Dispatches from Lisboa

Hi Family, friends, loved and dear ones. 

Its our one-month anniversary of making this insane move and one of the biggest decisions of our lives. Many of you have asked how things are going, so we figured a little storytelling could be fun! And for those who dont have time to read, have no fear- I have recorded this for you as a little podcast/audiobook. 

To start, we must say, we miss you all very much. The community and friends we have cultivated over the past years in NYC, Austin, and our respective homes are very near and dear to us, and nothing could ever replace that. Nor are we looking to replace it. 

Second, overall, through the chaos, logistics, cultural shifts, and the many many nightmares of moving- much less across the world with a child, dog, and during pregnancy (YES! i’m pregrant for those that dont know- surprise!)- this move has still seemed to be worth it for us. I know it feels like we ran away from the US, and quite frankly we did. But more than that, we ran towards a country and community where people are genuinely nice, where violence (guns or otherwise) is kind of non-existent. 

For example. this morning, there were cops EVERYWHERE. Naturally, my first thought was, something really really bad has gone down. Turns out it was just some diplomats. Otherwise, I have literally not seen a cop or any armed forces anywhere- and I didn’t realize how important it is to not see that every damn day. 

The mornings are really cold, and then the sun comes out and its HOT- but a hot that is welcome and refreshing. Anyway- on to the details. 

Our Journey Over

Yáll- we traveled with 13 suitcases. Hot-tip #1: its sometimes cheaper to upgrade yourself than pay for all those bags (especially the overweight prices too)- so thats what we did. Bless the Delta employee Mae who was so patient as I figured out the cost benefit but in the end Edie and I upgraded and Drew (bless his heart) stayed back with Cimi. 

We had a 4 hour (and then quickly 9-hour) layover at JFK where we spent time in the Lounge with our favorite employee, Irma (if you are ever in the B-terminal Delta Lounge, go say Hi to our girl). 

By the time we finally got back on the plane it was midnight- and yáll know Edie’s bedtime is 7pm- so we were NOT in a good place. Then they STILL fed us dinner 😭. So she was asleep by 2am and then 3.5 hours late they woke us up for breakfast 😑 and of course Edie acted like she had just slept 10 hours. 

Hot-tip #2: Book a car-service. We had two vans (reminder- 13 suitcases, 3 backpacks, 3 humans, and a dog). Ines and Bernardo waited for us, took all of our bags and Ines taught us the difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese (turns out we were learning the Brazilian Portuguese on Duolingo). 

Hot-tip #3: book your lodging for the night before so you can walk in whenever you arrive. 3pm check-ins are criminal especially when EVERY international flight gets in in the morning from the US. 

Over the next month in our temp apt we realized that we were staying on basically the best corner of Lisbon (at least for us) and that would be hard to replicate. 

How is Edie?

Edie is Edie no matter where she is. So naturally, she is goofy, silly, and absolutely thriving. But there are some things she really doesnt like and you WILL know about it. 

On our first night, we walked to a restaurant that had been on my saved list since the last time I was here. We showed up at 5:30 (right when the opened- the staff were still having their family dinner) and we were the only ones there. Note: we still have not gotten used to restaurants that open at 7 or later for dinner. Edie cried and protested walking the entire way to the restaurant. Note: Edie has still not gotten used to walking everywhere- that has probably been the hardest thing with Edie. Anyway- jetlag hit HARD that night and Edie crawled into our bed at 2am saying she was hungry (dinner time in Austin). So we cut up some apples and I slept in her room till about 10am- that is latest either of us have ever slept in. The blackout shades here are like the metal grates that are over the NYC stores when they close down for the night- extremely efficient. 

On Friday we visited her new school. I can only describe it as the Hogwarts of Lisbon. Its a huge old converted pasta factory where children are at the center of all decisions. They have adorable uniforms and children belong to 1 of 4 houses named after mythology gods. Edie is and and was over the moon about the school. On Sunday, I requested that we do a dry run: wake up early, eat breakfast, get changed, find the bus, take the bus and go to school. Edie is a girl after my own heart with her love of public transportation- she LOVES  the bus. One day we were running late for school and missed the bus and I offered to just take a cab and she said “its fine if i’m late, I want to take the bus”. 

Her social skills continue to humble us. At Jardim Estrela (the best park in Lisbon) she met a little girl name Beatrice and despite neither of them speaking each others language they played for an hour and even agreed to have a playdate. At an Indian restaurant nearby we ran into another American family who had lived in Barcelona for 6 years before moving to Lisbon. Their son and Edie played at the restaurant and despite making a lot of noise, not a single patron at the restaurant seemed to mind (a marked shift from the states). At DoBeco- my favorite bakery and breakfast spot- Edie cheerfully informed an Italian mother of 2 that we had just moved three days ago, we are from Texas and that her mom is pregnant. Francesca (the mother) immediately offered her number. We have already run into the them at another breakfast spot and have plans to hang out as a family. 

As for food- since we know Edie loves her food. She ate most of her 7 course dinner at Sem (incredible no-waste restaurant that is sadly closing soon). The owner complimented her adventurous palate. She has had what I can only describe as an NA wine era- as demonstrated in this photo, she really leaned into the wine bar culture. We also got her roller blades for her afterschool class and she is loving it and I am loving instilling some core 90’s memories into her childhood. 

How is Cimi?

For those who asked, Cimi flew with us in cabin, at our feet. There was no way we were going to put her under the plane. She is afraid of her own shadow- she would have died of a heart attack. 

