Amanda and Jessica Loureiro

I will always remember the day I became a Loureiro. It´s not everyday that a fine Portuguese family decks you out in white dresses, makes flower headpieces for your hair, puts a candle in your hand and has an official priestess (otherwise known as Auntie Joanna) "officially" cleanse you into their family. "Typical" of makeshift baptisms in Portugal, we had our adoptive parents by our side, my Godmother (Auntie Ze) dressed in authentic Egyptian headgear, Jess´s Godfather (Uncle Armando) clothed in Arab garb, and plenty of water to soak even the unassuming onlookers in the family. Upon completion of the ceremony we were given our certificates of initiation and, most importantly, our "L" rings made by our ever so crafty Mami. The affair was proper and serious, so we believe the Portuguese government will indeed recognize our adoption and we will be receiving duel citizenship and our passports shortly. In fact, they should be made out in our new names: Amanda Boobs Loureiro and Jessica Loca Loureiro. In all seriousness, we couldn´t have asked for a better send off from such a wonderful group of people. One week quickly turned to 2 and before we knew it we had been living and laughing with the Loureiros for a full month.

Beyond the baptism, we have been quite mobile since I last wrote. Apparently the thing to do in the summer throughout Europe is attend music festivals. People live in their own filth for a period of days, all to enjoy live music in a tired, drunken haze. Even though Jess and I tend to stay away from irresponsible shenanigans such as these, we are indeed traveling Europe and, therefore, are obligated to attend at least one festival. So, Paulo, Jess, Chico, and I packed the car with a tent and not much more and attacked this thing like any good "festivaler" would: unprepared and open-minded. We ended up having a really entertaining time for a couple of reasons. Firstly because of the "typical" and "traditional" Portuguese instruments and music. Secondly because of "little" Chico, Paulo´s friend from years past who sports a mustache and leather jacket. He managed to keep us guessing and added a new, interesting dynamic to our previous group of three. When the festival ended, the boys couldn´t seem to tear themselves from our side, so we continued our road trip to the beautiful beaches in Alentejo and the even more beautiful Auntie Cuca (and family). After a couple days of soaking up the sun we moved back north to Lisbon.

Though our time in the capital was short lived, we saw a decent amount. The four of us checked out the contemporary art museum, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, the discoveries monument, the smaller version of Rio´s Jesus statue, countless more tiled houses, the ´98 oceanic exhibition area, and ate some traditional pastries. I wish we had more time and energy to see more. I guess that means we will just have to go back!

As Auntie Ze commented on the last entry, it was a nostalgic goodbye (even though it was 7am when they selflessly drove us to the airport). Throughout our time in Portugal we were overwhelmed by the Loureiro´s generosity and open arms. It boggles my mind how at ease I felt with everyone in the family and can´t thank them enough. I truly feel as though we have a second family over in Portugal and we can´t wait to return. Kisses to the Loureiros!

At the moment we are in Barcelona with Meg and Meg from Boston University. The city has some gorgeous sites and it is really great to catch up and see some ladies from home. More on Barcelona later. Oh yea, we also bought a flight to Morocco, so we are headed that direction next week.