Two weeks ago my wee boy did not do well on a Portuguese Test. I really wasn’t too fussed. This same kid scored top of his class on a nationwide math test that same week. Third in his year. But what we thought was fine, got him in a tizzy. It came to a head when he refused to do a homework assignment. Well he didn’t just refuse, but lost the plot. I was the devil pretty much for making him do it. We had a row both that evening as well as the next morning.

Immediately I requested a meeting with the teacher. In reviewing his test we realized that the kid knows more Portuguese grammar than his mom. But we agreed that he could stand to review a number of things. We also recognized that he has a bit of writers’ block. Not for lack of ideas, but the fear of not doing well. He just won’t start writing. I blame the stress he is feeling over the National Exams that will take place in two weeks.

Tests are taken everywhere. Too true. Thing is, in this country it is the law that your grades are posted on a wall at school for all to see. Cruel for some. I know. I have tried to explain to him that he can not try to compare himself to his classmates. They are almost all native speakers who have lived in Portugal their entire lives. Each child has two parents who are highly educated and both speak Portuguese fluently. Did I tell you that my kids are forever correcting MY Portuguese?!?!? It is a testament to their teachers, their smarts and their hard work that they have done so well.

All the same I had to do something. This is the plan we came up with:

1. I created a grammar binder (I had started it before this incident, but this brought it to a new level of urgency). This binder contains all the rules from the 4th grade text very neatly laid out for us to review two per night. We have sticky noted the pages he feels he needs to review. He is taking this opportunity to work on my grammar and his father’s as well. Teaching something proves you know it.
2. We are coming up with ‘plans’ for sample essays. The kids can actually write. He just needs to plan something and then get it done. Simple as that.
3. Read. Read. Read, in Portuguese.

One of the things that came up in his grammar book was common collective nouns. To make the process easier and more effective for his limited time to study them I made them into flashcards with pictures. Thank God I don’t have a full time job. Then again this is what I did (do) for my students all the time. I love this s@^!

I am loving learning with my boy. It’s a gift he is giving me and his grandfather too. Did I tell you my father is now appalled with my Portuguese? True story.

This Saturday while his sister was at her tutoring session he and I popped into a local café. Studying does not have to be all about sacrifice.

Whoo hoo!

I do however have a severe case of tonsillitis. One will be gone in 8 days. The other would have been a huge pain in my butt!

Recently Lana’s swim team decided to reduce their training schedule. With their season over it was a reasonable decision. Thing is, my kid is signed up to compete with her school (who does not train together…that’s another story). With this in mind we decided to find an alternative for the days she’d be off. We ended up being invited to have her try out for a team in the city. 

My daughter does not enjoy change. Her deciding to try out for another swim team was an indication how much she wants to improve. 

We attended a session. It was awful for her. She was a wreck. But after that ‘failed’ attempt she went back. 

The second time was not fun. There were tears. But she vowed to try again.  And she did. 

Here we are taking the train to her practice. It starts with 45 minutes of dry land training. Then there she swims for 1.5hrs. This kid….I’m just not sure I could be more proud of her. 

Education in Portugal is all about work.  To be more specific, it is all about working towards the tests. Period. 

I have no regrets that I enrolled my children in a Portuguese School. Goodness no. Their being bilingual and having a much stronger command of language than I do, is benefit enough for the experience. 

Let us not though speak of educational philosophy and pedagogy when referring to the Ministry of Education in this country.  My checklist of what I disagree with is just much too long. 

But here I am, on my first day of April break in my bed with my 4th grade son. The wee lad has at least 7 shortish books to read over this holiday period, with a short book summary to follow each. That’s not all of course. 

Our deal was that we’d read them together and I’d learn from him. I did. 

Portuguese Ministry of Education, I thank you for your required reading book list for the 4o Ano National Exam. Because of you, my son and I enjoyed a good read while having a great cuddle. Congrats on getting one thing right. 

Onto his book summary.  

I have failed at, and continue to err at many things in my role as a mother. But my children becoming readers is one great success. Photos like this make me so incredibly proud. 

Directly translated it means Day of the Woman. This is a holiday that I had never heard of before moving to Portugal. Here women use it at an excuse to celebrate and do something for themselves. Entrangeiros (foreigners) always notice that kids are welcome everywhere in Portugal. This is ABSOLUTELY the case. But what that means is that the mother is usually always out and about with said child or children.

Three years ago my village threw the first annual dinner fr the Dia da Mulher. The men in our village already had their own dinners, but surprisingly the women did not. My friends and I organized it, but I made the rule that you had to be 18-108 years of age to attend. Kids were not invited. Yes, I will admit I wanted us to be able to discuss anything and everything without worrying that an 8 year old might understand. But the other reason was that these ladies needed a night out.

It was a tremendous success. From 18-80+ all the ladies loved it.

Last year, my friend Nisa, you can also call her Wonder Woman, went a step beyond and created an annual dance. The evening still starts with a dinner. One room is ladies only, the other is mixed. But the night ends with dancing. Normally i would be working the event, but this year I invited my city friends to join us. And join us they did.

You never know how two communities will interact. Especially when language is a little bit of a barrier (my gringo city friends who are American & English can all speak some Portuguese). But the people in my village are all so gorgeously warm and friendly and of course I would only be friends with great people, so we ALL had a BLAST. Just another party night in my village.



With heaps of input from friends I have finally completed my CV, a cover letter and a references page. Phfeww…

Now I am requesting heaps of positive energy so that I can land a job!

Looking at my picture on my updated CV.

Nuno -Mom, that photo doesn´t look anything like you?

Moi – Really, you don´t think it looks like me?

Nuno – Well, yes, I can tell it´s you, but you look sophisticated.

Look around me and you’ll see 7 of them. 



The location is a bonus! This is the restaurant that the ladies & I gather at for each other’s birthdays. It’s an undisclosed location as my husband would never let me live down how darn lucky I am.