Oi! My name is Jao Freire and I am interested in moving my family back to Portugal after 2 generations in America. We have found a nice home in above Cavo we are looking at and I am looking for "inside" information about living in Portugal as an expatriot from the USA. I speak reasonable spanish(mexican) and a little Portugese but can pick it up quickly if immersed in it. Are there many english speaking folks in the countryside? We are looking at a small vinyard/ winery near rural Minho. Will language be a severe problem until we pick up the local patois among the farmland folk? BTW we are not rich americans and will be living among and as the locals do. We are a nice rural countryside family of four with two young teens. With what I have outlined would anyone have advice for us to make the transition more fluid? Obrigado, whiterasta
Hello João Freire! I'm sure you'll like Portugal... But if you really want to move in, you must be aware that things here are different than in US! More and more, I see people from other countries coming to our countryside... and generally they get along very well with us. I don't go much to Minho, so I am not the right person to tell you about the life there. Nevertheless, I can tell you it's a very very beautiful place... Stunning, actually. People sometimes seem a bit rude, but in fact they are not. They are very sincere. If you're well-mannered they are very friendly to you, if you are arrogant they act the same way. On the Winter it is cold and rains a lot, but the rest of the year is nice and warm. There are a lot of wonderful traditions in the small villages: songs, dances, celebrations... Many are related to the Church. By the way, curiosity only, did your family remain Catholic? Hmmm, changing the subject, the gastronomy is... amazing! There are many typical dishes that will delight you for sure... Even if you are in a small vinyard or something, you have at least three big cities near: Viana do Castelo, Braga, Guimarães... Maybe your teen kids will like to go there sometimes, lol. Take a look at other regions, if you please... The whole countryside is awesome. The land is beautiful, the cultural heritage is very rich, people are very sincere... I live in Lisbon now but I usually go to Castelo Branco (center), to Alentejo (south) and to Algarve (south). I love spending my vacations or weekends in these places... and as I go there a lot I can tell you more. In general... The language can be a problem at the beggining, but a small one. In the small villages of the countryside live many ancient people who, unfortunately, didn't have the opportunity of going to school... So the majority only speeks portuguese. Nevertheless, people here are so friendly that they'll make efforts to understand you, hehehehehe! The youngs speek english propperly, but unfortunately in the countryside there is a big number of kids who leave school (for many reasons...). I'd advice you to learn the portuguese basics. It will be easier. Two months here and you'll speek like anyone else. When my cousins from Belgium come to Portugal in vacations they really like it, but they complain a lot about our Health System. I don't want to alarm you, you see, I just want to let you know... Sometimes things in hospitals get complicated, for example sometimes there aren't enough doctors for so many pacients and people have to wait a lot, even if they are sick. Portugal is a very nice country, but it's going through a crisis, you see, and problems don't seem to be solved. There are many programs being created in the countryside to motivate the development of the rural regions. These programs focus on different areas with various aims: encouraging the agriculture and the typical handcraft, preserving the cultural and environmental patrimony... I know one couple of german hippies who came to the very inland of Alentejo twelve years ago, they have a daughter now, they still live there and intend to do so 'till the rest of their lives. They were kind of helped by one social institution founded in the following of these programs. Now theyare totally established. They live near Nature, they're happy and free, they live near true people, enjoying the peace of the countryside. When they want, they go to any near citie and go to a movie, to a concert, to a disco... Just come with joy, you'll be welcome! Blessed be P.S - If you need help practising portuguese, just ask!
Muchas gracias! Tengo un poquito espanol y scientific latin pero no portugese. I learn language very fast when immersed however and have snippets of at least a dozen languages. And as for the differences between cultures...That is why we leave "the land of opportunity" this is NOT MY CULTURE! I was raised by first generation imigrants and have never fit in or agreed with this country. My family and I live in a very remote part of Oregon and are largely self sufficient,living a lifestyle which is rapidly becoming dangerous in America(Don't speak your mind here too loudly). We wish to return to a village lifestyle. Obrigada, Ayesha! Queria aprender a pronuncia Portugese a falar bom! And also I would like to hear from you about the "coffee houses" as that is a possible business venture we are interested in(we in Oregon have a barista on every corner). Again obrigada! Iago(aka Joao) Enrique Freire Portugal...I am coming home!
On my zone (Famalicão, from Braga) coffee houses are almost always a good business (specially if you live in a village) 'cause there are always some people that love to spend sometime in a coffee house relaxing everyday. That's what i say, and, as i said, i can just talk about my zone, that (honestly) is beuatiful Again, sorry my bad english
Obrigado Lestatold! Te falan Ingles bom! Perdoe mi portugese. Thank you for the information about the Braga region. Anything else you would like to share from a native perspective I would appreciate. Braga is one of the ares we are seriously looking in as well as the Alto Minho area. Bom Via!, Iago
