{"id":5159,"date":"2017-08-15T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-09-12T15:22:48","modified_gmt":"2020-09-12T19:22:48","slug":"so-your-character-is-from-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/victoriagracehowell.com\/staging\/6258\/so-your-character-is-from-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"So Your Character is From Portugal … Featuring Marta @ The Book Mermaid, Catia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much, & Joana @ Bookneeders"},"content":{"rendered":"


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<\/span> It’s time for this week’s So Your Character is … Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I’m hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven’t checked out last week’s  So Your Character is from Italy …<\/a> be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!<\/span>
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<\/span> I honestly didn’t know much about Portugal before this post. I could find it on a map, I knew Christopher Columbus came from there, and I like making Portuguese stew but that’s just about it. I’m so glad to have these ladies on the blog!<\/span>
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<\/span> Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.<\/span>
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Hello there! I’m Marta and I’m from Portugal. \ud83d\ude00 I’ve always lived here, in Porto, for the last (and only) 18 years of my life. I’m currently a senior in high school, and I can’t wait to finish the year and start college – hopefully, I’ll go to another city, and I’m very curious about it and I just can’t wait to discover its secrets! I love travelling, although I don’t get to do it often, and so I appreciate every moment I have to get to know my country even more! And today I have the opportunity to share some bits about it with you – which I’m also very excited to do!<\/span>
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\nI hope you enjoy this post!<\/span>
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\nMy name is C\u00e1tia and I\u2019m a 27 year-old part time blogger. I grew up in a small village in Portugal near the sea but moved over 4 years ago to a city near Lisbon where I now live and work. I have a MSc in Biotechnology but I\u2019m currently working in another field. When I\u2019m not working I spend most of my time either reading, watching TV shows or as much Youtube videos as humanly possible.<\/span><\/div>\n

Blog<\/a>\/\/Twitter<\/a>\/\/Instagram<\/a><\/span>
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My name is Joana and I\u2019m an art student and a book blogger. I was born in Portugal, in Peniche – a beautiful town by the sea, but raised in Coimbra, where I lived, until one and a half year ago. I like to spend my time reading, blogging, drawing, seeing movies and taking photographs. I also loved to go outside and get some sun. And during the summer break, pass all the time on the beach with friends or family. I love sun, and that\u2019s one of the things that makes me happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\nBlog<\/a><\/span><\/span> \/ Goodreads<\/span><\/a><\/span> \/ Instagram (<\/span>personal<\/span><\/a><\/span> & bookrelated<\/span><\/a><\/span>) \/ Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/span> <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n


<\/span> What do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?<\/b><\/span>
\nMarta: <\/b>One thing is certain – Portugal is quite old (around 1000 years old), and so we have many historical monuments. There are a lot of them that are worth mentioning, but the ones most people talk about are the Bel\u00e9m Tower, in Lisbon, the capital; and the Cl\u00e9rigos Tower, in Porto. I’ve seen both, but I’ve only entered the last one, and the view is pretty great! The tower is 76 meters high, so you can see a big part of the city. Pena Palace is very popular too and Guimar\u00e3es Castle is also an important spot – it’s where the first king of Portugal used to live, and it is located in the city where Portugal was born.<\/span>
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Cl\u00e9rigos Tower, Porto<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We have multiple local celebrations across the country too, mostly dedicated to Saints. They’re called Santos Populares (Popular Saints). In Porto, the biggest one is dedicated to S. Jo\u00e3o (Saint John), and we usually eat sardines and go around hitting people on their heads with plastic hammers. It’s very funny!<\/span><\/p>\n

