Good article. Yes, it's not always fun, but for the most part we are very happy with our time here. We have what I would call a "working" retirement. We have a 4 ha flower farm that keeps us very busy. We planted about an 1/2 ha with lavender 16 mths ago and had our first harvest last summer, albeit small. We are prepping another 1/2 ha for more lavender, hopefully to plant next fall. So that keeps me busy, while my wife has very much gotten into ceramics. We did a series of Christmas markets this fall down on the south coast of the Algarve and did pretty well selling some of wife's creations along with lavender products and protea flowers from the farm. We have also finally gotten use of our greenhouse and, after renovating it, are ready to plant some veggies and papayas. I am also going to try to propagate various types of plants from cuttings (proteas, ornamental eucalyptus, lavender). The only real downside, apart from the usual bureaucratic red tape that you mentioned, has been an ongoing contractual dispute with our neighbor (from whom we purchased the property) that may evolve into legal action. It has also helped that both of us are proficient in Portuguese so we really haven't dealt with much of a language barrier. So no real regrets about our move here. Life is good.
Carol! I'd love to be able to share your posts or parts of them with my audience of people considering a move. I would credit you, of course. Would you be open to chat about it? heather@bootsonthegroundpt.com
I loved reading this, Carol. You are an excellent writer! What an interesting story - both the general store part and moving to Portugal . Such issues to consider!! Looking forward to your next post.
RI is a lovely state, 195W headaches not-withstanding. It's one of the reasons we will be exploring the silver coast in Portugal this June as we are drawn to that coastline's rugged topography. The hardest decision will be where in Portugal we finally focus on for the move. We are working on convincing our son that he would love to go to college in Dublin at Trinity College - even took him for a campus tour last March at the end our our vacation in Portugal. We are moving for many of the same reasons you pointed out in your reply. Wishing you all the very best - let the adventures begin.
My husband & I from opposite sides of the world I born in New Zealand & he the UK
Our journey to here has taken us living in numerous countries for careers separately as a couple & as a family
But those years are what to me are / where the expat years where one goes specially for a time to work and you know they are not forever even if it’s for 6 yrs in 1 country
The day arrives where once again you pack up & leave & start again.
Our move here has been as immigrants
fortunately my husband had lived here before speaks writes Portuguese fluently and for quite some years we have come here for some of our summer holidays
So everyone thinks it should be easy & some days it is
yes at times things / places are familiar
the bureaucracy I’ve lived with far worse and of course far easier but we try to just go with the flow
Renovating / restoring a Quinta is a whole different story & over a year since we purchased due to numerous things not going to plan nothing has started
& life has been on hold a lot of the past 14 months but we are assured it will be all happening
soon … business plans laid out but still on hold bubbling away more like simmering at the moment
So right now am I happy NO I’m frustrated & somedays lonely
at times homesick but for what was & for places lived & people there are days I long to return to Asia to see friends & know the familiar sounds and the foods of the countries the busyness
Friends now scattered in the 4 corners of this planet I miss them all
And there are days where I love being here & that this is home & it will be all ok
It’s work in progress I miss what was I’m unsure what will be & how it will be but life has taught me that nothing is linear to have adventures you must be brave & prepared to expect the unexpected & here I’ve learnt patience
I hear you! We are still in the honeymoon phase since we've only been living here since last May. However, there have been hiccups that seemed almost insurmountable at times. Keeping in mind, that life has hiccups wherever you live really helps.
A great read for sure! I have nothing but interest in and admiration for your choices. And although I do not live in Portugal, but rather in Rhode Island, I have visited Portugal and really enjoyed it. And I have been to your former country store, some time after you weren’t there. Honestly I cannot imagine that undertaking and I think I might have found that fun almost none of the time. But dealing with the public when you run a small business can be very trying a lot of the time.
