Do You Live Here?
Senhora, do you live here?” The man asks. He’s still holding his cellphone at shoulder height and the photo he captured of the bright pink sunset of Fanal glows from his phone into the fading evening light. He continues, “Is that Pico?” I confidently reply “yes” and we both smile. We are both proud— he that he has guessed correctly and I that I understand his simple Portuguese and know the answer to his question. This type of encounter has been happening regularly since last March. As I walk about the city of Angra do Heroismo and the trails of Monte Brasil, someone who is traveling from somewhere is curious to know more about our island.
I guessed this family was traveling from the mainland. Earlier in the same day I met someone who introduced himself as South African. I wonder if my neighbors are noticing the variety of international travelers who have visited us this last summer? For the month of July I helped out waitressing at my favorite restaurant in the city and to my great amazement, I met travelers from all over the world. The presence of Canadians and Americans didn’t surprise me; however, when I met travelers from Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, Spain, and The Netherlands over the course of just two evenings, I was gobsmacked. The encounter with such diversity of nationalities in such a short time in a centralized space reminds me of my days as high school principal at a private international school in Ankara, Turkey. It is a rare and special experience.
Each of these tourists have different goals for their visit and it is a pleasure to learn about them: reconnecting with family, exploring the trails or sea, or enjoying eating fresh fish and seafood dishes. They seem politely curious about us too. From their probing questions and facial expressions I see them wondering if they somehow could escape their modern lives and step into the safe world of Terceira more permanently. They always ask: How is it that you came to live here? And Where are YOU from? I explain briefly while secretly hoping with all of my heart that we can somehow hold onto this rare balance of diversity and safety.