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And, of course, we’re huge sports enthusiasts! Everytime Portugal wins something (or even when national clubs win), we make huge celebrations out of it, with a lot of lights and noise.<\/span>
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<\/span> Catia: <\/b>Portugal is mostly known for its beaches, nature and monuments. Being a country in Southwestern Europe Portugal it\u2019s partially surrounded by the ocean and there are always a lot of tourists on most of our beaches, especially in the ones in Algarve that is located in the south of the country. Not only are we known for our beaches but also for our archipelagos, Azores and Madeira, which are some of the most beautiful islands in the world.<\/span>
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As I said, we also have a lot of famous landmarks and some of our most famous ones are:<\/span>
\n\u2022 <\/span>Bel\u00e9m Tower<\/span>
\n\u2022 <\/span>Jer\u00f3nimos Monastery<\/span>
\n\u2022 <\/span>S\u00e3o Jorge Castle<\/span>
\n\u2022 <\/span>Pena Palace, which is located on the top of a hill in Sintra, one of the most beautiful villages in Portugal<\/span>
\n\u2022 <\/span>Palace of Mafra, where one of the world\u2019s oldest libraries is located<\/span>
\n\u2022 <\/span>Sanctuary of F\u00e1tima<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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\nPal\u00e1cio da Pena<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\nOne of our most important celebrations is the Carnation Revolution, or the 25th of April. This is known as the day when Portugal went from an authoritarian dictatorship to democracy and is called as \u2018Dia da Liberdade? (Freedom Day).<\/span>
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\nBiblioteca de Mafra<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Joana:<\/b> I\u2019m guessing that people normally know Portugal for the beautiful beaches. And that is a big part of Portugal. Our beaches are beautiful and it\u2019s one of the things the most attracts tourists, so we are really proud of it. So I would say a thing that is lovely about my country is the weather.<\/span>
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\nAs for Landmarks, everybody knows either the \u201cTorre de Bel\u00e9m\u201d or \u201cMosteiro dos Jer\u00f3nimos\u201d in Lisbon, that are the most important we have. But one that a lot of people may not know and I\u2019m really proud of is the University of Coimbra! It\u2019s one of the oldest in the world and one of the biggest in the country. And from the tower, you can see the river \u201cMondego\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tell me about your country’s environment. What are some of your favorite places?<\/b><\/span>
\nMarta:<\/b> Portugal is mainly known as a touristic attraction. The nice weather and the beaches (in Algarve) call for a lot of people, but if you’re looking for something more peaceful, maybe some days spent in Alentejo or Parque Nacional Peneda-Ger\u00eas would be better suited for you. I’ve never been to any of those places, unfortunately, but I’ve heard great things about them!<\/span>
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Alentejo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
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Parque Nacional Peneda-Guer\u00eas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Almost all of my favorite places are set in my city. Lello Bookstore, for example, where J.K. Rowling got inspiration from to write Harry Potter, is amazing! Those stairs are quite tricky, though – I have to be extremely cautious, especially on my way down!<\/span>
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The Crystal Palace Gardens, Ribeira (near the river) and the City Park are nice places to hang out too.<\/span>
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Crystal Palace Gardens <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\nSome of my favorite places that are not in my city are the Lisbon Oceanarium (that place is huge and incredible), Serra da Estrela and the beaches in Nazar\u00e9, where the surfer Garrett McNamara broke the world record for the largest wave ever surfed.  <\/span>
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\nCatia:<\/b> Portugal is one of the warmest countries in Europe. During the summer time we have normally a pretty warm weather and sunny days which means our beaches are always full of people who want to rest and have some fun. The winter in here it\u2019s cold but not as cold as a lot of countries. Normally we don\u2019t have snow that regularly, only on high places like Serra da Estrela, but there\u2019s a lot of rain.<\/span>
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\nOne of my favorite places in my country is Sintra, particularly the village and the historical center. I\u2019m lucky to live really close to it so I can go there whenever I want but Sintra is beautiful. It\u2019s one of those places that feels magical every time you go there. It\u2019s a place full of green places, a forested area, and monuments and palaces that have mostly gothic elements. One of my favorite places in Sintra is \u2018Quinta da Regaleira\u2019, an estate located near the historic center and that consists of a romantic palace and chapel, and a park full of lakes, grottoes, wells, fountains, and more. It\u2019s a gorgeous place that everyone should be able to visit at least once in a lifetime.<\/span>
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\nJoana:<\/b> Portugal has a lot of nature, and as I said previously beaches. And those are the things I most love! So anything with those two together, make my happy place. I also really like to walk around our botanical garden in Coimbra, that is an amazing place! But the best memory I have from childhood is going to \u201cPortinho de Arr\u00e1bida\u201d and it still is one of my favorite places on earth.<\/span><\/div>\n


