November 2017

Wednesday, 1st November 2017

Now there are only 6 and a half weeks left in Lisbon. I am really longing further. It has been very cloudy this day and the temperature is not more than 18°C at its best. From time to time it was raining. People were wearing long sleeves and cardigans. I had a day off, the first one of two. I started with my laundry and had breakfast directly afterwards.

After making the dishes I first checked all my payslips from TP. I have seen yesterday that there was a discount made by 50 EUR, but it should have been 8,5% of 48,80 EUR. I had checked all my weekends worked as well and more issues, but there I did fortunately not find any problems. I did find another mess, also a percentage applied. Therefore I emailed the HR-service asking what it means. If I am right or if I did understand that wrong. Compared with the other months I should be right. I only got an automatically answer so far with a ticket no.

The rest of the day I continued with my blog. Though October 2017 was done, before I started this page. I did take a short rest of course for eating something. Just at that time my flatmate Antonio was i the kitchen, too. We talked about the movie “Abre los ojos” and more. I was to my room soon again and when I was in the kitchen for the next time, picking my laundry out of the washing machine, the kitchen was very clean. Even the stove had a clean surface. There can only be two pigs in our apartment. Emilia and Christian. I do not know, whom of them is worse, but I think Christian is not so often at home. Today I found Emilia’s phone, Viva-card etc in the kitchen while she was at work. When she has the door open to her room, you would not believe it, if I would tell you, how it looks therein.

I have to go and eat a meal. The last hours of the day I was as usual watching movies. Unfortunately me tablet “died” in the middle of an interesting crime series, even I did connect it to the charger.

 

Thursday, 2nd November 2017

I was awake by a phone call of a cousin from Germany. I am his favorite cousin. The phone call was only for five minutes, but it was nice to talk with him.

After breakfast I did buy an online-ticket for the Oceanario in Lisbon. I decided to go there some day before leaving, when the weather is not so good anymore. Actually it was raining from time to time this day – also the temperatures are now down under 20°C even during daytime. I cannot decide if it was good or not, that I did buy the ticket online, but the good thing was, that I did not have to queue and there were very long queues for the ticket machines and the cash this day. The bad thing was, that it was so crowded in the Oceanario. Would I have had the ticket, I would have done something else instead, where I did not have such crowds. I was only for two hours at the oceanario, even I had to wait a lot to see anything. It was quite interesting. I think the best was to see a sunfish – the fish I had seen a fin of outside Kaikoura in New Zealand, when I was there in 2016.

I did made some videos, here is the link to one of them: Oceanario with Sunfish. I hope you can open and see it, because YouTube did save it as html5-file.

 

 

I felt to go to IKEA and have a meal: Swedish meatballs. So I did. It takes a long time to go by bus to Alfridge, but it is the easiest way. Just enter the bus at Estaciao Oriente and leave 100 m away from IKEA. I was surprised, that the bus was so full this day. At some bus stops, the driver could not open the front door for entering more of passengers. They were no space. I was not the only one, who left at IKEA. It was already 3:30pm and I started with the meal – my late lunch. They had different kinds of meatballs to choose and I chose the originally. I took french fries and spinach as a side dish. There were no other vegetables as spinach and I do not like the potato mash at big kitchens, especially here in Portugal. It was neither the same feeling nor the taste, but the meatballs, like at home. I enjoyed my meal anyway, because it was much better than in our lunch restaurant at work. I also took a “kanelbulle” (Swedish cinnamon bun) and a coffee afterwards. The cinnamon bun tasted like home. Full of a good meal I was strolling around at IKEA, most interested in the Christmas decorations they have to offer. Actually I was confirmed, what I was awaiting. There were no really traditional decorations. That is IKEA – always coming with new ideas to sell more.

Maybe you remember that I did write before, that it is difficult to go directly back to my place by the 750 bus route. Though I did go with the bus to Algés, the last stop in the wrong direction. I was just to go to the other side of the bus stop for catching my bus home, when I remembered, that they were maintaining the area nearby last time I have been here. They started to put up nice statues and I was wondering, if the area meanwhile was finished. Therefore I changed my mind and was going there to take a look. It was finished and very nice.

 

 

I just made it before dark. While waiting for the bus, the dark was coming. This bus was quite crowded, too and sometimes really crowded as well. I left close to a Lidl nearby my home for buying tissues. I do not really like the Portuguese ones. When I had paid and left Lidl I had a lot more than tissues in my bag. I thought I will use some of it for meals, when I am off work.

