Its nice to have something to add again, well something significant and worth remembering. I decided that yesterday and today i would have a break from work as i have been stressing myself out over it just recently and i think it was just what i needed, plus i think its good to actually do stuff to be inspired, rather than just trying to force stuff. Anyway im glad i did as i have had two fun days. Yesterday was Portugals independence day or something to that effect and so I decided it would be good to head into town to see what was going on, after a Portuguese start, late due to a couple of Italians taking their time over speck and parmesan and rocket lunch. So we headed to the main square hoping to see some parade, i had no idea what was going on but when arrived their was literally nothing but an empty stage, so i was disappointed and thought we would end up just heading home but we didnt and heaed towards the elavator viewing point where there was an orchastra stand but no orchastra but we found out that there was a performance at five and so we walked and talked and had a good time, fun in the sun. At the right time we headed back to hear the music, which was amazing, just classical music but it was so relaxing and yet intense, there was a real positive ambiance with people sitting at there windows and families, locals, tourists all ages were brough together by the music. I though that it would be great if the music was constantly in the background, life would be so much more interesting. Aswell as the orchastra there was some other entertainment of a different kind well to these kids at least. there was at first three of them who were having such a good time playing on this slope, play fighting sliding and just being kids, it was so endearing and brought back thoughts of my own childhood particularly playing on the drive with Danny and Alex. It was so sad when one of the kids dads dragged him away by the ear, i felt it was unnecessary and he started crying, i felt so bad for him. After the day out i returned to Casa Marvao had some dinner and then headed out for an evening stroll as the weather was so nice. We made our way to the statue at Praca Commercial, where we myself Jo and Lissy chatted and waited for a Portuguese friend of Lissys and Eva and Fabio. when theyd arrived we continued strolling pretty aimlessly but eventually we settled in a bar and had a beer, we didnt leave till gone two we got back about three o clock. I was about to go to bed when eva offered some pineapple which i did have and then we spent about 40 minutes eating pineapple in the middle of the night, which was a sligthly surreal experience. I recieved a text about an hour later from eva telling m that she was dizzy and would not come to the beach with us tommorow.

Then today I got up at 9.00 with the bell tower which i do always enjoy and got reasdy to head to the beach, capiricha which i had never been before but was looking forward to. At the metro station i displayed my awful short term memory by buying a ticket and literally losing it there and then and so had to buy another, it was ridiculous. Anyway we headed to the end of the blue line to catch the bus. It was cool all five of us at the back of the bus, its such an interesting notion so many connotations, racial obviously and then backrow hards at school. We arrived and found our spot on the sand and basically had a chilled out time talking and reading eating and swimming. Yes i actually swam in the atlantic although it was absolutely freezing, it was really fun once i got over the initial shock but i was so cold, and the waves really threw me around. As you perhaps might expect from an English tourist i took home an English tan, that it red and white, all of us had caught the sun but you have to see the funny side, mine is really symetrical which is something. Then i bought a canvas and a bit of oil paint for one of my projects which i am nervous about doing as it has been so long, there is something so proper about oil paint very fine art but it should be fun and if it goes to plan I will have learned a new skill.

I know, i know its been a while, its hard to gtet yourself motivated to do this blog but i need to see the bigger picture as in i would like to keep this blog as a reminder of my time in Lisbon. My lack of 'blogging' has been due to my increase of working, i have been working long hours to get projects done but as per usual as soon as one is done ill want to do something different. The work is going ok and feel i should have it under control. On Thursday a lot of the house went to Cinco Joses bar for his birthday which i hadnt planned on going to but ended up having a fun time. He recommended me a passionfruit margarita after a conversation we had about drinks the other weekend and it was so nice, dangerously drinkable though i felt they went a little over the top on the salt but i didnt stop me from having a second. We had a shot which Jose paid for which i was a bit hestitant as I did not want to get drunk but again it was pleasant and very drinkable. I ended uo staying till one or two o clock though in Portuguese times is not that late.

I have been going crazy with all the door slamming in this house its ridiculous why cant people just close them gently, i know that the wind catches them but still learn to close them manually and leave them on the catch so there is not the constantly noise. Last night there was another Casa Marvao party, this one for Minttus birthday, the first half was a dinner spread which was tasty and then it gradually became more of a party as more and more people arrived. I retreated to my room for a while as I felt a bit on show for lack of better words. But later on I returned and did have an enjoyable time chatting and drinking with friends, the best part was getting the whole house (besides the new Ukranian but he doesnt really socialise with us) for a group photo which ill need to get a copy of as it would be a nice momento. I think today will be a bit of a chilled out Sunday, i have a few decisions to make whether to keep the language course up or not, I want to but my work has to prioritise and thus i havent really thrown myself into the language, i hope to go for it in the last couple of weeks once my work is complete. I hope its not so long till my next entry.

I have been scratching my head trying to think what to write as its been a while and yet there is not a lot for me to say. I have been working on my projects going to lessons both art and language. I hope that once my projects are complete i can turn my attention to learning the language which i know is a bit ironic as i will be learning it just as i am leaving but still it ll be a good life skill. I had a restless night the other day and i contemplated the essay and more specifically difference. However in my slumber i ended up dwelling on the idea of whats the difference between beer and fish, im not sure why but stayed awake thinking about this topic. At first i was under the impression that they were completely unrelated unanimate objects but then i started to think they are both edible goods both are bought and sold, both packaged, both are intrinsically natural and so my night went. yesterday after a long chat with my parents saying how i wasnt doing anything that night maybe just a bit of work, i ended up going to a house party then on to Lux, the only famous club in Lisbon. The house party was great, a real sociable event talked to lots of different people, nice and chilled. At about 2 00 we headed to Lux, my first impressions were good, it was as i expected and had been warned that its very comercial, but at the same time thats sometimes what you want, something popular, familiar. Got back home about 500 worried i would wake Jose so took off my boots ever so quietly outside my door and then stumbled in to see that he wasnt in anyway. I found out today that he had crashed on the settae although times seem to be questionable as he swaers he was up till five talking in the lounge so maybe i was missing something, who knows? Todat has been relaxed, normal Portuguese day i supposed sunny and warm, walked to the supermarket at the top of the stairs which was a bit of an effort after having walked to Pingo which is the other directio to find it closed but still i got a few bits and pieces, most o which i have already gone.

Last night was the first bbig night out in ages. In Lisbon i never feel such the urge to go out in the same way i do in England, in fact i think i have only been to one actual club here, Jamaica. Anyway last night there was a MTV festival going on in Baixa Chiado which we went to, twice. We heard that it started at 500 however, this was just the whole event and the music would not start till 900. The latter was so cool just walking through this street with loads of out side speakers the bass was incredible you could feel it being amplified through the street. The main street got so busy, it was amazing the contrast between the main street and the rest of the area. There were a lot of people on stilts, i wouldnt have fancied being in their shoes, or stilts more to the point.At one point in the evening we stopped at this Jazz bar which was really good, i absolutely loved it, it was so chilled in there a massive juxtaposition to the chaotic nature of the street. I did a shot of absinthe with a couple of others, it really burnt me inside, i probably overreacted but it was strong. I heard today that in my drunk state i pronounced Evas name perfectly which is always reasurring.

