The Traveling Runner

First time crossing the “pond” solo

I embarked on my first solo trip (across the pond) to Lisbon, Portugal! I had been wanting to volunteer again with IVHQ (International Volunteer Headquarters), and I finally found the time in my schedule to make this experience happen!

My first volunteer experience was in 2019 in San José, Costa Rica. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to volunteer on a healthcare project. I stayed with a host family, volunteered daily at a nursing home, had all meals with my host family, and even had time to whitewater raft down a local river and zip-line! That was an unforgettable experience before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In between the last volunteer trip and now, the world changed, and my life changed. I survived the pandemic, met the love of my life, and got married! Life finally settled down enough for me to start planning another volunteer trip! Portugal was an easy choice: relatively close to home, easy (for me) to get to for a week-long duration, and the volunteer projects aligned with what I wanted to do. Once the location and project were decided, everything fell into place quite well!

My flight left Philadelphia on Friday, June 5. I worked a full day and was hoping to be very tired for the red-eye flight. What I didn’t expect that day was the amount of emotion I felt prior to departing. Once I came home from work, I was beyond nervous. I was terrified, sad, scared, unsure, and questioning every decision I was making. I knew this was going to be out of my comfort zone, but I was completely unprepared to feel such intense emotions. The heightened emotions I was experiencing did not end at the airport; it took me a while (and a glass of wine) to calm myself and remind me of the bravery and courage I have inside of me.

I landed in Lisbon, Portugal, around 9 am on June 6. Customs and immigration took about 1 to 1.5 hours to go through (it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting). Social media really prepared me for the worst. Once through customs, I easily found the metro (located opposite the arrivals hall) and took the red line from Aeroporto to Almeda; I changed to the green line and took the metro to Rossio. The metro was safe, clean, and easy to navigate, with many signs.

I had a 5-minute walk from the metro station at Rossio to my hotel, Browns Central Hotel. I highly recommend staying here; it’s close to everything the city has to offer, and the rooms were cozy, spacious, and clean. When I checked in, my room was surprisingly ready. I immediately took an hour-long power nap. I was energized when I woke up, ready to take on the city. I first set out to find some lunch/brunch. I found this lovely spot called Chez Bea – Specialty Coffee & Creperie. I had the brunch special that included granola, fruit, toast with honey and butter, scrambled eggs, and three small pancakes. No breakfast is complete without a shot of espresso! It was delicious and was exactly what I needed to improve my mood and my energy level.

After brunch, I set off on a self-discovery walking tour. I hiked up to the neighborhood of Alfama. I have never seen such crazy hills! I walked past Castelo de S. Jorge, Lisbon Cathedral, and saw one of the most beautiful lookout points in the city, Miradouro do Recolhimento. This is a smaller lookout spot compared to the two others I visited, but definitely worth your time. I ventured to the Graça neighborhood. I’d recommend getting lost in the streets as I did. The streets are mostly pedestrian, so you can stroll without the fear of cars. June is a popular festival month in Lisbon. The entire month of June is dedicated to street parties throughout the country, including Lisbon. The streets are also decorated with colorful ribbons and banners, making the festival locations hard to miss! The parties start after the sun goes down!

I ended my venture through Graça at Miradouro da Graça. This beautiful lookout gave me a bird’s-eye view of the city and skyline. There was also a cable car (Funicular da Graça) that will take you 78 meters from the bottom to the top. It departs every 10 minutes and holds 14 passengers. The journey is only 90 seconds long!

After a short break at the hotel, I ventured out again to Pink Street. It was a small street with big party energy. There are umbrellas hanging from above, and the street is literally pink. I will be honest; I was expecting a longer street! I strolled toward the waterfront and caught a glimpse of some artists. One artist painted and stacked rocks, while another artist created formations in the sand. Some examples include a rhino and a cheetah. The formations looked so real and authentic! I continued my stroll along the ocean and found many bars with outdoor seating and discovered a running/walking/biking trail.

Through overhearing many conversations throughout the day, I came to know there was going to be a Pride Month parade beginning at 4:30 pm. I was fortunate enough to catch the tail end of the parade at 7 pm! The parade was full of life, excitement, and wonderful energy. I felt honored to have been part of the parade; it was truly a beautiful moment.

