Sabine Pawlik – Austria
Resident in Lisbon for the last nine years, Sabine Pawlik praises the Portuguese climate above everything else. It was love at first site for Carrapateira, and for Lisbon, at second. And it’s in the Portuguese capital that she cuts hair for those forever young at heart.
—
Despite having studied ethnology, Sabine Pawlik has ended up following the family trade for the last 21 years. Her grandfather was a barber in Steiermark, “a kind of Austrian Alentejo”, and her father followed in his footsteps in Voralberg, a region that borders Switzerland and the place where she lived until she was 19. She also lived in Vienna and London before she came to Portugal.
It was pure chance that brought her and her boyfriend, artist Herwig Turk, to Lisbon. “We wanted to leave Austria for a while and the only thing we had in mind was going to a European city near the beach.”
The reason they came here was because of the special offers for Portugal, via Faro, at their local travel agent: “Our first choice had been Barcelona, but the tickets were really expensive”. The money they saved by not going to the Catalan capital meant they could hire a car and go on a surfing trip to the Algarve and up the Alentejo coast to Lisbon.
[DDET READ MORE]
Carrapateira had an amazing impact on Sabine. “I wanted to stay there, because the place had a very positive and special energy. But it wasn’t realistic, as neither of us was cut out to fish or farm”. However, the holiday was enough for them to decide to move to Portugal and just a few months later, they parked their old Audi 80 in Lisbon, after three and a half days on the road.
The German Polyglott Apa Guide to Portugal led Sabine to believe that she’d arrived in a romantic and Latin country with enormous beaches. The illustrations helped. Photos of old people sitting on the doorsteps of traditional Alentejo houses or driving carts pulled by donkeys; bucolic images that she encountered on weekend trips around the country, soon after arriving in the country. In real Portugal, she was impressed by the friendliness of the people. The fact that they didn’t speak the language didn’t stop them from communicating through gestures and trying the famous dish of cod with chickpeas. “Over the last nine years we’ve tried cod in all different ways.” The quality of the coffee at the end of the meal surprised her and now she’s a fan of a cafezinho.
However, the great attraction of the country was its mild climate: “You can count on 300 sunny days a year”, which has an effect on the soul. “If I open the window to clear skies, I immediately feel healthier.” Another advantage is the size of Portugal. “It’s so small that you can travel the length of the country or go to Spain in a matter of a few hours.”
On the day of her interview at the WIP Hairport hairdressers (where she’s now a partner), she heard of a place to rent in the Bica neighbourhood. She got a job and a house, both in the same quarter. Observing her neighbours in the area, she discovered that “here, the concept of family is very important. Young people live with their parents longer and people rarely feel alone when they have a problem”. In Sabine’s opinion, the Portuguese are genuinely interested in other cultures. “They want to know things about Austria. They’re no navel gazers.” Proof of this, she says, is that even older people try to speak other languages without worrying about whether they might be making a mess of the grammar.
Another outstanding characteristic is Portuguese tradition, which we see embellished in the streets during the festas populares celebrations. The April revolution is celebrated with carnations in the streets, as is Santo António, the other venerable names of the Santos Populares festivities, and other dances. “The attitude is a bit Latin; friends meet each other in the street by chance not by design.” Tradition can also be seen in the way people dress or wear their hair. “You know if it’s someone Portuguese because of their clothes or their hair”, she observes.
One day, she visited the Panteão Nacional, where the famous fado singer, Amália Rodrigues, now rests. “You could hear her voice very clearly and I found it very moving. I think everyone liked her a lot because she was such a big part of local tradition and culture.” As well as fado, she likes listening to the voice of Sérgio Godinho, Dead Combo, because of their laid-back feel, and Micro Áudio Waves, for their originality, independent spirit and futuristic videos. For sentimental reason her favourites are the Bad Lovers & Hysteria Iberica, whose vocalist, Sílvia, works with her at the Bica hairdresser’s. Sabine is not sparing in her praise: “She’s a fantastic performer with plenty of emancipated things to say”.
[/DDET]
by Maria João Veloso
—