Besides least night the weekend has been proccupied with my video. I have very nearly done, and will finish it tonight and i am so looking forward to seeing the outcome and doing the editing. I was suprised at everyones willingness to be a part of my project, i dont think i would have got the same enthusiasm in England. I loved how obscure the whole concept is videoing people reading a broken english 'Poem' in the bathroom i even got someone standing on the toilet, i really abused my power. Although it seems a bit of a folly i am really pleased with the idea and it really suits the brief of being a souvenir as i really will wan to keep it forever as a momento of this period of my life.

The illusion of freedom. Me and Emily went to the zoo, i was so excited at the prospect and it really lived up to my expectations. I was a little worried that it would be a zoo that mistreated the animals, but on the whole it seemed legitimate and the enclosures on a whole were nice and big and i particularly liked how many of the animals, instead of being caged up were put on islands surrounded by water, this seemed much nicer, but was it just 'an illusion of freedom'. I saw loads of animals as you would expect, i loved theses camels, of the two humped variety, they were really great and walked with such a swagger as if they knew they were the business. I panicked for a while when i thought that there was no giant anteaters but we found it in the end but it let me down as it kept walking in the opposite direction to the camera. There was this cable cart that circled the whole zoo which gave a great view of Lisbon. There was a dolphin show that was amazing, but no kiler whales. I was surprised at how unbusy it was seeings as it was a saturday during the easter holidays and it was perfect zoo weather, but not that im complaining. If it was London zoon you wouldnt have got a foot in the door or actually seen any animals besides screaming children. Thinking about the Tourists Gaze and what it says about museums being tourist traps, is the same appliable to zoos. It is interesting going to a zoo in a foreign country as in essence zoos are simulating different climates etc, yet you can tell a lot about a country from its zoo i think. You can tell the atttitude towards wildlife and conservation, Lisbon scored highly on this front especially in comparison to the Thai zoo my parents informed me about. And Emily was perfect company.

Putting my critical studies hat on i have decided that my essay is going to called the Erasmus gaze, the title is the hardest part now i just have to do it. This last few days have been perfect weather and its only going to get hotter, its like British summer time yet it is only spring. We went to the Indian restaurant tiwce in like four days once with Jo and her mum and the other to show Emily off brialliant both times, we have become regulars. After the latter meal we went to Crew Hassan for a couple of beers which was cool as always, they played some wicked reggae music and even a raga esque version of Ready or not by the Fugees which i actually quite enjoyed but i think i was alone in that thought.

work has been my occupation of choice the last couple of days, i have tried to start as many projects as possible, perhaps its just a psychosymatic thing but having started projects lifts such a weight off your shoulders. I visited a cinema which plays classic cinema which was so cool. We watched Party girl, a 1920s film, described as colour film noir which was fantastic it was all so elgant and classy. The mise en scene was brilliant everything had such a nostalgic glamour to it, i really enjoyed the two dance performances in it too. I particularly liked how it contrasts with the 70 s style pornography I ve been using in my projects which is the opposite of class, but i love the kitchness of many of the images. I read a short story from a book called The Faber book of best new Irish short stories, which was called different city, different state which i thoroughly enjoyed and hope may be something i can feed into my essay.

I went to the Natural History museum yesterday and then to the Botanic Gardens in Rato. I was very excited at the prospect of this trip as i love the british counterpart however, i was sadly let down. There was just a lack of everything; we had to pay which the guide book didnt warn us of and then the exhibitions were just dull. The first was comically bad it was just a room of dirt with general litter scattered with a faux dinosaur fossil. The was a T rex skull which was impressive, in fact there were about three skulls but that was it, besides some awful pixellated displays. There was a collection of precious stones, but i really was not interested in them. The funny thing was thebest display; the full dinosaur models were behind a white wall which i couldnt see over which was embarassing but through the crack i could see they were covered in bin liners, why? The botanic garden i did enjoy, it was nice to see a bit of greenery which Lisbon sadly lacks, i d like to go there again to spend longer but i doubt ill visit the museum again.

The Party in the evening was much funner, i joined a bit late because of work, though people kept turning up in my room to sign Emilys card, i completely ignored them and just kept working. There was a real abundance of cakes due to the request from Emily however i dont think anyone wa expecting quite so many. I ate so many it made me feel sick and i dont think they mixed well with the drink. The funniest ocurance happened; i went outside for some fresh air and started talking to this boy who was here on holiday. Anyway after talking for 5-10 minutes he said im Bored or at least thats what i thought he said so i was like oh there plenty of people inside and was apologectic and then he said it again and agin i was suggesting he went inside but the third time he said no my name is Bjord, it was hilarious, or at least i thought it was. I got really bad stomach cramp from mixing cake and alcohol and so retreated to my room and continued with my toilet roll, script. I never realised how long they were, i wrote for about an hour probably longer and im not even half way. I got plenty of photos to work from to combine with the toilet roll souvenir, im really want to know what my tutors will think of it.

Yesterday i went to a flea market up the road from the house and I absolutely loved it. I loved how it was so Portuguese and yet so familiar to me in England. It was really bustling with life and gave me an insight into the Portuguese culture. The weather was as lively as the market chopping and changing hot one minute, raining the next. I took plenty of photos to use for my work and just as a keep sake. There was a real variety of stalls from clothes and furniture to literal tat just like a car boot sale in England. It made me smile to think how people think they could sell the most stupid and perculier things, completely useless unanimate objects. My favourite items i saw were a teapot/ cup, i couldnt tell in the shape of a breast, it was delightfully tacky and the other was a small plastic model of a crab claw; obviously i am missing out. I bought some flour which means that i can make a cake which put a smile on my face.

I am really enjoying getting back to basics within my work, just simply drawing seems such a novelty in such a contemporary design world but yet i feel it is intrinsic to my practice. I feel my drawing has drasticaly improved and im starting to develop a style. My work is much lighter and cleaner, i always had the tendency to overwork drawings, or use excessive amounts of layers which i have turned on its head by simply using pencil. Perhaps it is psychosymatic just changing from a graphite pencil to a red oil pencil might have been all i needed to change my mentality. I feel that my style is much more reflective of the Portuguese lifestyyle; more easy going, carefree, not bogged down and heavy. I will enjoy contuining to further the style and think that in the long run it will become invaluable experience. Although i was resilient to go at first i am glad i did go to the meal with Fiona and co. I was concerned it would have be awkward especially as it was someones leaving do but it wasnt uncomfortable at all. We went to some small restaurant, it was nice to go somewhere more traditionally Portuguese with a menu in the native language. I ordered the bifinho (turkey) but yet the old man who seemed completely oblivious to what was going on forgot my order and so it came about an hour late. I really felt embaressed at the thought of eating alone, the start of a neurosis or something but it wasnt too bad after all and the food was nice. We then went on to two bars the first was nothing special but the second was fantastic the rooms filled with collections of all sorts; toy trains, odd cartoons, statues literally anything all laid out in an art deco coffee house stlye. I was so tired i think i was actually asleep at one point andi didnt fancy anything to drink but i enjoyed just absorbing the atmosphere. Afterwards we walked Fiona home, this was not so pleasant, it seemed a bit of a slumb, and made us feel better about the notorious Martim Muniz where we live. It was cool to have met Fiona again and to strengthen ties, it was cool to think that there were three generations of NSAD illustrators.

