Something many people don't know about me is that I spent the summer of 1988 in Portugal. Here are some thoughts from that summer so long ago when I was just 19 years old.
FIREFLY IN PORTUGAL
My memories of Figueira da Foz (a small city located in the center of Portugal) is highlighted by the holding of a firefly on a hot July evening. I had walked through a forest on the upper East side of the town when I happened upon a firefly glowing in the dark. Being from the Western side of the United States, I had never seen one and was particularly intrigued by the lighting of the bug. That time has a mystical quality to it as the pressures of the day seemed to disappear while my attention was focused on the small lantern carrying insect. It is a warm memory.
THUNDERSTORM IN PORTUGAL
It was a hot day in June and without warning the rains began to pour. I hurried back to my apartment and watched the incredible lightning flashes which streaked across the sky. Like a war in the heavens the bright mid day sky lit up. Like cymbals at full decibel in a symphony the clapping was murderous to the ears. What else could I do but pull out a Portuguese version of Monopoly and play for the rest of the day?
SUNSET IN PORTUGAL
It seemed strange looking at the Atlantic Ocean from the "other" side facing West towards the United States. I had never seen the sun so orange or so large as when it settled behind the ocean on that clear June night. I sat eating "Amanhas" an ice cream soda which means "tomorrow" in English. "There across the ocean lies home I thought, 6000 miles away."
--Stephen
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