VOLUME I
- 19 years of age during 1st visit.
- Worked for Delta Airlines
- 1st visit with Nuno Gonçalves
- Made more than dozen return trips to this great country
Summary of travel:
As a young black American male, I did not see race to be an issue in many regards to me and who I was as a person or any other person of color. Instead, many locals asked about the racial situation in the United States. Overall, I experienced more of a friendly relationship among the people in the community. FYI, Portugal was the first European country, which started the African slave trade.
Experience & Skills obtained from this trip:
International relations, cultural and language diversity, inter-personal skills & communications, European studies, political & social structures, culturally enriched setting by local citizens in the community and this also encouraged me to pursue into more travels, writing and photography.
SOUNDTRACK
- Earth, Wind & Fire-Thinking of you
- Rui Veloso-não há estrelas no céu
- Duran Duran-Notorious
- The Boys-Dial my heart
- Bobby Brown-Tenderony
- 1st road trip without the parents
- 20 years of age
- 8 hour drive with one of my good friends, Ted Duarte
- almost ran out of gas, Ted did not want to go to an Exxon gas station, due to political reasons
- witnessed a strange accident on Interstate 5 going north from Los Angeles
- while in the Bay Area, we visited Ted’s brother, Chuck
- Hiked around the Berkeley hill tops, listened to music and took pictures
- Experienced alternative-hole in the wall restaurants and smoked marijuana.
- Drove back to Los Angeles via Highway 101
- Again, almost ran out of gas
- This experienced changed my friendship with Ted in a positive way.
Summary of this journey:
Ted and I have been friends since the 4th grade and it always seemed possible that we were going to take upon some sort of adventure. While on the road, Ted did most of the driving; we left at night, which added more mystery to the trip. Until this day, we still talk and think about the accident we saw on the side of the road. A body covered with blood in front of a semi-truck laid on the side of the highway.
Experience/Skills:
Appreciation of friendship, self-confidence, bravery and other youthful fulfillments of that time.
SOUNDTRACK
- Deee Lite-Power of Love
- Arrested Development-Tennessee
- Living Color-Glamour boy
- Dee La Soul
- Seduction-It takes two
- 21 years old
- Nuno offered me a summer adventure
- I took the offer and took an entire month during the summer
- I brought about less than two hundred dollars
- Went to the beach of Costa da Caparica, beach town of Almada
- Daily spent long hours at the beach and all night in the city
- Went to musical concerts and festival events in Lisbon
- During one event in Lisbon, I got lost from Nuno and other friends
- With somewhat familiar directions and bus numbers, found his home
- First visit to the village of Manhouce in Northern Portugal
- In this village, I was the first black person the people ever seen
- My presence made village locals come out their houses and stop working
- Fell in love with simple farm-village life
- Nuno and I almost got chased by bull
Summary of journey:
I was attending community college and working at a local hotel in the Long Beach area. I was taking several language classes, like Spanish and French and other college necessary courses, like Political Science and Writing courses. In all, I was bored with school and work. My mother offered to pay my way to go back to Portugal. At the time, Portugal was very cheap, the former currency, the Escudo Português was no match to the at the time U.S. dollar, I only took two hundred dollars with me. With the consideration that I was staying with Nuno and his family and with free meals, housing and other accommodations, the money I had lasted the entire month duration. Nuno’s family was also very kind enough to take to several places around Portugal, the Algarve in the south. Which is known as the Portuguese rivera.
They also took me their home village of Manhouce. While in the village of Manhouce, this was my first experience of being the first black person in this small community. People would stare with amazement and children would want to touch my skin. One time, in particular, I went swimming at a local river and when I jumped into the water, the town’s kids got of the water, worrying that my color would somehow taint theirs. Nuno, being a city person, went into the water and showed them that no need to worry. Though, I found it strange that these people never seen a black person before, they were overall friendly and yet naïve to the world outside of their village. Television was almost unknown. These communicated face to face, information was from word to mouth, even newspapers were considered a priviledge. These were people of the land. They helped each other out, they ate well and they lived well.
