My Family's History 😍 Part 1

Hey readers,

Today's blog is dedicated to two couples whom without both I wouldn't be here today. I've been meaning to write this blog for a while but I wanted to get as much info as I could about them. The reason I really want to share my family's history with you all, it's because besides being the reason where and who I am today, they lived amazing, strong lives, and are full of culture. They are my inspiration.

My Family is wide, so I divided this information into parts. Part 1 is about my mother's Parents and family line.

I interviewed only my mum about her family as my uncles and unties live far away from where I am now.

Starting with my mum's mother, both her parents were Portuguese but migrated to Brazil in search of a better life. She had 3 sisters and 1 brother and at the age of 16 my grandmother and her family moved back to Portugal, to take care of the land they owned in Mealhada.

Opposite to that land, lived my grandad, his 2 sisters and his parents. My grandad's parents are also Portuguese and his family was already friends with my grandmothers' family and that's how they meet.

My grandparents married in their mid 20s, and had my uncle To, my untie Sao, my uncle Ze and my untie Alda, and then my mum (Maria Isabel). They were all born in Portugal but when my mum was just a few months old, my granddad came back from the army and they all migrated to Angola for a better future. When they were in Angola my uncle Joao was born but at the age of 7, he was bit by a very ill monkey, the doctors suspected that the monkey had a disease/ virus and due to my uncle having low red blood cells (leusumia) he passed away. His diagnose is uncertain and none knows the exact reason for death, he died in 1968.

When my mum was 16, her and her family migrated back to Mealhada, Portugal.

When my grandparents got married they shared the lands and the properties of their families.

My grandparents worked on their land and grew a farm and sold organic foods and meat at the market.

My grandad worked as a lorry driver in Angola and when he came back to Portugal he opens his own sculpture/ statue making business.

My grandmother was a house wife, but she also taken care of the land/farm.

They all would travel a lot, to Morocco, Switzerland and Venezuela.

Grandmother would go one year to Venezuela and grandad the next and so on, until my grandmother past away and my grandad stopped ever since.

My grandmother died at the of 74, in 2004, none know how she died, my grandpa didn't want her to have an autopsy.

I don't remember my grandmother very well as I was very young, but I do remember hitting my middle sister in the head with a long stick that she owned from Brazil and she screamed to my mum, saying that I killed my sister, so she thought for a second. I also remember this memory where I was sitting in the couch with her and my middle sister and she offered us a basket full of fruity sweets.

When I used to live in Portugal, I remember how every Sunday my mum made lunch and we would visit my grandpa and eat with him and how we would give me wine with 7up or with coke. How he would tell me off for playing with the animals and I would never stay still. How every time after lunch, we would all go to the cafe but I would insist on going with him in his blue motorcycle, how every time he made a turn, I would get a rush feeling in my body because I felt like I was going to fall off the bike. I would never forget those little moments.

He died in 2015, with the age of 92. Since I was little I remember going to the hospital a lot to see my grandad, there was always different reasons for him to be there. He went through so much, I happy that his not suffering anymore and that he passed in his sleep.

Like I've said previously I would talk with my other uncles but they are far way.

Uncle To is now reformed and lives in Kinshasa and he has 1 son and 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren.

Untie Sao is also reformed and lives in Venezuela and she has 1 son and 1 daughter.

My uncle Ze, is a mechanic and lives in Viseu in North of Portugal and he has 2 sons, 1 daughter and 3 grandchildren.

Untie Alda is seamstress and lives in Mealhada in Portugal and has 3 sons, and 4 grandchildren.

Finally, my mum who works in housing registration and has 3 daughters and 1 grandchild.

I asked my mum about her memories of my grandmother and her move from Angola to Portugal and she shared to me that my grandmother was very happy, and she was funny and would tell stories about her life in brazil. My mum loved how my grandmother would laugh at the culture and language differences from Brazil to Portugal.

I didn't know half the things I wrote here until I asked my mum for more, my mum tells me that he still have family in Brazil but distant relatives and in other places. I wish we could all meet some day.

I will go this weekend to Lisbon and I'm going to interview my dad's mum and asked her some more questions.

This blog is not about saying that my family is amazing and full of culture but about the fact that you don't always know more about your family and your roots unless you asked, because every time someone asked me where my parents were from, I would say, dad from Mozambique, mum from Angola but although my mum lived there, and their family migrated there, there was more to the story I didn't know, same goes to my dad, but more bout that in part 2.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my grandparents’ story and learned a bit more about me.