The Primadonnas

Silvia Dias interviewing Maria João Troia

1. Was it difficult for you to leave Canada and adapt to the portuguese way of life?
Yes, it was because I was used to one way of life that is completely different to the portuguese way of life. My worst problem was the language because when I got here I didn´t speak well at all and also the culture is so different, people here are so free with life, sometimes a little too free, so it was hard to adapt at first. It was very difficult to leave Canada because I had to leave my friends behind.

2. Was it difficult to find a job, because of the language problem?
No, it wasn´t actually. I thought it would be because everyone said that Portugal was a bad country in terms of jobs, but after two weeks of landing in Lisbon, I started working at Pull and Bear.

3. What do you enjoy the most and dislike the most about Portugal/Lisbon?
What I like the most are the places and the people, I love Baixa-Chiado and all the castles, it´s something you just don´t find in Toronto. I like the people because everyone is so free and you make friends really easily. I also like it here because now I have my boyfriend here and I was getting sick of the long-distant relationship. What I dislike the most about Portugal is the fact that the people are so pessimistic. Nothing is ever good enough in this country. They talk so many bad things that they don´t stop to see what a beautiful country they live in and that as long as someone wants to do something, they can.

4. Which is the course that you’re taking and why did you choose it?
I´m taking Languages, Literature and Cultures - English and North American Literature. When I was in Canada I was looking up courses in Portugal, even though I had been accepted at a University in Toronto with World History, and I came by this course and thought it was interesting so then all of a sudden I decided that I didn´t want to be a History Major and that I wanted to be an English Major in a different country.

5. What do you intend to do after finishing the course?
Well I don´t really know what I want to do after finishing my course, I know that I want to do my Master´s Degree but in terms of work...I have no idea.

6. I suppose that you like to read so...which is your favourite book?
I´m a nerd, so my favourite book, or play in this case, is Hamlet by William Shakespeare. I really believe in the power of words. But a more recent favourite of mine is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

7. And how about music...favourite band or artist?
I don´t really have a favourite type of music but my favourite artists are Bob Marley and Jack Johnson. As for my favourite band, My Chemical Romance and Hedley(Canadian band).

8. Which was the last band concert that you assisted?
Well I went to Sudoeste in August and I saw Goldfrapp, The Prodigy, and elements of the band Sublime. It was amazing. I only went there for one night and I didn´t sleep at all but it was so worth it and the best part was that the day I got back was my birthday party and everyone was all smiley and happy and I was the birthday girl and half asleep.

9. Now... a different type of question...what do you see yourself doing, or how do you imagine yourself, in ten years?
This is a hard one because I´m always changing my mind on everything. But hopefully, I´ll be finished with University and working a stable job (whatever that may be), still be with my boyfriend, and hopefully seen a lot of the world...my dream is to travel.

10. Oh you just answered to a future question..so you’ve already said that your dream is to travel...where to?
I´d like to go to Tibet, China, Africa, Arabian countries and of course France, Italy and all the beautiful European countries.

11. What for you is happiness?
So as you´ve already realized I´m weird...I don´t believe that the human being is ever happy. I don´t think that I will ever be completely happy. But just to have love and be in love is as close as I´ll get to happiness.

12. What do you regret NOT doing?
There is only one thing I regret and it´s pretty bad. I regret not saying googbye to my friends when I left Canada. I wasn´t able to, so I just left and they all got really angry but, thankfully, now everything is fine.

13. If you could be another person, who would you like to be?
I wouldn´t like to be anyone else...I´m just too curious to find out how my life is going to turn out so I´ll stick to being just me.

14. If you could have one super power which it would be and why or what for?
My boyfriend says that I should be a super villan and that my name should be Ms. Sneeze...because I sneeze too much. But if I could have one super power it would be the power to see goodness in all people and use it to show them and everyone else that there is goodness in everyone.

posted by Psithurism @ 8:18 PM