 

Friday, 3rd November 2017

It was one of the few days it was raining and like in all countries, the temperature is lower than usual. I felt bored at work and the food in the cafeteria was a catastrophe again, thought I ate at McDonald’s one more time.

On my way home to my Lisbon place I bought a lunch box, because this day I decided that I will cook my own meals. When I clean the kitchen it is OK to cook there.

Later that evening I made a short while company with Jessica in the living room watching TV, but I was not interested in the program she watched and was going to my room.

 

Saturday, 4th November 2017

After breakfast I cooked my own lunch: Pasta with bacon and vegetables. I decided to have such meals in my lunch box, that I can eat with a fork only, because if I will take soup I would be afraid that it is running out off the lunch box and if I have something to cut, I would have to take a plate with me, too. Though if there are sausages or meat in my lunch box I cut it, before I put it in.

I feel cold in the apartment and even outside or vice versa. Also in Portugal and Lisbon it is fall.

 

Sunday, 5th November 2017

I am good ;-), I made my own lunch again – always pasta+. This day it is really sunny again, but still chilly (between 14°C and 18°C).

Work bored me again. On the way home I had company of Pejman and we had a nice chat. We are really converse mortals, but he is very nice to discuss things with. I like his company.

 

Monday, 6th November 2017

Jessica cooked a lot of pasta and offered me of it. I added eggs and carrots. I also run out of eye drops and tried to buy new in the pharmacy next to the supermarket Continente, but they did not have this kind of eye drops. Mario, another colleague, is in alternative medicine. He also has a very interesting past. We had a discussion about some issues before Pejman and I left for the station Oriente.

 

Tuesday, 7th November 2017

It becomes usual to have a chat and even breakfast together with Jessica. I got pasta again of her. I just added squash and sausage (Nürnberger Bratwürstchen, bought at Continente). The temperature is between 16°C and 11°C.

I resigned my work and we also have got our schedules. Furthermore we finally got our vouchers for the overtime in September. I have got 20 times 10 EUR vouchers and one for 65 EUR. I tried the first 10 EUR vouchers at Continente. All cashiers do not know how to use them and I have to sign with my name for every voucher. When there is an amount left on a voucher, I have to remember that by myself. Fortunately I can use more than one voucher for the same shopping. Though this time I had to leave three for an amount for around 25 EUR. I bought some things I usually do not buy here: tights (because it is getting colder, I will use them under my pants), pesto (of Jamie Oliver ;-)) and chips (that was the first and only time I bought chips in Lisbon, they were special, tasty and more expensive than others).

 

Wednesday, 8th November 2017

I awoke already at 7am, but was up at 9am. In the time in between I booked a flight to the Canary Islands – exactly to Gran Canaria. To this island it is a two hours flight. If I would go further, it would take too much time of the few days I have off work.

I had a big breakfast including a banana and was just in time to work, because I also had to cook my lunch and this time even own pasta. I am counting the days, before I will be only on pension scheme again. There are still 38 days at TP left. I also got one more voucher, that one for 100 EUR.

In the evening I tried to find a host for Las Palmas or surroundings on CS.

 

Thursday, 9th November 2017

Even this day I had a late breakfast, but that did not matter, because this day was a day off work. It was very chilly in the apartment, because it is chilly outside and there is no working heating. There is no heating at all in the kitchen. My room actually became a little warmer, when I opened the window, because it was sunny outside. I made my laundry.

Jessica and I had a piece of pizza, took a walk and afterwards I was to the Vasco da Gama Shopping center, bought food at Continente as well as warm slippers. I paid by vouchers, of course. I am not sure, that I can use all my vouchers before I am leaving. Jessica reminded me on the heater in the hallway and put that in my room, because the installed heater is not working.

In the evening I tried to eat two small baguette, but could only eat one. Before the end of the day I bought the flight tickets Lisbon – Stockholm! They were for 106 EUR. I am afraid, they will become more expensive again, therefore I bought them already. The flight Stockholm – Lisbon was for around 250 EUR, but that was high season. (I checked the price a month later and the same flight was 30 EUR more expensive.)

