September 2017

This year in September there happened lots of angry nature phenomenons. The hurrican Irma destroyed a lot of Florida. We had more than usual to do at work by people cancelling their hotel reservations etc. I followed this issue up as well as I read about Hurricane Maria and Nate. One of the hurricanes dit struck the most of the buildings, water systems and electricity on Puerto Rico. In the first moment I was mixing it up with Costa Rica. Even it was not there, I could not imagine how people have it in Puerto Rico, especially for the helping hands are missing. President Trump, USA did promise help for the country by soldiers, but it took weeks for a start. I was thinking about to go there and help as a volunteer to build the country up again. I think there will always be something I could help with, but the promise of Donald Trump made me feel not needed – unfortunately that promise was not real. People were running out of water very soon. hundreds of thousands of people were emigrating to Florida, where the situation is not good as well.

 

Wednesday, 6th Sept. 2017

I arrived in Lisbon as planned, there were no strike anymore and I was going by the Metro and the bus 750 to the place I live here for now. I was welcomed by a dirty fridge and an Emilia (the Swedish girl), who did not find the reason for it, even it looked like she had dropped pancakes paste. I cleaned the fridge and went shopping.

 

Thursday, 7th Sept. 2017

This day I was just in time to work, because the cleaning lady has been here and cleaned the bathroom, when I would have liked to use it. At work I had problems with the log-in, but all went well. On my way home I went shopping food at Continente, the big supermarket at the station of Oriente.

This day also an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern states of Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco in Mexico. I was thinking about my planned trip and happy, I was not there yet, but I also was thinking at the people living there as well as what I will find the day I am able to travel Mexico. How many of the old Maya and other folks ruins will be infected?

 

Friday, 8th Sept. 2017

I made my laundry, had breakfast and continued with my laundry. In between I also dressed, cleaned my room and at the end I was shopping again at Continente. There I bought a cover for my new mattress. Finally I was to the hair dresser as well. Unfortunately I do not speak enough Portuguese yet, though the hair dresser not only cut my hair, but washed it, dried it and styled it. Though I had to pay 15 EUR even a cut is for just 7 EUR. Anyway, I like, when he washes my hair. He does it the good old way – with a massage of the head skin.

In the evening a new flat mate moved in. His name is Antonio and he is from Andalusia. I hoped, I can exercise Spanish with him, because he seems to be a really nice guy.

It is getting worse for Mexico. A category 1 Hurricane Katia made landfall on the eastern coast in Veracruz, causing a mudslide. Me thoughts are with the people living there again.

 

Saturday, 9th Sept. 2017

I was to bed as late as 4am, because I made my xls-file for my economy. Nevertheless I was up again around 9am and had a chat with Jessica. Antonio’s key for the apartment is not working, though he asked me, if I will be at home at 10pm. It is one of my days of and I told him, I will.  This morning I saw Emilia the first time making her dishes and the best of it. She took all her things out of the little bathroom, we shared before. From now on I will share bathroom with Antonio and I hope, he will not spread all his things like Emilia did.

At the middle of the day I was to the shopping centre Vasco da Gama again. I had to buy a new charging cable for my tablet. I am very unhappy to break them often. I also shopped a blouse, one with long sleeves and also long down, though I can wear it with tights. I used the opportunity and ate in the shopping centre, too. I tried another of the restaurants on the restaurant floor and had a half fried chicken. It was a little salty, but looked much better than the fried chicken parts at work, I never buy. I had a full meal for 5,95 EUR.

Back at my Lisbon home I dressed in my new blouse, saved my photos from Barcelona, Ekeroe and Malta and checked the news because of the Hurricane Irma and the earthquake in Mexico. Afterwards I had a light evening meal and continued with my blog.

 

Sunday, 10th Sept. 2017

We are not so many employees at the email team for the moment, because of the holidays of some of us, but we do not have so very much work either.

Even it is Sunday, our cafeteria served pork chops and I had a dessert after the meal. After work I had company with some colleagues to the station of Oriente. We talked about jobs abroad, especially on Ireland. My colleague told me, he would prefer to work in a country, where he knows the language.

This evening I did not shop food on my way home, even I do it very often. Going home by bus I missed my bus stop for the first time. We were driving through a round about and I know, there is non at the way home ;-). I left the bus as soon as possible and walked two bus stops back. It was a little scaring walking this area in the dark. I was happy I was on a main road.

