yesterday i celebrated my grandma’s 95th birthday. ninety. five. what a life.
to my friends who keep saying “we’re old” - please. this is old. and honestly? i hope i also get 60 more years to enjoy, complain about back pain and new things, and still be curious about the world.
i can’t stop thinking about everything she’s seen.
she grew up in a small portuguese village with 9 siblings and no electricity.
no fridge. no wifi. no sushi nights, google maps or group chats.
fast forward to today and she has her own cellphone. and (kind of) understands what the internet is.
that we can work from our desks (and, sometimes, from a van, random café or even another country) and get paid for it.
that we can live in a country without speaking the language.
that we can fly to another country for the price of a fancy dinner.
all this probably feels like science fiction for her.
when i was little, i’d spend my summer holidays in her village.
instead of supermarkets, different food trucks would pass by selling bread, greens, meat and canned goods. you’d hear them before you saw them. that was grocery shopping.
and here’s the wild part: they still do.
i go back often, usually when i need a break from the city and some nature time. and some people never left. they just grew older. and now they can’t always walk to the nearest market, so the market comes to them.
she used to walk three hours to the next village to trade extra food for what she needed.
today, we walk into a supermarket and everything is there.
all the time. in every season. even if it travelled halfway across the world to reach that shelf. perspective hits differently when i think about it.
she moved to porto in her 20s. she knew progress arrives slowly to remote places (even if they’re not so remote anymore), and she wanted more. she wanted a better life.
that decision is the reason i was born here.
so this week i’m feeling nostalgic, grateful and strangely hopeful.
if one lifetime can hold that much change, imagine what’s still ahead of us.
i’ll be away for a couple of weeks, so i’ve stretched the calendar (and the intro) a little.
enjoy the sun when it comes, try something new, be extra kind to the eldest (and honestly, to everyone), and i’ll be back soon with more 🌞
🗓 what’s on this week
thu 19
💻 9am coworking thursday at loc studio
💻 9am focus work club - freelancers at look sharp
🧶 4pm scrap rug upcycling workshop (4€) at casa da horta
🧗 5pm bouldering meetup at são rock
💼 6pm biz & buzz #07: your after-work connection (15€) at letraria downtown
🎬 7pm porto.anim: showcase of portuguese animation (3) at fisga
📚 7pm feel-good books meetup at fábrica da picaria
🎹 7pm deep listening club: piano concert at lovers & lollypops
💃 8pm bachata, salsa group for all! at furiosa dance studio
🎶 9:30pm aboubacar syla concert at casa da música café
fri 20
🍾 5pm porto vibe coding meetup. from idea to working product at nope bar
🍄 6pm eat and draw: mushroom edition (20€) at casa da horta
💃 6:30pm conscious dance (20€) at healing house
🍷 7pm drink & draw at capela incomum
🍷 7pm book tasting: wines and books, perfectly paired (30€) at fisga
🏛️ 7pm civilisations that influenced the portuguese culture at coop99
🎉 7:30pm unstrangers 1st anniversary party (13€) at lava run
🥂 9pm new in porto club: meet new people in a new city at look sharp
🍻 9:56pm free international pubcrawl w/ local guides at the box
sat 21
👟 10am founders running club at jardim do morro
🎳 12pm social bowling | meet new people in your 30’s (17€) at sould park
⛩️ 12pm painting miniatures workshop (15€) at portal in
🍽️ 12:30pm brunch party at fino golf club
🎨 2pm sketching and painting meetup at jeronymo trindade
🀄 2:30pm mahjong meetup at temporada
🖋️ 3pm draw like a master art workshop (25€) at suribachi
🎉 4pm happy birthday lingamor party at mercado bom sucesso
🎬 4pm la la land movie screening at auditório antónio macedo, valongo
🐴 6:30pm mongolian lunar new year celebration at lukal
🍫 7:30pm tea & chocolate pairing (20€) at the atelier
🍷 7:50pm wine and chocolate pairing event (35€) at bistro 240
🎤 9pm comedy night (3€) at look sharp
sun 22
🧘 9am morning sightseeing jog through the romantic route from ribeira
👣 10:15am porto 10000 steps walk from casa da música
🧘♀️ 11am yoga class and immersive sound experience by porto yoga club
💃🏾 2pm afro-fusion dance workshop (15€) at bamuzuntamon
🧗 3pm bouldering meetup at são rock
🥁 3pm ecstatic dance (30€) at escola bailado fátima valle da veiga
🎭 3pm carnival parade at centro comercial stop
🎲 3:15pm vegan board gamers at baomerang
🍼 4pm baby swap market at svet space
🍷 5pm great tuga quiz at embaixada do porto
mon 23
💻 6pm sword | internal ai tech talk at sword health
📚 7pm the book club: blindness by josé saramago (5€) at fisga
🗣️ 7:30pm falas português? | speaking club with a native (10€) at mercado bom sucesso
tue 24
🗣️ 6pm a2 portuguese | speaking club with a native (10€) at mercado bom sucesso
🎺 6:30pm solo musical performance (5€) at studio sparks
🎲 6:30pm boardgames and beer at letraria downtown
📚 7pm booked&busy bookclub: on earth we’re briefly gorgeous at garden balthazar
♟️ 7pm social chess games at nope bar
wed 25
🥐 9am community breakfast at dehouse península
🧑💻10am digital nomads porto coworking day + afterwork drinks
🎮 6pm gaming:press startup meetup at uptec
✍️ 6pm wednesday write night at capela incomum
🎶 7:30pm ukelele workshop for beginners (donation) at jubilant
🍺 8pm quiz & beer night at letraria downtown
💬 8pm beyond money : part iii : ownership | power vs access | progress at look sharp
🍽️ 8:30pm dinner with strangers (4€)
until sun 22
🛍️ let’s swap market at marshopping
🍫 12-11pm chocolate market in matosinhos
➡️ curation beyond this week
thu 26
💼 11am get funded meetup at uptec
💻 7pm porto future tech - casual networking at fábrica da picaria
💻 6pm #5 meetup portugal.vue at porto innovation hub
🎶 9:30pm miguel dinis concert at casa da música café
fri 27
💻 5pm porto vibe coding meetup. from idea to working product at nope bar
🍽️ 8:00 pm analog dinner club: phone free dinner (12€)
sat 28
💬 11am business talks & brunch (10€) at nola 2.0
🍽️ 12:30 pm all-you-can-eat buffet & social (12€) at verde hut
🛍️ 2pm sábado feira art market at maus hábitos
🚶3pm winter rituals with culture, food and a good walk at jardins do carregal
💰 6pm bitcoin meetup in porto at french fries factory
until sat 28
🛍️ moake vintage market at rua santa catarina 375
sun 1
🖼️ 10-1pm serralves museum open visits for residents
🔦 local spotlight
tiny kitchen is a small and cozy brunch spot that feels like a hidden neighborhood gem. it’s the kind of place you want to go for sunrise treats and end up on a slow catch-up with a friend. they’re open from friday to tuesday, from 9:30h to 16h, making it perfect for relaxed mornings, mid-day brunch plans or even a solo laptop session with good coffee and sunlight coming through the window.
até já,
sara
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