I had grand plans to eat at a cozy wine bar for dinner. I researched my options and planned a whole little excursion to the restaurants. Once I read the menus at two different wine bars, I decided these cute little spots were not for me. Most items on the menu included seafood or fish, which I do not like. I ended up settling for an Italian restaurant, La Vita e Bella. Amazing food with good service and good energy. It was a great way to wrap up my day!

The next morning, I had grand plans to go for a run and see Castelo de S. Jorge. However, when my alarm went off at 7 am, my body had other plans. I decided to catch up on jet lag and skip out on Castelo de S. Jorge. I managed to get a 2-mile run in before I had to check out of the hotel. I decided to head to this cute spot for brunch called Breakfast Lovers in the Chiado neighborhood. It was a great breakfast complete with views of Tram 28 passing by! After brunch, I decided to walk about Chiado. I found Green Street (a short street full of beautiful plants and flowers) and explored Time Out Market. Time Out Market is a large venue that has many food options, as well as locals selling/showcasing their personal effects. I saw many locals showing off their card collections, coin collections, and other collectibles they were proud of! If only I spoke Portuguese; I’d love to ask these locals questions about their prized possessions.

After returning to the hotel to retrieve my bags, I headed to the Roma-Areeiro train station to meet the volunteer group, ImpacTrip. They arrived early and took me to the hostel, located in Estoril. Once I checked in and was shown my bed and space, I set out to the beach with two fellow volunteers (one from the US and one from France). The beach is a five-minute walk from the hostel. It was nice but very crowded. The water temperature was the coldest ocean temperature I have ever felt. But that didn’t seem to stop many people from enjoying the water, sand, and sun! I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area with another volunteer.

The first full day, Monday, began with breakfast and orientation. Orientation consisted of project overviews, hostel rules, a plan for the day and week, and staff introductions. It was very thorough but concise! Following lunch, the new volunteers for the week embarked on a trip to Lisbon. We took the local train from São João do Estoril to Cais do Sodré (the train station in Lisbon near the ocean). From there, we took a Tuk-Tuk tour around the Graça and Alfama neighborhoods. The highlight of the tour was the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. This was my favorite viewpoint out of the three I went to. You could see most of the city from this vantage point. The tour lasted approximately one hour. After, I took the train back to the hostel from Lisbon.

The first day of volunteering started early! We were notified via WhatsApp that our placement would be at the Amiama animal shelter in the neighboring town of Lisbon, Amadora. We took one train from São João do Estoril to Algés. Once at Algés, we met Anna, who showed us how to take the bus to the shelter. We took the 1715 bus in the direction of Mira Sintra (Mercado). We got off at the stop Canil Municipal Amadora and walked across the street to the shelter. Overall, the commute took roughly one hour. It went by fast and was easy to use! The buses and trains were so clean!

The dog shelter was relatively large, mostly all outdoors. In each cage, there was a small covered house-like area where the dogs could rest out of the daylight. The shelter had dogs separated by small, medium, and large sizes. When we arrived, the one (yes, only one employee works there) was cleaning out the cages of the puppies. We had the opportunity to play with the puppies while the cage was being cleaned. The puppies were so fun and full of energy! They were jumping, playing with my shoes and shoelaces, and licking my face and arms. We cleaned the paws of the puppies before placing them back in their cages. Next up were the medium-sized dogs. We learned which dogs can mingle together and which dogs cannot. We first let out about 4-5 dogs while we learned the process for cleaning the cages: removing beds/blankets, water/food bowls, cleaning up the dog poop, hosing the cages with water, scrubbing the floor with soap, rinsing the soap, and letting it air dry. While the dogs were out of their cages, we played with them and gave them all the love! It was interesting to observe how they spent their time when they were out of the cage. Many jumped in and out of other dogs’ cages or just sat in the sun. We took turns letting dogs out of their cages, cleaning their cages, feeding them, and playing with them. Our shift was three hours long from 10 am to 1 pm; those three hours went by so fast!

After our first day of volunteering, two other fellow volunteers and I went to the beach. It was so windy! So much sand was blowing on my face and all over the place, but the sun felt so warm! I almost lost my hat many times! I ended up coming back to the hostel after about two hours to shower and get ready for dinner!

The hostel is a warm and cozy place. When you enter through the backdoor, you are greeted by a large fish tank with no fish in it (I never really got the full story about that). To the direct right is a stairwell to the basement and a stairwell to the second and third floors. In the basement, that is where the men’s dormitories are located. The second floor houses the women’s dormitories along with a communal bathroom. On the first floor, there was a beautiful wrap-around porch with tables and chairs. Also onn the main level of the hostel is the dining room where our orientation was held and where all meals are served. The hostel was well-staffed with individuals assisting with meal preparation/cleanup, managing reception, and cleaning the rooms, including the common spaces.