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Tell me about your country’s food. What are some of your favorite dishes?<\/b><\/span>
\nMarta:<\/b> Even though I love most of our food, I’m not a big fan of some things, especially because a lot of dishes are made of fish. But here’s a list of a couple of popular dishes that come to my mind:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nWe have caldo verde (“a soup based on kale”), bacalhau \u00e0 br\u00e1s (“shreds of salted cod, onions and thinly chopped fried potatoes in a bound of scrambled eggs”, with some olives on top), bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish pastries), francesinha (literally translating, it’s “Little Frenchie”, and it’s a sandwich  “made with bread, wet-cured ham, lingui\u00e7a, fresh sausage, steak or roast meat and covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce”), tripas \u00e0 moda do porto (it’s made from a lot of types of meat, tripes, sausage and white beans) and cozido \u00e0 portuguesa (stew made of various vegetables, meats and sausages).<\/span>
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Catia:<\/b> In Portugal we have a vast array of food that goes from meats to seafood, cheeses and \u2018enchidos\u2019. Also, olive oil and garlic are some of the staples to our food. You can bet that if you eat in Portugal most of the dishes you have will feature both these ingredients. One of our most well-known dishes are \u2018Cozido \u00e0 Portuguesa\u2019 (Portuguese stew), which has meat (like pork, pork ears and various parts of beef), smoked sausages and vegetables (like potatoes, cabbage, carrots and turnips). We also have a lot of dishes featuring dried and salted cod, which is one of the most used ingredients in Portugal. Some of my favorites are the \u2018\u2019Past\u00e9is de Bacalhau\u2019 (codfidh cakes) and \u2018Bacalhau \u00e0 Br\u00e1s\u2019 (Cod \u00e0 la Br\u00e1s) which is a dish prepared with shreds of salted cod, onions, thinly chopped fried potatoes and scrambled eggs. In the end it\u2019s also added some olives and freshly chopped parsley. <\/span>
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We are also known for a variety of desserts and sweets but our most known sweet is the \u2018Past\u00e9is de Nata\u2019 or \u2018Past\u00e9s de Bel\u00e9m\u2019 an egg tart pastry. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\nWhen we talk about Portuguese gastronomy we can\u2019t forget to talk also about our wines, especially the ones produced in the north region, the Douro Valley, of Portugal known as \u2018Vinho do Porto\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nJoana:<\/b> I have to say we have amazing food. Be it main courses or desserts, they are amazing! But if there\u2019s something that is extremely popular and that I think everyone should try is \u201cPastel de Nata\u201d, \u201cQueijada\u201d and \u201cPastel de Tent\u00fagal\u201d. We have been doing \u201cPasteis de Tent\u00fagal\u201d since sec.XIX and it\u2019s a monastery pastry typical of Portugal.  <\/span>I also really like food like: \u201cBacalhau \u00e0 Br\u00e1s\u201d, \u201cFeijoada\u201d, \u201cCarne de Porco \u00e0 Alentejana\u201d and \u201cSopa da Pedra\u201d.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nAnd even if we are talking about food, I have to mention that we have great wine, that is known all over the world! Like \u201cVinho do Porto\u201d.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nTell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as “biscuit” instead of “cookies”?<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n

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\nMarta:<\/b> Our official language is Portuguese, but as an official regional language we have Mirand\u00eas (Mirandese), spoken by between 7 000 and 10 000 people in Miranda do Douro (set in the North East of Portugal) and some places nearby. It’s a language that not enough people care about, and unfortunately, it has started to fade away – because of that, some projects were created and measures taken in order to preserve it.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\nEven though we all speak the same language, some of us use different words and expressions, and our accents are very different across the country and islands. Most of our differences are between Lisbon and Porto. As well as what happens with UK and US, we have some situations similar to the “biscuits” and “cookies” example.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\nPorto – “pingo”; Lisbon – “garoto” (translation: an espresso with milk)<\/div>\n
\nPorto – “sert\u00e3”; Lisbon – “frigideira” (translation: a frying pan)<\/div>\n
\nPorto – “testo”; Lisbon – “tampa da panela” (translation: a pot lid)<\/div>\n
\nPorto – “aloquete”; Lisbon – “cadeado” (translation: a padlock)<\/div>\n
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\nMy favorite thing about my language is our expressions. I’ve lived in Porto all my life, as I already mentioned, and some of the things we say are \u2026<\/div>\n
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\n“Acordar de c\u00fa para o ar”, which literally translates to waking up with your butt in the air,  and means that you’re grumpy; “Vai-me \u00e0 loja”, which translates to go to the store, and means leave me alone; and “Engolir sapos”, which translates to swallow frogs, and means swallowing your pride.<\/div>\n
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\nThere are plenty more, but I couldn’t find an appropriate translation for those.<\/div>\n
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\nCatia: <\/b>Portugal is not a big country but we still have different regions with different accents. For example, if you go from Lisbon, in the center of Portugal, to the north there\u2019s always a different accent and it\u2019s something that changes depending on the region where you\u2019re at. Even if you go to Azores you\u2019re going to hear a different accent than what you would have hear if you were in continental Portugal. We also have a lot of words that are different in different regions. <\/div>\n
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\nI grew up in the center of Portugal, near one of most known Portuguese beaches, but now I live near the capital, Lisbon, and there are a few differences. For example, I grew up calling sneakers by \u2018sapatilhas\u2019 but if you go to Lisbon (and near Lisbon) sneakers are known as \u2018t\u00e9nis\u2019 and \u2018sapatilhas\u2019 are something different. I also lived for three years with a friend during my college years. She\u2019s from Braga, a city in the north of Portugal, and in those three years we noticed we had a lot of different words for different things.<\/div>\n
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\nJoana:<\/b> The language talked is only Portuguese. But in Portugal, it\u2019s very easy to know, from where a person is by the dialects. Some of the most different ones are from Porto and Alentejo. Also, people from the islands (A\u00e7ores and Madeira) are very easily recognized by their speech. And with those dialects, the slang also changes. <\/div>\n
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\nAlso, Brazilian Portuguese is a lot different from the European Portuguese. Not that we don\u2019t understand each other, but we use often different words and the dialect is incredibly different.<\/p>\n
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