 

Friday, 10th November 2017

Even this was a day off work. I put the heating on during the morning, made my laundry and had my breakfast. Afterwards I signed up for helpx again. My account is still there, but the premium member ship was running out and without it, it is not possible to contact hosts. It is still for 19 EUR for 2 years. I also made three requests for the Baja California area. I think a while with Mexicans will help me to get better in Spanish. I still have not many words in Spanish again, but I did not concentrate on Spanish either. I was also looking for hostels for Baja California and found a site about it. Unfortunately when writing in English, none answers respectively by the booking sites, the hostels are all occupied already.

I think I cannot leave Lisbon without having been to a Fado show. Last time I booked, the invent was moved to a day, when I was working. I tried this day again to find a possibility to listen to such a show. First I found expensive ones, but at the end I found one for only 18 EUR with a drink, e.g. a glass of wine and one tapas included. I booked and paid it and was in time to the meeting point. The restaurant was a 30 minutes walk away in Alfama, an area I have been, but did not see this tiny restaurant. It is a little hidden, mostly for insiders. Unfortunately i cannot find the name of it. I do not have any photos of it either, because the light in their made it close to impossible to take good photos. The tour was not was I expected, but the Fado show great and seemed to be just that what Fado means, even it was not boring at all. It was a family run restaurant and Fado show. Most of the singers came, went away again and so on. The guitar players were the same all the time. I enjoyed the evening so much, that I bought a CD for 10 EUR of them. I also had a dinner (omelette with smoked ham), because I had no evening meal before I left my place. That dinner was actually for 15 EUR, even it was one of the cheaper dishes.

I was afraid not coming home by public transport, though I left around 11pm, the show was still going on. The streets were dark and on some places I was a little afraid, but all went well. It took really long time to get home from that place. I had to change Metro line. I left the Metro at the station “Olivais”, which I often make, when I am not coming from work.

 

Saturday, 11th November 2017

As usual at weekends, we were not many people at work and in the evening we were only two of the email team. As now usual I had my own lunch with me. After work I was shopping food at Continente again and bought for around 20 EUR. This time it was hard to pay with my vouchers. The cashier did not know, how to use them. I think I missed a small amount on my voucher, but only cent.

It is not very often my children are contacting me. Before I wrote every third day to them, but they did answer very seldom, though I stopped that. They may read my blog. I started it for them – and my friends. This day I have got an email of my son Daniel, just asking me for the address of my son Samuel.

 

Sunday, 12th November 2017

There are many people working this day even it is Sunday. It is really unusual and I am wondering if they throw dice, when they make the schedule. We are four agents until 9:30pm of the email team. Pejman and me have company again to the station Oriente. I have to buy bread before going by bus. It is hard to buy bread in Portugal. It is best to buy new everyday, but when I only buy one the assistant at the bread counter is sooo surprised, though I buy packed bread anyway. Up to 5 pieces is OK, even it is not the best.

When coming back to my place the Swedish girl Emilia switches of the light, when I am coming. I cannot find the door of my room in the dark! I sent an SMS to my daughter Maria and her boyfriend Mats and get an email from Maria.

 

Monday, 13th November 2017

I was working this day too, put there was nothing special happening at work. Still I have my own lunch with me. In the evening I checked in for my flight to Gran Canaria.

 

Tuesday, 14th November 2017 until Friday, 17th November 2017

See Gran Canaria!

 

Saturday, 18th November 2017

I awoke 7:30am, checked my bank account, had breakfast together with Jessica, cooked my lunch and the roll for the evening, dressed, made my things in order and left for work as usual at 11:45am.

Mario and Pejman had their days off and I was the only one from the email team working between 9 and 9:30pm. It was the first time that happened for me.

At Continente the cashier first declined my voucher, because he did not know how to use it. They have to put in the amount for the voucher in the cash, otherwise it is declined, when the amount for the shopping is higher.

Home at the Lisbon place I met Jessica, her friend Adnan and colleague Katherina in the kitchen. They were celebrating Katherine’s work leave and I was welcome to them. They had wine and because I needed something to eat I cut dices of the Swedish cheese I bought at IKEA a time ago and offered it. They were happy to have a cheese with taste, because the usual cheeses in Portugal has no much taste, but there are some special, expensive varieties. Around midnight I went to bed and was watching movies until 2am.

