Dear friends, dear family, dear readers
We arrived here in Sintra, Portugal, about a month ago. Just two days after our arrival, Liam started school, and with it, a new daily routine.
Let me briefly describe what a typical day looks like for us now:
We get up between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., and Liam enjoys his traditional breakfast (yogurt with yogurt and maybe some muesli). Either René or I help him get ready, and a first layer of sunscreen is applied. After 8:30 a.m., we set off for school. Depending on the day of the week, either René or I have already headed to the co-working space so that we can start working.
Liam’s route to school takes us along narrow cobblestone sidewalks through the older part of Sintra and ends with a long flight of stairs through a small park. For the first half, Liam ‘blasts’ (in his own words) along on his balance bike, and then our helping hands come into play at the stairs.
His school day starts at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. However, every other week, the school week ends on Friday already at 12:30 p.m. after lunch.
While Liam is at school, René and I spend our time working. However, we are in the fortunate position of being able to take longer breaks for sports or other leisure activities.
At 3:30 p.m., we then pick Liam up from school together or separately. The rest of the afternoon follows no strict schedule. We spend the hours until dinner with other families and their children somewhere in Sintra and the surrounding area: at a playground, in a park, or sometimes doing the weekly grocery shopping (that has to be done too).
We usually spend dinner at home together as a family of three. This way, we maintain our usual evening/bedtime routine.
Our weekends look basically the same as they did back in Switzerland: We go on outings and/or meet friends. The only difference would probably be that we are in a different country and thus also in a different climate, a different landscape, and a different (yet similar) culture. I would love to tell you about some of the great places we have already discovered at a later date!
All in all, our new daily routine is not so different from the old one. We try to maintain a certain regularity and structure for Liam, but also for ourselves. At the same time, we also enjoy the freedom to simply spontaneously go to the beach or spend a barbecue evening in the garden with our neighbors.
Honestly, I am finding it hard to put into words just how ‘different’ I feel our life here is, even though it still feels so familiar and normal. Maybe I will find the right words for it next time.
We wish you all our love & a wonderful day!
Rahel
written on May 10, 2023