Experience and skills:
Apperciation for nature, different people, race relations and simple living
SOUNDTRACK
- En Vogue-Hold on to your love
- Depeche Mode-The Policy of Truth
- Doug Lazy-Let the music pump
- Tears for Fears-Everybody wants to rule the world
- Mellow Man Ace-Welcome to my groove
Summary and observations while in France:
I tried to find the ugly Frenchmen who hated the American in his country, that person has yet to be found. I was well received and welcomed by the French, even in the city of Paris. I stayed in France for one month, which gave me enough time to experience French culture in every aspect: political and social structure, race issues, immigrants and their communities, class distinction, language barriers including Alsacien dialects and language, French youth and their perspective of themselves and Americans, the creation of the European Union and the relations with its neighbor Germany.
Experience & skills obtained:
Understanding of European politics, language skills, confidence particularly with solo traveling, writing skills and communication, cultural diversity, foreign currency, and respect for humanity.
SOUNDTRACK
- Technotronic-Pump the Jam
- Black Box-Strike it up
- C & C Music Factory-Make you sweat
- Crystal Waters-Making Happy
- Lisa, Lisa & CultJam-Let the beat hit’em
LISBOA, CAPITAL DA CULTURA EUROPÉIA
- 23 years old
- Lisbon was given the Capital of European Culture of the year
- Worked 9 hours a day, 6 days a week, I needed a vacation
- I shared an apartment with my best friend, Marcus and another guy
- My trip to Portugal was going to be four weeks long
- I got my time off approved and left responsibilities with friend and roommate
- Re-visited Nuno and his family
- Roommates called me when I arrived in Portugal to inform me of their mishaps
- Ignored roommates’s problems and focused on my vacation in my favorite place in the world
- Spent one week around the Lisbon area
- The following weeks, spent more time in the small village of Manhouce in the North of Portugal
- I made new friends from different places of Europe
- This trip I became friends with António Tavares, Portuguese descent but lives in France
- My French as well as my Portuguese skills were more improved than ever
- During my three stay in Manhouce, I enjoyed simple living
Summary of this journey:
This was the strangest time in my life. I was living in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles and I was having many roommate problems. Former as well as current roommates (at the time) were unable to pay rent or offer share of responsibilities. I became more of an adult and taking on the position as a parent to my friends and roommates. At the sametime, I worked nine hours a day and six days a week. I was working for a PO Box store, much like Mail Boxes, etc. I was given full independence and responsibilities of the store and other managerial functions. This was my first job, where I was given freedom to come up with ideas, promotions, sales pitches, negociations, basically making a name for the store and myself as a person.
Even with the independence, I still thought about traveling. My request for four weeks was granted and I bought my airline ticket and left the responbilities with my friend Marcus and the other roommate. I hoped that they would be able to manage without my presence and unforuntately things didn’t even work out when the day I left that day of Summer of 94. Though, I could have taken a quick return flight and take care of their problems, I felt this was my time to be away and I already knew that upon returning things would go back in order.
However, while in Portugal, I spent one week with Nuno and his friends, hanging out at the local bars in the city of Almada. Fliritng with girls, drinking beer, sipping on wine, having good-friendly conversations, I forgot about my problems back home. I became more Portuguese than American at this point and Nuno and his friends granted me Nacionalidade Portuguesa (Portuguese nationality) unofficially of course. The following week, I along with Nuno’s family went to the small village of Manhouce, situated in the north of Portugal near the city of Viseu.
I’ve been to this village back in 1990 and still until this journey, I was the only black person these village people have ever seen. But, since many of the village have seen me before, my skin color was not as shocking like the first time. Nuno and I did our usual, hung out with old friends, drinking beer, hanging in old bars and going out to local village parties, dancing with girls, exchanging ideas and travel destionations. To me, Portugal was life and it was safe for me to call this place, home!
Expriences and skills:
Cannot leave certain responsibilities with some people, even with certain friends. Better yet, trusting and belieiving in my ideas and who I am as a person.
SOUNDTRACK
- Kris Kross-Jump
- George Michael-Too funky
- Keith Sweat-Keep It Comin'
- Right Said Fred-Too Sexy
- U2-One
2 comments:
That was dope! All these blogs make me want to buy a gozillion tons of journals. Excellent way to chart your globe trotting experiences!!!
Excellent and fascinating. I hope there is a part two.
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