 

Sunday, 19th November 2017

Even this day Jessica and me had breakfast at the same time. We are sitting together in the kitchen and chat a lot. This day Jessica gave me my plates from the cupboard. After breakfast I cooked my lunch and was then occupied with my files before I was going to work. By the way, this was the first day I even had bottled water with me. It is not for the amount to pay for it, but that I do not need coins and can pay with the vouchers.

At work it was as usual on Sundays, but I was going to the station Oriente by myself. Nobody worked in the email team, who had the same direction to take as me. That does not matter for me, even I like to have company with colleagues on that way. It is actually the only time of the working day I can have a chat with them, because we have different lunch and break times.

 

Monday, 20th November 2017

This morning I took care of some of Jessica dishes, too. She became very happy about it. After my shower I was going to work.

I was lucky this day, it was still warm enough to sit outside during lunch and Jessica and Katherina had lunch at the same time as me. Though we took our lunch box with us outside.

In the evening it was really chilly again. Pejman and I walked together to the station Oriente, but he had a hurry. He had an appointment this night – actually at 10pm and I thought, he did not make it in time.

I emptied our letter box, we do not do that every time. There are not often letters coming to us, most of them are for mates, who have lived here earlier. This evening there were two for Menno, who was moving out a time ago. Christian came into the kitchen and I asked him, if he has Menno’s phone number, because I have it on the old TP phone and that I have not charged for very long time. He said, he has not, but that he is on Facebook. I told him, that I am not on Facebook. Though Christian told me, that he can give me the phone number of Menno, but I did not understand that by his Norwegian dialect. Later i asked Jessica to send sms to Menno. She promised.

 

Tuesday, 21st November 2017

I see when Christian is leaving his dirty dishes. I did not do them for him, but made space for me by putting them in the dishwasher. It is always Jessica and me, who fill and empty the dishwasher even I make my dishes manually. I also washed my towels. Though the dishwasher had to wait until the washing machine was done. Unfortunately I also did put all the kitchen towels in the washing machine, though I had to dry my dishes with tissues. Actually it was working.

There were still 30 min. left after I did all I had to do and the need to leave for work. This day I did take my seat pad with me. It is too cold to sit on a bench without one.

I am waiting for the answer from the ESTA system about the visa waiver for a transfer throughout USA to Mexico. I was asking for it online as soon as I booked the flight to Los Angeles for 12th January. I am afraid, I will not get it, because all is different since Trump has become president. When I checked in the evening on the ESTA site it was approved. No problem at all 🙂

After work I made company to station Oriente with Pejman again. It had been raining, we could see, but it had finished at that time. I shopped at Continente again. This time for around 30 EUR, most paid by voucher, but I did not have voucher for all with me, though I paid the rest with my credit card. This time the female cashier was great. There were no problem all with the vouchers.

 

Wednesday, 22nd November 2017

Jessica and me had breakfast after each other this day, sitting with the table one at a time. I asked for an appointment at my doctor in January next year by using our Swedish health system website. It worked very well. Unfortunately I have not got an appointment at a dentist yet – I mean at home in Sweden, because I need to fix the teeth with the toothbrush damage.

Even this day did not happen anything unusual at work and in the evening Pejman and I had company again.

 

Thursday, 23rd November 2017

Breakfast as usual with Jessica, but afterwards I helped her with the boarding pass for Ryan Air. I saved it on my USB-stick, which is both for Android and Windows OPs, though she could go and print it. Anyway she downloaded the Ryan Air App, but she had first not space enough on her smart phone. At the end she did delete all her other apps (she told me, it might not have been all of them).

By helping Jessica I run short of time and put all my dishes in the dishwasher, hoping I will find them again in the evening.

Time at work was as usual and also on the way to Oriente Pejman and me had company again.

 

Friday. 24th November 2017

Actually now only one month is left until Christmas, but in the shops there has been Christmas already for a long time.

Another day off and I am living for them only ;-). I was up late, took a long time for breakfast, had a shower, did my laundry, cleaned my room (with a broom). Was wondering why there were a pennant in front of the nearby school doors. I think they had a kind of “open house”. I was to the hairdresser, too. I was surprised. This time was only a hairdresser in her fifties there. It took time to decide that I am a customer. She did cut my hair and had the same photo in the book like the others before. Even this time it became different, shorter actually. It is OK for me, but I am really surprised, that everyone of them did interpret the photo different. They should have learned how to.

