Episode Recap      

In the second half of this episode, we continue our chat with the one and only Portuguese Princess from Providence, Michelle Costa from CBS' Big Brother Season 10. We discuss embracing the culture, its benefits, and how Michelle earned her nickname. Part 2 also covers the more serious aspects of being on reality TV including some contestants facing racial biases, and the overall toll that continuous surveillance and publicity can have on mental health.

We are joined by the one and only Portuguese Princess from Providence, Michelle Costa from CBS' Big Brother Season 10. We bond over culture, react to the BB24 Season Finale, and Michelle shares interesting "behind-the-scenes" nuggets from her time on the show. Be sure to tune in next week for the second half of our conversation and our mental health segment!

Tested tips on how to deal with unwelcome appetizers (hint: say nothing and eat them anyway), dinner reservations, DIY beverages, and ordering fish without the head. Hear a tale of the pinnacle of Portuguese hospitality. And finally, some excerpts of life in the middle of nowhere a.k.a. Cu De Judas (Judas' Butt....). It's a real place, look it up!

You enter the vessel dressed to the nines, asking the stewardess for a selection of wines. Clutching your husband and your rosary beads, a safe landing granted by the apostle's creed. I hope they don't ask what is in your pants, or you might have to give up your banana plants.

Our 6th grade teacher and local legend "Mr. V" joins us to fill in the gaps about our 1990s experience in a Portuguese catholic school through his perspective. It doesn't feel like 25 years have passed in this rare, hilarious, and heartwarming exchange between teacher and students.

We discuss parts of the culture that we'd love to embrace (e.g., minimalism) as well as parts that we'd like to kick to the curb (e.g., the fear of impending doom that lives rent-free in our heads). And we have some hard-hitting revelations about guilt and judgment in our It's Called Mental Health segment. We are joined by guest Devin Meireles, Luso-descendant from Toronto, Canada and author of The Portuguese Immigrant: Atlantic Heritage Story.

We continue to explore the "cult" of our culture through our own lived experiences of processions, rosary rituals, and eating Holy Ghost soup. Unrelated, find out how to properly dispose of historical creative fiction novels you may have outgrown. And don't forget to hang around long enough for our It's Called Mental Health segment with tips for anxiety management.

Melissa and Kelly explore the "cult" of their culture. Mysterious brotherhood? Check. Unwritten rules? Check. Cult-specific symbols? Check. Religious rituals, chants, and animal sacrifices? Check. Check. Check.

We discuss different ways to seek medical care: doctors, herbalists, bone-setters, the women who read from the book, witches, and healers. If there is one thing Azoreans believe, it's that: "God heals, and the Doctor takes the fees." - Benjamin Franklin

Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea - Yeah, it's agonias! We deep dive into research papers on the culture-specific phenomenon of "the agonies". Experiencing agonias? The doctor may prescribe Tums or an exorcism. It really is a spectrum. Also, we kick off a new segment titled It's Called Mental Health!

Episode References:

Reframing (Dis)ordered Bodies: Understanding Agonias vis the Habitus by Lisa V. Dias

Lost in translation : an ethnographic study of traditional healers in the Açorean (Azorean) islands of Portugal by Birdie Jane Bezanson