Episode 21: All About Fall in Portugal

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Alright, hello and welcome to another episode of As the Dinosons Turn. It's been a couple of weeks since we've done a podcast. So what do we want to talk about this time?

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Well, I think that we do have to address that we are inside because our outdoor area is pretty wet at the moment. Right? We've had a lot of rain. And when we mean a lot of rain, um the last storm we got nine inches of rain. And then this, like see yesterday we got four inches of rain. Today the sun came out, which was nice, but it's still pretty damp out there. So periods of rain are a definite thing right now.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

It's rained basically non-stop since whenever we did our last podcast, it was like the last sunny day that we've had.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Yeah, so it didn't rain today. It stopped at like seven o'clock this morning or something like that. It was fantastic, and the sun came out, and so that's been nice. Um, but let's see, we've killed two umbrellas, right? Um, and we are definitely raincoat and umbrella double tick. You need both because when it it if it's misty, it's totally fine. If it's just a regular rain, it's fine. But then there are torrential periods, and and that's where things get a little bit crazy. Yeah. So not only that, but right now, I mean, this is the weekend before Halloween. You wouldn't know it here, would you?

SPEAKER_00 1:25

No.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

So um, here are the things that we can tell you. So there was an expat um trick-or-treat group that met over the weekend. They met yesterday, um, but we did not meet with them because they were gonna meet in a park in Braga and it was pouring down rain. And by the time they decided to move it someplace else, it was like, yeah, we won't go. So that was the trick-or-treating opportunity. The boys are going to teach their classes about trick-or-treating in English, and I was trying to think of something to make for them, and I can't find like corn syrup or any of those things. Those don't exist here. So homemade candy corn is not happening. Like our youngest is very sad about that. He loves candy corn um and mallow pumpkins, those are his things, right? So he's a little down and out, but um, we're gonna make rice crispy treats. So, uh, because I can find marshmallows and I can find cocoa puffed rice, but no plane. What is with that?

SPEAKER_00 2:25

That was weird, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:26

It's gotta be chocolate flavored. Who knew? Anyway, so that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make them rice crispy treats and go from there. But that will be their Halloween, and then we have All Saints Day, that's coming up here too. So um everybody's got mums out. We bought some moms, we have some of those, and then it's lighting candles, and you know, that's um their remembrance day, and so we'll be doing some of that as well and eating some really good um baked goods over the next couple of days. That's our big plans, but I don't know. So last time though, we also talked about how reality was hitting. So I think maybe you should update them on some of the things that have been going on.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Yeah, I think that so that was about the last episode was about the honeymoon period being over and more real world setting in, and I think that I feel like we've moved past that, I guess, and now I don't know. Some of the potential traumas and dramas of a few weeks ago seem like they're resolved for now.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yeah, I think that, you know, we've we've closed on the apartment. I mean, that was a five-month-long process, so don't expect things to go quickly, right? Um Jack's doing more Portuguese classes. He started doing some things with the local acting troupe, like they're both boys are just involved. We've not yet been able to find the choir location, so I think we've given up on that because we've tried three weeks in a row and nobody seems to know where it is. You see feet behind me, that's somebody coming down the ladder from upstairs. So that's the upstairs is our bedrooms up there. But yeah, I think that I feel like we're hitting a groove and life is busy, so the weeks are busy and they go fast. Um, but I think it's good. So the um apartment we will move in um supposedly right before Christmas. We'll see how all of this goes. So we're just kinda keeping things simple at the moment.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Buying property or even buying cars in Portugal is a long process. You don't just in the US we're used to like 60-day closing time on houses. We've been by the time we move in, it'll have been almost eight months, a little over seven, seven or seven and a half months by the time we move in.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Right. And it's actually really common here to buy a property and then rent it back to the previous owners for several months while they then work on the property they're moving to. That's pretty common unless they're moving to something that's brand new, which is really unusual here. So um, yeah, it's definitely a longer process than you would think. But we were like 60 days. I figured we'd be there before school started in the fall. No, we're just like, well, hopefully you get to move in by the end of the year, call it good, go from there. But um, it's definitely a long process. Buying a car is definitely like we had said before, a four-week process. Um, but it wasn't really the loan approval part that takes so long. I don't know why. Like it took maybe two and a half months, three months, two and a half months for the approval of the loan. And then it was just we're gonna schedule your closing. And then before we knew it, our closing was October 10th instead of like August something. We're like, oh, okay. So even to the point that most of the legal contracts for for buying a property will say you have 90 days, right, to get things all lined up to schedule your closing. And they actually add an addendum to that, an additional clause and contracts now saying that you get an additional 60 days. So, I mean, that's that's what we were looking at. Just know that it's not a a fast process. Um, it's but it's it's doable. It just takes a while.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