Camping

The camping trip was a whirlwind of emotions pun intended. Travelling was not too bad, it felt very much like a school trip; we all met at the coach station with our tents at the ready and collected our sleeping bags from Nuno. I decided to do the tourist thing and adorn a straw hat and sun glasses which i enjoyed very much. The coach trip seemed prolonged but bearable spent it chatting to Olivia about where she was brought up and spoke about familiar haunts and later to Alex who i shared a tent with and gave each other the name of tenty. Once we arrived at Sinnes we had to make our way to Port copo? Which was 20km away and was raining. We decided to hitchhike which was such a new experience to me, im not sure whether i liked it but it was certainly an experience and a case of shoe on the other foot i suppose. After a damp wait eventually a nice man picked us up and drove us to our destination. Once there (we were the first) it didnt take us long to get the wine in to raise our dampened spirits again pun intended. We waited for the others to arrive most of whom arrived shortly afterwards after hitchhiking some bus. At the cafe i befriended a pregnant feline which made my jumper smell the whole time, not such a good idea. When everyone had arrived we walked to the coast to find our point of choice which was split between dunes or beach, we chose dunes as the beach has the potential to have sea and tides, not so obvious to some it appears. By the time we had set up it was sundown and time to start the festivities, el vinho did flow. It was a really fun time centred around the fire we made, getting back to nature, it was a better night than day. I even had the experience of tasting raw chicken and finding the funny side. We also ate the chocolate salmi i bought earlier however as it was not presliced we literally clawed at it. The best part was reminscinng about old school songs with Emily, i couldnt believe she sang the classics Soldiers of the Jungle, the lonely Jaguar and Yanomamo. I started the next day bright and early with the sun shining through the tent. It was stunning to wake up to such a view of the Atlantic. Some others were feeling a bit worse for wear and me being so impatient didnt want to wait around for people so decided to go exploring. I walked along the coast which was nice cleaning my teeth and found the most beautiful sea pool/ lagoon, it really was heavenly. It was such a fun day I made an art attack of an elephant out of bark which i found theurepeutic, then helped to make a river between the sea pool and the ocean which i named the Thames and built little millenium domes and st pauls cathedral and tate modern. I also played jump the river with Nuno which is a must for any beach trip. Went and bought some lunch we went for the cheapest option hamburger and chips for 4 euros so not even that cheap but it was lame it was literally a piece of meat, not a bun with salad or whatever else surround by fries all served by the most miserbale waiter. We think it was because we didnt full into the trap of eating the starter which you then have to pay for if you touch, it really is a test of sorts. The night was not so good, it kept raining and then stoping then restarting , so i kept rushing in and out of my tent simultaneously. The rest of English perhaps got it right and just stayed in their tent. Eventually i gave up and went to bed for the worst nights sleep of my life. I woke up when my roommates got in the tent, it really is just a two man tent let alone two fairly big lads and myself. but anyway i was being pushed up against the edge so half my sleeping bag, half my jumper (which now smelt of cat and smoke) and half of my boxers were soaked through. on my otherside were some knees digging into me. I got short bits of sleep but i really could not wait for morning although the rain dripping on the tent all night made me think i would never leave. Fortunately by the time 7 o clock came the rain had stopped, i could not have left the tent faster. I even stepped onto the wet sand and put my shoes on which was so uncomfortable but i didnt care. We packed away and made our way to town where we literally sat and waited for the cafe o open so we could get some breakfast. The breakfast was so good tea and chocolate croissant, it really did pick my spirits up. The coach journey home wasnt much fun, we looked liked such tramps on the metro and we must have stank but i guess thats all part of the fun of camping.

Today was a day of preparing for our camping trip. I am so excited of camping on the beach, i feel like a kid; i really want to swim to this island Nuno told me about. We went to this huge hypermarket called continente where we bought a tent, our home for the coming days. The rest of tthe day i spent doing a self portrait, it took me ages but i am pleased with it as it is exactly the sought of thing i would avoid, i would nt normally draw self portraits let alone from looking in a mirror so it was a real challenge. I enjoyed spending a longer period of time on one piece of work and have a real objective, to make it look like myself. When i had 'finished' i realised its so difficult to look at a self portrait from the third person. I really didnt know if it looked like me, i think i may have got the essence of myself, my friend said it did and said you can really tell i am concentrating and looking at a reflection.

Ill start with my latest thoughts. Whilst having a shower i contemplated ideas about difference as suggested and my inicial reaction was a negative response, how we deal/ react/ accept or the exact opposite with difference. I considered racism a sheer hatred and intolerance for an ethnicity; just the other day i witnessed 'racism' a Czech boy openly said that he disliked Russians due to the historic events of when Russia took control of the Czech, i am not exactly clear of what happened historically but he added that if a Russian went into a pub in Czech then his father would not hesitate to leave. This example demonstrated to me how racism is not necessarily crystal clear. He did not show malace or use offensive language as you often associate with racism, it was more a nationally built in dislike for Russia. In comparison i thought about xenophobia, and where itself and racism cross, literally xenophobia is a fear of foreigners (different) but does it not connote the same thing? In the same way homophobia really translates as a dislike, even if in a more understated way. As the text strangers suggests there is always a fear of unknown entities, and it is easier to completely write them off as wrong then to tolerate them.

Thursday was a really fun day, went to uni for lessons which was ok but the evening was one of my favourite times, we had a massive dinner party. Me, Emily and Jo decided that we were going to make a Thai Green curry for dinner however we did not know that quite so many people were going to come, in the end there was nearly 20 heads to feed. I then remembered having a green tea cake once with a friend in London i wanted to try to make one for the party. We did the shopping earlier in this cheap Asian supermarket, (i think i may buy a lot of my food there in the future). I made the cake first to get it out of the way, i made it massive but then again it was for 20 people, i really enjoyed making it and was more excited about the cake than the curry. However making the curry ended up being really fun i made myself head chef, i am such a control freak in the kitchen but everyone was doing something. I really liked the pressure and had a right laugh whilst cooking. We made it a buffet like dinner, self service. Everyone seemed to like the curry but most people said they found it really spicy, i didnt find it too hot neither did the other English people so i guess it is another example of differences in nationality. The cake got the thumbs up, i really liked, not being arrogant, i thought it was delicious.

