We are now a few days into our Portugal Study Abroad program, and we have already packed in so many informative and amazing experiences in these few days, I can hardly believe we have more than half the trip to go. I knew Portugal and its capital Lisbon had a long and deep history, being inhabited centuries before the United States even began, but the ancientness of all of these buildings was the biggest standout to me. Every shop I walk past predates the oldest building in my hometown. Every corner you turn in Lisbon you?re confronted by an amazingly intricate and gargantuan building, or statue, or cathedral, etc.? I don?t know why, but I thought Portugal was a more arid country, so I was also surprised by the lush greenery everywhere. While on the topic of nature and biome, there is a completely distinct natural appearance between the city of Lisbon and the Atlantic coast, a mere 30 minute drive away. Lisbon has green grass, large forests with cork trees, but the coastal area with its surroundings look like an entire new country.
As for the program, I have been impressed and intrigued by every industry we have looked into thus far. The only thing I knew about cork before this trip was that it came from a tree. As such I expected the cork industry to be more related to the forestry practices we see in America. I thought we would have some industrial tree chopping site, but the reality was, we went to a sustainable farm that you couldn?t even tell was a cork facility. I honestly didn?t even know there was an olive oil industry; I thought it was just a product that olive farmers made so we can cook food, but I have learned there?s competitions, rulebooks and legal definitions, there is aging involved, aromatics, and some people take olive oil as seriously as they would wine. These industry experiences the program has given me are super interesting due to my lack of knowledge beforehand; they provided a surprising and insightful experience for me which I attribute to the planning and organization of the study abroad program.
Overall my expectations have been completely exceeded and I am enjoying every second of this trip so far. I can not wait to move on to Porto and savor the last few days in Lisbon. I?m excited to learn about wine, textiles, and the other industries and businesses we plan on visiting. I keenly await the rest of what this experience has to offer.