Happy Monthsary again, and I can’t believe it’s already been six months since we moved to Portugal. We’ve survived the winter season, and spring is on its way.
What’s up Juan!
Here’s a quick note of Juan’s life for the past month…
1. More movies. It’s time for old Hollywood movies at Criterion, so we’ve been watching a few films starring Jane Russell, Olivia Newton-John, Joan Crawford, Cher, Ian McKellen, and classics like “Sunset Boulevard.” We’ve also checked out a few movies that received Golden Raspberry Awards. Currently, I’m following films directed by Jane Campion at Cinema Bathalia. By the way, “Dune 2” was alright, though we struggled to follow most of the dialogue due to the absence of English subtitles at the cinema. It’s a good reminder that we should focus on studying Portuguese more diligently!
2. Drag. The club scene in Porto starts very late, particularly if you want to see a drag show, as you have to wait past midnight before they start. I was invited by a couple of friends to have dinner with them at a restaurant that turns into a drag/disco bar after 12 pm, Cafe Lusitano. It was a very lively scene, and the crowd was my kind of tea. There were two drag artists who kicked off the night around 12:10 and came back for another performance around 12:50 am. I certainly recommend the place to friends who like drag and a very diverse crowd aged 35 and above.
I also went to another show where I met an interesting group of young queer people. Compared to the show at Café Lusitano, there were only three other people in the audience. It was kinda weird, but the show must go on, and they did very well entertaining us. There was a live singing performance for about an hour, followed by a short break, and then a very campy drag performance with English and Portuguese songs. What was more interesting about this group was their passion for helping the community. They actually volunteer for a few events supporting immigration, political, and other social rights. Something worth admiring.
By the way, Marina Summers did not win the UK vs the World 2 series. We even had a viewing party at home with a few friends 😁.
3. Tours around Porto.
4. Business venture update.
5. Personal development and plans in the future.
6. More meet ups. We were invited by our friend, Felicidad, to join a meet-up event at Parque de Sao Roque where we met a few interesting people who are passionate about movies, arts and traveling. It was a very diverse group of expats living in Porto, thriving to fit into the community by building connections with people who share similar experiences and passions in life.
We also got to know a new group of Filipino expats in Porto. Yet again, from a pop-up event organized by Deena where she collaborated with a restaurant to serve Filipino food (this time Filipino barbecues), we met a bunch of new faces that really excited us. Some of them have been in Porto for three years, one and a half years, two months, and even two weeks. Sadly, we are no longer newcomers to this city; we have already experienced a lot of things in this beautiful city, even during its worst season (because it’s too cold for us!). And we can actually share our experiences to promote how wonderful living in Porto is.