After enjoying the cake so much i decided i wanted to bake another there and then, i only had an hour before clas so i was manically making and then baking this cake, in the end i had to ask emily to take it out the oven when it was done. After class we returned home and hadd some, i made this one stronger which i think improved the taste. I really had the baking bug and so decided to make scones for dinner, i followed an online recipe but made just one big as there was no pastry cutter, shock and dismay. It was a success as i had no scales so just guessed amounts and the oven is gas so you cant chose the heat so much. Later on we headed towards Alfama to a bar/ restaurant called Chipitos which had the best view, the walk there was my favourite part i think, i felt so happy like i was on a holiday. At the bar we had a couple of beers and listened to some Fado, i actually really enjoyed it, it had such emotion, what i didnt like was that you had to be silent whilst they performed, they took it very seriously. It was only after the performance that a friend of mine told me that she heard that the singer was really famous Portuguese singer, its so surreal how fame can be constrained.

Today i went for quite a long walk, it was originally just to go grab a coffee but ended up walking around Lisbon. We took a trip to one of the many viewpoints of Lisbon which was very Panoramic, but the prices of drinks reflected the touristic nature of it 2 orange juices and a coffee for ten euros. The weather was beautiful and we walked alongside the Cais du Sodre following the railway and then to the bohemian view point that Emily loves, i did enjoy it there more this time maybe i felt less intemidated. For dinner tonight Eva and Jose made Ragu and Pasta, i dont know what makes it a Ragu technically but it was really tasty. It was a very sociable event everyone was chatting and eating and then we watched some dance program, like strictly come dancing Portuguese style which was fun as we were all criticising it and then i went to have my shower which is where i started.

The last few days have been non eventful really hence the lack of entries. Monday i revisted Laranjeira to purchase some cheap lino on mass. I found the shop and saw instantly that it was not open again so i was so annoyed so i went to the bank nearby and asked if the shop had been closed down but he told me that it was closed for lunch which explained it, so i had a couple of hours to kill in Laranjeira, its hard to think that a flooring shop could survive when it is closed so much. There is next to nothing in Laranjeira. The Benfica stadium is there but i didnt think i would be allowed in so i spent the time just wandering around in the drizzling rain, it really did make me think of being in an English city. The highlight of the time was that i saw the workers entrance to the Zoo and i spotted two camels, i really was clutching at straws. I bought an apple from a little fruit shop which was very nice again improving my mood. I returned to the lino shop and it was open, yay, it was such an old gentlemens club, i really liked it. I took the roll of lino i wanted and the guy kinda shewed me off and said something but i did not understand so i waited and then i interpreted that he was saying just take it, though i slowly walked to the door watching his reaction in case i was lost in translation. I then decided that if i was to buy a phone i might as well do it then and make the most of it, it was 90 euros so i was a bit annoyed at how expensive it was but it was the cheapest for what i wanted, it turns out to be quite a nice little phone despite my inicial resentment.

Yesterday i spent just doing some work in my room during the day. The afternoon was more eventful, we went to this bar, club, hard to describe place called crew Hassan, a converted house much like Casa Marvao, it was such a cool place with these small chairs on the floor and just randomly placed furniture it was so quirky. We had some tea thee which was really good tea very clean tasting as i described it, perfect temperature and everything. Then on our retuyrn i had dinner and watched Withnail and I whilst doing some more lino cutting. I enjoyed parts of the film but to be honest i didnt really concentrate on it, should watch it again i think.

The best thing about today was making toad in the hole, i really enjoyed cooking again, it was like being back in Norwich. Unfortunately we had to rush it and leave the mashed potatoes as we realised we were going to be late for our language class. I actually really enjoyed the language class, the smaller group is much better and less intemadating.

Two nights out two early mornings. Tursday night exceeded all expectations; it was huge there must have been 50 people over all of whom were really social and nice, there was the best ambiance no ego. Trying to get around became problematic as 50 people in a limited space, there people crammed in the corridors lounge and even on the stairs. I tried Ginja for the 1st and last time te stuff was so sickly sweet and so i moved on to more familiar drinks. I was really fascinated by listening to the general chit chat and pick out what i could hear, literally writing as i listened, it was a really fun experiment. I must mention tat i had no paper at the time and so a toilet roll i salvaged came in useful. I hope to derive inspiration from the miscellaneous words perhaps for critical studies or maybe my souvenir project, im sure the tutors would enjoy a novelty toilet roll. Some locals made a complaint and the police came to try and get the party broken up but nothing seemed to happen, i was a bit oblivious to it all really all i remember is Alex saying it was his id card on the line which still dont know what is but at the time i found it hilarious, its not so funny in retrospect. Just as the party started to die down Jo was asking everyone if they wanted to go to Jamaica (the club not the country) and at first i was not up for it but something persuaded me so me Jo and Odoneka and Yenni got a taxi there, Yenni stayed in the taxi and got take home whilst the rest of us went to get our groove on reggae style. It was free for girls but 6 euros for guys however i had no money on me so the girls had to pay and the boy got in free ironically. I had a good time the music wasnt so strictly reggae as before but it had some classic songs, Eurythemics and Cake spring to mind. The club closed at 6;00 and the other guys wanted to get some food so we headed to MacDonalds which was closed until 10;00 am which was outstounding compared to London and in Canada, Odonika is Canadian where there are 24 hour MacDonalds. Anyway we found an open Pastelaria where they got food, i was a bit jaded and didnt fancy anything. Eventually got home and went to bed at 7;00.

I then got up at 11;00 to do a bit of work and help tidy up. Me and 'Miguel' the Czech boy carried the empty bottles to the recycling bank. I wish i had videod it it really made me think of Mystery Train by Jim Jarmusch where the Japanese couple carry the suitcase, strangely poetic yet popular image. This idea is something i have been thinking about in accordance to my own studio work, i have been muc more of a thinker whilst being out here, partly because i have been doing so much stuff i havent had much time just to sit down and do things which i regularly did in England. Tere is tis drawing in our bathroom of a jacket, and though fairly naive i love it, it reminds me of Jim Dines work. It has inspired me to draw my grey cardigan that i seemed to have worn nearly every day since being here. It is this combination between personal image and popular image that makes me adore Jim Dines work. Sorry i went on a bit of a tangent then; anyway after bottle carrying duty the rest of the day was a bit tame had a lesson at 3;00 still doing the same lino cut, i just want it to be done so i can move on but each time i print it he will suggest a way of improving it. I went to Laranjeira which means Orange tree on my own to buy a big cheap roll of lino. I did not know where the shop was so i wandered and found a large super market and so decided to do my shopping first, this took me ages, i tried to calculate the money going out and went for the cheapest items however, i think cause i was doing this which defeated the object and ended up spending 20 euros. By the time i had found Interpares it was closed so i was gutted but i know where it is when i do want to go. In the evening we went to Odenikas leaving party, all though we will see her again before she leaves. We brought crisps and biscuits and coke, noone i really didnt fancy drinking after the night before, it was a real kiddies parties, full of e numbers. I was a fun night, nice and chilled out, a lot of the time was taken up with people writing words with perculiar spelling or sounds and getting someone who spoke a different language to try and say them for fun. I guess in some ways it fits in with the strangers text in that its a way of putting up barriers, at least psychologically, yet being disguised as fun, perhaps anyway?

