In Portugal we have a beautiful, tragic, romantic story that equals that of Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde…but certainly has an advantage, because this story is part of history, even if over the years it has become inextricably linked with legend. Pedro was a prince, the son and heir of King Afonso IV of Portugal. As was usual in the early 14th century, his father arranged for his marriage with an infanta of Castile, Constança, and she came …
Category: Other Stories
When I saw her a few days ago, sitting at her desk and looking pale and drawn, she who is usually so energetic and joyful, I asked: “What is the matter with you? Are you ill?” She looked at me sadly, asked me to sit down and told me her story. “I don’t feel well” – she said – and when I asked her about her symptoms, was she feverish, did she want me to get some paracetamol, she shook …
The words in Tony Braxton’s song echo inside my head, but they describe something that seems unattainable – as if it were possible to bring together again the one million pieces of my shattered heart. From the beginning I knew that by choosing you I was choosing the difficult path. I knew you loved me, but somehow I always felt you would never love me as the one I was leaving for you had loved me during all those years we …
Sometimes I wonder if you still think of me, after all these years. I must say – for years I didn’t think much about you. Marriage, motherhood, career, so many things happening at the same time. They all filled my thoughts and it seemed I was always too busy with the present and planning for the future. I don’t know why, but getting older makes you look at the past more often. Maybe it is because life becomes increasingly unsatisfactory …
He is working in the kitchen of his home; outside there is a slight drizzle, in a typical London winter day. For a long time he concentrates on his work, and when he raises his head and casually looks at the television on the wall he sees a too familiar picture: a blue sky over a golden beach and the greyish blue of the Atlantic sea; a subtitle says something about how Portugal has become one of the favourite …
Sometimes I wonder what makes people envious of each other, but the fact is envy is all around us. Some people say the Portuguese are an envious people. There may be many reasons for envying someone, I suppose, but most of all people envy their neighbour’s success. When we see that someone’s life is going well, that they are living comfortably and above all when they look happy, we immediately comment on how lucky they are, that luck is only for …
She is going up the subway stairs with her mother. They have been downtown for some Christmas shopping and they are carrying many bags. Outside, the evening is cold, but the smell of roasting nuts – so typical of Lisbon at this time of the year – feels like a warm welcome. In the distance she hears the sounds of the latest Christmas hit “Last Christmas” by Wham. She sings along and her mother cheerfully joins in. They walk home …
News about major changes that Finland will be introducing into their education system, in order to evolve to a much more interrelated learning system than the one they have today – and theirs is considered to be one of the best education systems in the world – has led me to some reflexion about this. I’m certain many of you who are, like me, raising teenagers, have felt at a certain point that they are not motivated to study at …
I’m abroad for a conference and I come down for breakfast. I take a deliciously looking huge croissant and see that someone is frying eggs so I make my way there. Surprisingly, the cook is a very young girl, who slightly resembles my elder son’s ex girlfriend so I immediately feel a wave of empathy towards her. She looks so pretty in her white cap, so concentrated, so busy, cooking several eggs at the same time, some fried, and some scrambled…I …
The world has forgotten me. I am old – well, maybe not so old, but I look old, I feel old. I walk slowly, with difficulty; I am always afraid I might fall, so I take careful, short steps, taking my time – after all, why should I hurry? I have all the time in the world, I have nothing to do, and no one is waiting for me. No one cares about what I do, they are all out …