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#1. So why am I here in Portugal? 1st December 2007 by Janet Boden
My life’s mission begins to unfold
Hi, I am Janet. It is the beginning of December 2007 and I have just put this brand
new website online. My website, as far as I am concerned is the crystallisation of
many years of searching for “The Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything”, to
coin a famous phrase. I don’t say that I’ve arrived, however. In many ways, it is
just the beginning not only for myself but for others too in their life’s journey because,
like it or not, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.
Why Portugal?
Ending up in Portugal is the result of my manifestation skills at the tender age of 16
during what I now see as the beginning of great changes in consciousness. Very little
made sense to me in the 60’s in fact little of the world made sense to me as a child.
England has gone beyond its connection with the Earth and nature and, being brought up
in a suburb of Manchester where, if we weren’t experiencing a “pea-souper” (nickname
for a fog where you couldn’t even see your nose because of industrial pollution brought
about in the name of “progress”) it would be raining endlessly. Needless to say, my
spirits were always as damp as the weather.
My life’s mission begins to unfold
Hi, I am Janet. It is the beginning of December 2007 and I have just put this brand
new website online. My website, as far as I am concerned is the crystallisation of
many years of searching for “The Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything”, to
coin a famous phrase. I don’t say that I’ve arrived, however. In many ways, it is
just the beginning not only for myself but for others too in their life’s journey because,
like it or not, WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.
Why Portugal?
Ending up in Portugal is the result of my manifestation skills at the tender age of 16
during what I now see as the beginning of great changes in consciousness. Very little
made sense to me in the 60’s in fact little of the world made sense to me as a child.
England has gone beyond its connection with the Earth and nature and, being brought up
in a suburb of Manchester where, if we weren’t experiencing a “pea-souper” (nickname
for a fog where you couldn’t even see your nose because of industrial pollution brought
about in the name of “progress”) it would be raining endlessly. Needless to say, my
spirits were always as damp as the weather.
The adventurer awakens
We were, and still are keen campers. For me, camping has always carried a sense of adventure. In
those days, before the internet and package holidays, in fact before most people in my town even
knew where Spain and Portugal are (I would go as far as to say that some STILL don’t know!), Dad,
who was then manager of his own small removal business had been talking to a business colleague, a
great entrepreneur, who was at that time buying up land in the Algarve. “Where’s that?” we asked!
“Well this year as business is so slack in the summer, I’ve decided that we are going to go away for a
month and travel to Portugal". “Where’s that?” we asked again.
Preparation and departure
Mum and Dad, for fear of either dying of starvation or poisoning from foreign food, took virtually all
our food with us to last for a month. Mum’s aim was to keep the butter solid the whole time that we
were away. She did too as she made it her mission to beg or buy ice wherever we stayed to put into
the cool box. Our home was Dad’s DIY conversion of whichever van we owned at the time. We
undertook the then very difficult journey by road from Manchester down to the South of England,
through France (before any motorways had been built), through post-war Spain (where we saw many
farmers hand-ploughing as they were too poor to own animals) to Portugal where it would take all
afternoon to get through the frontier. Those were the days when Spain and Portugal were fascist
regimes and there were no open borders. After that the journey was as slow and laborious as the
oxen wending their way along the appallingly surfaced roads. (I have to mention here that some of
the roads are still in their original condition) But the scenery was gorgeous, the air was pure and it
was HOT.
On board translator
I had been learning French for two years and Spanish for one year at Grammar School (where they
actually taught grammar!!) Languages and music were the only subjects that made sense to me so I
clung to both in order to maintain belief in my own self worth. My continuing years of language
acquisition were courtesy of Dad’s family holidays where, as sole translator in the family, I became
extremely competent and sought after by Dad who, until then, didn’t think that I was any good at
anything, or so it seemed to me. I felt very important and indispensable as my family looked on me in
awe as apparent gibberish flowed from my mouth only to be met by more gibberish and smiles from
the recipient.
Love at first sight
Once I had experienced another reality so different from the one we had left behind, I became very
restless. The sheer lack of traffic on the roads, animals and countryside everywhere, and the SUN.
(I can remember giving up in disgust after trying to will the sun to come out and get me, one day in
the middle of summer in Manchester). I began my love affair with Portugal during those years but my
dreams had to go on hold as there were many events which were to take place before I finally came
to live here in 2004. I married my English husband chemistry teacher Clive in 1979 and would never
have believed anyone then who told me that not only would I be coming to live in my dream country
with an English man but that he would be speaking Portuguese, and well at that!
So,here we are, now what?
There are many in-between bits which I shall leave for other articles but this in a nutshell is the
background to why Clive and I emigrated to Portugal in August 2004. In the 60’s when, having fallen
in love with this country, I wrote to the British Consulate in Lisbon, begging them to let me come here
to study. Of course their answer to appease an idealistic young girl was “wait until you’ve finished
your studies”. I think that one of my life’s purposes was to come to Portugal but the reason for this
pull is only just beginning to unfold.
Am I getting what I thought I wanted?
Yes and no. I think that I had the mistaken belief that Portugal was a kind of Utopia. Well it
certainly isn’t. In many ways it is a very difficult country to live in and I speak the language! In a
very short space of time Portugal has had modernity, the E.U. and the Euro foisted upon her and the
country and people have suffered greatly as a result. But whenever we see an old man with his flock
of goats up in the mountains or donkey and cart trundling along the road and dear Cornelia, the only ox
in the neighbourhood who comes out once a year to help with the maize harvest, I am deeply
appreciative of being able to live here.
