After the Storms

Back in this post we mentioned an essay which identified these common traits of Portuguese work culture: 

• Honor-based shame avoidance 
• High-context indirectness 
• Hierarchical authority preservation 
• Liability-averse bureaucratic instinct 

There is a weekly English newsletter here called Portugal Decoded, written by a native Portuguese who speaks flawless English, and it basically said the same thing in the context of the response to the recent string of storms and floods here.  According to the article, government response has been fragmented and ineffective because of the same cultural characteristics described above.  Rather than having one central authority to make decisions and take action, for example, there are dozens of administrative silos each reluctant to do anything because they may be violating a hierarchy or sticking their neck out which could lead to liability and shame.  There was too much pointing fingers and asking for opinions, and emergency response often didn't get done.  The interior minister has resigned as a result.  We thought this corroboration was very interesting.

We can see the effect in our daily transactions sometimes too.  When we lived back in the apartment in Gaia we bought an office chair and some other stuff.  When we got home we realized that they had forgotten to give us the advertised discount on the chair.  We went back to the store and showed them the error.  We were cheerful and pleasant; this stuff happens, no problem.  Three clerks gathered around the receipt, silently, and someone got the manager.  There was a quiet discussion and the manager stiffly presented us with the discount amount in cash.  They were all very uncomfortable and there was no apology or smiling.  We thought it was a little odd at the time, but now it makes more sense.

By the way, don't be concerned if you see "frango inteiro com miúdos" (whole chicken with little kids) on your package of chicken from the Portuguese supermarket.  Miúdos also means "giblets".  It is a mystery why they use the same word for "little kids" and "giblets".

Our house water pump valve started clacking too frequently, again, like it was doing shortly after we moved in a year or so ago.  This time Gerrit and his sidekick Gemini re-pressurized the expansion vessel without having to call in a plumber.  He reports that it was pretty easy.  If we have to do this once a year it's fine, but if it gets worse it will be time for a new expansion tank.

Gerrit just got his approval for his Portuguese driver's license transfer on Monday Feb. 16.  It was a piece of cake for Pat to set up her transfer appointment and receive her actual license in the mail, so we're hoping it will be as smooth for Gerrit.

Pat found a great recipe which is now a workhorse in our dinner stable.  It's a spicy curry with chick peas, pumpkin puree, spices, and rice.  Contact her if you want the full recipe, we think it's great.

On Friday Feb 20 the weather started shaping up and drying out, expected to be nice for a few days.  The following day was beautiful and spring-like, and we went to Ponte de Lima for an agricultural fair at the Expolima exhibition hall near downtown.  We watched a local traditional band in the main town square first:

Then as we wandered a bit a friend of ours called out from a shop.  He is a native Portuguese named António who comes to our expat meetings now and then, and owns a jewelry store near the town square.  It was established in 1903, and António is the fourth generation to operate it.  They carry hundreds of articles, mostly in gold, hand crafted filigree in the old Portuguese style.  The detail and craftsmanship are really exquisite.  Since our anniversary is coming up in a couple months, we found a beautiful set of earrings for Pat.  They are "hearts of Viana", a characteristic offset heart shape which is found throughout the Minho region (far northern Portugal, where we live).  Gerrit will hide them so Pat can pretend to be surprised on May 8.

Then we made our way to the Expolima exhibition hall, where there were some animals, some agricultural booths, specialty agricultural lectures being given, and some street food.  It had been a great morning, getting out in the fresh air and sunshine after weeks of storms.  We had some lunch, picked up some local foods, and headed home.

Pat and the tiny pony

Fresh local organic vegetables

(As usual, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, scroll through them all, and click outside a photo when you're done.  Also, you can click on the bold underlined phrases to play the audio)

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