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Portugal just celebrated a national holiday, Freedom Day. April 25th commemorates when a relatively peaceful revolution, known as the Carnation Revolution, toppled the dictatorship in 1974. Unfortunately, this year’s festivities were subdued due to the coronavirus restrictions.

However, at the 1500 hour (3:00pm) people sang Grândola Vila Morena (a song which was banned during the dictatorship), from their balconies. “Em cada esquina um amigo. Em cada rosto a igualdade” (“At every corner a friend, in each face the equality”) were a couple of the more threatening verses, apparently.

Freedom Day is one of the biggest holidays of the year, under normal circumstances. It is similar to Independence Day in America. If you are a history buff, you know that it is quite rare that a revolution happens without a lot of violence and bloodshed. The Portuguese are very proud of that historical event, as well they should be.

Things to do After the Revolution

It is a rather poor segue from a revolution to my new hobby, but I will come back to the revolution at the end of this blog. It is definitely more boring to be isolated in one’s apartment than to be out in the streets overthrowing a dictator, or celebrating the occasion. Most of us are simply trying to find things to do during this isolation.

This is a picture I took from my drone, of Igreja de Santo André, behind our apartment in Mafra. This church is about 800 years old, built upon Roman ruins. This drone is my new hobby.

I must admit, I’ve never really had a hobby. As an entrepreneur, I enjoyed starting small businesses, sometime ill-advised. I guess that was my hobby. But I finally decided to try out a hobby by buying a drone. I asked a friend of mine, who happens to sell multi-million dollar drones to the military, for advice.

Following his suggestions, and watching a lot of YouTube videos, I bought a DJI Mavic Mini. Coming in at under $600, it was a minuscule fraction of the cost of the systems my friend sells. And that included a couple of much needed spare batteries and some other extras. Each battery lasts just under a half hour before needing a recharge.

The first drone I purchased online last month. I bought it from a large store that didn’t specialize in drones, or anything in particular. I had to return it because I couldn’t get it to sync up with the controller. So that set me back a few weeks.

The second drone I bought online from a DJI drone store. I had the same problem, but this time I had someone who answered every question I had. If you are buying a drone, definitely buy from a store that specializes in drones!

So, I finally got my drone in flying mode and I started by flying it in our apartment. Later, I read the instructions which said, Do Not Fly in Your Home While Learning. I should have read the instructions first, but I never do. I am far too impulsive and impatient for that. I am a trial by error kind of guy.

My Bloody Experience with a New Hobby

On my initial flight, inside the apartment, the drone flew into the closet and I couldn’t navigate it back out. I tried to turn it off but hadn’t learned how to do that quite yet. My only option was to grab it but my fingers accidentally grabbed it by the propellers. The results were somewhat predictable.

I did find a Do’s and Don’ts page later:
#1 Don’t fly it near a bar-b-que. Check.
#2 Don’t fly it in a grocery store. Check.
#3 Don’t stick your fingers or toes into the propellers. Half-Check. My toes are still intact.
#4 Don’t fly at high altitude in bad weather. Well, I saved that for the next day.

While the first day could have gone better, the next day was an improvement. However, it was windy when I attempted my first flight outside the apartment. It went a little too high and the wind carried it pretty far. I could barely see it anymore, so I clicked the Return to Home button. But the drone was fighting too hard against the wind.

For a rather inexpensive toy (too expensive to lose, though), this drone is pretty damn smart. The verbal instructions on my app were telling me that the wind was too strong, and that I should lower the altitude. Both things are common sense, which I sometimes lack. I finally did get it back and decided to call it a day. Maybe I should get in a few minutes of Portuguese study instead. Much safer, but not nearly as much fun!

The bandaged finger picture, next to my bloody finger, was included so that I could brag about my fingernails. I have been a nail biter since I was 12 years old. But the coronavirus scare finally got me to stop biting my nails. It’s a nasty habit even in the best of times, and I’ve kicked the habit. Who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks?

Why Do People Bite their Nails?

If you are a nail biter, there is probably a defining moment in your life that started you with this bad habit. Why did I start biting my nails at the age of 12? Well, I had this uncle who was a tad sadistic and mean-spirited. At the age of 12, I had to start studying for my bar-mitzvah. My uncle took me aside and said, “Do you know how when you are born, you are circumcised?” “Yeah,” I answered. “Well, when you’re bar-mitzvahed, they cut the rest off.”

