I Think I am Becoming Portuguese

Or it is Portuguesized?

Denise and I were waiting for a bus the other day. The bus was late…so late in fact that we walked to another bus stop to take a different route. Denise, for once, seemed more bothered by the delay and inconvenience than I was. That is when it stroke me…I am becoming Portuguese.

Patience…A New Found Virtue

Frankly, before I moved to Portugal waiting was not my thing. Timeliness was my thing. I believed that people that were perpetually late were rude…self-centered…entitled. And just a few months ago I would have been apoplectic having waited more than 30 minutes for a bus. But as I reminded Denise, Cascais had introduced a new bus schedule the prior day. Looking at the route and schedule displayed on the bus stop enclosure, I found it hard to believe a driver could make that many stops in the time allowed. Anyway, all we were doing was going to the mall to look around and do some grocery shopping. In the grand scheme of things, this was not a big deal.

The look that Denise gave me reminded me of a look I would have given her just a few months ago. It may have also included a touch of “who is this person and why doesn’t her newfound patience apply to me?”. But I digress…

I am not saying I am now the most patient person in the world. Remember it was just 2 weeks ago I was calling the mayor’s office to try to break the vaccine queue log jam. And yes I am still on time if meeting friends or arriving for a dinner reservation. But somehow, I am less bothered by such small inconveniences.

Inconveniences

Which leads me to laundry and trash. An odd segway, you might think…but it all has to do with inconveniences. Like the rest of Europe, we don’t dry our clothes in a dryer. We could, there is a dry cycle…but we don’t use it. While Denise is generally in charge of the laundry, truth be told she doesn’t let me touch the machine, I am permitted and don’t at all mind hanging and taking down the laundry. I expected that this would be required before we moved, and thought it would be a major pain in the butt. But now it is simply what one does. It has become part of the rhythm of our lives.

As is walking to take out the garbage. It’s funny when we moved to our temporary digs in Cascais the garbage and recycling containers were within half a block of the apartment. We both commented at the time that we would need to walk nearly two blocks to get to the recycling containers when we moved to our more permanent apartment. At the time, it seemed like a major inconvenience. Not now, it is just what we do.

I Look Forward to Food Shopping

Food shopping was always one of those annoying, but necessary chores in life. And the truth is, I still don’t relish the thought of going into a supermercado here. But I actually look forward to the Mercado da Vila.

Now that Covid restrictions have for the most part been lifted, there is a flea market-like area that you need to navigate before you get to the covered food area. It is often crowded, messy, and loud as many merchants bark a list of the products available in their stall. But I love it; which is odd because in the States I avoided stores with too much, disorganized merchandise. While Denise loved looking for a bargain in TJMaxx, I could not force myself into the store. Clutter is still not my thing.

I also look forward to our “egg guy” that yells “eye-yi-yi-yi-yi” for no particular reason. Note: while it is difficult for me to understand Portuguese (spoken by a native) this is NOT Portuguese. It is just a “nonsensical phrase” he interweaves with comments to people that pass by or light-hearted insults to the guy in the next stall. I love the quality and the fact that now we only buy what is plentiful and cheap, i.e. in season. Finally, I love buying fresh flowers every week. They are affordable and always last the entire week. And I am not alone…a good percentage of the shoppers leave the Mercado with fresh flowers as well.

Interesting

I guess my point is…it is interesting to me what one becomes accustomed to. And in only a few months. This unhappily brings me to one last observation. Last night as I read the news online, I read about yet another mass shooting in America. I literally gasped. It was then that I realized, that this all too common American event now has a different impact on me. It must have been what New Zealanders felt after the Christchurch attack which resulted in a nearly unanimous vote in Parliament to change their gun laws.

Of course, they didn’t have an elected official like Matt Gaetz (R-FL) saying this before a rally crowd:

“It’s not about hunting, it’s not about recreation, it’s not about sports. The Second Amendment is about maintaining, within the citizenry, the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if that becomes necessary. I hope it never does, but it sure is important to recognize the founding principles of this nation and to make sure that they are fully understood.”

Yes, it is interesting what one becomes accustomed to. I am reminded of the story of the frog that doesn’t jump out of a pot of water that is warmed slowly and ultimately is boiled to death. Yes, it is interesting what one becomes accustomed to and will accept.