6 Sep. 1961 - 6 Sep. 2021
Dear family and friends,
Today marks 60 years that my parents, my older brother and I boarded a PanAm flight from Lisbon to New York. And then a domestic flight to Washington, D.C. My father had been appointed the Naval Attaché at the Portuguese Embassy in D.C.
I can’t say it seems like yesterday, because so much has happened since then. A lifetime has gone by. And what a great life full of fabulous moments, memories and a wonderful family! My grandparents, my parents and my brothers. And later my own family. My husband and two sons. And then a daughter-in-law.
I could never have imagined that those four years in America would be so life changing and would lead to a career dedicated to teaching English. And where in the world that would take me to.
Part of the fabulous moments in my life include the numerous friends I made worldwide. Who would have thought that would happen?! Not me. It all started with an Israeli friend that I met in school in America, the daughter of the Israeli Attaché who my father knew. Our parents often met at cocktails and dinner parties. We’ve stayed friends to this day. She and her husband were in Lisbon for three days in October 2018.
And my Algebra teacher in Junior High. We’ve also been friends to this day. They were in Lisbon for a few hours on a cruise back in the early nineties and we took them to the Jewish quarter. And then had ice cream in a park with my young boys before taking them back to the ship. In the late nineties I stayed with them in Los Angeles.
Included is also my 6th grade teacher. We got back in touch through email around 2008. What joy! He contributed immensely to my adjustment to school in America after having been part of the Portuguese and British school systems almost simultaneously. So different, but so motivating, eye-opening and enjoyable to study in the American school system. Chevy Chase in Montgomery County, Maryland, to be exact.
The group of foreign friends increased significantly when in January 2002 I joined an online group of English teachers to learn about integrating technology in teaching English. This ongoing training went on for over ten years. What a fantastic experience! It totally changed my teaching and what my students got out of my lessons!
As a result of this online community I have colleagues-turned friends in countries such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Egypt, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Romania, Russia (Siberia), Spain, Sudan, Taiwan, the United States and my own country, Portugal. Several of these friends visited Lisbon over the years. In two specific cases I met two sons face to face before I met the parents face to face. How cool is that!
This online group took me to quite a few TESOL conferences in the States, twice to Yakutsk, Siberia, to train university and high school English teachers in edtech. Memorable! As well as to Belgium, a few times to Spain and to Argentina for 3 weeks in February 2020.
Ten years ago I joined a small online group of like-minded colleagues and made new friends in Canada, England, Hungary and the United States.
Life can roll out in totally unexpected ways! A small town Portuguese middle-class girl from the greater Lisbon area became both a travelled citizen and professional of the world.
I feel blessed with the life I’ve lived up to now! And can’t wait to experience what is yet to come!
A heartfelt “thank you” to all those who contributed to this wonderful life… so far! :-)
xoxo t