What else do we need to talk about? We didn't we're not prepared.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

I know. I think that it was just like we need to make sure that we do this and let people know. I think one, I'm I'm feeling pretty good about where we are right now. You know, the boys have had a couple of tests. I love that Jack's got an 85 on his English test because of grammar. I love that. That made me very happy. Um, I can see definite interference um going on in languages between um Portuguese influencing English and the way we phrase things now, even. I can see that, but the kids are getting that. I haven't, it's it's hard for me to say. I haven't eaten anything. They say I did I haven't ate, and you're like, no, please stop. Oh my gosh. I feel like I'm called constantly correcting grammar.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

I didn't know that was that was Portuguese interfering. I thought that was just him using the wrong word.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

No, it's definitely a Portuguese interference in addition to him using the wrong word. I think it's a combination of train both, don't you think? Um Tyler's doing well on school, and so we're just waiting to kind of see how things go. I mean, I can't believe that we're at the end of October. Can you? No. And in six weeks, these boys are gonna have finished their entire first term. So we'll see how things go. I don't know. Like, I'm I'm optimistic. I think that this is gonna be okay. We did have to have that six-month recommitment of here are all the things we're gonna do and we're gonna work on, and and we can do better on some of that. Like, I need to sit down more and work on history with Tyler. He's like, I don't understand anything. His history teacher doesn't speak any English whatsoever, and history here is complicated compared to what he's used to, I think. So there's a a lot of different um kings and queens and and all kinds of additional things that make things complicated.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

So Well, we like we talked about last time, we had talked about moving back.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

We did, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

But then there's the the thought process of, you know, is it quitting because it's hard? And you should just push through it and keep trying to make it work. And I think that I mean sometimes stopping and quitting or doing something else is the right thing to do, but it may not be the right thing to do every time. So I think it's good that we d didn't just quit.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Yeah, I mean, there are some things that would be easier, but I think that we'd be struggling with some of the same things that we struggle with anywhere. So um I have to say that I am happy to be where we are. I think that that's a good thing for now. So that's a good update. Um, some of the expat groups and conversations we've had have been really good. I've made some good connections there. Jason's been doing more driving.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

I have been, yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Being a little more kind to himself. Um, and if you see, there's a glare in my glasses. If you see that these are bright Christmas lights, no, we have not decorated yet. It's just that the Christmas lights are sitting on the table to give us more light in our kitchen. Um, this is part of living in a stone house. Like this is the one light downstairs, really. So, yeah, a little bit of light. It's a good thing. Yep. Alright. Well, I think that's our update for you guys as far as how life is. We just want to give you a quick one there, and um, then we will catch you on the flip side.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

I think it's good to do these weekly because sometimes people reach out and wonder where where we're at. More people than you would think follow follow this.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Well, it's an easy way for us to communicate, and so we appreciate that you all let us do it this way.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

So Wilad, you know, talking to people from the US also it's like we're people live vicariously through us because we're doing something that a lot of people wish they could do.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Well, and if this is something you decide you want to do, we have a great location for you. You know, come and visit us, you know, come and check it out. But I would have to say that um know that things are gonna take a lot longer than you think they will. I think that's the biggest lesson that we've learned. And that um yeah, as things have started to settle in and it's really become more of our reality, I feel like this feels a lot more like home than I expected it to. Like I still look around and go, oh my god, I live in a beautiful place. I just can't even believe we get to to be here. But at the same time, you know, we are trying to make sure we take the time to do the things that we really enjoy, like that we go out for coffee at our favorite cafe every week and all of those things. So uh you still have to make time for that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Yep. Alright, well that's it for this episode, just a short one to get something back up, I guess. And we'll catch you again next time on another episode of As the Dinoson's turn.