 

Monday, 11th Sept 2017

After breakfast I was to our supermarket buying bread, cereals and soya chocolate drink. I continued with my blog before going to work, where we got an overtime request, because of the Hurricane Irma over Florida, USA and the earthquake at the Pacific coast in Mexico we got lots of emails we could not handle without overtime.

During the late evening I have got my new schedule and this time it states only late shifts for me, which I am very happy about as well as will have three days off in a row. For the three days off I booked immediately a flight to and a hostel on Sao Miguel, an Azores island. It is the closest one to Portugal.

By the way I had my blouse inside out most of the day. In the morning, when I had put it on, I was wondering why there was no pockets. I remembered, that the other blouses of the same kind, but different colours, has pockets. I did not see that I had the blouse inside out and was first aware of it at work in the late evening. I hope that was not an early sign of Alzheimer’s.

 

Tuesday, 12th Sept 2017

It was my first day with overtime. I started an hour earlier as usual, that means at 11:30 am instead of 12:30pm. My supervisor Diana was very happy about it. At the end of the shift, exactly the last 30 minutes we had to write down our cases done during this time, though the supervisor in charge could check, that we really were working. Some of my colleagues do not take the short rest, but are chatting a lot during work time. They think it makes the same, but not the supervisors.

 

Wednesday, 13th Sept 2017

I had two days off and decided to see Coimbra, the oldest university town of Portugal. A Portuguese colleague had told us a time a go, that we should see it for the university and the church. Even other colleagues had told me, that it is enough to be there for one day, I had booked a bed at the HI-hostel of Coimbra, thinking that I may need more time.

I started from home at 11am and was going to a petrol station. I had read that it was a good point for starting a hitch hike to the North. I was waiting there for around an hour, even asking a lot of drivers, but none was going in that direction – or the were not willing to take hitch hikers, but did not tell me. Though I was going back to the station of Oriente and took a train. Fortunately there were trains every 30 minutes.

When I left my Lisbon home I was aware, that I did forget my jacket, but I was not willing to go back and pick it up. I was hopefully instead, that I won’t need it.

More you can read about that trip by clicking on the link for Coimbra.

 

Friday, 15th Sept. 2017

I was coming home late from Coimbra at the 14th. This morning I had a chat with Jessica about our rooms, cleanliness and similar. She also showed me her room, that means the mold at the walls beside the wardrobe as well as on another wall. Even the tiles in the bathroom were a little moldy. But the worst thing is, I think, that the mattress in her bed is moldy from underneath. One cannot see, how high up the mold already has grown, even there is nothing to see yet on the upper side. That is so unhealthy!

Also this day I worked overtime, starting 11:30 am instead for 12:30 pm. The canteen was serving Chili con carne, but there was not chilly at all in the dish. I had lunch together with Maxi, Christian and Irena. Irena told me, it would be nice to make things together and that she is off work every Saturday and Sunday. I told her, that I am usually not off work those days. During my short rest in the evening I had a sandwich out of the Vending machine.

In the evening I stopped working in time as usual, but was a little late to the bus, though I was going by bus around 10:15pm, but that does not matter for me. When I was in bed and looking on the Internet, what movies there were to watch I discovered, that the series “Heldt” has started again, one of my favorites. Guess if I was happy to watch it! I was going to sleep around 1:30am, which was the usual time for me.

 

Saturday, 16th Sept 2017

I was up early this day, just could not sleep anymore. Though I had good time to go to the supermarket on my street and shopped actually for very close to 10 EUR. The kitchen at “home” was a little cleaner as usual. The bench was empty, but dirty, though I washed it.

Also this day I worked overtime between 11:30am and 12:30pm. It was a good day, because all the people worked quietly, I had only 40 min. lunch, which I had at McDonald’s again, because there was no nice food in the canteen. I forgot to take my other break. Therefore I ate my sandwich on the way to the bus stop.

That night I watched crime stories until early morning (2 or 3am). I also wrote an email to our employee support, calling it a complaint about Jessica’s room, marking, that the mold may spread and how unhealthy it is.  I also told them about the mess in our kitchen and that I had tried to get rid of it.

 

Sunday, 17th Sept. 2017

Jessica did fill the dishwasher at “home”.

