Portugal: Nora Bergstrom (Daily Life in Lisbon)

When you’re abroad, you forget that life can still be benign. Breakfast, going to class, or waiting for the train are not glamorous moments–but adjusting to the rhythm of a new city’s banalities doesn’t have to be boring, either. In Madison, I often start my day with visiting one of the numerous coffee shops that line State Street. Now that I’m in Lisbon, keeping up that familiar routine has been an extremely rewarding experience where I’ve practiced my language skills, been given a glimpse into Portuguese culture, and started to feel more like a “local.”

European cafe culture is different from the convenient, sugary, large-scale operations you see at home. Pastelarias, as they’re often called in Portugal, are centers of society and culture where people come to stay, often for hours. Traditional pastries, ham and cheese sandwiches, cigarettes, fresh fruit, and the best coffee you’ve ever tasted are all menu highlights–each pastelaria offers mostly the same things. Buondi branded outdoor chairs and umbrellas create a sunny patio, older people debate the prime minister’s recent news, and friends meet to gab about last night’s wine bar escapades. The mornings seem to start much later in Southern Europe, and last much longer, because people spend time at the cafe rather than stopping by on their way somewhere else.

While most of us are used to the word “culture” being used to describe the food, music, or history of a place, there is often so much to learn in the everyday moments that make up you  day abroad. Which way people go on the sidewalk, when people say “good morning” or “good night”, and the seemingly “mini” size of groceries all shape mutual understandings in a place like Lisbon, Portugal. Going abroad does involve centuries-old palaces, extraordinary Fado performances and ancient fish markets–but for me, Portuguese culture is often found at its most essential in a cafe.

 

Nora Bergstrom

Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota

Major: International Studies

Program: Study in Portugal Network (SiPN)

One reason I chose the Portugal program is because I previously lived in Portugal in high school, but had to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to Portugal now is an opportunity to finish what I started while immersing myself in Lisbon’s exciting cultural environment.