Mamma Mia, its actually an Italian saying, I have obviously heard it before but i thought that it was just a stereotype but apparently not. My Italian friend Eva and I talked about it today and she said that se actually used it along with 'Maddonna' which I guess is the equivalent to oh my God or Jesus. Had my language class today which was useful, id say fun but... The best part was when the teacher asked if anyone spoke good English and everyone turned to face me, and i was like I can speak fluent English. Had a really good chat to a Israeli girl called Tulle and her Dutch friend whose name i need to find out soon. The Dutch friend was explaining to me how she loved toilet humour which a bit of a surreal experience. We also talked of how Holland and England are similar in their efficiency, just thinking about how quickly items are put through the checkout at a supermarket, its te same in Holland but here just like everything else its so layed back and slow. Even when theres a massive que forming the till workers still take their time.

I thought that as i did not have much to say about the day itself i would do show some research i've been looking at. For te engraving class the name Thomas Beswick kept coming up, wose work i have seen before and really enjoy. I love how detailed his work is, a real draftman, i'd love to get as good as him.

Today i went into uni and did some Gravura for a couple of hours, however, it was the teacher who doesnt speak Portuguese so i was left to my own devises. There was a callograghy workshop happening at the same time which i enjoyed watching and got some ideas flowing. This afternoon was less eventful, i really didnt do anything particularly, some work lunch and dinner. This evening Sister act 2 had finished downloading on Jo computer after about a week of downloading and so i was all ready for a feel good film. However, it ended up being a Spanish dubbed version, in was so gutted but we still watched the songs anyway which was enjoyable as well as reciting the lines, which i know too well.

Wasnt really that exciting a day today. We ad to go to the city university to hand in our applications for the language course, then went to a presentation which i found a bit cringy to be honest they made us say our name and where we came from, it was all a bit embarasssing really. We were then meant to go for a treasure hunt around lisbon but we, me and Jo didnt really fancy it, a lot of the Erasmus schemes are a bit forced, i know that is te point but they just arent really my sort of thing. Instead we went food shopping for a group meal for this evening to say goodbye to a German couple who are leaving the house soon. We then went back to the city uni for our first language lesson which was good to get started. It was a bit surreal, it really was like being back at school again at a desk facing the teacer, making notes etc. All in all it went well and i hope ill progress over the coming weeks. The lesson ended at eightish and we headed for home, and started cooking straight away, some oter housemates had done some chopping and prepared stuff for the stir fry. The food was good we had rice, noodles vegetables, chicken in black bean sauce, it was laid out like a buffet which i enjoyed. Again there is some perculiarity that for a house of predominantly erasmus student, that us european students that we cooked an Asian dish.

Today was a proper Sunday. After calling up mum, to wish her a happy mothers day and tell her about the oxfam present i bought her, which are such good gifts i think, i did not do very much interesting stuff, a bit of work was about it. But for dinner we made bangers and mash as we had planned and it really lived up to our high expectations. We had the full works sausages, obviously and mashed potatoes, cabbage and an abundance of home made onion gravy. We then went to see the film Juno which i was very impressed by, i thought it was going to be a bit trashy but it wasnt. It was done in an indie style much like Napoleon Dynamite, perhaps a little more forced but still enjoyable. I loved the props and mise en scene it was very kitch and really to my taste. It had a really humbling feeling to it and was funny as well as involving. I wonder how many people left the cinema wanting to get pregnant?

I know i said i would keep this blog up to date and make and entry for evertday but it has become more and more difficult especially with uni starting. So Ill give an update now; Uni has started well im looking forward to learning there and improving my skills; i have taken a drawing class as i mentioned before focusing on portraiture and body which i would like to get good at, i have also taken an engraving class which is so cool we start of with lino cuts, yeah i know i do them a lot but i enjoyb them and have never really had any lessons but wil go on to learn wood cutting and etching repectively. Thursday was a poignant day I guess after a day of lino cutting which was great i decided to shave my hair off. With much help from Jo and and Emily it finally was done after literally hours of cutting and shaving with a bic razor, perhaps not the best instrument. It hurt at times but i had to grin and bear it as i didnt want Jo or Emily to stop half way through. Anyway it is done, and i happy with it, i have being thinking about for such a long time that its nice to finally have done it, and it is the perfect time, it still gives me time to grow it back before returning to England in case i change my mind. In a way its quite a nice analogy of sheding my English skin and embracing Portugal, it is so much more practical and i need not worry about how my hair looks anymore. We will see how long i keep it up. Also on Thursdat there was an international dinner party at our house which was fun, i didnt stay up that late as i had uni the next day but i enjoyed the time I spent. Saw some familiar faces, the Scandanavian boys I have met several time previously as well as some new faces including Londoner called Lizzy and Sarah a girl from Holland all in all it was fun but i felt guilty as there was a baby staying over as well so i hope that it got to sleep before the party kicked off.

Today has been one of my favourite days so far we went back to Cascais which although was fun I realy didnt have the urge to return but we thought we would rent some bikes and ride along the coast. As it happens we were too late to rent bikes but decided we would walk instead but first we would pop into Jumbo a massive hypermarket to pick up some picnic bits and pieces. We then set off on our trek, going the opposite direction from the time before and I instantly liked it more, it was so panoramic. I really loved it, I think it even beat the Algarve, certainly the weather did it was such a nice day. We made various stops, the first me and Jo sat on this cliff which literally overhung the ocean it was so good having our legs dangle over the edge, it was both exhilerating, humbling in the sense I felt so insignificant and yet calming and thereupeutic. We stoped at this park to have our picnic to get out of the sun for a while, it was the best, i love picnics anyway but this was such a good experience, the park was empty besides to boys playing on bikes and we just sat in this little clearing and had lunch. Afterwards we kept heading for this beach which took literally hours although we did stop and start to take in the views. Literally as i was ready to turn around we found the beach, Guincha, it was nice enough but perhaps the walk was an anticlimax, i prefered the journey. I saw some surfing which was kind of cool but was good just to say we made it there, we found out that it was an 8 km walk so it was quite impressive. We decided to get the bus back as we were tired and did not know how long it would take us to get back, i enjoyed the ride back too taking in the scenery as it was a road that literally followed the coast. We then popped into Jumbo once again to pick up some bits and pieces, we found some English sausages which are impossible to find in Lisbon so we will have bangers and mash some time soon, i could not decide what i needed and i had 4 euros so in the end i just picked up some strawberry juice.

wednesday, the big event of wednesday was being induced into gravuda, engraving. After talking to one of the tutors who spoke English and seemed very nice we moved to the silk screen room where the main tutor or who i believe to be te main tutor called Matilde went through all the different processes and tools etc in Portuguese. Suprisingly i did follow most of it which was good but probably more because i had had a similar talk in English.

yesterday was an improvement to the day before, we managed to talk to more tutors and find out more information. Again no actual lessons it felt more productive, we were much more prepared with a timetable. Met an Austian girl called Stephanie who has the same bircthday as me which was a bit of a coincidence, havent even thought about turning 21 but it is quite a cool thing to be able to say i will turn 21 in Portugal.