I started 11:30am again for 1 h of overtime. Our highest manager on the site was talking with us and asking for overtime. I think I was the only one so far, who worked overtime. I offered  to work on two of my days off as well – 22nd and 30th September.

When I was back from work there were lots of dishes on kitchen bench again.

 

Monday, 18th Sept. 2017

Even this day I was working overtime between 11:30am and 12:30pm. There was nothing more special this day.

 

Tuesday, 19th Sept. 2017

I was working overtime again between 11:30am and 12:30pm. There was nothing more special this day, but a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, which struck the state of Puebla, about 75 miles from Mexico City. It also damaged houses in Mexico City. Again my thoughts are with the people as well as I am wondering, what may be left of the city.

 

Wednesday, 20th Sept. 2017

Another day with overtime. Diana also told me, that I was welcome to work 8 extra hours on 22nd Sept.

 

Thursday, 21st Sept. 2017

It was my day off and i started with my laundry before breakfast. It took around 7 hours, because the washing machine takes quite a long time for every filling, even I put it on ECO, which means it does not work as long as the full program.

Meanwhile the washing machine was working for me, I did write my blog for the week I have been on holidays at home in Sweden. Also a guy from the employee support was in our apartment. He checked Jessica’s room.

When I had done all my laundry it was time to go to the Vasco da Gama shopping center for food in Continente. I also bought a new nightdress, a shorter one, thinking I can have it as a day dress at home as well. I took it in large, being sure it will fit me, but when I used it that evening I found it was only in the size medium. Fortunately I can use it anyway, even it does not fit the way I like it. Furthermore I bought a new pair of socks – I tried them, because it is a microfiber and not cotton. When e.g. hiking cotton socks are not useful. I also had a meal at the shopping centre. Back at “home” I could use my time for writing my blog about the week I have been on Malta.

 

Friday, 22nd Sept. 2017

This should have been my second day off, but I did go to work for overtime.

Anyway the day started with the cleaning. She had been here two days ago. This time she was only cleaning Jessica’s bathroom. I did take my dry clothes and towels from my dry rack, took photos of my receipts (digital archive) and finally charged the battery of my camera, which was empty for some days. I uploaded the photos from Coimbra on Google photos as well.

At work I was not allowed to make 8 hours overtime as my supervisor Diana had told me, but 7 hours, I was told by my site manager. Afterwards the supervisor of the day told me, that it would not have been a problem to make 8 hours, they had put in the extra hour an other day. For the instructions of my site manager I was off an hour earlier than usual. Though I had to make my way to the bus stop without company.

 

Saturday, 23rd Sept. 2017

Even this day I worked overtime an hour from 11:30am to 12:30pm. There were no supervisor for us, when I started working. Therefore I wrote an email to my supervisor Diana, to put in my overtime and let me sign on Monday.

This day was going very slowly, maybe because I am used to the work now. Anyway sometimes I still have questions about how to handle cases.

 

Sunday, 24th Sept. 2017

I had breakfast already at 8am. Emilia spread her things everywhere. It is like she does not be aware, that she is not the only one in this apartment. This time even the little table in the kitchen, where I usually have my breakfast, was full of her things. Though I put her fruits aside as well as her wallet. She greeted silently and I did that, too. After a shower in the big bathroom (I started to use it a while ago, because the shower close to my room has only the size of a fridge and I do not feel comfortable to have the shower curtain always on my buttocks, when I am showering).

I was to the supermarket in our street before I was to work, starting with that hour overtime again.

 

Monday, 25th Sept. 2017

There was nothing special happening. I reminded Diana for my overtime papers. I did my overtime as usual and had company of colleagues after work on my way to the bus stop. I did digress to the Continente for tissues and some food.

Telco the Mexican guy in Gaia, where I have been couchsurfing some weeks ago contacted me by WhatsApp. I promised him to sent the photos I had taken at the historic market. He was asking for them. Actually I thought, I have already sent them, but when I checked my Google photos I found, that I have not uploaded them. I only had put them on my laptop. It is like double book-keeping to put the photos on my laptop and to put them on Google photos, but I am happy about that back up, even I make a back up on an external disk, when I am at home in Sweden.

 

Tuesday, 26th Sept. 2017

I tried to upload all the photos from the long weekend in Porto and Gaia on Google photos, but it took too long time, though I could not send a link to Telco.