When I was back from the hairdresser, the pennant was not more outside the school. I continued with my laundry. By my last travel I had a lot laundry to do now. I also was working a little with my blog.

I left our shared apartment in time to be at a pizza restaurant, where we should get pizzas paid by TP. We had talked about it the day before. I was asking for name and address of the pizza restaurant, but did not really hear the name and my supervisor told me, that she did not know the address of the restaurant. I was asking if it was close to McDonald’s and she told me, I will have that restaurant on my side, but it is further. To shorten the story: I did not find the pizza restaurant, where my colleagues were. Though I walked to Continente, bought some food, took the bus home and watched movies as usual.

 

Saturday, 25th November 2017

Also this day I was off work. I decided to buy more space for my blog: dorotheeinternational.wordpress.com. By doing that, I also could get an own domain and change to dorotheeinternational.blog. But that was not the only change I decided for. I always decided to take all my blogs home to that address, even I later on have to pay more for it. After working on it during the day I had dinner at a restaurant at the Vasco da Gama Shopping centre, where I afterwards bought three Christmas decorations – small ones I easily can have in the suitcases home. At Continente I bought lots of fruits and vegetables.

Back at home I emailed my first-born son Marcus, asking him if I am welcome at his place on his birthday. He becomes 38 years old this year. The evening I was working with the change of my blog – making new tabs and putting in the content from three other blogs, which I deleted.

 

Sunday, 26th November 2017

The morning was as usual, but I did forget my badge for work. It was the first time and unfortunately on a Sunday. It is very hard to enter our work space with a “visitors badge”. One has to knock for opening the secure door and at the weekends nobody is sitting close to that door. I usually put it beside on the keys, because I cannot leave my room without the keys. On Tuesday night I had put my badge in a pocket of my jacket and not thought about to take it out of it, when coming home. Shit happens and why should not even some happens to me ;-).

I was so excited about the change of my blog(s), that I even worked with it after coming to my room this night. I actually was working with it until the early morning and took a nap only afterwards.

 

Monday, 27th November 2017

This day it was nothing special happening at work. Diana was working again – first day that we both were working since that pizza evening. She did not ask me, why I have not been there, even I signed up for it. Maybe she did not remember the evening or she has not been there either. I did ask her, if I may start and finish my work 30 minutes earlier on the upcoming Friday and told her, that I will go by night bus to Sevilla. She agreed.

Back at home after work I was working with my blog again. There are lots to do until I have it the way I wish. There are still a lot of stories from former time to be blogged about, too. I would like that my children read it all and understand my life. I think it would also be a document about a past time and would like to have it online even after my death. I have not decided, how to guarantee that, because there has a little amount to be paid every year. Anyway I am sure I will find a solution until that day will come.

 

Tuesday, 28th November 2017

It happens a little unusual thing at work. We have a clean desk policy, like at most places, where people are working with computers. Our is maybe a little harder, because the security of our customers. We are not allowed to have any paper into our work space, though we cannot write down customers credit card numbers etc.

In the early evening a man was walking all the way throughout our big room with lots of sandwiches. I was looking after him, thinking about the clean desk policy. He entered one of the meeting rooms, though I went back my eyes to my computer again. My supervisor did tell me, that I almost, when we have one of our partners visiting, we could behave. I was really sour, because I always looking at my computer and it was only by chance I have seen that man. That I was wondering about the clean desk policy should have been good instead.

That evening in my room I had a movie night. I was thinking about, that I need some more sleep and if I start and work with my blog again, it will become late at the night before.

 

Wednesday, 29th November 2017

Jessica has been on holidays and was in Berlin, Germany, but this day she is back and we have breakfast together again.

Work was us usual. I still have my lunch box with me, a fruit as well and a roll for the evening.

After work the blog got a new update. I was occupied with it until early morning again. Anyway I did not forget my youngest brothers birthday. He became 65 this year.

 

Thursday, 30th November 2017

Jessica had been at the dentist the day before for taking out a wisdom tooth. She has such a pain and is staying at home from work. She also has an attestation from the dentist. I feel with her.

I am dressed in more clothes as usual, when I go to work. It is only 10°C this day. The winter seems to be coming. Colleagues told me, that it will be warmer in Sevilla. I am not sure. Work was boring as usual, but I looked forward my days off in Sevilla.

 

For December 2017 follow that link respectively the link for Sevilla.