It was finally here first day at uni! after spending sunday night deciding which subjects to try i was ready and willing. It really was like being a kid agin with first day nerves; not knowing where or when to go somewhere but having Jo with me made it a lot easier. However, our high expectations were short lived as we did not have any actual classes we just went to lessons and told when to come back. Had problems understanding the painting tutor as he only spoke Portuguese but i kind of deciphered what he meant. The most success we had was with a tutor for drawing class who spoke some English, he told us that we would consentrate on portratiture and proportion which I am very excited about and feel will be beneficial to my work. Had lunch at the cafeteria. Although not a lot happened today at least it was a first step and we have a bit more things sorted out for the two weeks ahead which are purely try out lessons and a chance to talk to the tutors so not much pressure meanwhile my actual uni work is still lagging but had a great thought about my map project which is about mapping out the language; labelling everything in my room in Portuguese so that it is a sort of map of my room as well as my journey with the language as well as being beneficial for my language skills.

cont

We made it to Lagos at 12ish and had a churros which was deep fried batter that had absolutely no nutrietional value but was tasty. It was raining as we tried to find our way to the hostel but decided to grab a taxi to take us to avoid gettting wet. We arrived at the Rising cock, and yes the pun was intended as much of the decoration reflected. Me, Jo and Emily were greeted by a Portuguese lady who insisted on being called mama who had a strong American accent as did a couple of the lodgers/ workers. We shared a room called sweet 69 which was really nice, much better than i was expecting. It had an en suite and was decorated nicely and the general up keep was good. Thye common room was just as impressive with a huge TV and a really confy sofa but as we were only spending 2 days in Lagos we didnt really use either much. Mama then told us she would make us crepes as the website said she would, however we did not expect quite so many, as soon as you would finish one she'd already have another ready and would not take no for an answer, killing us with kindness i suppose. After our feast we went for a walk around town which was pleasant very touristy but atttractive at the same time it was a bit out of season i think as it was quite deserted. It was windy as we walked past the marina and sea front it really blew the cobwebs away, i really enjoyed it completely revitalised me. We thenheaded back to the hostel to chill out for a few hours, i continued to read metamorphosis by Franz Kapfa which is a bit perculier but i did enjoy the dry eastern european humour. For dinner we went to this Thai restaurant which did the best food, i had a Red curry Jo had green and Emily a jungle curry all of which were fantastic and of course vinho. We then went to a bar which i would have to call Australian due to the Australian barmen and Steve Irwing cutout. Saw a bit of the rugby, reminded us of English pubs and bars which was nice. We moved on to a more upbeat bar and had a cocktail each, i had a long island iced tea much like the one i had in Hong Kong not so long ago. It was very strong but i did like it. We finished the night off at a supposed club named Inside out but it was just a bar really, not really much more to say about it. We then worked our way back to the Rising Cock where we sat up in the lounge and put on Evan Almighty, but i wa not too interested in that so i interupted it with clips from sister act 2 which was fun. A late rise pursued about 12 ish so we had presumed crepes were off the menu but no Mama to the rescue dished us out an abundance and plenty of lemon tea to accompany it. As the weather was better than the previous day we went for a walk along the cliffs which was so nice, really panoramic the walk we took was reminiscent of that in Milanda Bay in Cyprus. We litterally spent hours walking round burning off the pancakes but it reaaly was a labour of love. We thought that as we we had a long journey home we would have an early dinner which we did i had a chicken caesar salad which was nice enough. then a quick return to the hostel befoe departing for our journey home, unfortunately we never had the chance to say bye to mama but perhaps we will return some day. The journey home was boring, i finished Metamorphosis, the ending so as understated as the rest of the book but was fitting i suppose. Overall the weekend was short but sweet and really opened my mind to the possibilities of travelling around Portugal.

Im getting so out of the habit of doing this blog but i reallywant to have it as a memory. Thursday or at least i thnk it was thursday started off pretty bad, my first negative experience in Potugal, i got my phone stolen which wasnt fun but in retrospect it could have ben a lot worst in my opinion. But putting that behind me the evening was much better a big group of us went to the Indian restaurant i had been to before and was still as good this time. Had the same coconut curry xacuti it was called its so nice. It was a very pleasant evening of socialising and getting to know people better which was good hopefully more of them to come. After the meal our group split into two some others went to an Erasmus party but me Jo Emily and our Portuguese friend Nono didnt fancy it especially with my experience at mini mercado. So my group went to a few bars in the bica region of Bairro Alto which isnt a part i was familiar with and we went to this nice quirky bar which i cant remeber the name of but id like to go to again. Whilst there we discussed going to Morrocco anjd even had a map drawn by Nono to get there. I was sober and so was a bit hesitant but it was a nice thought but whilst back at home we decided we would take a trip to the Algarve.

Friday, we did some research and booked the tickets for Lagos i dont remember doing much else particularly. Had an early night as had to get up at 6 ish to get the couch.

I set an alarm for what i thought was 6 20 and so i went to bed happy knowing that i would get up on time. However, the alarm was pretty feeble must have been on silent or something but anyway it woke me up, to be honest i never fell into a deep sleep so went out to the lounge because i heard voices and saw Lizzie and Alex and i was suprised even by Portuguese standard that they were still up but i made my way to the kitchen to grab some breakfast and saw that the time was actually 3 so i made my excuses and went back to bed. After rushing out due to not being able to find my keys and packing etc we went to the metro and got it to Jardim Zooligica where the couch station is though once at the stop we did no know exactly where the station was so we stumbled into some posh hotel, Emily walked into the revolving door which was funny and got directions from the hotel staff, we must have looked a bit ridiculous in all honesty.

Had a great time yesterday at a house party. Although i was hestitant to go at first feeling i would be really out of place but it turnede out to be a fun evening. It was a sort of international paqrty where different people had prepared different meals and everyone shared it was brilliant. The food was amazing in comparison to the lame spreads a party in England would put on. There werent many English speaking people there so struggled to mingle too much but i did talk to a Portuguese boy called Nono who goes to the art school and had some really interesting conversation about art and the university. Makes us at Casa Malvao have a house party to return the favour, it would be really good time and place to have a house party where no one would be paranoid about breakages etc.

Im so stupid, i realised i hadnt mentioned quite abig event the other day. There was a massive downpour of rain, yeah it does rain here too. It was like an equatorial storm but the intense rain made my roof start leaking, so i got out pots and pans to try and control the situation but i could get to sleep as i was constantly thinking about the pans overflowing. Anyway i decided that i would move rooms which i have now done, my room is now quite a bit bigger but just next door to my old room so moving was not too much effort. I think this room is meant to be a bit more expensive but nothings been mentioned so it might be fine even if it is more it will only be about 10 euros a month extra so it wont make too much difference.

Now in my new room. Yesterday was a day of two halves; the first was pretty boring, tried to do some work but it didnt go very well unfortunately. However i had a great night out, went to Bairro Alto which is such a fun place to be, met some Scandanavians who were very friendly, we had a few drinks before heading to go to this Erasmus party, which was a bit rubbish to be honest it was so overpacked, uncomfortably so. So we left pretty soon after arriving and went back to a bar which was much more agreeable. A lot of students had told us that the Erasmus parties werent all that but it was good to see for ourselves, and when we know some more people perhaps it would be better.