Each women’s dormitory hosts 10 women. Each bunk bed has a locker-type drawer under the bottom bunk that allows you to fit your suitcase and personal belongings. The locker can be locked using a personal lock to ensure your items are kept safe during the day and night. In my room, 8 out of 10 beds were occupied. Hostel living definitely takes some time to get used to. It was not much different from college living! A smile and a friendly face made this hostel easy to live in.

The second day of volunteering started off with an altered train and bus schedule due to Portugal Day, which is celebrated annually on June 10. This is a day when many people have off from work, children have off from school, etc. It is a day when locals celebrate their culture! Luckily, I was still able to volunteer at the shelter. We did much of the same tasks that we did on day one. We took the initiative to complete the same tasks, asked for assistance as needed from the shelter staff member, and most importantly, played with the dogs. I felt like the dogs were more playful this day than the day before. We tried to keep them out of their cages as long as we could. One dog played fetch with us for at least 30 minutes. It was so heartwarming and rewarding!

After our shift, I ended up having to take an Uber from the shelter to Algés because I ran out of money on my reloadable public transit card. Luckily, the bus driver on the way to the shelter let me ride the bus despite not having the fare. I reloaded my card after the shift at Algés station and waited for the other girls to arrive. We then took the train back to the hostel for lunch. After lunch, we walked to Cascais, the town next to where the hostel is located. Cascais is also known as the Portuguese Riviera; it is approximately a 30-minute walk from Estoril. It is a beautiful, upscale town right on the water. We explored the town full of shops, restaurants, and attractions. We visited Boca do Inferno, also known as the devil’s mouth. It is a giant rock formation created by the large waves of the Atlantic Ocean. When the season and timing are just right, it creates a powerful show of waves and seafoam. From Boca do Inferno, we walked to Forte de Santa Marta, which is a large lighthouse located on the coast. We walked through a small museum that was free to the public. Additionally, you are free to climb to the top of the lighthouse, but it is only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm and 2:30 pm to 4 pm. Unfortunately, we did not visit within that time frame. From the lighthouse, you can also view a small inlet that provides peaceful beach swimming when the tide is high. Unfortunately, our timing was not ideal, and we visited during low tide. We continued walking along the coast and through the town to the chain grocery store Auchan. Apparently, Auchan is also located in France. It reminded me of the USA’s Walmart or Target—just a store where you can get everything. After a long afternoon of walking, we opted to take the train back to our station stop, São João do Estoril; it takes approximately 6 minutes by train.

The third day of volunteering went so well! We were slightly late arriving at the shelter as one bus did not come, so we were left waiting a long time for the bus to arrive. When we arrived, we started cleaning our usual area: the small dogs. We had so much fun playing with them, and we tried to keep them out of their cages as long as we could. Thursday is when the primary shelter worker is off, so there was a substitute there directing us as needed. He does things differently than the primary worker does, but we adjusted quickly. We finished all of our tasks quickly today, so we left about 15 minutes earlier than usual. Some of the volunteers were able to take some of the dogs for a walk! In the afternoon, after our project and returning to the hostel for lunch, three other volunteers and I went to the beach for the afternoon/early evening. The wind from earlier in the week finally subsided, so today was very warm and perfect beach weather!

The fourth day of volunteering was beautiful. The dogs recognized us and learned to expect us daily. They were more comfortable around us and would start to cuddle or jump as soon as they were let out of their cages. I have grown quite attached to their personalities. They are beautiful souls just trying to navigate their home/environment. Some are more trusting than others; some need time and space to trust you, and some just want to be left alone. I loved every dog I was able to help throughout the week. They all brought so many unique characteristics that I looked forward to seeing every day. I couldn’t help but draw the parallel between the dogs and people. We all just want to be loved, accepted, and taken care of. I am convinced loneliness is a feeling that affects both dogs and people. Providing time, love, and energy to the dog shelter this week helped me regain perspective on human and animal connection. I found connection with the dogs, the other volunteers in my hostel, and the locals working in the community. Connection is a feeling, a smile, body language, and generally unaffected by a language barrier. When I return home, I’m going to take more time to breathe, connect, listen, and smile. Connection is what makes the world go around, and I can definitely be better!