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Wendy Shapiro (by Tess Robeson June 2026) “Kindness is the most important attribute.” Wendy Shapiro ably leads the Lisbon Speakers Series, which has recently undergone a changeover to the History Lovers Talk – Lisbon. With her co-leads, Wendy coordinates the logistics for the monthly event. Wendy was born in Long Island, New York, but grew up in San Diego, California. She studied Business Information and Computer Systems at the University of San Francisco and worked in the IT industry for 18 years. “It wasn’t enough,” reflected Wendy. She wanted to do more with her life. “I travelled overseas for the first time when I was in my 40s,” said Wendy, “and I loved being abroad.” At 42 she joined the US Peace Corps, where she taught English to university students in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. “It was an invigorating environment, and I loved it!” Wendy’s two-year assignment was extended to almost four years. Her work in Ukraine was the start of an international career for Wendy. She wanted to understand how to improve her students' critical and creative thinking skills and completed a master’s degree in Creativity and Innovation at the University of Malta. Wendy next worked as an International Project Manager with the United Nations Development Programme, managing a youth civic engagement project. Based in Kyiv, she worked with the UNDP project for three years. “Ukraine feels like home to me,” she shared. Wendy had a brief stint as Director of Iraqi Youth Summer Camps in Kirkuk, Iraq, after which she went back to UNDP and served as UN Volunteers Programme Officer. She managed the volunteer program in Jakarta, Indonesia, for nearly two years. Wendy then received an offer to work for the Peace Corps as a staff member, as the Director of Programming and Training. Her work in international development and youth empowerment and capacity building equipped her for the role. “I worked with the local staff to train volunteers in cross-cultural skills, job skills, local language, and to find places for them to live and work in local communities,” said Wendy. “I worked not just with volunteers but with local people at all levels – we met with everyday villagers one day and were meeting with ministers the next. It was an amazing job!” Wendy worked in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for four years and in Timor-Leste for three-and-a-half years. At the end of 2017, Wendy and a friend from Peace Corps Ukraine decided to buy an apartment in Lisbon together. “I retired in 2021 and moved here permanently,” said Wendy. She adopted a dog in 2022, “my first dog, and she’s adorable!” Her dog is called Kikas, “short for Frederica. She’s a mini Podengo terrier, a Portuguese breed, and she’s extraordinarily social.” In 2025 Wendy and her friend bought a bigger place in the Picoas area of Lisbon. “We are having fun getting it fixed up and furnished.” What is Wendy up to these days? She reads mysteries, fantasy, and World War II history. “I went to both Spies tours, in Lisbon and in Estoril,” referring to the tours that had been coordinated by IWP. She likes to spend time in the kitchen – “I learned to cook after 60” – and counts butterscotch brownies and Basque cheesecake among her favourite things to bake. She also does strength training and joined a gym, participating in Pilates and water aerobics classes. Wendy believes kindness is the most important attribute a person could have. She describes herself as “thoughtful, fairly quiet, intense at times.” Said Wendy, “I have lived in eight different countries, most of them after the age of 40. I like exploring, but I also like being home.” |
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Dorothy Byres (by Tess Robeson May 2026) “After recovering from cancer, beauty around us is more poignant.” Thanks to Dorothy Byres’ suggestion, the Bombeiros in Cascais recently taught CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, to IWP members. Dorothy’s idea was inspired by her experience of having a heart attack in 2021 and her belief in the importance of knowing how to respond in an emergency. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dorothy (nee Richards) trained as a dental surgery assistant and helped establish Edinburgh’s first emergency dental clinic. Early in her career, she worked at a hospital in Saudi Arabia before moving to Hong Kong, where she worked at a teaching hospital. “I ran a clinic with 50 dental chairs,” she noted. It was in Hong Kong that Dorothy met her Scottish husband, a tax consultant. They married in 1984 and spent 24 years there, enjoying what she describes as “an interesting and privileged life.” They travelled across the Far East and Australia. “I have many fond memories.” Dorothy had four children between 1985 and 1993. After the birth of her first child, she chose to become a full-time mother. She was actively engaged in her children’s schools – helping with reading, cooking, the medical room, and school excursions. “It has been rewarding,” she said, adding that the skills of motherhood are often undervalued. “I take pride in raising confident, well-adjusted adults.” At the age of 52, after completing a test from an NHS bowel cancer screening kit, Dorothy was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer, despite not having any symptoms. “It was a scary time,” recalled Dorothy. “I was plunged into a new world where suddenly life revolved around treatment.” Dorothy underwent surgery to remove a large section of her bowel, followed by six months of chemotherapy. She made a full recovery. The experience left her deeply aware of how fortunate she was that the cancer had been detected through routine screening. “After recovering from cancer, beauty around us is more poignant,” said Dorothy. “Little everyday problems don’t really matter.” She began volunteering with Bowel Cancer UK, giving presentations on the signs and symptoms of the disease and highlighting the importance of healthy lifestyle choices. She has been written about in newspapers, interviewed on radio programs. and invited to the BBC