I have love following your journey, seeing your experiences through your eyes. You have that ability to appreciate newness, the eagerness for exploration and learning and the groundedness ( I am not sure that’s even a word!) to be real about the universal challenges of daily living. I don’t know if I will leave this place I call home in my lifetime. I do love to explore and am often eager for newness. I do keep searching and looking and questioning. What I do know is that I will continue to follow your journey with interest, admiration and respect and I will always wish you and Paul well, hoping our paths cross again at some point. It is always a pleasure!
Thank you for this post in its honest portrayal of your experience, and the beautiful walk through your past life. My husband Ted and I answered the question you posed the same way, "most of the time" because that is real life wherever we live. Overall, after four months and still waiting for our residency cards, we can say that we have made new friends and are about to purchase a new apartment. We're learning to "be Portuguese about it" which means taking delays in stride, rejoicing in small victories like remembering your NIF in Portuguese, the stuff of the everyday that does matter, and that encourages me to keep going. Some days are a slog emotionally, but most of the time I can't believe we did this crazy, amazing move.
Fun? Fun everyday? If you set yorself up for that expectation you will definitely be disappointed at least “some of the time”. Perhaps the better comparison is “are we having more fun now”.
We have lived in Lagos for almost 3 years, after having vacationed here previously, and have experienced all of the same issues (do not get me started about the driver’s license exchange!). I won’t lie - the first year was very hard for me. I missed my friends, colleagues, and family. It was covid-time and the restrictions were difficult. The 5-hour time zone difference was hard to navigate with work. My husband was already fully retired so he would wander off to the marina while I stayed in the apartment all day working and taking care of pets.
Eventually, we began finding our “tribe” - foodies, wineauxs, sailing buddies, padel players, dog friends, etc. We purchased e-bikes and ride all over town. Beaches and cafes are available everywhere all the time. The food - so good! This is such a different lifestyle from our US life and we love it. Now we are having fun!
Thanks for this, Carol--insightful & well put as always.
My wife & I made our move from NW US to Eastern Algarve 3.5 weeks ago, after 3.5 years of weighing our options, deciding on Portugal, so much research & preparation & connecting with people, & 2 trips here (1 to explore, 1 to get our lease for the visa). We had never lived outside the US before (unless you count a 2-month summer language program in Nigeria during Graduate studies more than 30 years ago, when all the details were taken care of for us), and had never traveled in Europe before this decision.
Strenuous purging of belongings and sad goodbye-we'll-stay-in-touch-es made our last weeks in the States very heavy lifting, especially over the holidays. So we arrived, like everyone does after a move, with a lot of fatigue & stress to clear--and like every move, there are setbacks and confusions & delays as you settle in, but compounded by the limits of one's language skills and one's experience with "how things are done here".
In other words, like you said: real life of household chores and navigating services & systems doesn't go away when you immigrate to a place where you believe you can build your best life. And of course you bring your personality, your personal history, and relationship dynamics with you (you just might not have unpacked them all yet...). Things that make you irritable or angry or afraid will still make you irritable or angry or afraid.
We are very much in love with Tavira, a beautiful small city with a dynamic civic life that celebrates the arts & the environment (also a really great public library). But is it always unmitigated fun to live here, with Portuguese systems & customs + the choices we've made, the resources we have, & the people we are? Of course not. Cuz life & cuz humans.
Almost everything we do here right now is a learning process, which was partly the point of making this huge leap, but that doesn't make it less tiring. I have to work at staying self-aware and aware of my limits (cuz I can hit those limits pretty hard!). Give us a couple years, and it will be more & more just our life. We look forward to that!
And I swear I'm going to figure out how to navigate the Android TV box that came with our Internet+TV+phone+cell phones package, once our sofa comes (on sale 50% off, but not in stock) and I have a little time to sit around messing with TV. :)
Made me smile to read your post. My husband feels right at home and takes each bureaucratic hurdle in his stride. I'm not yet as comfortable riding these ever changing waves or waiting and appreciating the unknown. As you say, some jobs just never go away. Acceptance should clearly be my mantra. Love the honesty in your writing!
