Lives of courage, resilience, and the will to endure

STRONG ARM – STRONG WILL

I was born in 1960. My mother is from Faial in the Azores, and my father was from mainland Portugal. They married and decided to emigrate to the United States in search of a better future for their children.

I loved spending my vacations in the Azores. I knew that my future here would not be better from a material point of view, and that is always the greatest desire of parents: that their children are well established in life.

But every family has its crazy member, and in mine, that was me…

In America, I had a secure job and a good salary: I was a mechanic specializing in diesel engine repairs. But I couldn’t get the Azores out of my head. One day… I came home and told my parents that I was fed up with the American lifestyle and that I wanted to make a life for myself in the Azores. My father was furious at my lack of ambition, thinking it was a waste and that all his efforts had been in vain. But I was 22 and my mind was made up.

I arrived in 1982, at a time of crisis, and started working for a local company. At one point, I thought it would be best to devote myself to tourism, where I saw a future. I invested in my education and took a course to become a tour guide.

In the meantime, I got married and had two children, a boy and a girl, who are both university graduates. She is an analyst and he is a nurse. They both live in the Azores, one of them here on Pico. I am now a doting grandfather of three granddaughters.

For a long time, I drove a normal five-seater taxi. But there are many of those, and I realized that I was losing a lot of business to groups looking for larger cars. Really? So, two months ago, I bought this eight-seater taxi, which allows me to charge more for myself and offer a better deal to customers, as the price per passenger is lower! It was a good decision: I already have enough bookings to guarantee me a quiet summer!

My father has passed away, but today I understand him better. When he saw me in difficulty, he remembered the good life he and my brothers had in America, and I wanted to go back there, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to give my father that satisfaction, as it would have meant giving in. And I’m as stubborn as they come!

At this stage in my life, I have no regrets!

MHB

In Us Within Others (Nós nos outros)

https://www.facebook.com/nosnosoutros

Welcome to Stories from the Azores: Lives Between Oceans, a living archive of voices shaped by insularity, the sea, and survival. These stories honor men and women who left, returned, or remained, carrying with them the courage to face uncertainty and the resilience to endure hardship. Each tale is rooted in the volcanic soil of the Azores, where identity is forged in wind and salt, and yet reaches beyond the islands, across oceans and generations. Together, they form a mosaic of endurance and belonging, reminding us that to live between oceans is to embody strength, stubbornness, and hope. We thank the project Nós nos Outros for allowing us to share these stories with the Azorean Diaspora and the American and Canadian societies.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.