Breakfast “red sofa” to share how screening saved her life. After her marriage ended in 2004, Dorothy returned to Edinburgh. She later found love again with Kenny, a Scotsman. “He struggled with the British winters and craved sunshine, and that’s how we ended up in Portugal,” she shared. They moved to Parede in 2020. Dorothy joined IWP shortly thereafter. “IWP is such a welcoming group. It is so easy to make friends with ladies from around the world.” Despite significant health challenges, Dorothy has approached life with resilience, determination, and positivity. “And I have a wicked sense of humour,” she added. She continues to prioritise her health and maintains her fitness through regular gym sessions. She also draws on skills gained during a 12-week residential cookery school at an organic farm in Ireland. Dorothy will be moving back to Edinburgh at the end of May to spend more time with her family and to welcome her youngest daughter’s new baby, due in June. She is also looking forward to resuming her charity work with Bowel Cancer UK. We at IWP wish her all the very best. |
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Madie Férère (by Tess Robeson April 2026) “I am interested in growing roots here.” Madie Férère comes across as energetic and empathetic. Yet there’s more to Madie than meets the eye. Madie was born Marie-Denise Férère in Baltimore, Maryland, of Haitian parents. At six months of age she was sent to live with her paternal grandmother in Cap-Haïtien, while her parents prepared to move to West Africa. Madie was reunited with her parents in Korhogo, Cote d’Ivoire, three years later. “I had a happy childhood,” said Madie, who has an older brother and a younger sister. “I loved to climb trees, build makeshift houses with branches.” Madie went back to the US for college, studying International Relations in Dayton, Ohio. She then completed a master’s degree in Latin American Studies, with a focus on women and cultural anthropology, in Tucson, Arizona, where she met her future husband Daniel, a Canadian. “We’ve been in love for 40 years now,” shared Madie. Madie’s career spans numerous positions in government and nonprofit organizations. She worked as a family planning educator for Planned Parenthood in Tucson. She served as a counsellor at a battered women’s shelter in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, as well as a human rights advisor for the University of Guelph. She was a workplace mediator for the US Department of Health and Human Services in Washington DC, working closely with the Indian Health Service. She served as a family, workplace, and small claims mediator for the DC Superior Court. “Women’s causes, human rights – these are important to me,” said Madie. “I have a strong commitment to justice.” Her husband’s work with the University of Egerton in Nakuru, Kenya, and later the World Bank, gave the family the opportunity to live in a number of countries. They lived in Kenya for two years. This was where their first child, Malaïka Mathilde, was born. “In Africa a name carries a lot of weight,” said Madie. “Malaïka means ‘queen, the one who aspires to perfection’ in Kiswahili.” Mathilde is the name of Madie’s paternal grandmother. Their second child is Nehanda Ann. “Nehanda means ‘the leader of the people, the one who leads by example’ according to the Shona ethnic group of Zimbabwe,” said Madie. “I was committed to raising strong women.” From Kenya the family moved to Guelph, Canada, then Bethesda, Maryland. “Daniel then got a job in India, where we stayed for three years.” They also lived three and a half years in Abidjan, Côte-d’Ivoire, seven months in Burkina Faso, and four years in Bogota, Colombia. While in India, Madie studied naturopathy, which emphasizes natural therapies and the body’s ability to heal itself. In Colombia and in Toronto, Canada, Madie trained as a Pilates instructor. “I reinvented myself.” She has been a Stott Pilates Certified Instructor for the past 11 years and has practiced Pilates for 14 years. Madie’s husband retired in 2021. Their eldest daughter, who had visited Portugal, suggested they explore the place. “We love it here,” said Madie. “The weather is fantastic, and the people are kind.” The couple bought a Moorish-style house in Bicesse, where they live with Madie’s 95-year-old parents. Madie joined IWP in 2024. “I enjoy socializing, making friends, connecting with women. I wish more Portuguese women would join our organization.” Madie works part-time as a Pilates instructor. She also provides nutrition counselling. She likes to cook food from various parts of the world, especially the countries she has lived in. She enjoys lifting weights, taking walks with her husband, reading books, and watching movies. She’s looking for dancing classes that will fit into her schedule. “I’m happy to be here in Portugal,” said Madie. “I am interested in growing roots here.” |
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Christine Zacharatos Coyard (by Tess Robeson February 2026) “Being a mother is very important to me.” The first thing one notices about Christine Zacharatos Coyard is her lovely, winsome smile. She radiates a quiet charm. Not surprisingly, friends describe her as one who is “sooo nice.” Born to Greek parents, Christine grew up in Toronto. She visited her grandparents in Greece from time to time. “I come from a loving family.” Christine completed a degree in International Relations and Affairs, with a minor in French, at the University of Toronto. She worked as a Parliamentary Assistant in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. During this time she was a member of the National Communications Committee of UNICEF Canada, promoting UNICEF activities and raising funds. Christine later moved to Paris, France, and took a master’s degree in History/International Relations at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. She also obtained a diploma in French Language and Civilisation. In 1993 she married her French boyfriend in Paris. “I met him in Canada, but we wed in France,” said Christine. One day her husband suggested to her, “Why don’t you teach