Monday

cold is different cold here in Portugal.

as some time I was thought that the time in Portugal runs differently, and it really does in a way, once you are looking on the things and how they work here...then based on that I want to say, that not only time runs differently, but also the meaning of the cold weather and getting cold outside has completely other perspective, its just completely different than on the coast of Baltics. And so far, anything than everything else, i think this is the biggest challenge for my life in Portugal.
These last couple of weeks having the average temperature of around 10 - 15C outside, first it may seem, wow, thats warm, right? Especially if you are coming from Latvia, the very northern country, where the weather the same time is around 0 degrees or getting under it, and snow appearing.

However I have to say, once it gets the temperature its now here, those 10 and just something degrees, our houses the same times gets heating on in Latvia, so once you arrive home, there is always a nice warm house waiting for you, always prepared for the cold...here, many of the portuguese houses were built as cheap as possible, and in the times when winters were much warmer here, so as you may guess, there are no such a thing as central heating, if you are lucky, then you have your own gas system of heating, if you are less lucky you bring your own gas heater, which works as small nice fireplace warming up your house in no time...and if you are less lucky, then you use the electric heaters....however any of the manual heaters has the issue, once you are not at home, you don`t leave them on, so once you arrive back home, you always need to spend some time with warming up the place.
And if trying to remember the 10C in Latvia, then i have to say, that feels much warmer there than here. Yes, thanks to ocean here, the measures of the same numbers in actual feeling is very different...however I would say, that the biggest challenge why its like this is also, because i am cold constantly, and there are few places that you can really warm up being comfortable, as the heating systems are also not applied in the offices, so they use other ways how to heat the buildings.
If during the august months complaining of the heat and not being able to work, then now i have to say, being too cold definitely affects the working process. The people nature, to always want something that you don`t have... 
Let`see how i learn t survive the coldness.
Crazy life, stay warm and enjoy winter days,
S.

1 comment:

Eiluned Beltane said...

Same story here in Southern Spain :-(