Traveling once again…and um knowing Portuguese helps!
I spent the better half of Sunday traveling from SFO to BOS. I left SFO without a hitch at 12 midnight and made it to Houston safely to catch my connecting flight. Although, I came to find out my flight was delayed. I eventually boarded my flight and began my typical routine of quieting the world with my Bose headphones and fingering through the inflight magazine. Silence was interrupted when my Bose noise cancelling headphones could not cancel out the loud voices. I take off my headphones and listen and watch as two girls, probably in their early 20s, loudly and aggressively speaking with a 70+ year-old lady. The lady was replying in a different language very faintly and I can hear the girls talk louder and louder and slower as if that would make a difference. Of course this situation is causing a traffic jam of eager passengers trying to get onto their seats. I’ve always been curious as to why people speak really loud to someone who can’t understand the language as if yelling can translate their words. Hmmm, well I think maybe our brains can read emotion and body language which is probably the universal language, that may be the reason why we S-P-E-A-K–R-E-A-L-L-Y–L-O-U-D and aNiMaTE our FaCEs!
When I realize the old lady was replying in Portuguese, I stepped in and asked if I could help. So, yea I translated and apparently the old lady sat in the wrong seat in first class. She tells me I don’t understand why they keep yelling at me and shoving their ticket on my face. I helped her find her seat in the main cabin and she goes , “voce e um saint” but you speak really funny are you from Macau? lol. I was like no I just have really great friends. Then it dawned on me I can have some Portuguese food in Providence! There definitely is a reward for good deeds.
All in all I spent about 15 hours of my life flying into Boston only to spend an additional 2 hours stuck in Boston Logan airport traffic. On a side note, BOS really need to redo their roads and separate airport shuttle traffic from the car drivers who find it necessary to stop in the middle lanes to wait for whomever they are picking up.
An hour later, I’m dropped off at the National car rental to pick up a car. I love how with National you don’t have to speak to anyone. You just choose a car, hand your Emerald card and drive off. Yup, off I go to Providence or East Providence, to be exact. I reach my destination, check-in and crash onto the comfy bed at the Sheraton and sink into a deep sleep. I woke up with a stomach ache starving for food and remembering that this area has a big Portuguese population. I had my mission — to go find some grub. I drove around aimlessly without much help from my GPS as these roads are just like the nightmare roads of Boston. I luckily found the Riviera Restaurant and sat down with excitement as I haven’t had Portuguese food since June. The food was good. It was much better than the one place I discovered in San Jose, CA but definitely not to the caliber of Newark, NJ Portuguese restaurants. I had sangria, frango no churrasco, paella, camarao mozambique and topped it off with a double shot of espresso. Yes, I did eat a lot at this sitting as I feared it might be some time before I can get to have decent Portuguese food again.