A Letter...

I've officially lived in Portugal for over a year...which seems entirely impossible. In celebration, I wrote a thank you letter to the country I've called home for 12 months....

Dear Portugal,
I don't even know where to begin. It sounds ridiculous to say it, but thank you. Thank you for patient people that smile. Thank you for loving tourists, Americans, and English. Thank you for introducing me to pasteis, roundabouts, a galão, and a million other things that I've been blessed to consider normal for the past year. Thank you for teaching me what diversity really looks like. Thank you for gently showing me that much of the world views things very differently than the majority of my family and friends...and that "different" isn't bad. It's simply different. Thank you for making me feel alive again...and reviving desires in my heart that were nearly dead.
I don't know how things will end between us... But know I'll always love you...and that wherever I end up, if it isn't with you, part of my heart will always long to be.

Love,
Erin

:)