How to Feel (Almost) at Home in Portugal

Date: 01/03/2024 12:33:33

Hey, since this is a personal blog that nobody reads, I’ll share some more personal thoughts here.

I did a speech for Ukrainians and for the Portuguese at a manifestation on February 24, the second grim anniversary of the start of a full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine.

I am friends with the Associação de Ucranianos do Porto, and they asked me also to say something. So I said what I wanted: I gave a half-joking set of advice for the Ukrainians to adapt (in Ukrainian) and a more persuasive speech for the Portuguese who can vote (in Portuguese).

Here is the half-joking advice for immigrants, especially those who didn’t mean to move to Portugal.

1. Become a regular client at a local café, but not a hipster one with 4 eur cappuccinos! Choose the one with black coffee like lava. Ok, ok, few people like local 80-cent coffee, but you can get orange juice or tea. Or a torrada. If you show up almost every day and talk to the waiters and the owner, soon, people will start recognizing you on the streets.

2. Get a dog. Or borrow a dog from your friends. You will have to go outside twice daily and talk to people. Soon, you will get contact information for a community-approved mechanic, someone will treat you to a coffee, and kids will share candy with you. You’ll also learn about local services, often much cheaper than the ones you use.

3. Use your, however mediocre, Portuguese every day. With mistakes, bad pronunciation, and mixing up words. Don’t worry, it’s the effort that make people actually see that you try. You will get some or a lot of respect for it.

4. Ask your neighbours for help. An EDP operator doesn’t understand what you need? Do you need advice on battling mould? Be brave and ask a neighbour you meet at the building door daily to help you. They will likely accept. Help promotes a sense of security and community and actually bonds people. This can and probably will lift a lot of this feeling of being foreign, weird, ill-fitting, and inadequate. You might not notice, but it drains much of your power daily. This way, with time, you’ll get some mind space and free time (and maybe even will be able to help someone else get out of the immigrant rut).

My friend, the amazing photographer Helder Ferreira, took some hilarious pictures of me. And hey, it’s my blog, so I can show them off here, haha.