IPSF-SEP at Portugal, Part 3- the Portuguese Life

So far, on top of the bacteriology lab experience, I have definitely been getting the full Portugal-experience... with the WorldCup (Mundial) craze, sweet pastries, Portuguese home-cooked meals and cakes, daily espresso's (caffe), lots of fish and potatoes, and most recently, the amazing SURF!! Friday I left lab at noon to watch the Portugal vs. Brazil game at the Student Union beer-garden with some pharmacy girls.. where I witnessed equally fervent yet friendly fans representing both countries! To the right is a picture from the 7-0 Portugal vs. N.Korea game.

Saturday I got up at the crack of dawn to take a 50min train to the nearest beach and one of the most famous-- Figueira da Foz. $30 euros includes pick-up from train station, wetsuit, surfboard, and a 2hr small group lesson. Lucky for me, the other two (a French woman and a German guy) had already been taking classes for a week through the Surf Camp and so the instructor, Felipe, was able to spend all his time with me. He was quite funny and cracked some chauvinistic jokes about me paddling like a girl.. but now I paddle "like I mean it." Felipe taught me basic rules and great technique! I was out in the ocean until my lips turned blue. After an hour and a half, I was able to paddle out, catch my own wave, and surf!!

Quite perfectly, the professor with whom I research, Gabriela, lives in Figueira da Foz. So she picked me up for wonderful steak, pasta, salad, and wine (from Alentejo region) at her beautiful hillside home. It was great chatting with her and her husband... about wine, about Portugal, and even about Google and Facebook! I was also so impressed with the mint, lemonetta (lemon-smelling herb for tea), rosemary, and sage grown in her front yard! After lunch Gabriela drove me around town-- down the coastline so I could see all the beaches, and to the other side where I could see more beaches, and then "upstairs" (as she calls it) to the forest with lush, tall trees, hidden trails, and lots of secluded picnic table areas. Unfortunately, it was very foggy and we could not see anything from the viewpoint (only fog). Then we laid out on the beach until the wind picked up in the evening. I went back to the Surf Camp hostel where I was invited for some drinks at their bar earlier. There were several English people having some beers in the courtyard, and a Canadian. The rest of the people staying at the hostel were, like most Portuguese, taking their afternoon naps. A group of English guys were on vacation for a Bachelor Party, and I chatted with a few of them and learned many interesting things. One of them is a pilot and I told him that is my dream job! They were also interested in pharmacy and the bacteriology research I was doing. One used to be a microbiologist for GSK. The Canadian had never heard of antibiotic resistance-- and I told him that Canada supposedly doesn't have that problem, perhaps because it is so cold! We all enjoyed great BBQ and I had one of the best burgers ever, and watched USA sadly lose to Ghana. If anyone travels to Portugal and loves the beach and wants to try surfing, I highly recommend doing a week-long Surf Camp at either Figueira or Baleal (just north of Lisbon) because you will master surfing, meet great people, have great food and enjoy a unique Portuguese vacation.

Ciao for now, next time I will talk more about the progress I have made in my research!
Off to watch Portugal vs. Espana!