English?” Christine went to night school, enrolled in a Teaching of English as a Foreign Language course. She taught English to French students at a business school and a secondary school. “I created a course in Canadian culture and literature and taught that in English.” In 1998 her husband’s work took them to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was there that Christine’s dream of being a mother was fulfilled. “We had been trying to have a child in France,” she shared, “but it didn’t work out. We decided to adopt.” The adoption process was remarkably faster in Brazil than in France. “The day we signed the adoption papers, we were told a baby boy was ready for us to take home!” She took it all in stride. “I felt incredibly Zen about being a mother.” A year later Christine and her husband adopted another child, a girl. “The children completely changed our lives!” she gushed. “They are a blessing.” After five years, the Coyard family moved back to Paris. Christine sent her children to Portuguese school there. “As they are Brazilians, I wanted them to learn their native Portuguese.” Three years later the Coyards were back in Brazil. “With a friend, I set up and managed a travel agency,” said Christine. “We focused on specialized tours for individuals and small groups. I was proud of my work. We didn’t just offer sightseeing tours. We once organized a tour where students from Switzerland played football with local students.” Christine volunteered in the local communities, helping alleviate poverty in the favelas. She distributed food and presents at Christmas and raised funds for the local daycare. Christine’s husband’s job next took the family to London, where they stayed for eight years. Two years in Dubai followed. In August 2020, Christine and her husband moved to Portugal. “Life has taken me on an incredible journey!” said Christine. “Flexibility has allowed me to keep reinventing myself.” Through all the moves, Christine has remained unruffled. She attributes this to having been brought up Canadian. “Canadians are adaptable, diplomatic, and easygoing.” These days Christine spends her time on fitness activities, bridge with IWP, and creative endeavours. “I’ve always been passionate about art,” said Christine. She paints on canvas, azulejos, and other surfaces, and works on mosaics and sculpture. Some of Christine’s paintings hang in her children’s apartments. Her son, now 26 years old, lives in France, while her daughter, 25, is in the UK. “Being a mother is very important to me,” said Christine. “I’m very proud of the adults our children have become.” |
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Hilde Lundevall Arnet (by Tess Robeson January 2026) “My attitude in life is to make the best of it, wherever I am.” “Being in nature is comforting,” said Hilde Lundevall Arnet. Hilde, who was born just outside Oslo, Norway, grew up in the countryside and lived an outdoorsy life. Hilde remembers her childhood fondly. “We would go skiing after school.” Hilde is the oldest of three siblings. “Our father bought a log cabin up in the mountains, and our family would go fishing, hiking, and berry picking. The love for nature stays with you throughout your life.” After high school Hilde spent a year in Paris, studying art history, sociology, and the French language. She continued her studies at The University of Oslo. At 22 she married her boyfriend whom she had met in Paris when she was 19. Hilde’s husband, a mechanical engineer who was working for an oil company, relocated to Aberdeen, Scotland, on account of his work. Hilde enrolled at the University of Aberdeen. After two years the couple returned to Norway, where Hilde completed a degree in economics in Bergen, Norway’s second largest city. Hilde worked in human resources in Bergen. Later the couple, now with three children, decided to move to Arendal, on the southern coast of Norway. The Arnets were there for 10 years. Hilde served as the first president of the local Soroptimist Club, a global volunteer organization that empowers women and girls through education and training. Hilde’s husband’s work then took them to Singapore, where they stayed for 15 years. “I was a member of the Friends of the Museums there,” said Hilde. “I took a docent course and became a docent.” She enjoyed showing visitors the National Museum. Hilde did philanthropic work in Singapore as a board member of the Norway House, a private aid initiative that benefitted children in Cambodia. “We supported an orphanage,” said Hilde. “We not only raised funds; we went to Cambodia to make sure things were being managed well.” She travelled there four times a year for 10 years. In 2011 Hilde and her husband attended a wedding at the Grande Real Villa Itália Hotel in Cascais. Thereafter, Portugal was on their radar as a place in which to settle. In 2016 the Arnets bought a condo project in Cascais, which was completed in 2020. With Covid and its complexities at the time, the Arnets moved to their new home in 2022. “I find Portugal and the people here welcoming and warm,” said Hilde. “It’s easy to be a foreigner in Cascais.” Hilde joined IWP the same year. “I’m so impressed with IWP and all the interesting, hardworking, and resourceful women. It’s well-organized – so many events and activities. And we give back to the community.” For Hilde joining IWP is a great way to meet people with the same interests. She has participated in walks, tours discovering Lisbon, bridge (she’s a “big fan”), and ballet outings. On a typical day, Hilde likes to walk her dog on the beach at Guincho. She takes classes in Portuguese. She enjoys reading historical fiction, biographies, and histories and knitting for her five small grandchildren. “My attitude in life is to make the best of it, wherever I am,” reflected Hilde, “and to always be curious, positive, and adaptable. When settling down in a new country, it is important to learn, integrate, and adapt. Get involved in one’s community.” “We’re very privileged to live in this part of the world,” said Hilde. “It’s safe. Being here is a blessing.” |
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