If I would have to describe this month using one single word, I would use "saudade".
Firstly and obviously, saudade that I still haven't expressed in this blog, but that I feel since the moment I left Portugal: missing the family, the friends, the culture, the places...though it doesn't make me feel sad...just happy to know that sooner or later I will be there again! :)
Secondly, saudade, because Bastien, the french guy who shared the same flat with me for about 6 months, with whom we ended up having a beautiful friendship, left back to France!!!
Also saudade, because Johan, this one more great french guy, quiz and indoor soccer team mate...who went back to France.
Then, "saudade", since some time after Bastien's departure, I have moved to Normandale, leaving the place which I will miss because of all that it meant to me: settlement in New Zealand, outdoor soccer team, jogging, bike trails, wonderful landscape, Bastien and my former landlord, Marc.
Anyway, I have moved because I've decided to. I have moved to live with a very good friend of mine (and indoor soccer team mate), Sudhir. My new landlord and flatmate at the same time. The views from here are simply awesome. A great view to the Wellington harbour...and, you know what? At the time I was moving it started snowing in Wellington...at the sea level!!! As I heard, it was the only time in 80 years...and, actually, a lot of snow...enough to make snowmen, to play with snowballs...and to have a great white landscape all around greater Wellington!!! :)
Besides that, I have discovered that my new home is surrounded by some beautiful green nature, the Belmont Regional Park...only 15 minutes running from my place...a huge forest/park, covering about 3500 hectares. Great to go for some jogging or biking!!! :)
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| First photo as Sudhir's tenant, in Normandale |
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| Nothing like snowing during the relocation :P |
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| View from my new place I First morning in my new home...wonderful landscape, not fully noticeable by this picture |
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| View from my new place II Mountains covered of snow...view to the workplace area (just slightly left from the tree) |
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| View from my new place III Beautiful white powder, in the surrounding mountains |
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| View from my new place IV More snow...after 2 days of heavy snowing! |
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| View from my new place V Note: snow in the montains (left) and ocean/sea in the Wellington harbour (right) |
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| View from my new place VI Wellington harbour just in the center of the picture |
Saudade, also because I was missing the snowboard. Last time I did it (not counting with my awkward experience in Sierra Nevada, where, after 100 m, I ended up being transported by a snowmobile to the clinic of the ski resort) was in Slovenia, almost 2 years ago (thanks for reminding me about skiing in Slovenia, Mateja...and sorry for my memory failure :P), and Bulgaria, 2.5 years ago! So, I missed that times during my first New Zealand snowboarding experience...at the middle of August!!! I went with Mike (indoor soccer mate)...next day, his girlfriend (Bronie) and a friend of them (Esther) came as well...nice times...was really missing this snow adrenaline!!! :) We were lucky with the weather...and the snow was lovely!!! :)
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| In the way to the skifield |
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| In the skifield |
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| Leaving the skifield - a beautiful rainbow! |
Finally, the last but not the least saudade...more french people farewell: Anne-Helene and Laureline leaving to France at the end of the month of August. They were doing their internship in my department...during these 4 months of intership, they became very good companions: sharing our joy, sadness and, especially, partying a lot altogether!!! A promise has already been made: I will go to France to visit them and Bastien, when I come to Europe!!! :)
In conclusion...during this month of August, I felt like an emigrant...in France (because of so many french people surrounding me), which used to be the most popular destiny for portuguese emigrants, mainly during the 70's, when many portuguese people felt "forced" to leave their own country to have a decent life.
So, in respect to it, I am sharing with you one of the most famous portuguese emigrant author (and song), the great Dino Meira and the music "Meu querido mes de Agosto".
This song is about the meaning of the month of August for these emigrants: the time when they were coming back to Portugal (usually, from France), when they could enjoy their life, spending some money that they have been saving for 11 months . Despite being commonly "labeled" as bimbos (couldn't find a better translation, rather than yokel), they are mostly admirable people - though, sometimes, they show off too much (with their tunning cars, and so on).
