The Algarve has moved from winter to summer with barely a nod to spring. By 9 am, the temperature is reading 63 degrees, but in the sun, it feels closer to 73. This afternoon the temperatures will hit 80 degrees, hotter in the sun. My apartment will stay cool which is a godsend in the…
I’ve been taking Portuguese language courses at the local high school and it’s been fun, if frustrating. The school year is comprised of three terms and, not gonna lie, the end of term parties are my favorite part. The first one was in December; basically, it’s the Christmas break. The teacher explained we would have…
A stateside representative is essential when you first move abroad. You’ve left the US and are happily ensconced in your new country, but most expats still need a point of contact—a stateside rep—to handle stateside paperwork and any emergencies that may come up. Think about having a personal representative—a friend, relative, or paid party—in place…
When you decide to move overseas, your friends and family are naturally going to worry about you. First, they’re going to wonder if you’ve gone crazy—let’s face it, the idea of leaving the US behind is hard to wrap your head around after being told that the US is the greatest country in the world…
I’ve had two separate conversations in the past week about “all the Americans” coming to Portugal. I addressed this some months back (No. Americans are NOT Flocking to Portugal in Droves) but I think it says something about 1) the power of media and 2) even Americans don’t want to run into Americans. The Power…
Moving is a major life transition and one that makes the top ten list of anxiety triggers. Now imagine that instead of moving to a new town or new state, you’re leaving your home country. Feel a slight uptick in blood pressure? Welcome to the expat life. It’s downright scary moving to a new country…
A NIF (Numero de Identificacao Fiscal) is a personal tax ID number. It is sometimes also called a Contribution number. It is NOT a Portuguese social security number. However, it is a unique identifier that is used to open a bank account, buy property (really, buy anything), open accounts with utilities, pay your Portuguese taxes,…
I was reading a “shit happens post” or as I call them, “post of woe” in one of the expat Facebook groups. This time it was a man complaining about a three-month wait to receive debit cards for a new account, due to the cards being mailed first to the wrong address and then… who…
I am not a morning person. My day starts ever-so-slowly with coffee, a croissant from the bakery below, and more coffee. I pretend to write, usually doing little more than making a to-do list that I won’t get done. The list is always overly ambitious. I am not. Mostly I spend my first hour or…
Early on, when I first moved to Portugal, I wrote a blog post titled, “It’s All Uphill.” Two years in, there are still uphill days and weeks. One of my “uphills” is transportation. I had been getting around fairly well using Ubers and, when Ubers got scarce, the local buses. In the summer, when there…