i was very busy this week at work, on a daily basis we have eighty plus people to see i work on the reception with a lady called Carla she does not have any English we communicate through google translator this has become my new best friend. i have to greet all the people that come through the door saying 'Bom dia vace se importaria de se sentar por um momento' which means good morning please take a seat for a moment. i then take their social security card and type in the number on the card which is equivalent to our PPS number then all of their details comes up on the computer system i then print their details and bring a copy into another girl called Joanna she has to process their claim. i have to update their profile on a database which is very difficult as the entries are handwritten and all in Portuguese the names can be difficult to read as their alphabet is different to ours. i fill out all the registered post and take it to the post office with a note as i have no WIFI outside of the office and the post people have no English the girls that i work with are really nice and brought us all for dinner at her house which was delicious and her younger brought us to the beach and showed us the local sites.
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On Thursday evening we got the train to Figueira Da Foz which is a beach town about an Hour from Cantanhede it was a nice seaside resort with shops cafes and bars we had a lovely meal in a very popular Portuguese restaurant where we had traditional Portuguese food we stayed in the town for two nights.
The next two nights Saturday and Sunday we spent in Aveiro. It is called the Venice of Portugal and that is what it is a very beautiful place. It had the Gondolas along the river so we had a trip in one of them it was a 45 min ride with a tour guide telling us the history of the town. These colorful boats were traditionally used to harvest seaweed. it is lined with a mixture of grand buildings and former fishermen s houses.
Aveiro is also the suckling pig capital of Portugal so we had to try this local cuisine .We went to a restaurant along the canal which served us up whole piglets!!!It was the first time Shauna finished her meal poor piglet :( Cant believe we are into our second week already. Today was busy one for me i had to set up a database with customer information. I am working in an office that would be the equivalent to the social office in Galway. As you can imagine, its very busy as there is high unemployment in the town. There was a big thunder storm here today and also a hail storm below are pictures of the sky after the storm had cleared.
Friday evening we packed our bags and left Cantanhede and traveled north to Porto this is an amazing city along the Douro river. We spent Saturday enjoying all the sights and taking a tour of the port winery. The weather was really nice, so we dined alfresco by the river. We tasted lots of different types of Portuguese food which is amazing. We ate Francesinha which is a Portuguese sandwich originally from Porto. Its made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguine, fresh sausage and covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce. We were really impressed with the buildings in Porto and the small narrow streets and steep hills.
I had a very busy week one in work. I'm working at the museum in the centre of town. There is a big festival held in the town in august and I am helping Pedro translate the public information into English for the tourists. I am finding it a challenge but a great experience. Pedro brought me on a tour to Coimbra where I saw many interesting sights it is a beautiful country.
Sinead is working in the school, it is a challenge as not many teachers or students speak English. This morning we went to meet all our employers. We are all looking forward to spending three weeks working here, everyone was so welcoming and we were even treated to lunch..
We arrived in Lisbon midday Saturday where we were greeted with lots of sunshine. We explored Lisbon and took a trip on the cable cars to see the full views of the city. We had lovely cha (TEA) and Portuguese tarts... yum yum!!
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Office Admin 2016Linda Martin Map of Cantanhede |