Olá, boa noite a todos!

Hello, my name is Grete and I'm also doing my internship in the ERASMUS program- I study physiotherapy on the second year.

I see that most of the people have already kept you updated about the wonderful experiences we have all over Europe! Here comes another post about amazing Portugal and Lisbon...

The first thing most of the people here ask is "Why Portugal?". Well, I guess it's the weather and different culture that we northern people seek. Coming here has always been something I've wanted to do and I knew in my heart that it will one day come true...one way or another. I have to say, choosing Lisbon for my internship has been one of the best decisions in my life and it's truly a magical place. 

Olaias subway station

I came here 10 days before my clinical practise was supposed to start to get to know the city and find a place to live. Fortunately I had an opportunity to stay at a friends house for the first few days. 

The trip to Lisbon took me more or less 12 hours since I had to come with three different planes - Tallinn-Copenhagen, Copenhagen-Oslo, Oslo-Lisbon. You can imagine how exhausting this is and even tough we only have a 2-hour time difference with Portugal you can feel it very well. So I slept like a baby for the first night not even noticing the thunder storm outside.

My first home was in Olaias which the people here call a "gypsy place". It has the most beautiful metro station in the whole city and possibly even Europe.

The first days went by fast discovering this amazing city. I felt like I could walk anywhere without feeling tired!Getting used to the cobble stone covered streets of Lisbon that go up and down like a roller-coaster takes some time! But all this is worth it. Since the time for my first meeting with the Erasmus coordinator in school was not sure yet I had some time to relax. The weather in March is usually rainy and this year was no exception. Since there was nothing to do outside you must find other opportunities. So on my second day I went to check out the biggest shopping centre in Europe - Dolce Vita Tejo! Every girls dream I guess...still, you won't believe how quickly one can get tired there.

Centro comercial Dolce Vita in Amadora

 The weather wasn't good for days but I didn't want to stay at home either. Still a bit insecure about travelling in a   city I don't know but slowly everything started to make sense. And actually, I don't think I have for once felt out of place in here...it feels like home.

A few days had passed and I had to start looking for my own place to live. There are a lot of helpful groups  and pages on Facebook that Erasmus students use to find rooms to rent but I found mine on a portuguese website called OLX. I recommend to go and check out the apartment before making any deals because the pictures can be very deceptive. Portuguese people are mostly very kind and helpful people who happily invite you in their home. A lot of them don't speak English but most of them understand it a bit because of the Hollywood movies on TV. My point is that you shouldn't be scared and there's always a way you can manage :)

I moved into my own apartment on the fifth day and my home was now in Anjos (means "Angels" in Portuguese !) It's located on the green metro line and is not considered to be the best in Lisbon. Anjos itself is not that bad but it's next to Intendente which is truly a ghetto. There are many-many different races living in here because of the former colonies of Portugal all around the world.

Hills and cobble stone

Decpite the not-so-good reputation of the green metro line a lot of Erasmus students choose to live near this one. Probably due to the more reasonable rents and maybe the fact that this line takes you directly to down-town where all the fun is happening :))

I think I can be pretty happy with my choice because the bills are included in the rent, there are a lot of shops nearby and the metro is 3 minutes away! Also a bus that stops next to my house takes me to my hospital where I do my internship. Perfect...although I enjoy the 40-minute walk there in the mornings! Another great thing is that I have a backyard which is more than most people in big houses can enjoy.
The life in Portugal isn't cheap comparing to Estonia (note that in Portugal the mean salary is about 200 euros higher). Some prices are the same, some are higher when we talk about food and other things you need for daily living. Clothes, shoes and accessories are 2-3 times cheaper but for a small room in an apartment you have to pay pretty much the price of an entire 1-bedroom apartment in Tartu. Ofcourse depends on the neighbourhood and conditions...
When doing your Erasmus in Lisbon I advise you to find a place where the utilities are included in the rent and note that renting a room without a window is illegal in here.

Anjos is on the green line

I was alone in here for the first few weeks before Liina and Kristina joined!

Alameda park near Anjos - one of my favorite places to chill!

Finally I got to meet some people from my school - another thing to get used to is the portuguese minuteness. When someone wants to meet you at 10 am then you better not expect anyone at least before 10:15. Well, what can I say...they just like to take things slowly! So I waited for my teachers for a good half an hour just to get the information that I have arrived at a bad time because the Easter holiday will start and last for two weeks :D  This meant that I will probably not start my clinical practise before April.
Ofcourse I didn't really have anything against taking some time off and enjoying my stay here for another two weeks...

I only wish the weather would have been better! It was raining pretty much every day until April...until I and Liina had to spend our days in a hospital." What a shame" we thought when we started our clinical practice in the Curry Cabral hospital on the 1st of April. Fortunately we can enjoy the weather afterall - there are only 3 work days in the week ;)

Tejo river - looks more like a sea doesn't it?

The hospital and physiotherapy in here are different from what we are used to at home. At first it was strange to work in a big gymnasium with 20 other physiotherapists together. But it's actually a lot of fun! And one can really learn a lot from just watch other therapists work...
A day doesn't go by without us laughing and having fun. And the patients seem to like it as well since they always say how much they enjoy coming to Curry Cabral.

Pastel de Natal - yummm!

Although most of the patients don't speak English we still find a way to understand eachother. The thing I probably miss the most in here is the communication part. I love to talk with the patients and sometimes just listen to their stories. You can imagine what a wonderful feeling it is when a patient can speak English with you! Still, It is not essential to speak the same language to really connect with someone as I could experience myself when one of my patients brought me a big box of the best portuguese pastries! I must be doing something right :)

Everything is going great so far and I'm very glad I decided to do my internship in Portugal. I have seen some  things I probably would not see in Estonia and I hope there's yet a lot more to come! This experience can not be underestimated.

Praca do Comercial - has a wonderful view of the river
and one of the bridges crossing it

Besides working we also have time to enjoy the Erasmus life and meet a lot of new people. The students in Erasmus program are awesome! Although 3,5 months is not a long time I've still managed to make good friends who are always ready to help.

We have physiotherapists from all over Europe in here and we try to do something fun together when possible. There are also different unions for Erasmus students (ESN, Life Lisboa etc) that arrange hundreds of parties, trips and other activities. Long story short there's ALWAYS something to do in Lisbon! This city doesn't sleep...

Painting is fun!

Talking of fun activities...me and Liina decided to go to this special tandem day arranged by the ESN Lisboa for people with special needs. It was the most touching experience! We visited a small nursing home near the river and spent hours with the most amazing people - played games, painted, danced and hugged....they love to hug! :)
This is the kind of thing that makes you feel so warm inside and you  you just can't stop smiling!

Borboleta :)

 I really hope that we can do something like this again before I leave Lisbon. Something for the heart!

Takes a little to make a girl happy!

Team 1 (my team!) 

Team 2!

 The pictures we painted will be hanged on the wall in their home! I made sure Estonia will be there too! :P

This is a very quick overlook of the time spent here and this could not possibly be described with words good enough!

I'll keep you updated about the warming weather and other great things in here !!

 Beijo! xxx
Grete