Will the real Janet please stand up.
What I have found in leaving all my familiar trappings is that I have had to come face to face with
who I really am. Well, who am I really? Our belief system incorporating who we think we are has,
to a greater or lesser extent been created by our experiences of family, upbringing, the nation we live
in, even what we can buy in the shops, and, I can assure you, what I can buy in the shops in England
bears little relation to what I can or rather what I CAN’T buy in Portugal! (more on that later) and
the TV! Ah, the TV - a reality in itself.
My belief system
Living in a remote area in a foreign country has its advantages and disadvantages and after a while,
you give up working out which is which anyway. The main impact that living in this remote spot in
Central Portugal has had on me is that I have had to come face to face with who I (think I) am.
We live at the end of a track and unless the postman has mail for us, we can go for days without
seeing anybody. Solitude has become one of my greatest teachers as it has taught me to commune
with myself – go deeper within myself not only for answers but also for love and healing. The big part
of the adventure has been in beginning to get to know and heal myself and in so doing, learn how to
REALLY love.
Why eftportugal.com ?
During the last few years, one of my favourite pastimes has been to read and research whatever I
fancy both books and web articles. Since embarking on my conscious journey of self-discovery, I have
been demanding answers and, not being the psychic type, have had to find ways that work for me. I
have been aware of so many things stored away in my mind and body that I would rather not be there
and I have discovered EFT to be a marvellous tool which seems to work whether you believe in it or
not. On further exploration, I see more and more potential for creating new dimensions for oneself
where the possibilities are endless. Please visit Testimonials to read about the experience of some of
those people who have benefited.
Photos taken November 2007
#2.Healing begins with me 13th April, 2008 by Janet Boden
After undergoing a considerable amount of dental work last year, I was disappointed when one of my
molars began to trouble me. I had tolerated a very sensitive tooth for weeks; I was only able to
clean my teeth with water which was blood temperature and was unable to touch the side of the
affected molar with a cold finger. During our Easter visit to England, the condition worsened to such
an extent that I doubted I would be able to cope with it until our return to our home in Portugal. It
was now sensitive to everything, sweet, sour, hot, cold, even lukewarm tea and I was unable to eat on
the affected side. I booked an appointment for when we returned and then decided to use EFT and
tap to help ease the pain until my appointment. I certainly did not relish the idea of going to the
dentist again as I instinctively felt that there was not going to be a straightforward solution to the
problem.
I have to say that I had no expectations other than lowering the intensity of the pain. I did no more
than three rounds of tapping and within moments, had forgotten the problem. What I didn’t know was
that my sister-in-law was using EFT for her own tooth, the same molar on the same side of the
mouth on the same afternoon as me and her tapping gave her the same result!
Nor did I expect the problem to gradually clear up in the next few days. I began to be aware of the
areas which had “healed” and those which were still problematic, but after a few days, all that
remained was a feeling of soreness and swollenness in my gum as though I had had a needle in it and
surgery done in the area. Now there is no problem whatsoever nor is there any sensitivity. I can
even clean my teeth with ice-cold water.
As a therapist, I am fully aware of the need to believe in the therapy which one uses on others but I
confess to being in awe of this amazing and fast result on my own body. The experience has filled me
with more confidence and commitment to continue to “try it on everything” and to push through my
limiting beliefs.
21st April 2008
Update: A week after writing the above, I have noticed today that the remaining swollenness has
completely gone. Even thought the pain and sensitivity had gone when I wrote the article the gum still
felt swollen when I did an exaggerated grin. It's almost as though some surgery has taken place and
it has taken a couple of weeks to heal. What is going on here?.......
After undergoing a considerable amount of dental work last year, I was disappointed when one of my
molars began to trouble me. I had tolerated a very sensitive tooth for weeks; I was only able to
clean my teeth with water which was blood temperature and was unable to touch the side of the
affected molar with a cold finger. During our Easter visit to England, the condition worsened to such
an extent that I doubted I would be able to cope with it until our return to our home in Portugal. It
was now sensitive to everything, sweet, sour, hot, cold, even lukewarm tea and I was unable to eat on
the affected side. I booked an appointment for when we returned and then decided to use EFT and
tap to help ease the pain until my appointment. I certainly did not relish the idea of going to the
dentist again as I instinctively felt that there was not going to be a straightforward solution to the
problem.
I have to say that I had no expectations other than lowering the intensity of the pain. I did no more
than three rounds of tapping and within moments, had forgotten the problem. What I didn’t know was
that my sister-in-law was using EFT for her own tooth, the same molar on the same side of the
mouth on the same afternoon as me and her tapping gave her the same result!
Nor did I expect the problem to gradually clear up in the next few days. I began to be aware of the
areas which had “healed” and those which were still problematic, but after a few days, all that
remained was a feeling of soreness and swollenness in my gum as though I had had a needle in it and
surgery done in the area. Now there is no problem whatsoever nor is there any sensitivity. I can
even clean my teeth with ice-cold water.
As a therapist, I am fully aware of the need to believe in the therapy which one uses on others but I
confess to being in awe of this amazing and fast result on my own body. The experience has filled me
with more confidence and commitment to continue to “try it on everything” and to push through my
limiting beliefs.
21st April 2008
Update: A week after writing the above, I have noticed today that the remaining swollenness has
completely gone. Even thought the pain and sensitivity had gone when I wrote the article the gum still
felt swollen when I did an exaggerated grin. It's almost as though some surgery has taken place and
it has taken a couple of weeks to heal. What is going on here?.......