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.