Are you planning to visit the Azores? Pack patience. You are at the mercy of weather especially when flying to the islands and might get delayed, so make sure you have snacks and can prepare to wait.

The beginning of my trip was especially cursed, so I'm offering all the gory details, hoping it can help someone in the future, I was trying to go from Boston's Logan to NYC JFK on Jet Blue and then JFK to Ponta Delgada. Spoiler: the first leg was delayed so I missed the connection. SATA does NOT have Customer Service (or at least not on a Friday night, even though they have multiple redeye planes leaving from the US), so I was stranded at the airport trying to figure out a plan. SATA has no working contact numbers in America, only a website chatbot and several email addresses-I tried everything. More than 24 hrs later, I still haven't heard back from them.

SATA is THE airline you will have to deal with eventually, so forewarned is forearmed. I want everyone to have a pleasant experience, but we need to plan for all situations. Get the travel insurance, have a Plan B, be flexible.

A great series is on Netflix-and recently made it to #1 internationally-and it's completely set in the Azores!! Sao Miguel specifically, and even more specifically-in the town of Rabo de Peixe. It's the poorest town of all of the islands, but the characters see a chance to make money and chaos ensues of course. But watch it bc its the ONLY semi-mainstream thing to hit movies that comes out of the Azores or is even about them. I share some thoughts about the plot but also what it means to want to come to America-and unlike a lot of other immigrant groups in America, the Azoreans have strong ties to the islands and it's not uncommon to come back. Listen to this episode, then watch the show and tell me what you think!!

https://movieweb.com/netflix-turn-of-the-tide-portuguese-series/

I'm a big fan of Maria's Portuguese Table and an eternally optimistic home cook. She travels to Azorean communities in the US and she visits the islands. I take a slight detour into my bookcase and talk about Vitorino Nemésio who wrote "Mau Tempo No Canal" (Bad Weather in the Channel, 1944, a romance set on the islands of Faial and Pico-and the channel between. The author is from Terceira)

Phrases to learn (and nibble on)

Arroz Doce

Massa Sauvada

Saudade

A daughter of the Azores reads from her mother's stories about growing up in Horta, Faial. Even her great-grandfather!  Treasure every bit of detail that your parents offer. What do you remember of your ancestors?