Scribbles of a senior Tarheel

A line of students queuing up to drink from the Old Well on the first day of class.

I am back in Chapel Hill, three years after I first moved into the sprawling campus. Watching the freshmen finding their way around, I remember myself as a first year, pulling out my campus map when walking to classes confused and a little overwhelmed, being reminded of those first days without a bike when a walk between lectures would take me 10-15 minutes... Good times. But I am glad to be where I am at the moment. I'm still getting used to the tag "senior" since I skipped the "junior" phase in Paris where they considered me a second year student due to their school system. I keep telling myself that change is good, and so is "aging" in the college life. Although I don't have all the nuts and bolts figured out for the time after college, I feel peace about the time after graduation. Not complacency, not apathy, but a sense that everything will fall into place. For now, I shall enjoy the feeling of being a senior, which might well be my last year being part of the US university system. Although it's true that University of Florida will become my new adoptive home for at least a year until my babes graduates.

With exciting times ahead, I am tarheeling forward, looking back to only get reminded that growth is the point ;)

Pondering what's next, Portuguese airport style.

A quick hello from the Lisboa airport!

TAP is a great airline by the way, considering the relatively cheap price (long live the European recession!). They boast in the first safety instruction video starring uniquely the passengers. The whole thing, from showing you how to buckle up to how to put on the oxygen mask is explained by random travelers they snatched into the shooting booth at the airport. Young, old, girls, boys, even a lady pregnant with twins. And since I am weird, here is the video.

So, eating my pastel de nata and sipping the cheapest Portuguese bottled water I could find in the overpriced airport lounge, I can't wait to see my family to show them the ring. Although something tells me they won't be too surprised.

IT HAPPENED! Get ready for a Mrs!

I have to admit I had a slight feeling when I was first embarking on this trip that things would shuffle around with us a little bit. And they did.

We are engaged!

A few minutes before I passed through the passport control, Márcio asked a passer-by couple to take a picture of us. And there he pulls out the little black box, kneels down, and says the long-awaited sentence with a beautiful smile on his face. At first, in the wave of hugs and excitement (that explains the blur), I forgot to say yes so he had to ask again. But I mean, it was so duh!

So I found myself leaving Luanda with a ring on my finger... It had to be the index since the ring was a bit too big, but a little adjustment at the jeweler will fix it.

Anyways! I guess that means I should soon start practicing a new signature!