While we aren't in Portugal, our move to Denmark included a similar set of circumstances: two of the three of us had never visited. We didn't know much about basic things like grocery shopping. We had studied as much as we could about health care and school options--the truth is, living in a new place is so different from traveling, I don't think there's any possible comparison. We recently learned about "the Expat Curve", the literal fluctuations that occur as you try and adapt to a new life in a new country. It's a worthwhile exploration...and quite eye-opening.
We get many of the same observations you do. Denmark! Oh how fun! H.C. Andersen! Free healthcare! Bicycles! Yes, those things are here, but we experience them all through a lens that's different than people who were born and raised here. And only sometimes, is it fun.
Great post Carol. Most of my friends think I jet around this continent and sit in a cafe all day when in reality the toilets demand a regular cleaning and laundry is almost a daily occurrence (think tiny washing machine). I almost spit out my coffee about your sheet sizing comment. We have three different sizes for one bed. I'll never get in right.
I call our move to Portugal (we’ve been here 8 months) a push-pull phenomenon. We definitely experienced a pull to Europe and Portugal particularly( we had been here before several times) as well as a push out the door of America, particularly due to the gun violence and the retraction of Roe v Wade. In what seemed to us as a troubling turn backwards and a negation of the progress of our entire adult lives for equality and tolerance, we decided to live out the rest of our lives in a peaceful place. Is it all sunshine in Portugal? Well, in about 8 months here in the Eastern Algarve, literally yes. Are there daily frustrations? You bet. Do we miss the people we left behind? Definitely. Would we do it again? Probably. Will we live here forever? Who knows?
I enjoyed reading your honest thoughts. My wife and I love Portugal, and do not regret our choice at all. But after our two-year honeymoon period (been here over fours years now), it's just your life, with all the same ups and downs you experience anywhere. We'd just rather be experiencing it here in Portugal.
Good article. Yes, it's not always fun, but for the most part we are very happy with our time here. We have what I would call a "working" retirement. We have a 4 ha flower farm that keeps us very busy. We planted about an 1/2 ha with lavender 16 mths ago and had our first harvest last summer, albeit small. We are prepping another 1/2 ha for more lavender, hopefully to plant next fall. So that keeps me busy, while my wife has very much gotten into ceramics. We did a series of Christmas markets this fall down on the south coast of the Algarve and did pretty well selling some of wife's creations along with lavender products and protea flowers from the farm. We have also finally gotten use of our greenhouse and, after renovating it, are ready to plant some veggies and papayas. I am also going to try to propagate various types of plants from cuttings (proteas, ornamental eucalyptus, lavender). The only real downside, apart from the usual bureaucratic red tape that you mentioned, has been an ongoing contractual dispute with our neighbor (from whom we purchased the property) that may evolve into legal action. It has also helped that both of us are proficient in Portuguese so we really haven't dealt with much of a language barrier. So no real regrets about our move here. Life is good.
Carol! I'd love to be able to share your posts or parts of them with my audience of people considering a move. I would credit you, of course. Would you be open to chat about it? heather@bootsonthegroundpt.com
I loved reading this, Carol. You are an excellent writer! What an interesting story - both the general store part and moving to Portugal . Such issues to consider!! Looking forward to your next post.
RI is a lovely state, 195W headaches not-withstanding. It's one of the reasons we will be exploring the silver coast in Portugal this June as we are drawn to that coastline's rugged topography. The hardest decision will be where in Portugal we finally focus on for the move. We are working on convincing our son that he would love to go to college in Dublin at Trinity College - even took him for a campus tour last March at the end our our vacation in Portugal. We are moving for many of the same reasons you pointed out in your reply. Wishing you all the very best - let the adventures begin.
Loved your story & honesty
My husband & I from opposite sides of the world I born in New Zealand & he the UK
Our journey to here has taken us living in numerous countries for careers separately as a couple & as a family
But those years are what to me are / where the expat years where one goes specially for a time to work and you know they are not forever even if it’s for 6 yrs in 1 country
The day arrives where once again you pack up & leave & start again.
