despertar memórias.

Endive salad with orange segments, walnuts and homemade dressing

Salada de endívias com segmentos de laranja, nozes e dressing caseiro

Wild salmon marinated with beetroot, with cucumber-radishes-fennel salad

Salmão selvagem marinado em beterraba, com salada de pepino, rabanetes e funcho

Truffle gnocchi with champagne sauce - the best dish of the whole meal!

Gnocchi de trufas com molho de champanhe - o melhor prato de toda a refeição!

Grilled tuna with Niçoise salad and olive vinaigrette

Atum grelhado com salada Niçoise e vinagrete de azeitonas

Chicken roulade stuffed with salsiccia on barley risotto

Rolo de frango recheado com salsicha italiana com risotto de cevada

Fallow deer back with Port wine sauce and glazed carrots 

Carne de gamo em molho de vinho do Porto com cenouras

Chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream and cherries

Fondante de chocolate com gelado de pistachio e cerejas

It was almost a year ago and my mind just took me back there. The gnocchi and the fallow deer were the best dishes. And dessert of course! Now I have to go and hunt the freezer for some ice cream...

Foi quase há um ano atrás e a minha mente levou-me lá de novo hoje. O gnocchi e o gamo foram os melhores pratos. E a sobremesa claro! Agora vou ali assaltar o congelador e ver se há gelado...

EuroSkills 2016

EuroSkills is Europe's biggest skills competition in which young professionals, up to 25 years old, compete in their on profession. The aim is to improve the quality, status and attraction of vocational training (more info here). In 2016, EuroSkills was organised for the first time in Scandinavia and it was here in Gothenburg. I visited the exhibition with my colleagues on a school assignment and it was really fun. The competitors came from many different countries and there was a bit of everything, as you can see in the photos below. 

EuroSkills é a maior competição de profissões da Europa, na qual competem jovens profissionais de até 25 anos de idade. O objectivo é melhorar a qualidade, o estatuto e a atracção da formação profissional (mais informação aqui). Em 2016 a EuroSkills foi organizada pela primeira vez na Escandinávia e foi aqui em Gotemburgo. Eu visitei a exposição com os meus colegas, numa espécie de excursão da escola e foi realmente divertido. Havia concorrentes de vários países e houve um pouco de tudo, como podem ver nas fotos abaixo.

Test your reaction time - 2 people, 5 lamps turned off - when one lamp turns on one must try to get it as fast as possible.

 Hairdressing competition / Competição de cabeleireiro

 Cooking competition - There was also waiter, bartender and hotel receptionist competitions.

Competição de cozinha - Também havia competições de garçon, bartender e recepcionista de hotel.

Fashion and decoration competitions / Competição de Moda e decoração

Web design 

 Florist

Designer - this competitor was from Portugal and she was very very focused in her work.

Estilista - esta concorrente era de Portugal e estava mesmo muito concentrada no seu trabalho. 

 Design

 Lego is not only a toy for children... / Lego não é apenas para crianças

Similar to lego is tile design. We could try this one, as long as we followed the drawing.

Parecido a lego é design de mosaicos. Este podíamos experimentar desde que seguíssemos o desenho.

 Real tile design / Design de mosaicos a sério

 Floor design / Design de soalhos

 Metal design / Design de metais

Landscape gardening / Arquitectura paisagista

 Joinery / Marcenaria

Wall painting / Pintura de paredes 

 Mechatronics / Mecatrónica

Visitors could also try some play full activities, such as play music or guess the profession by reading a description.

Os visitantes também podiam experimentar algumas actividades, como misturar musica ou adivinhar profissões através de uma descrição. 

It was a fun afternoon and a different way to have a class.

Foi uma tarde divertida e um mode diferente de ter uma aula.