Hello!

I'm sorry to have disappeared off the face of the earth! I'm still alive. I've been in Lisbon for over a month now, which is hard to believe. I semi speak Portuguese---as in, really no grammar, but I get my point across. 

AND, big news, I have a job!!!! A full-time teaching contract with International House Lisbon until the end of June. Can you believe it? I finished a pretty intensive one month teacher training course, and got the contract immediately after--the day I finished. I'm still stunned at how easy it's been. Then again, the hard part comes on Thursday, when I actually have to teach. I'm teaching 18 hours a week, to kids, teens, and adults. I think it'll be fun. I've also been researching some African dance classes (Megan & Rosie, are you still dancing? Do you have time to?), so I'm hoping to squeeze those in somewhere. Lisbon is actually really cool for African dance because of the huge Angolan, Cabo Verdian, and Mozambican (spelling?) immigrant communities. So there are mainstream discos here that play Kizomba and Fulana and all this other African music that I'd never even heard of before.

So, life feels pretty good at the moment. I can't quite get used to the idea of not being able to just pick and go anymore. I'd kind of liked the feeling of just "trying Lisbon out". But Brazil is in the future somewhere, and then there's always Santo Domingo...and Cuba...so many places to go!

Oh, and last little bit of news: I cut my hair! (That's why there's the huge photo at the top...) I know, it's silly. But I got this incredible urge to chop it all off, and it just wouldn't go away. So on the last day of the course I walked into the first salon I found and told them to cut it chin-length. The guy refused (typical!) because he said it wouldn't look good, so he cut almost chin-length (love that you have to compromise with your stylist...). It feels so good! And maybe makes me look a little more Portuguese...?

Anyway, love you guys. Sorry I'm so terrible at keeping up to date, but I do think of you all tons. In fact, I met Martin (Aguilera) yesterday for coffee, since he's in Lisbon on a Fulbright, and Amherst nostalgia kept trickling in to our conversation. Plus, our Christmas card is the only photo decorating my room so far, so you all know that you have a special place in my heart!

Love, 

Hannah

Pictures from the beach (I go almost every weekend, since it's only a 20 minute train ride away!) with my roommate, Nina, who's from Brazil, and a friend, Thomas, from France.