Goodbye Porto 💙

Ive probably retitled this article about 4 times, trying to come to terms with the fact that it’s actually the end of what has been one of the best few years of my adult life.

Ive been very lucky to meet amazing and loving friends in Porto which I’ll keep for the rest of my Life. Ive grown to become a much better version of myself emotionally, physically and more importantly spiritually. I never expected my time in Porto to be this profound and have such a statement on my Life as it currently does and boy was my expectations greatly exceeded.

From the genuine Love and fellowship at COP Porto to the times where Lawerence and Anita would host me on fridays, they invited me over once to eat banku and and I gradually made it a regular visit and an escape away from writing my weak javascript on the computer (relax, Im actually quite good at it) and thats how we turned it to something that created an amazing community and family filled with lifelong memories.

How can I forget the day Bentil made me to go to the gym with him, it was my first time in a building where people would willingly want to do punishments from secondary school but it quickly turned into an obsession.

How can I forget the nights Kaygee and I would spend talking about life and just exchanging stories 10pm at Trindade metro after workout or the nights Seth and I would spend playing fifa even when we both had stuff to do the next morning.

How can I forget the days Grey would come over and the weekend goes from just okay to being great, the vibes Seth and Grey would combine to create, the tiktok trending dances the three of us would do just having fun or the work colleague stories exchange between Kaygee and Grey every single time they meet.

How can I forget the Sunday services that are filled with Joy and love and upliftment, being part of a fellowship that genuinely cares about your all round well being, the spiritual infilling and impactation from Pastor Frank, the soul lifting praise and worship from Praise, the times Praise would beg (not really beg, more like force) us to do content after service. How can I forget the Sundays Buena would suggest we all go for fine dining after service and trust, I will be there!

How can I forget games night, we made friends through games night, we built deep connections, got closer and we choppp, if you know you know. I can’t forget the amount of boasting Obinna would do as the self proclaimed Uno King only to be already out after the first round or the times Nifemi will have to demand an explanation from her codenames team members as to why they couldn’t guess the word from a very simple clue or the times Mayowa shuffled cards at games night back to back and decided to carry chair to fry plantain on Christmas day the times Seth will crash out after not winning any single game the entire night or Ugonnaya claiming other peoples win, how can I forget the times Bola would always bring my favorite ice cream to games night. How can I forget the nights Tomiwa and Praise finally hosted and made amala for us after multiple requests and pleading.

How can I forget the tens of go kart rides we would do or snooker we would play at Faria Guimaraes, the group travel to Aviero, the picnics, the cinema nights at Norteshopping and Maia, the beach hangouts…

I could go on and on, these experiences shaped me, they were filled with love and laughter and more of these amazing memories are the reason I would always hold Porto forever dear to me.

Porto taught me what it meant to be more than just a friend but a brother to people God has connected you to, expressive friends, friends that share in your excitement and sadness, friends that are open in conversations, friends that communicate clearly without any hidden motive, friends that share in the same faith and belief as you do.

Leaving Porto is closing a chapter I never wanted to end but one I know must end. Growth often comes with change and while sometimes I wish I could pause time to the months in Porto and stay on those dates forever, I recognized that new beginnings can only emerge when I let go of the old.

Porto is nothing without you guys, I love you all ❤️

Goodbye Porto, Thank you Porto 💙

I created a spotify playlist of songs that remind me of Porto and the amazing memories we shared together, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.