Of course, I knew this wasn’t true. However, as a 12-year-old boy entering puberty, there was a gray area of subconscious doubt about what it actually meant to become a man. Not a lot of doubt, mind you, just enough for me to bite my nails for the next 57 years.

New Tagline for Portugal Expat Life

Happy to say that I am over my childhood trauma. I am feeling relatively relaxed and healed here in Portugal. On that note, I have changed the tagline under Portugal Expat Life, from “Europe’s Affordable Hawaii Alternative” to “Just Kicking Down the Cobblestones”.

On our first visit to Portugal in October of 2018, we hung out on the beaches of Lagos and it reminded me of our years living in Hawaii. However, the more that we live here, the less I relate it to Hawaii.

I wrote my “Comparing Portugal and Hawaii” blog back in December 2019. The affordable part is still quite relevant, as one can live comfortably in Portugal at a fraction of the cost of living in Hawaii. I would say that overall living expenses are probably about a quarter of Hawaii’s cost of living, generally speaking. That’s a huge difference even if I’m off by ten percent or so.

More about choosing a tagline, for those of you who have ever built, or are considering building a website, the name and tagline are important for SEO (search engine optimization). “Just kicking down the cobblestones” does nothing to help with that, and I was aware of that when considering a new tagline. However, I’m not selling anything, and my new tagline best describes how I feel here.

For years, I missed Hawaii. I didn’t feel as comfortable in the Pacific Northwest. Although it is a gorgeous part of the country, I never felt that it would be my final destination. I can finally say that I don’t miss Hawaii anymore. I still remember it fondly as a beautiful, magical place, and I have many fond memories there. But I find more contentment in Portugal now.

What is in a Name?

What you name your business or website is important. I was recently reminded that what you name your child is of equal, if not greater, importance. That revelation came to me while chatting with Lavender Sun.

A little backstory, I came to Portugal with a few pairs of glasses. I’ve managed to break them all. I ordered a new pair from Zenni Optical, out of China. Because of the coronavirus and scaled back workforce, they have been in transit for over six weeks. Currently, they are stuck somewhere in Singapore.

So, I got on a chat with Zenni’s customer service representative, Lavender Sun. While she didn’t have an actual solution to my problem, her name had a soothing effect on me. I gave her five stars after we concluded our chat even though I am no closer to getting my glasses. Chatting with Bloodred Moon might have gotten only three stars from me. Remember that when you’re naming your kids.

Regarding deliveries during the pandemic, another item that is still hung up in transit is an Easter package my wife sent to our grandkids. It has been in transit for more than a few weeks. The kids are now referring to it as their Halloween package, which I’m afraid might be more accurate by the time they receive it.

46 Years After the Carnation Revolution

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is shown here, helping distribute food to the needy. I doubt that you would have seen Portugal’s dictator, Marcello José das Neves Alves Caetano, doing that. If he had, he might not have been overthrown during the Carnation Revolution. If Marie-Antoinette hadn’t said “Let them eat cake” when she was told that her subjects had no bread, she might not have lost her head to the guillotine. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20 (hmm.. that might be a good campaign slogan in America this year).

Of course, the Portuguese are famous for being nice, whereas the French are famous for pastries. That could be the reason why the French didn’t take kindly to Marie-Antoinette’s cake remark. In a stark contrast, the Portuguese allowed their dictator to retire to a beautiful beach in Rio de Janeiro.

Setting a good example by the leader of a country is very important. In every country, people look to its leader to set the tone. I keep referring to Portugal as a sane country. That is the best way I can describe it. Hardly a day goes by where examples aren’t on full display. And it starts at the top.

The Portuguese people go out of their way to help. Our neighbor makes us masks. Our realtor friend calls to see how we’re doing. Although, I could do without him reminding us that we are in the high-risk category. I keep forgetting that I am old until he reminds me of my age group. But it’s the thought that counts.

My question is, does a country’s citizens elect a leader who best represents them? Or does a leader mold its citizens to his or her will and disposition? I have concluded that it is a bit of both. They feed off each other and can encourage each other either upward or downward. The bully pulpit is a great responsibility. Think of Churchill’s speeches and FDR’s fireside chats that gave hope, and inspired millions, during WWII. Now, contrast that with the rantings and ravings of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco during that time.

So, it is not only leaders who carry a heavy responsibility to encourage their citizens to a higher purpose. It is also the responsibility of citizens to recognize when their country deserves a sane future, as the Portuguese people did during their Carnation Revolution. And remember, HINDSIGHT IS 2020!