Moving to a new country is supposed to be life changing, isn’t it? Well, yes and no. Sunset on the Tavira Canal, Ria Formosa You are certainly plunked down in a different world. There are all sorts of adjustments to make, depending on where you end up and I’m going to say how much money…
Who knew? The Globe Roundabout in Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal An unexpected benefit of the expat life is that it helps keep your brain healthy. I have always heard that as we get older, doing things like puzzles, learning to dance, or learning a new language will help the brain make new connections, which helps keep…
I received my residency permit and I feel like Steve Martin in The Jerk. I am now officially a legal resident of Portugal. I have somehow blundered my way through the paperwork properly and made it through the two most anxiety-ridden weeks of my Portuguese life. Moving here has been a series of steps, made…
In the mornings I sit on my balcony, drinking my coffee, and watching the world go by on the main drag of my village. Mondays are comparatively quiet: the bakery below is closed for the day and no one is sitting, chattering at the tables. The weekend day trippers have all gone back to wherever…
Because I still work and my business is based in the US, I do the expat time zone warp—I work in two different time zones (sometimes three). While some expats are retired and get to spend their days deciding between golf, tennis, shopping, and, of course, where to eat lunch or dinner (one of my…
Sunday morning traffic in Santa Luzia. I have two sets of sliding glass doors in my living room that look out over the street below and afford me an almost panoramic view of the Tavira Canal and the Ria Formosa. I spend too much time (perhaps) watching the ferry go back and forth to the…
Sometimes the earth’s gravitational field is noticeably stronger. The air is heavy. The clouds are heavy. The world is lethargic and dim and muffled. There is not enough coffee. The downside of moving to a new country is that you can’t physically be with friends and family when they need you. You can’t hug over…
Minor frictions are to be expected in the expat life. Did you really expect or want everything to be the same as it was “back home”? It is a grey, misty morning here in Santa Luzia, the second day in a row that we’ve had an overcast. The temperature is refreshingly cool without being cold.…
The fishing boats are coming in with their catches, each taking its turn at the pier. The five days of hot, dry weather finally broke yesterday and while it’s still warm, there’s enough of a breeze to keep things cool. I have no air conditioning in this apartment; most people here don’t have air conditioning.…
Moving to a new country as an introvert is probably easier for us than it is for extroverts. We’re self-contained units who have spent our lives figuring out how to do things on our own. Alone is our happy place. But we get peppered with questions from our extroverted friends and family who are concerned…