When we first arrived in Portugal, we knew none of our neighbors, and we weren’t sure how to connect with new people in a different culture. Having left behind fifty years of networks and connections that provided me with a clear way to navigate life, I was filled with more doubts than certainties. We had to start somewhere, so we began by transforming our small, bare backyard into an urban garden using pallets, buckets, and flower pots to create raised beds. Soon we had cabbages, tomatoes, strawberries, and beans.

I was disassembling pallets one day when a young neighbor stopped to comment, “Good morning! What you’re doing here is really five stars!”