Back up to date. A bit of a late rising today but went to the University to pick up our Erasmus packs, not as exciting as they sound just a few leaflets and maps really. Had lunch at the canteen again chicken and rice, it was really good and cheap as always. We went into a shop which sold all sorts but spent most the time looking at art books and spent a while looking at Oskar Kokosker whose work i particularly liked and will try to use in my own work. We were all overly excited at the prospect of going to a big supermarket thinking we would get stuff for cheaper and better selection. However, whilst there was a greater selection the prices were dearer so i only bought a few bits and pieces, we will probably try a supermarket called Jumbo at some point but i am quite happy using the local shops buying food just for the day ahead. A few people have gone to see ps i love you but i didnt think it would be very much my sort of thing so have stayed in and will re attempt some work.

I have had a busy few days, well in the context of Portugal. Sunday i cant really remember too well, in the evening a group of us gathered in the living room to watch a film called something like a different world or something like this, and the whole way through it it kept reminding me of the film Mystery Train so when the credits came up and said it was directed my Jim Jarmusch i was far from suprised. I really enjoyed the film, i love the way he integrated different strands of arratives together. There is something so poetic about his work and his cinematography has an honesty about it. He has a very dry sense of humour which i particularly like. The film was very appropriate for a foreign exchange house as the film was about taxi ride from five different countries each spoken in the native language, thank God for subtitles.

Monday was a good day we went to the Aquarium which was fun, its so disorientating when you return to earth. Very interesting but a lot of the signs came across a little preachy they all ended on some big downer even if it was completely out of context it would remind you how man has destroyed everything. Seeing the sheer variety of fish was inspiring, it is amazing how evolution has shaped life on earth. I was particularly fond of a photo opportunity like the ones you get at the seaside which read 'I dove at the Oceanarium' it really amused me. The evening we had a rissottoesque dinner and then watched a film called Zeitgeist which was intereresting and i did enjoy the first third which discussed the Religion and its relation to astrology but the two other sections, one about Terrorism and the other of a similar topic both continuously regarding 9 11 were a bit too speculative for my taste. I did not particularly like the graphics either but it certainly made some interesting points. It was just conspiracy theories and you needed to take it with a big pinch of salt, it annoyed me in the way it was trying to tell us how we are brainwashed by the media, yet it was exactly what it was doing but obviously they were arrogant enough to believe they were right.

yesterday was a bit non-eventful, after a long lie in the whole day was a bit of a wash out. Thought in the evening watched the Witches with Jo which was nostalgic and fun.

Today was much more constructive, started earlier and got on with some work which was good as i am concerned about getting behind in my work. Work went alright not quite as much as i had hoped but still im better off now than i was. This evening was good as a few of us went to watch Sweeney Todd which was a very interesting film. Very Tim Burton but with a bit of a Baz Luhrman feel i picked up on. the singing was really good in my opinion, the only downside i thought waqs that i found it a bit too graphic. As well as being my first time to a Portuguese cinema it was also my first ride of the metro. It was much cleaner than the underground and much cheaper. There are fewer lines but that is directly related to the cities size but does make the map much easier. Went back to Bairro Alto this evening which is such a lively place at night; it has a much more sociable attitude towards drinking although i decided not to drink anyway but thats besides the point. Anyway I had a fun time and was nice to do something so everyday as going to the cinema then going out but in a completely different way, which makes you reaqlly consider the differences in culture.

Just a quick entry today before i head out to Bairro Alto, or so i presume. Took the train to Cas Cais, public transport is so much cheaper over here, like everything else. Went to the beach which made me feel very british and to top it off i had chips at a little cafe, how quintesentially English you must think i am. I also had a piece of this cake which was like a fat free sponge or at least it tasted like it, i have to make a cake sometime soon to remind me. I am just going to go out so ill try and make up for it tommorrow ciaou

A quick catch up on yesterday as i did not find time to make a post. I visited the university again to try and pick up a erasmus pack but the co ordinator was not there unfortunately but Jo and Emily still needed the shop so was not a complete waste. We then mozzied on down by the Tejo until we found an Irish Bar, the one me and Duncan had tried to find a few days ago. Was fun but it was such a tourist trap, made me feel so English, especially with my big camera round my neck, i must have looked so cliche. I showed Jo and Emily Alfama, the Moorish village which was enjoyable, spent more time walking around the village itself which was pleasant. Jo made an interesting point whether as art student do we take photos of different things to the average person? I think whilst art students are gifted with the ability to see attractiveness in everything, i still felt that we still have the tendancy to photograph the same picture postcard shot. I started making my carnaval sculpture, it was nice to be getting on with some work eventually. I think perhaps the honeymoon period is over and it certainly feels more like I am here to live life like a Portuguese rather than a holidaymaker. A new girl has arrived at Casa Malvao called Eva, who is Italian who studies languages, its really inspiring meeting someone who is multi lingual. We had planned to go to an Erasmus party at some club but we never found Mini Mercado. We started at some bar where we were bothered by some naval persons just horrible people so we left and went to Jamaica the aptly named reggae club, it was a good laugh and played some classic songs we mustnt have got back till four or five.

Got up this morning, not wanting to get up, being very tired and a little worse for wear but i dragged myself out of bed and revisited my carnaval model which is the clown i photographed head which i will cast in wax and join it with a wine bottle as i feel as wine is a quintessential part of Portugal and alcohol is often the mediator of carnaval. I talked to Eva this morning, she seems a really nice outgoing girl who has offered to teach me Portuguese which will be fantastic. Oh great the little yappy dog from acroos the street is barking its little head off, not literally. Apparently Eva is having some friends round tonight so we are having some international evening which will be intriguing to find out what is involved.

Had a bit of a chiilled out day today, though not that the other days have been too strenous. Went to uni to buy some art materials and had lunch at the cafeteria as it is so cheap, had tofu and rice nothing too gourmet but it does the job. I really need to get more into a routine as uni doesnt start for another two weeks so i need to be more productive with time. That being said I still feel that no matter what I do I am still absorbing Lisbon.

I thought about what Sean said and this is in response; There is definately groups here, within our house there is the tendency that all the new people stick together which in a way is natural. I hope that as new people arrive there will be less divides. There is big language barriers too which I hope to bridge with time. Just outside our house ive been lead to believe two rival gangs however, the locals keep them under control.

There is a very diffeent timetable over here; nothing starts till later and that is followed by late nights. People eat their evening meals at 9.00 or later and clubs wont open until 2am which is a contrast to Norwich.

I am still struggling with verbal communication, but my reading I feel I have improved , im starting to recognise certain words and trends.

Family appears to be very important to the Portuguese however, I dont get to see this much as I am living in a house of students. Food is very big over here literally and metaphorically. Most meals are 4 or 5 courses even at the school cafeteria you get bread, soup, main course and dessert. I believe this has come as a result of the cheap price food has over here using the prior example a meal at uni costs 2 euros for all that. However ironically some everyday items in England are quite expensive like sliced bread is not cheap and cheese is limited in choice and quite dear.

