Dear Members - Happy July! 

As the temperatures rise, so do our numbers! Thanks to all of you who have encouraged newcomers to sign up and enjoy the friendship and activities that we provide. It is gratifying to all who volunteer their time to know that they are making a difference in the lives of women who come to Portugal with few, if any, connections.

We want to clarify a point about events that may be open to others besides our members.  On a continuing basis, our monthly Drinks at the Baia Hotel will always offer priority to members. If the allowed number of attendees is not reached, we will then offer space to husbands, partners and guests in the order in which we have received requests for them. (These requests need to be added when you sign up on the webpage for your own spot.)
Other events are ALWAYS for members only - unless it is specified on the description of the webpage for that event. 
The only exception to this is a long standing tradition of Friday Sintra Walks allowing gentlemen on their walks.

NO OFFICE HOURS IN JULY:  Heather Dennis will be available at the Cascais Coffee Mornings on Tuesdays to help with website RSVPs, ticket purchases and membership renewals. 

OPEN INVITATION ... feel free to join us on Tuesday, July 12th at noon and sit in on our monthly board meeting. After the regular coffee morning, we'll walk over to the office together. Several new board members will be needed for 2023 and if any of you have wondered what is involved, attending a meeting will let you know! 
 

Some dates for your calendar - 

COOKING WORKSHOP - FOODS OF CASCAIS - Monday, July11th.  10am - 2pm
A limited number of attendees will experience a professional hands on cooking class followed by ... lunch of course ... eating everything you just created!
Held in the Cascais Food Lab, which sits at the back of the inside of Cascais Market. Menu details are on our webpage. Max 9 members. 47€ per ticket.
Reserve your spot: https://iwpportugal.org/events/cooking-workshop-foods-of-cascais

DRINKS AT THE BAIA ROOFTOP BLUE BAR - Thursday, July 14th. 6pm - 8pm
The cut off for bookings is 6pm on Tuesday, July 12th, at which point, we will fill our attendee quota with guests. 
Reserve your spot:   https://iwpportugal.org/events/iwp-drinks-at-the-baia-hotel

TEA & TALK - Wednesday, July 20th. 3pm - 5pm
Join us for a fascinating talk by Shahla Rah, recently returned member from walking the Camino de Santiago. Some of us aim for our '10,000 steps' but how about walking 800 kms?! We will gather again at the Cascais Library to hear about Shahla's amazing accomplishment. Limited to 25 seats.
Reserve your spot: https://iwpportugal.org/events/tea-talk-2

HONG KONG NIGHT  - Wednesday, July 27th. 8pm -10:30pm
Join us for an authentic Hong Kong dining experience at Nono HK Restaurant in Lisbon, prepared for you by a Chinese chef. Huge thanks to Annie Chen for coming forward with this great idea! Menu details can be found on the calendar webpage. Max. 20 members - 28€ per ticket.
Reserve your spot:  https://iwpportugal.org/events/hong-kong-night-lisbon


coming up in August .... (but always subject to change ...) a workshop at the Museum of the Oriente .... we're still working on that dance class .... a picnic in the park showcasing food from our countries of origin! ... 

 

 
This month we meet Patricia Cavagnari
(by Joy Davenport)

Patricia was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, moved to the capital city of Tegucigalpa at age four, and lived there much of her childhood. Growing up in Honduras, she went to an American school, which was largely attended by children of expats and diplomats. Her mother often spoke English at home and stressed to her children the importance of learning a second language. Her initial ambition in life was to be an architect or a diplomat, based on people who were strong influences during her childhood. At age 17 she enrolled in a student exchange program to Torino, Italy, where she studied art and design. After her year in Italy she returned to Honduras briefly and then made the move to Miami to attend college at Florida International University. There she studied Interior Design and before graduation was already working in commercial design. She later expanded her skills and talents into the marketing arena of the company. This position led to travel in Latin America and the Caribbean, and while at this job she met her Brazilian husband Mario. In 2000 Patricia and Mario moved from Florida to Scotts Valley, California, and a couple of years later their daughter Isabella was born. They enjoyed their life in California, until their son died tragically in 2019. After losing their son, they said to each other “we need to breathe” and began to consider moving to a different environment. Some friends had visited Portugal and told them they should give it a try. As soon as it was doable to travel after the initial COVID shut down, they spent a month touring Portugal in 2021 and decided this is was place for them. They arrived in April of this year, and spent their first several weeks in Cascais while they searched for a place to call home. In May they moved to Monte Estoril, where they now reside. Patricia loves everything relating to art, design, and architecture. She loves to garden and travel, and is an avid reader. She learned at a young age about the importance of being a good listener, and has found it to be one of life’s most important skills. She finds the IWP to be a great place to meet strong, amazing women from different cultures and a spring board to giving back to the community through IWP’s non profit programs. Patricia is fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and is proficient in Italian.

HEALTH UPDATE

Wearing a Mask is no longer compulsory in public spaces such as shopping centres and schools although some restrictions do remain.
Masks are recommended to be worn in:

Marta Temido, the Minister for Health, said that masks continue to be recommended for "places frequented by particularly vulnerable people" (homes and health establishments, for example) and places with "high intensity of use and difficult ventilation" (public transport).
 

Louise Strasenburgh
Executive President of IWP