Meet Terri Blakley, whose love of Portuguese led to lasting love, lifelong friendships, and a home in Portugal.

Terri Blakley

By Véronique Décarie

It’s just Terri. Always was. Not Teresa. So, her Portuguese professor at San Diego State University in January, 1978 logically called her Teresinha, and it stuck.

Six months earlier in Mexico, Terri became enamored of the Portuguese language when hearing Brazilian artist Roberto Carlos sing “Detalhes.” She had a B.A. in Spanish and resolved to learn Portuguese, so enrolled at SDSU to study Brazilian Portuguese. She befriended her future husband, Mark, in that class.

In September, 1978, Terri and a classmate volunteered as interpreters/tour guides for the crew of the Sagres, a Portuguese Navy training ship docked in her hometown, San Diego. A grateful marine insisted that she contact his sister, Mila, if she visited Portugal. The following summer, Mila and her two sons —still close friends after 47 years —welcomed Terri into their Monte Estoril flat for three weeks.

“I was overcome with emotion that first time I walked out into Lisbon at Santa Apolónia. My first thought was: I feel like I’m home!” Well, almost. It would take three years for Terri to move to Portugal, and over three decades for her to live here permanently.

That fall of 1979, she reconnected with Mark at the University of Texas. Their bond endured—and deepened—when they drove 36 straight hours back to California for the Holidays in below-freezing temps in an unheated VW bus. “We were both tired, cold, broke, and cranky, she laughs, but we’ve never been apart since.” They married on Juneteenth, 1981 (in a park in Austin, with three good friends, their two dogs and a judge) and in 1982 moved to Lisbon to work as English teachers at the American Language Institute (ALI). There they met Beverly, a fellow teacher who would eventually introduce them to IWP’s Sintra Walks group.

Then, in 1984, tragedy struck: Mark’s dad was terminally ill, and without resources to keep crossing the ocean, they chose to return to California in January, 1985.

Then, in 1987, ALI wanted to rehire them. “We’d missed Portugal so much that we immediately accepted,” explains Terri. So off they went again… only to return to San Diego after six months when Terri’s mom became unwell. The Portugal dream didn’t die, but it had to wait until retirement in 2014.

Through IWP’s Sintra Walks group, Terri and Mark made new friends. They were especially close to beloved co-founder Kathie Bowen. Thanks to her kind, effective leadership, Kathie inspired them—and many others—to start leading walks or become activity captains. Terri and Mark would sometimes even show up with hot coffee and homemade lemon bars for everyone before heading out.

Generosity and commitment have always been cornerstones of the couple’s life, toward both family and friends—human or canine. They visit Beverly, now 94, at her nursing home in Spain. They also host Thanksgiving for a group of “American orphans” with no family here, where they never tire of singing Arlo Guthrie’s famous Thanksgiving classic “Alice’s Restaurant” together.

They’ve adopted, fostered, and sponsored many dogs, some of whom were special needs (physically and/or emotionally) and some who just needed love. They think of it as creating a “safe haven.” Right now, they are helping Louis-Philippe and Buck, both almost 17, through the last stage of their long life. Louis and Buck are two of the many Terri and Mark have adopted over four decades. “Our dear boys are definitely coming up to the last stop on the train, but we note their condition daily and will hopefully make the decision at the right time. It’s challenging and heartbreaking, but we owe them. It’s the last best gift we can give them.”