We left sunny South Africa on June 2nd, 2016. We moved to Portugal and have been living in Maia (Porto) since then. On the whole its has been good, kids are speaking Portuguese fluently and even hubby can understand most conversations now. However, we miss South Africa and I wish that someone would have told me that I would miss the weirdest things.
MEAT (vegan readers please skip past to the next paragraph)
Our family are meat eaters, and we miss meat A LOT! My husband craves Spur (steakhouse) and Wimpy (burger restaurant) practically everyday. Even though the last 2 months were spent eating at those places daily so that we could bid our farewells, it has not made the desire for meat any less. Now don't get me wrong, we do get steak, pork and lamb chops etc here, but it is just not the same. The cuts are thinner, the meat is less favourful and the price can give you heartburn just by looking at it. So please, if you are a huge carnivore and intend on leaving a meat loving nation, please eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner ever day, for at least 3 months! We have not had a decent piece of boerewors (mixed meat, fat and spices in a sausage casing, usually grilled over a fire but can be fried) in ages!
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Portuguese was always my first language but I learnt the English language when I started primary school. With my parents not knowing much English (besides the swearwords), my siblings and I used to speak English so that they wouldn't know what we were up to. So English was my main language and I have heard some form of it for over 37 years. The other day I was walking in town, and I heard a British bloke having a chat on his cellphone in English. I was overjoyed, and I am ashamed to admit that I actually did follow him around for a few minutes just so that I could hear him speak English. It's sad, I know, but only then did it dawn on me that I missed the English language... not a person, not a thing, not a food ... English!
SOUTH AFRICANISMS (readers not familiar with our slang, please scroll past)
I would give my left big toe to hear someone say "Ag shame, man" or "Jislaaik it". It stirs up emotions in this cold rock of a heart of mine just thinking of it! Cape Town is the centre of South Africanisms as we have a large population of mixed race which speak English and Afrikaans in one sentence! It is very hard to describe to a person not from South Africa, but take it from me that hearing the mixed race vernacular is truly a South African must "hear".
MILKSHAKES AND WAFFLES
We had a go-to place in Cape Town called the Big Bay Waffle Company. Holy cheeseballs, it was AMAZING! They had the best waffles and milkshakes ever. No place like that here in Portugal. Their milkshakes are a watered down version of what we are used to and the only waffles we eat are the ones that I make. Yip folks, I purchased a waffle maker, and they aren't too bad, but there is nothing like having a milkshake and waffle by the sea.
INTERACTING WITH TEACHERS
So I have 2 boys (5 and 10) and they started school last year September. In South Africa, they were part of the private school system. With that being said, I always had very good relationships with their teachers as they provided us with mobile numbers as well as e-mail addresses. Most issues were dealt with e-mail and/or a quick chat before/after classes starting. What amazes me (at least in their school) is that the teachers are almost guarded. You cannot enter the school without a valid reason or an appointment, therefore you cannot have a quick unscheduled chat with a teacher. Even to pick up my children I do not enter the school, I wait by the gate. I assume that this is for security purposes which I agree with, but I do miss the feeling of being able to send a quick e-mail to a teacher to either to ask for clarification or a question. Here you have to wait until it is the teacher's "open" time and then you have to book an appointment to see him/her. It literally took over a month to clarify an issue that had arisen due to my son's limited Portuguese and me not being able to get hold of the teacher. However, I must add that they have been fantastic with my kids so I take this one on the chin because my kids are doing very well at school and enjoy being there. But jeepers I wish I had their e-mail addresses!
As I mentioned before, it has been good for us to move here, and we are slowly getting used to this way of life. It is just weird that along with missing family, friends etc, I find myself longing for the strangest things. As with all my posts, I welcome comments and feel free to remind me of things that I have missed.
Thank you for reading and have an awesome day!
