In the first half of the 20th century, growing up in Madeira usually meant receiving only a basic education up to fourth grade, focused on grammar and arithmetic. Boys went on to commercial business or agriculture, while girls learned domestic chores and wifely duties. The schools offering education beyond fourth grade were in Funchal, but this was not practical for the Figuereans as the bus ride was expensive and time-consuming.
To get around this, great-grandmother Ines decided that her children would attend the local convent, where the priests and nuns of the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Victories taught. The children went to the convent daily, bringing their own food with them in wicker baskets.
Despite this, the Figueira made annual trips around the island with family and friends, renting a bus to explore the region. It is remarkable how these trips were a significant occurrence, considering that a trip within the island at that time was similar in terms of difficulty and rarity to a trip to a different continent in modern times.