Lisbon
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General) North American (US Midwest- Chicago, Great Lakes)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
I don't know exactly when my father's paternal family left Portugal. I don't really know where they left from. I am only 1/4 Portuguese, but my surname has always caused me to necessarily identify myself when asked, Are you Spanish? Portugal's seem to trip. I should make for the cultural understanding or some better understanding of myself. What I ended up with, though, was something much richer. See, because I had an idea about this concept of austerity and very quickly saw the results of it played out. I was ready to feel some sort of self righteous pity for the people who lived in Lisbon, as they perhaps considered whether their future lay there in the city's twisting, cobbled streets. Instead, though, I found a perfect example of a city who loves its artists and their creative output in a way that seems rendered in immutable stone. What I felt is that as long as Portugal exists, as long as Lisbon exists, so will this deep love for its artists. Maybe it's because the art speaks of the nature of being Portuguese. Or maybe it's because Lisbon is so layered and complex that only artists can truly capture what it feels like to be there. Or maybe, just maybe, it comes from a sense that the Portuguese people recognize that art has this wonderful capability toe uplift us no matter the tragedy of our current situation. And honestly, I suspect it's a bit of all three.