Cimi is having a great time in Lisbon- when she is not smelling and peeing on every new street corner, she is being gushed over by the locals. It seems that loving dogs is a requirement of citizenship. We cant go anywhere without people trying to pet her, smiling and loving all over her. We were shocked at just how many stores, restaurants, cafes allow dogs. In fact, when we ask, “are we allowed to bring our dog in?” the response is almost always “of course, we love dogs more than humans- bring them in!”

Also one point for Lisbon- the emergency vet is basically a spa. And yes, we have already been to the emergency vet. Our first Saturday, I woke up and found an open packet of one of those moisture absorbing salt things on the kitchen counter. I asked Edie if she happened to eat any of it- she said only a little 👀. About 20 minutes later, I was cleaning out Cimi’s food and water bowl, and found a lot of little black specks. I asked Edie if she had put some in Cimi’s food. She said “yes, I thought it was black pepper”. I immediately google dog, moisture absoribing packet, toxic. And sure enough, the black carbon/iron packet are very toxic for dogs. Luckily, there was an emergency vet hospital 1.5 blocks away (again we lived on the best corner) so Drew took her right away. And yáll- look at this waiting room!? Anyway- 1 hour, one vomit inducing injection, some medication, and one consultation later we walked out of there only paying 120 euros. 

How is Lisbon? What is life like? 

It turns out we are living 2 blocks away from the apt we stayed in when we first visited Lisbon in August 2022. This really felt like a full circle moment. Most neighborhoods in our area are walkable, hilly, charming, and full of beautiful Lisbon light. After dropping Edie off at school (usually by bus) Drew and I make our way to get coffee, walk the dog and sit for breakfast (the sitting for breakfast thing- and without being at a desk or on a work call- is probably something neither of us have done in a really long time- and its really nice. We have some favorite coffee shops and we learned that a cappuccino here is only one shot and a flat white is 2 shots. 

Other Lisbon observations: 

1. The sidewalks are made of tiny marble stones on which you WILL slip on if it has rained.

2.  Drivers tail everyone and slam on their brakes- all the time. and here is an even more wild thing. 

3. It is cheaper for the three of us and Cimi to take a cab than to get on the bus. 

4. Always get a ticket for any kind of service: renting a car, going to the bank, getting produce or meats at the grocery store, customer service at IKEA, checking in at the hospital or clinic. Take a ticket, Take a ticket, Take a ticket. And if you’re pregnant like me…. ALWAYS get the priority ticket- its THE golden ticket. 

Again, we have been so busy with just getting settled, that we haven’t had the chance to really enjoy the magic that Lisbon has to offer but we are getting glimmers of it and hopefully that once we can actually finish some basic living needs we will be able to really take advantage of what everyone talks about. 

Are you happy?

Yes! We are tired, hemorrhaging money on Ikea and stocking a new and very empty apt, are confused by all of the insane demands on our immigration paperwork, and dealing with feeling really badly that we don’t speak Portuguese. And yet, yes, Id say on whole, we are happy. The kindness of strangers has been relentless, everyone’s obsession with dogs is hilarious and amusing,  the city and views are beautiful, there are endless cute streets to explore, and lots of good (and bad) coffee to try out. 

This past month we have spent most (really all) of our mornings, looking for apts, getting our laundry done, going to Ikea, and figuring out what paperwork we need for our AIMA appointment. But since this is Portugal, most things dont open till 10am and Edies school starts at 8:30- so that gives us a solid 1-1.5 hours of coffee and breakfast time. Which is a time that I can really learn to appreciate and love. 

There have been some challenges, like losing out on our favorite apt to a single divorcee (it was a 5 bedroom house! what does she need all of that space for?!); and like cutting it down to THE last hour for our AIMA appointment- yáll you dont understand how important these appointments are and the headache it would cause if we didn’t have the paper work. AND we got the final documents 1 hour before my appointment- so we did it! We should have our Residency cards in a few months and they last us for 2 years! We get to be Portuguese residents for 2 years! So now, even though we can travel, we might still need you to visit- we are paying WAY too much for this large ass apt- so we have room to host! 

Anyway- there are definitely more stories and more ups and downs but for now, thats what we will share. We miss you all more than we can say. While we are slowly building a community here, it will never compare to our friends back home. But we are finding that there is room in life for more than one kind of home. This one just happens to be a little sunnier, a little quieter, and a lot more willing to let a dog into a restaurant. 

With so much love from Lisbon- Amena, Drew, Edie, Cimi, and Future Baby Girl (Lela). 

Some bloopers and flubs along the way:

1. We locked ourselves our of our apt on night 1. It took 1 hour and 95 euros to get it unlocked. The locksmith took two pieces of plastic, put them between the door and door frame and just pushed really hard.
2. It has taken us too long to long to figure out that here a flat white is 2 shots of espresso and a cappuccino is 1. We have finally fixed this grave error and are much better for it.
3. Electric cars are very cheap to rent but very expensive to charge and you have to be at the right charger, know which charger to use, have a card or keyfob to charge, etc. Ask Drew if you want to hear his traumatic series of events with the chargers.
4. Many, many stores are closed for lunch so if you are planning to run an errand around 1-3, just don’t. Eat lunch and enjoy the sun instead.
5. People don’t really pick up dog poop here despite everyone loving dogs, so just look down!
6. Zipcodes change? Can really explain this one, but our home has 3 different zipcodes depending on where you look. Its been a legal, mailing nightmare.