One week tommorow, I cant believe it whilst I feel I have been here forever in contrast it seems impossible. Had a really good day today, visited a cemetry which was occupied by the most amazing statues and tombs, it was really interesting architecture and similarly interesting the thought of how you want to be remembered. Took lots of photos which ill import on my page. Saw a couple of markets which reminded of me of the Cloisters fair back in Norwich, its strange how sunday is an international market day, a really nice tradition. They made me want to get into craft or at least attempt it. Just relaxing now will do some work later and we have planned to do spaghetti bolognese for dinner but at a later time to adjust to the Portugues way of life.

Today I was a trigger happy tourist spending most of the time taking photos for reference material. I gave a few homeless people some change in exchange for taking their photo, i felt that this was a nice way to wrok as whilst in Asia i often secretly took strangers photos and felt a sense of guilt afterwards, stealing their soul or something. I also took a photo of a clown which i love because he

looked so misserable besides his roccoco costume. Went with Duncan to find an Irish pub however, we never found the one in mind but did find an English themed bar which was almost as good. I saw a bit of a Moorish village called Al farmo which was so charming, i saw children playing fotbal on this paved slope, which i really enjoyed, i hope to visit it again to take some more photos. I made a visit to the Musea de Chiado a museum dedicated to Portuguese art which was quite as impressive as the museum in Belem but still worth seeing. All in all it was a productive day and will certainly help with my future projects.

Today i made my first big venture from the city center, with Jo and Emily we got the tram to Belem. Tried the Famous panatas which were delicious and felt the urge to try the coffee which was like an expresso, was very strong and being more of a tea man it really made an impression, although i think i will stick to my tea in the future. Went to Museu Coleccao Berardo, which was a large art galerry for modern art which i found very inspiring, particularly the exhibition Theatre without theatre which i found amazing and intend to return to and perhaps buy the book. It was full of expressionist work which i adore anyway but the dramatic theme just added another dimension to my appreciation. It featured the works of artists such as Schlemmer and Maholy Nagy to Louise Bourgouis and Dali. All in all it was a great inspiration and nice to visit a different part of Lisbon. The museum was located right on the river Tejo and i particularly enjoyed sitting on the bank listening to some pan pipes.

Saw university and was very impressed, much grander than i was expecting i think i will be very happy there though courses dont restart till 25 th but gives me time to realy settle in and look at set projects. Finished rrading Planet of the Apes yesterday and was annoyed that i was still suprised by the ending as it is different from the film. I considered how it related to my expereince in a new culture. I was got an email from a student at NSAD asking about cultural identity which i took some time over so ill thought id post it here

English; In a world so obsessed with being politically correct England has lost any cultural identity in one way but simaltaneously we have become much more multi cultural. There is no longer a stereotypical 'English' even the monarchy arent english, english. I guess when forced to give my perception of what a English person is and this is under obligation, i would have to say White middle class person, perhaps because of my own up bringing thus assosciating myself as English both hereditory and geographically. Loooking at English cultural Identity in the thrid person ie as someone from Lisbon i would have to say we as a nation must come across ignorant, every other nationality person i have met has had to talk to me in English i gues a lot of that is down to the British colonial period and has just stuck every other nation must bow to our demands. All that said i am immensely proud of my English nationality, it was only the other day when i was in London looking at the Archecture; The Natural History Museum, V&A Tower of London etc and was in awe and felt proud of Englands great achievements, in all areas. You can take the boy out of England but you wont take England out of the boy.

Scottish; I have much less to say about Scottish as for one i have never been there. My preconceptions are unhealthy diet, love to deep fry anything they can, aggresive and very patriotic. The last point being the most interesting, im not sure why i say that but i get the impression they are indeed very proud perhaps its the bagpiper dressed up in his national costume, the kilt which best sums up this thought.

Welsh; I believe their cultural identity to be largely assosciatted with agriculture particularly of the sheep kind. I think its other parts of the British Isles feels the need to patronise the Welsh. There is something very humble almost twee abouth the Welsh that means you have to love them.

Irish; Ill have to be careful here as Jo is here and being partly Irish ill hold my tongue. As with the Scottish i think there is much more patriotism with the Irishthan with the English in fact i think all the other British Isles are more proud of their country but i think that its a a feel of inferiority to the English that has created it, ill probably be despised for saying that. I think Ireland comes across very traditional, that it has always has been and always will be the same. I think Ireland is always shown in a bad light because of the fighting but that at the core they are very moralled.

British; I dont really think Britain really exist anymore and if it does it no Longer 'great' Britain enjoy the pun. Instead its just a collection of the different isles. I guess people would percieve Britain as an all powereful land due to its past.

Its alway good to consider things.

I miss my own kitchen but i hope once i settle in more ill start cooking again. I spoke to a girl here about cooking and its relationship with art and is a thought id like to return to. Speaking of food had lunch at school canteen, it was great value for money 2 euros pronounced aeros for a massive lunch which is reassuring. Everything is so cheap over here, im going to live like a King over here and my exchange partner is going to find everything so expensive.

I had an after thought for the cultural identity, I considered how perculier it is having a Portuguese Italien meal or Portuguese Indian, im not sure why i found it so disconcerting. I was also shocked by the amount of shops which are the same here; H and M, Subway, MacDonalds of course, and how such shops represent how the world is getting smaller and how large companies are capitalising the world.

5th february

Caught up on sleep and feel much better for it. Today we met up with Andreas family for a lunch which i was dreading as i didnt want to offend if i didnt like, especially as we were expecting a fish course, however, it was all so good and I was very gratefully for their hospitality and it got better when they took us out for ice creams after. Finished reading Boulles Planet of the Apes and cant help but compare the book with my experiences although without the monkeys. The meeting of two different cultures and how the occupants react, whether they should be welcoming or hostile, fortunately I have found the former much more of the case. I feel my Portuguese is coming on especially after a drink or two (dutch courage), I am determined to get better and hope to be able to hold conversation in Portuguese by the end of my visit. I have met so many new people its great how our house brings together people from all backgrounds, its a real ecclectic mix of people which i think which gives the place it unique character. We are going to the university tommorrow and im looking forward to getting stuck in and live like a Portuguese student.

Day 1

Yesterday was the first day of my life in Portugal and what a start. Tired and aching after football and an all nighter in London I felt I havent slept in weeks. My first impressions were cliche as a postcard sun, sea and im sure I saw some sand somewhere. Took a nice stroll around town to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city was very beautiful and made me realise that I made a great choice coming here. The illusion was broken by the sight of bloodied road kill, which brough back visions of the A11. The city itself was unsuprisingly reminiscent of Macau which I visited during the summer in particular the flooring with its black and white tiles, its the small things that make the difference. Our house is fantastic although basic in utilities its more than makes up for it in charm with a small desk placed against the window it reminds me of Moulin Rouge and gives me the urge to break out in song everytime I see it.