Neither words nor pictures could ever describe Lisbon. Her winding lanes are filled with artists, musicians and beautiful stylish European couples, peppered with the offbeat spice of Latin America. Each street is a black and white mosaic that, spectacular as it is, can’t help but be out-shined by the beauty of the brightly coloured, tiled buildings that tower over them. Displacing the rows upon rows of crooked coloured buildings stand traditional Roman, Rococo and Gothic cathedrals and other architectural spectacles. I sit upon the smooth, cool stone of a fountain’s base- the type with dipping gold taps that stray cats drink from. The fading 4 o’clock sun barely touches my face under the canopy of green tree leaves that spring up from between the widely spaced cobblestones of the piazza floor. Pigeons saunter across the uneven ground and a three piece band playing modern music offsets the Museum of Gothic Architecture- whose extravagant door seems to nestle into its surrounding café entrances and slanting apartment buildings. I think back to just under a year ago, the day that I made my decision to do this. To leave behind my strict but comfortable boarding school routine, say goodbye to all my friends and wander the world. Where would I be right now? Vancouver Island isn’t so bad, but nothing could ever compare to the sound of live music vibrating through this eclectic Portuguese city. This kind of education can’t be read from a textbook, nor be taught by even the most gifted teacher. This education is experience. An experience that opens, refines and sharpens the eye out of ignorance and into perspective.