Going into the program, I did not know what to expect from Portugal. I watched a couple of videos on their food and activities to do while in Portugal and didn’t find anything that I was specifically looking forward to doing. Not having any expectations has led to me enjoying and appreciating the deep culture Portugal has created through its food and locations. I did not know how old Portugal, as a country, was until we explored old castles and churches. While we walked through these locations, we were being lectured on how and why the building was built, which I found to be very interesting. Not only are their buildings old and meaningful, but so is the food. Pastel de Nata was a pastry that changed along with Portugal’s reign. Getting to bake one has been one of my favorite experiences so far on the trip. Other things that have surprised me are the ability to *almost* walk everywhere around the city, and its easily accessible public transportation. Knowing Spanish has helped me communicate with the locals better as, although most people have spoken English, Spanish and Portuguese have the same Latin root. I am looking forward to visiting Porto so I can compare the similarities and differences between two of the biggest cities of Portugal. Will they be similar cities like Houston and Dallas or will they be noticeably different like New York and Miami?
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