The ups and downs of living in ajuda

The ups and downs of living in ajuda

Meaning help or aid* in Portuguese, my neighborhood invokes love and pain in equal measure. With just as many hills as the rest of Lisbon I couldn't think of a better title than the one given.

The positives

Living here I am surrounded by Portuguese people that generally don't speak much English, something hard to find in Lisbon (and something I see as a positive). Living next to a 90 year old is something many would find annoying, but she speaks Portuguese and I find it cool to chat with her, despite about only 20% communiction, the rest goes over my head and heads into Belem.

The area has fantastic views, fresh air, no traffic, very little noise and I subsequently feel relaxed here, when I'm not stressing about work.

The area benefits from tram and bus and is calm and tranquil. It's amazing in the sun and at night. Added bonuses include (and if you frequent my blog often you may have seen the friendly chaps) local lizards that inhabit the nearby pavement walls. Saying hello to them every afternoon is not something to be sniffed at, it's really nice.And no, I'm not a travel agent.

The Portuguese banter on the local trams is also nice. Note to self, stop using the n word, nice. Must use other adjectives, says the English teacher. Anywho, it's good being here.

The downsides

After 10pm it can be quite annoying getting back to Ajuda. Getting lost was almost part of my daily routine in the first few weeks. Wrong bus. Right bus, wrong direction. Right bus, getting off at the wrong stop. Darkness plaguing the international bum trying hard to decipher which roundabout to get off at. That's another downer, fine in the day, but the tens of hundreds of roundabouts near Ajuda do make it hard to spot my stop at night. So yeh, it's been tailored down from a hefty 2 hour commute, post 10pm, to about an hour. Just about manageable.

Fidning shops aint easy, and there isn't as much choice as if I lived in the centre,...


THE CONCLUSION

Despite the downsides,... the sunsets, local people and lizards make it all worthwhile!!.....