Want to get to know me a little bit better? Here are some facts about myself accompanied by some cute photos from my childhood.
I was in Portugal (my homeland) not so long ago and I decided to go through a couple of boxes we have in the attic that are filled with memories: photos, VHS tapes, clothes, toys...
It's always so nostalgic seeing how life goes on, remembering who I was as a child, and reflecting on who I have become.
1. I was born on the 11 July 1992
I was born in Lisbon at 2:50 am with 3.2 gr.
My personality? Well, I would have to agree with my zodiac sign: Cancer.
I love to create cozy, safe spaces.
I hate change, betrayal, conflict and I'm not good at forgetting or forgiving.
I invest a lot emotionally on people, sometimes too much.
I'm imaginative, artistic, and a dreamer.
I like a good laugh and a warm homemade meal.
2. The beach is my home
Until I moved to Norway I have lived my whole life in the same house in Charneca de Caparica, 20km south of Lisbon. It's a medium-sized town very close to a long sandy coastline full of beautiful beaches.
We also had a holiday house in Lagos, Algarve, and would spend there at least two months during summer. My dad does deep-sea fishing so every day we would go very early to the beach and spent the whole day there until he came back loaded with fish.
Because of this, I feel like I have a true connection with the beach and the ocean and can tell you all about sea creatures and secret caves.
Now that I live in Oslo I try to go to the beaches here are much as possible and to book a summer vacation to a nice beachy place where I can appreciate the sun and the 35C.
3. I have a big sister and a big family
I have a sister that is 6 years older than me. She is currently living in France, near Paris. We try to keep in contact and visit each other as much as possible.
Our family is not the biggest for a traditional Portuguese family, but it is still big in my opinion. My grandmother has 9 siblings and my dad has 3 so that's a lot of aunts and cousins.
My grandparents from my mother's side come from Alfama (Lisbon) and Vidago (Chaves). Whilst from my dad's side they come from Barcelos (Minho) and Alcobia (Serta). Basically a bit from everywhere between Lisbon and the north of Portugal. Furthermore, I've also heard that there are some Spanish ancestors in the family.
4. Food, food, food...
As a Portuguese, food culture and traditions are very important in my life.
Holidays and special occasions are always spent in the kitchen or at the table.
Certain recipes represent very specific feelings like Bolo de Bolacha as my birthday cake, Rice soup when I was sick, or snails in summer vacation. They also represent people: my grandma's Arroz doce or my mum's Chantilly ice-cream.
Cooking relaxes me, makes me happy, and brings so many memories.
5. I always loved to travel
I am lucky to have been able to start traveling since I was very young. My parents would take us on vacation out of Portugal once or twice every year.
The ones I remembered the best were: Morocco where a camel left me covered in slobber after attempting to eat a fake flower I had on my hair and Palma de Mallorca where I spent the days inside the warm crystal blue water, snorkeling and being nibbled by exotic fishes.
But the most common destination was by far Paris, or to be more specific, Disneyland. I can't even count how many times we have been there. My sister and I are true Disney fanatics! We've seen every movie and know every song. Disneyland was and still is such a magical place for us.
6. I am an outdoorsy person
We had a huge garden in our family house in Portugal and I really took advantage of that. I would spend most of my time outside playing.
I remember doing my homework in the garden and even wanting to have lunch outside sitting in the grass when everyone else was eating inside. I would take my bike for endless rides... I guess I always was an explorer too.
I love to hike and to go camping! We used to camp as a family sometimes and at some point, my parents also had a caravan. Even now my best nights of sleep are in a tent.
One big reason why I love Norway so much is because of the nature and of the fact that Norwegians are very outdoorsy people too. There are so many forests and mountains to explore. I love to do cross-country and sleep in cabins in the middle of nowhere without light or water.
7. I studied in private schools
From when I was 5 years old until I was 11 I studied in a private school that was half Portuguese and half English, so I started to speak English from very early. We had a school uniform and did amazing musicals (I was Annie in one of them).
Then I moved to another private school where I met my closest group of friends and had my first boyfriend.
When I was 15 I decided I had enough with private schools and moved to a public one in the middle of the school year which although it was not the best time of my life I think it was really good for me to grow.
And then I got into the university I wanted, which was also private and had amazing architects as teachers.
8. I always knew I wanted to be an architect
First, there was Lego... then, the houses I would build from sheets, broomsticks, chairs, and pillows. And to add to that, there was my obsession with the computer game Sims where I would spend infinite hours building cities but never actually playing with the characters.
I don't remember wanting to be anything else than an Architect.
9. I've always had a lot of extra curriculum activities and hobbies.
My mum made sure both my sister and I were occupied with activities in our free time. Not only because we had a lot of energy but also because we were eager to learn.
I always had 2 or 3 activities happening throughout the week. I tried everything from artistic gymnastics, acrobatics, horse riding, drama classes, music school, English and Spanish school, tennis, clay classes, and I'm probably forgetting something...
This can all sound a bit too much, and of course, you have to have the means for it, but I still think of this as a very good thing that developed us in so many ways and would love to give the same to my kids one day.
Nowadays I'm part of a pop choir, I play squash, I embroider and I try to go skiing as many times as possible. Furthermore, I also have this blog and my love for making videos.
10. I am a dreamer
My imagination always ran wild! I had imaginary friends, played a lot by my self, invented so much weird stuff, and was always looking for the next big thing.
In the literal sense of the word, I am one of those people that spend the nights dreaming. I speak in my sleep and have nightmares quite often. I sleep like a rock though... as soon as my head touches the pillow, puff! I'm out.
I always had several dreams in life, things I long to achieve, and won't give up until I do.
Some of my dreams are bigger than others and may look a bit"out of reach", but I tend to think that when you really want something and you work hard for it, then nothing is impossible. Even if it takes time, anything can happen!
It's, of course, amazing when you have someone to share those dreams with, and oh boy! I surely do!
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