Our move here has been as immigrants
fortunately my husband had lived here before speaks writes Portuguese fluently and for quite some years we have come here for some of our summer holidays
So everyone thinks it should be easy & some days it is
yes at times things / places are familiar
the bureaucracy I’ve lived with far worse and of course far easier but we try to just go with the flow
Renovating / restoring a Quinta is a whole different story & over a year since we purchased due to numerous things not going to plan nothing has started
& life has been on hold a lot of the past 14 months but we are assured it will be all happening
soon … business plans laid out but still on hold bubbling away more like simmering at the moment
So right now am I happy NO I’m frustrated & somedays lonely
at times homesick but for what was & for places lived & people there are days I long to return to Asia to see friends & know the familiar sounds and the foods of the countries the busyness
Friends now scattered in the 4 corners of this planet I miss them all
And there are days where I love being here & that this is home & it will be all ok
It’s work in progress I miss what was I’m unsure what will be & how it will be but life has taught me that nothing is linear to have adventures you must be brave & prepared to expect the unexpected & here I’ve learnt patience
this quote sums it up
“Everything will be alright in the end
and if it’s not alright then it is not
the end “
I hear you! We are still in the honeymoon phase since we've only been living here since last May. However, there have been hiccups that seemed almost insurmountable at times. Keeping in mind, that life has hiccups wherever you live really helps.
Thank you Carol. We feel the same! Always let us know when you will be back here and we will put the coffee on!
Carol-
A great read for sure! I have nothing but interest in and admiration for your choices. And although I do not live in Portugal, but rather in Rhode Island, I have visited Portugal and really enjoyed it. And I have been to your former country store, some time after you weren’t there. Honestly I cannot imagine that undertaking and I think I might have found that fun almost none of the time. But dealing with the public when you run a small business can be very trying a lot of the time.
I have love following your journey, seeing your experiences through your eyes. You have that ability to appreciate newness, the eagerness for exploration and learning and the groundedness ( I am not sure that’s even a word!) to be real about the universal challenges of daily living. I don’t know if I will leave this place I call home in my lifetime. I do love to explore and am often eager for newness. I do keep searching and looking and questioning. What I do know is that I will continue to follow your journey with interest, admiration and respect and I will always wish you and Paul well, hoping our paths cross again at some point. It is always a pleasure!
Thank you for this post in its honest portrayal of your experience, and the beautiful walk through your past life. My husband Ted and I answered the question you posed the same way, "most of the time" because that is real life wherever we live. Overall, after four months and still waiting for our residency cards, we can say that we have made new friends and are about to purchase a new apartment. We're learning to "be Portuguese about it" which means taking delays in stride, rejoicing in small victories like remembering your NIF in Portuguese, the stuff of the everyday that does matter, and that encourages me to keep going. Some days are a slog emotionally, but most of the time I can't believe we did this crazy, amazing move.
Fun? Fun everyday? If you set yorself up for that expectation you will definitely be disappointed at least “some of the time”. Perhaps the better comparison is “are we having more fun now”.
We have lived in Lagos for almost 3 years, after having vacationed here previously, and have experienced all of the same issues (do not get me started about the driver’s license exchange!). I won’t lie - the first year was very hard for me. I missed my friends, colleagues, and family. It was covid-time and the restrictions were difficult. The 5-hour time zone difference was hard to navigate with work. My husband was already fully retired so he would wander off to the marina while I stayed in the apartment all day working and taking care of pets.
Eventually, we began finding our “tribe” - foodies, wineauxs, sailing buddies, padel players, dog friends, etc. We purchased e-bikes and ride all over town. Beaches and cafes are available everywhere all the time. The food - so good! This is such a different lifestyle from our US life and we love it. Now we are having fun!
Thanks for this, Carol--insightful & well put as always.
