happysardines

My sweet lovely daughter, how did you get so big so fast? I knew this was going to happen but I think... I don't know... I just thought I would still have a couple of years ahead to prepare myself. It's wonderful to see how articulate, intelligent and beautiful you have become but it's so hard to see you getting ready to fly away. I guess deep inside I still see you as my little baby, so fragile and dependable. Please don't get me wrong. I am very proud to see you grow. The thing is I was getting used to being needed. And now, you seem to need me less and less everyday. I used to look forward to that but I am not so sure anymore. I just need some time to process it. If I sometimes seem a little lost and I take a long time to make a decision as to letting you go somewhere or do something, please try to understand. This is also new to me and I was caught completely off guard. Remember, this is my first ride too! I am trying to figure it out as we go, because, truth...

I have been a freelance Translator since 1999. I can't really say that it was something that I've always known, I mean I didn't have a special calling to become a translator. Life just presented Translation to me exactly when I was about to make my move in order to pave the way for my future. I was still in college when I was offered a huge challenge. This was in fact a big project but by then I had no idea that this experience would be such an important milestone in the story of my life. Everything I had decided so far concerning my future career was put into perspective and suddendly I wasn't so sure anymore. One day I had it all figured out and the next day I was completely lost in the middle of the ocean! When I was eighteen years old, Trucks and Busses weren't exactly my thing and when I was asked to translate a technical manual of a bus from German into Portuguese I just thought to myself, you've got to be kidding me! I had no clue about translation ...

This is the million dollar question and the answer is very simple. In Elten we've found what we were looking for: quality of life, history, nature and warmth. Elten is a German village located in NRW (North Rhine-Wetsphalia), about 4 km from the Dutch boarder. Between 1949 and 1963, Elten was part of the Netherlands, which explains why so many Dutch citizens live on this side of the boarder and why you can speak German or Dutch anywhere you go! At the centre of the village we can contemplate a 1000 year old Church, the St. Vitus Church . The King of France, Otto I , has visited Elten in 994 and, in 1812, Napoleon has stayed at the Het Oude Posthuis  when he was returning from Russia after losing the war against the russians. From my house, we can see the  Gerritzens Mühle . This mill was built at the end of the 19th century and has been restored and renovated, so it is fully operational again. It can be visited on Sundays. Trenches and fortifications  built duri...

This can sound a bit too philosophical but that's not really the idea! What I mean by that is who is behind the (mis)adventures I am about to tell you. Let's start then! We are a family of 4 plus 2. Mother, father, son, daughter, cat and caravan. Together we've left our country, Portugal, to experience a new life in Germany. As usual, things didn't go according to plan but hey, that's life, right? We just need to let it flow and embrace whatever comes our way, just welcome it with open arms or, like in my case, simply take a moment to ask yourself "WTF just happened?". Either way, don't get stuck in it. Just pick up the pieces and move on. WOW, was that deep or what? I'm on fire today! I feel so pumped up I could almost go get my vacuum cleaner and start vacuuming the floor. Gotcha! No, no, no, no. No. It will soon go away. I am just overdosing on my supplement of Vitamine D. No need to worry. I'll be back to normal in no time! Anyway, he...