It all began on October 31rst 2022. No Halloween celebrations as we usually do. No dressing up as one of our favorite duos and going to the clubs or the Little 5 Parade, or shenanigans at the Crystal Ballroom. This time is different, we are starting our new life together into the unknown. We are finally beginning to live the dream that we have always wanted before this precious life passes us by.

We flew from Charleston to JFK for an unbearably long layover, but made the decision to hang out in the travelers lounge while we waited. Albeit pricy (50$ for each of us), at least we had free wi-fi, some basic food offerings and endless drinks. After a chickpea salad and a few gin and tonics I began to relax. We hadn’t slept properly for weeks… both the culmination of spending time with family through multiple time zones and unfamiliar beds and also the excitement of our upcoming adventure.

After the long wait we boarded our plane to take us to new horizons. The 24 hour agony well worth it. Customs was an hour long wait in Lisbon, but we received our first stamps in our new passports, mine randomly on page 8 for some reason. The customs agent looked fatigued and disinterested, who knows how many faces he had seen or how long he had been working. Either way, he cared little of our arrival. No words were exchanged.

Fortunately, our gracious hosts daughter was kind enough to meet us early after such a long trip. It was a small flat in an old yellow building at the top of a hill on the fourth floor. Being an attic, the roof was slanted in places, which was met by both our heads a number of times throughout our stay. We swore that it was probably out in the future as this was designed for someone much shorter, or for a shorter stay altogether. The kitchen was my favorite place to spend time, there was a round white table with four pastel chairs surrounding… I would sit and draw or write while I listened to the children play at the school behind our building. They would get recess every other hour, and always seemed like they we having such a fun time screaming their heads off. After school they would play for hours, sometimes on the basketball courts that were right outside my window. I fondly remember growing up, my younger brother and his two best friends playing basketball until it was time for dinner. It made me smile when I would hear them rip each other up and then bust out laughing.

Marks spot was a worn L-shaped couch which had a woven blanket strewn across. We didn’t dare take it off throughout our stay, we weren’t sure what was lurking underneath. Our double bed was like sleeping on the floor, sometimes we thought that the creaky floor was potentially more comfortable. At least I found a fluffy comforter in the small closet which I put under our sheets. It helped a bit. When we couldn’t sleep at night we would watch shows on Netflix and sometimes drink a glass of wine to make us tired enough to go back to bed. The wine is inexpensive and plentiful. One can buy a bottle for two euros, the equivalent of a 15$ bottle in the US. Alternatively, grapes are 5€ a kilogram so we have chosen to drink them (like everyone else here) instead.