Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Portugal

I am under the impression that time goes by quicker in Portugal than in Germany. I am sure that the clocks were tempered with, that is the only possible explanation. By now, people you’ve met a few times have become friends and some even hold a special place in my heart.

When we are not on campus, we are off to discover the area and are always searching for a beach that is even more beautiful than the beach we visited before and what can I say: Portugal does not disappoint. After one exhausting day filled with lectures, I spontaneously decided it was time for a new haircut: short hair for the win! First, I went to a trendy hairdresser with more than 3 000 followers on Instagram but once I had entered, I already wanted to leave again. They all had crazy hair, the prices were ridiculously high, and I didn’t think they treated me as equal. I left disappointed, as I had promised myself to become a person that relies on her gut feeling and just does things. As I wandered down the streets, I stopped at a shop window to look at my hair and feel bad for myself when I noticed a styling chair between all the shelves filled with shampoo. Just a little, homely hairdresser that I somehow felt attracted to. They greeted me excited and even though they didn’t speak English, we somehow managed to communicate and what can I say? This was one of the best decisions ever and it has become the day when I cut off 30 cm of my hair! Also, I already have an appointment to get a new tattoo. Well, to be honest: three tattoos :D I think they are a great reminder of my time here and they only cost one third of the price in Germany - and they are the same quality! I’ll tell you more about them in my next diary entry.

This weekend, I’ll go on a three-day road trip. We’ll drive to Peniche and then take the boat to Berlenga island. A friend of mine has a holiday home there where we can stay the night. To finish the whole trip off, we’ll go to Obidos on Sunday, a small relaxed medieval town. I have also lost my heart in Cascais. Cascais is a lot smaller than Lisbon, but the city has so much charm and the old town is really close to the beach, so you can just walk there and enjoy the sun. The city also has a lot of small rooftop bars that would be just perfect to celebrate my birthday at (only two weeks left).

Soon, we’ll have our final exams and even though the material is not that hard to learn, it still takes up a lot of my time. I have two written exams and one oral exam and considering that it will only account for a “Wahlpflicht” module in Germany, it is quite a lot. Therefore, I just write a little entry today and I’ll be back with a longer one the next time.