Go to 2719 Stuart, Berkeley. Instead of walking up the four steps that take you to the front door of the main house, turn right, walk past the Honda SUV that is parked there and turn left. As soon as you pass through the wooden gate, you can see a little cottage in the right corner of the backyard. That's were I live now. It is a tiny two-floors wooden house, very cute. Downstairs, it has a small toilet with shower, a kitchen with a table and two chairs where I have breakfast everyday, and a small individual couch that I don't think I will ever use. Upstairs, there is a cute, cute, cute big bedroom, with a queen size bed, a closet, a wardrobe, a couch and a desk. There are windows all around and the furniture is very feminine. All in all, I live in a little dolls house at the moment.
How did this happen? How did I get this lucky? As I told you before, a few weeks after arriving in Berkeley, I decided to go introduce myself to Professor Miguel Villas-Boas, as my uncle Tó suggested. I found him at his office in Haas Business School, introduced myself and he invited me to have dinner with his family at their place right away. From then on, Sofia - his lovely and energetic wife - kept inviting me to have dinner with them every once in a while. They even met Pedro, Mom and Dad, whenever they came visit me in Berkeley. They have been super nice to me. Do you know that feeling of friendship and confidence you feel with people with your nationality when you are living abroad? As soon as I got to know them, it seemed that we had known each other for a long time.
Miguel and Sofia have three kids, Vasco, Diogo and Zé Maria, who are now kind of young siblings to me. They are all very different but all great kids. Vasco is a mature and responsible kid, quite shy, just like his dad. He's the perfect son. Diogo and Zé Maria are the funniest kids on earth. I once took Diogo to have an ice cream after dinner. When I took Pedro to their place for dinner for the first time, Diogo said to Pedro "Marta took me to have an ice cream the other day but don't worry, nothing happened!" He is 12 or 13 years old!!!!! Hahaha.
Going back to how I got so lucky and ended up having an entire little house for me... Every time I went to their place to have dinner with them, Sofia told me that I could sleep over anytime I was feeling homesick and that any friend or family member visiting me could stay there too. As soon as I realized I would be kicked out of ihouse on May 22nd, I asked her if they would mind that I spent four weeks with them before going back home. She said that I would be more than welcome. I thought I would be sleeping in an extra room they have downstairs but, since they are not renting the cottage to anyone in May and June, they let me stay there.
I don't live with 589 international people anymore, but now I have family meals, I receive good morning and good night kisses everyday and I can speak Portuguese all the time. Not bad, uh? It is actually very good. Mom, Dad and me are going to be eternally thankful to the great Villas-Boas family.
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