My wife & I made our move from NW US to Eastern Algarve 3.5 weeks ago, after 3.5 years of weighing our options, deciding on Portugal, so much research & preparation & connecting with people, & 2 trips here (1 to explore, 1 to get our lease for the visa). We had never lived outside the US before (unless you count a 2-month summer language program in Nigeria during Graduate studies more than 30 years ago, when all the details were taken care of for us), and had never traveled in Europe before this decision.
Strenuous purging of belongings and sad goodbye-we'll-stay-in-touch-es made our last weeks in the States very heavy lifting, especially over the holidays. So we arrived, like everyone does after a move, with a lot of fatigue & stress to clear--and like every move, there are setbacks and confusions & delays as you settle in, but compounded by the limits of one's language skills and one's experience with "how things are done here".
In other words, like you said: real life of household chores and navigating services & systems doesn't go away when you immigrate to a place where you believe you can build your best life. And of course you bring your personality, your personal history, and relationship dynamics with you (you just might not have unpacked them all yet...). Things that make you irritable or angry or afraid will still make you irritable or angry or afraid.
We are very much in love with Tavira, a beautiful small city with a dynamic civic life that celebrates the arts & the environment (also a really great public library). But is it always unmitigated fun to live here, with Portuguese systems & customs + the choices we've made, the resources we have, & the people we are? Of course not. Cuz life & cuz humans.
Almost everything we do here right now is a learning process, which was partly the point of making this huge leap, but that doesn't make it less tiring. I have to work at staying self-aware and aware of my limits (cuz I can hit those limits pretty hard!). Give us a couple years, and it will be more & more just our life. We look forward to that!
And I swear I'm going to figure out how to navigate the Android TV box that came with our Internet+TV+phone+cell phones package, once our sofa comes (on sale 50% off, but not in stock) and I have a little time to sit around messing with TV. :)
Made me smile to read your post. My husband feels right at home and takes each bureaucratic hurdle in his stride. I'm not yet as comfortable riding these ever changing waves or waiting and appreciating the unknown. As you say, some jobs just never go away. Acceptance should clearly be my mantra. Love the honesty in your writing!
While we aren't in Portugal, our move to Denmark included a similar set of circumstances: two of the three of us had never visited. We didn't know much about basic things like grocery shopping. We had studied as much as we could about health care and school options--the truth is, living in a new place is so different from traveling, I don't think there's any possible comparison. We recently learned about "the Expat Curve", the literal fluctuations that occur as you try and adapt to a new life in a new country. It's a worthwhile exploration...and quite eye-opening.
We get many of the same observations you do. Denmark! Oh how fun! H.C. Andersen! Free healthcare! Bicycles! Yes, those things are here, but we experience them all through a lens that's different than people who were born and raised here. And only sometimes, is it fun.
Great post Carol. Most of my friends think I jet around this continent and sit in a cafe all day when in reality the toilets demand a regular cleaning and laundry is almost a daily occurrence (think tiny washing machine). I almost spit out my coffee about your sheet sizing comment. We have three different sizes for one bed. I'll never get in right.
I call our move to Portugal (we’ve been here 8 months) a push-pull phenomenon. We definitely experienced a pull to Europe and Portugal particularly( we had been here before several times) as well as a push out the door of America, particularly due to the gun violence and the retraction of Roe v Wade. In what seemed to us as a troubling turn backwards and a negation of the progress of our entire adult lives for equality and tolerance, we decided to live out the rest of our lives in a peaceful place. Is it all sunshine in Portugal? Well, in about 8 months here in the Eastern Algarve, literally yes. Are there daily frustrations? You bet. Do we miss the people we left behind? Definitely. Would we do it again? Probably. Will we live here forever? Who knows?
I enjoyed reading your honest thoughts. My wife and I love Portugal, and do not regret our choice at all. But after our two-year honeymoon period (been here over fours years now), it's just your life, with all the same ups and downs you experience anywhere. We'd just rather be experiencing it here in Portugal.