Even this day I started with one hour of overtime. Our software was working slowly this day and I reminded Diana again of my overtime papers. There are five hours of overtime I have not signed for yet.

 

Wednesday, 27th Sept. 2017

Another birthday of Freddy Quinn, former singer, actor and entertainer with a great voice. My calendar reminded me. Though I sent him birthday wishes by the Freddy-Quinn-Archiv as usual. Finally I sent the link to Telco for the photos of our weekend together.

Even this day I worked one hour overtime between 11:30am and 12:30pm. I did get my overtime papers for signing. Actually Diana did not only put in the 4 hours from this week and the two, which I had made the days before. She also did put in en extra one, even of a mistake, but she did not change it again. I think, I am worth it, always coming to work in really good time.

 

Thursday, 28th Sept. 2017

Before going to work I tried to sign up for a “Fado night” in Lisbon for the next evening, but I did get an answer, that this Friday will be on Saturday. Though I have to wait for another opportunity.

This was the seventh day in a row I was working. I felt a little tired, nonetheless I did make the one hour overtime from 11:30am to 12:30pm. In the evening we had to restart our computers. I made it a little to early not expecting it would restart so fast. Though I was logged off already five minutes too early and told the supervisor in charge, that I am not willing to start all the software again. She was OK with it, it would not make any sence to try and also I was at work really early that day and had made my time anyway.

Before I was going to sleep my payslip arrived by email. I will get around the same amount as the month before and in both month I have got the 50 EUR productivity bonus. I think it is for I am always at work in time, do not take too much breaks, had never had a day off for healthy reasons and I am working quite good.

 

Friday, 29th Sept. 2017

It is the day, when I am updating my blog until the day, which is. Even I worked a seven days week, I am using my private computer (laptop) the whole day.

In the morning I was awake early again, but did not feel to leave my bed so early. I checked some things on the Internet and was actually up a little later as usual. I had told myself, that I have to care about me that day and there is no hurry for anything.

Jessica did made her laundry and put it on my dry rack as I told her, she is allowed to do. I think I will leave it to her, when I am going home to Sweden. I washed my jeans after she finished and she had left space for them on the rack. Though they will dry as well.

I dressed in my “winter”tights I bought in Jasper in Canada and tried the tunic I bought at home in Sweden, when my daughter and I was shopping in Malmo. It does look OK, I think. I could have had a smaller size als well. I changed to my new blouse, I bought a couple of weeks ago at Vasco da Gama shopping centre and started my laptop. First of all I uploaded photos from the SD-card of my camera on my laptop. I had not done that for a while. There were the photos from Coimbra and some more. When I finished that I started to write my blog.

Around 3pm I was aware how fast time was running and I was thinking about, to go to the Vasco da Gama shopping center for buying some food at Continente and eating a meal in one of all the restaurants there, but I changed my mind and was just to the supermarket in our street, bought a big bottle of water and some bread. Back in the apartment I made an egg dish and had bread as well as a vitamin drink and later on a chocolate drink.

Soon I was working with my blog again and finished with the text around 5:30pm, starting to put in pictures. When I uploaded photographs I found, that I am missing a lot. Though I checked my SD-card in my tablet and found them there. I uploaded them as well on my laptop and continued to upload some more to my blog. At 11pm I finished my work for this time. I hope I have not forgotten any link between the different sites.

 

30th September 2017

Already another month is coming to its end. I worked extra this day, too. I awoke already at 7am, but was falling asleep one more time and awoke 9am again, but with a dizzy head. Just when I was on my way to leave for work my flatmate Jessica finally got her new, required mattress. I had taken such a long time for her, to get it. Maybe it helped, that I did tell our employee service about the problems with the mold, maybe she anyway would have got it now.

We had a task force at my job and I tried to make as much as possible. I started at high noon. Unfortunately it was not possible for me to make a lot. There were different reasons for that. On one hand side it was not my usual tasks and on the other hand side I had to choose from a lot of work and it was often not clear, if it was such stuff I am able to do. Though I was working for 11 hours to do the minimum, which was asked for. Afterwards I told my supervisor, that I won’t do this kind of tasks again.

I was happy, that I still could catch a bus home. It was as late as 0:23am, the bus was going. It was the last but one for this night. I also found, that the shops at Vasco da Gama shopping centre are closing at midnight.

 

You can read more about my life by following the link for October 2017.