Busy girl summer 🙇🏻♀️
Dear friends,
Haruka here, from my brand new newsletter! ✨ This is where I will be updating you on my journey... to build an eco retreat in Portugal. If you've seen my posts on Instagram or LinkedIn, you already know what's up. But if you haven't yet... here's my August update.
So, has anyone else been working non-stop? It’s been a hamster wheel kind of summer for me. As my colleagues are working hard to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, my team has launched a weekly live show telling the story of the vaccine’s progress. It hit me only a few weeks ago that I haven’t stopped running for the past 6 months. I thought, “I’m lucky to be working from home, I have the most loving, supportive husband, and I am blessed to have a job right now! Of course I can get through this.” Mmm, not so fast, Haruka.
Running non-stop without proper unplugging and time in nature, I hit a wall. I burnt out. A kind, thoughtful friend noticed a change in me, and she offered her family’s cabin in the Adirondacks for a long weekend. I gazed at inch worms and frogs, got mosquito bites, raised my arms to a sky full of stars and satellites, shared a lake with a lone loon, and gradually, life breathed back into me.
After 7 months of heads down research on eco retreats, you’d think I would know that being out in nature is essential to mental health… but alas, I learn best through experience. My own recent episode with burnout confirmed in me the essential need for a place to unplug, relax, and heal. Sounds familiar? Yep, that’s my eco retreat I’m talking about.
I want to share a few updates with you since my last post. I had the amazing opportunity to interview Nelson, an architect based in Portugal. The most memorable part of our conversation was about… drumroll…building regulations. I know, I know, maybe not the most exciting topic, but it was so important for me to hear about Portugal’s strict building regulations directly from someone who is an expert in this topic. We learned about having to submit our site plans to the local city hall, which would then consult the various relevant bureaus and councils: tourism, fire brigade, heritage, environment, the list goes on.
Nelson reminded me that patience is key: “Follow the steps, don’t cut any corners, and things will work out.” While it may initially seem like a pain, this kind of slow thoroughness is part of the reason we love Portugal.
I also had a wonderful conversation with two innkeepers in Sintra (northwest of Lisbon), so please look out for that in my next update. 😉
Thanks to Nelson’s advice, I’ve narrowed down some important decisions. When I look for properties in Portugal...
I will focus on the Costa Vicentina area, which is south of Lisbon and north of Lagos, the country’s southern tip.
I’ll be looking a little bit inland, so ideally, the ocean will be about a 15-30 minute drive from our eco retreat.
In terms of architecture, I will be looking for a property with many hectares that includes a house, which we can refurbish, instead of starting by building structures from scratch. The house will be the main structure of the eco retreat, from which we’d want to build smaller guest houses around it.
If you know me, you already know that I love the idea of using local materials. So think, clay tiles, brick, and cork.
More again in September, and thanks for staying in touch. Remember... take the time to relax and go outdoors! ⛰
Love,
Haruka