There is a lot to love about Portugal. I've written about it, others have written about it, it seems well known. There are some downfalls as well which seem to surprise some people. It is important for everyone to do their own research when moving to any new country. A little leg work and google can head off a lot of headache later. There are so many good things that I think sometimes people forget that moving to another country is actually hard.
For example it took me a year and three months to complete my drivers license exchange. For 9 months of that time I didn't have a driver's license at all. I knew going into the exchange it would take a while but it's different when it's happening to you. It was very frustrating even though I knew it would take a while but what helped me was that I knew from my research it would take a long time. We are in the *process* of buying a house here and it is a process for sure. I knew from my research it would be different and we have found a fantastic realtor but still it isn't without bump in the road so to speak. For example once you sign a contract here it's basically yours, and if you decide not to buy you lose your down payment (usually 10K). So it is imperative to do your due diligence before signing any contract. I also learned this from my prior research so while it's great our real estate agent told us about it, I knew going in it was a very different process and to tread carefully. I see people talk about making friends, and it is important to have a good network of friends when you are an expat. I have heard some talk about how hard it is to make friends with the locals, and while that may be true I often wonder how many friends they had in the US that were from other countries. The important thing is that you build a social network here it doesn't need to be with a certain group of people, just people you like. This also doesn't happen overnight, you need to go out and go to meetups, and try to meet people, they don't just show up at your door.
There will be good days and bad as well, no matter how much research you do. The research just helps you know what's going on theoretically. It doesn't tell you how hard it might be. For a while my mantra was "24 hours from now." When we moved it was during covid. My sef appointment was supposed to be in February but sef closed so it was moved. When it was rescheduled I had contacted someone to drive me the 4 hours each way to the appointment. This is something I wouldn't do now, but that's because I've been here two years and travelled the country a lot. At the time I had been here 3 months and during covid the farthest I had been was about 4 blocks away to get groceries. Anyway, a few days before my appointment I had texted the person to confirm the pick up time and learned that while it was a firm date on my end it was less firm on their end and they had other plans. Which led me to actually panic. How was I supposed to get 4 hours away in the middle of a pandemic on 2 days notice? Thankfully an expat I knew suggested another person who was available to drive me and it worked out perfectly, but that was one of the most panic stricken days I have had here. Hence my "24 hours from now" mantra. I figured good or bad my sef appointment would be over in 24 hours. Honestly bottom line, if you move to any country thinking it will be the same as where you came from you will be disappointed and unhappy. If you come with a sense of adventure (and patience) you will never be disappointed.
Adventure is a state of mind and spirit. ---Jacqueline Cochran
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