Refreshing Porto breezes rippled through the open windows of the Bodegas Bar that carried refrains of ACDC’s “Highway to Hell” across the room. The song couldn’t have described the comfortable, relaxed atmosphere any less, but it was almost a comforting sign for American visitors.  

 

The menu had four pages of alcoholic drinks, and one section in the back of coffee drinks that the smiling bartender quickly pointed us towards. His white teeth shone out from under his dark mustache and tanned skin, reminders that Portugal’s sun improves both complexions and attitudes.

 

Alejandro hasn’t always seen the sun rise in Portugal, however; 13 years ago, he lived in Venezuela, his native country, before moving to Aveiro, Portugal at the age of 12. His parents wanted a better life for his younger brother and himself, so they were the first of their large extended family to cross the Atlantic Ocean and a language barrier.

 

When Alejandro’s family left Venezuela in 2004, the South American country had just gone through a military coup in 2002 that devastated the constitutional government, followed by a severe oil strike from 2002-2003. This strike sent Venezuela’s economy into a recession that still affects the country today. With 2017 reports that 53% of Venezuela’s youth between 15-29 want to move abroad, Alejandro’s family made the now-popular choice to move that is now paying dividends, even through its challenges.

 

With a lilting accent, Alejandro admitted that learning Portuguese was sometimes hard. Even though there are plenty of cognate words between Spanish and Portuguese, the pronunciations and irregular verbs are just different enough to provide difficulties.

 

His proficiency in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, however, makes him a model tutor, which is his other day job when he is not working at the bar. The sparse time he has in between is spent at the gym, with friends, and at other bars.

 

Floating between the realms of academia and nightlife at age 25 have helped him narrow down his future aspirations: he wants to own his own bar in Portugal.

 

At an interlude, he placed a chocolate-sprinkled latte in front of each of us three students, and smiled knowingly when we exclaimed over the sweet taste. He laughed, saying “I love making different coffee drinks because there are [so many] ways to make new mixtures.”

 

This is the same reason he wants to open his own bar: he loves the concoctions he can make with alcoholic drinks. There’s a science to the perfect drink that can bring people together and give them a signature experience.

 

When asked what his favorite drink to make is, he quickly replies: “A mojito.” He describes mojitos as, “easy, fresh, and something everyone likes.” The fruity notes remind him of warm summers with plenty of companions nearby on the beach. He values drinks for their abilities to foster community, something he clearly feels in Portugal, as he jokes with his coworkers and waves to customers.

 

When asked if he would ever consider leaving Portugal, his brow furrowed– probably because Portugal has always seemed like the destination away from Venezuela. He says that at the moment, he is very content in Portugal, and actually, is something of an anchor for his family in Venezuela who are slowly immigrating to Portugal.

 

He states, “Europe is better for job opportunities; there are many options.”

 

With this, he looks over his shoulder at the clock, and beams at us as he returns to work. Alejandro’s dreams are grounded in Portugal because it seems for him, it is not so much where he is as which people are around him. He grounds his family, teaches his students, and provides familiarity to bargoers– he is just as much a part of Portugal as it is of him.