It was rather interesting to read the personal comments made by Daniela Cortes about her relationship with Joana. In the book, Nationality and Partner, Cortes claims that Joana is not a national but merely a Portuguese national. She has a Portuguese father, but according to Cortes, her mother tongue proves that she is not a Portugal national, in spite of what Joana states.
In the case of Daniela Cortes, who was born in 1954, she asserts that her mother tongue is Portuguese, even though her father speaks a very good German. After being encouraged by an older brother to study in Lisbon, Daniela did, in fact, learn how to speak Portuguese in school and that is what brought her to study abroad in Argentina. From there, she met Joana who was a year ahead of her in university. In their studies, they had a lot of time to spend together and as Joana became increasingly interested in political and social issues, Daniela took this to be a sign that Joana was planning to marry a Portuguese national and eventually become a Portuguese citizen. However, Daniela herself never married a Portuguese national, nor did she ever plan on it.
In the years following the split, Daniela would often discuss her views of marrying a Portuguese national with her new partner, Joana. She repeatedly stated that Joana was not of Portuguese nationality, despite having been advised that it would be better for everyone if they were to use the same nationality. The conversation would inevitably turn to the subject of Daniela’s age and whether or not Joana considered herself to be a Portuguese national. When Daniela finally explained her reasons for pursuing a different national identity, Joana dismissed Daniela as “deceitful girl” and told her that she should stop studying so that she didn’t ruin her chances with their future partner.