5 reasons why I love Portugal

When I came to Portugal with my boyfriend, we weren’t actually planning to remain. His parents moved here many years ago, so we thought it’s a nice idea to go and visit them and have a nice vacation. Fortunately, we didn’t buy return tickets because we weren’t sure how long we were going to stay exactly.

But a month had passed and we weren’t sure when and if we want to come back. After all, I was unemployed back then and he had a shitty job, bad enough not to feel sorry to say goodbye to. So we decided to stay. His parents were delighted. My boyfriend found a job in construction, not his biggest dream, it’s true, but at least he could make a decent living ( compared to Romania, where you work hard for nothing). Besides, we didn’t have to pay rent until we found our own nest, which meant a lot for us. He didn’t speak Portuguese very well but was lucky enough to work with Romanians and Moldavians, so he didn’t have a communication barrier.

My Portuguese was lame, but I was lucky I speak Spanish very well. They are very similar so I learned Portuguese pretty fast. Of course, speaking English helped me a lot, thanks to that I got my first job here (until then I was cleaning houses to make some money).

Now it’s time to unfold why I fell in love with Portugal and the reasons that made us want to remain here for an unlimited amount of time.

1. One of my dreams, ever since I was a child, was to live close to the ocean. Algarve (the region we live in) has some spectacular beaches to offer. In fact, there are so many we still didn’t manage to see them all yet. While I saunter on the hot sand, listening to the waves and admiring the high, red cliffs I often think, as the song says, ‟there is no place I’d rather be”. Sometimes, we would ride on our bicycles to the beach. It’s only a thirty minutes ride and the lively nature surrounding us is a charger for our sometimes low batteries.

On the bumpy road

We also get the admire the ‟rich view”. This place is called Quinta De Lago, a 5-star resort where all you need is a lot of money to spend.

And finally what interests me: this is the closest beach to my hometown, so is the one we go to a lot. The image is worth more than 1000 words, right?

2. The second thing I love here is the weather. In Romania, winters are really harsh. 15 below zero Is not enough for my body to feel comfortable. In Algarve, the lowest temperature I encountered was 5 degrees. In the night. Summers are indeed hot but for me it’s fine. I am used to hot summers, anyways. Although it’s windy quite often, shinny days are present most of the year.

3. The people are very open and friendly. Very important to me: the majority of them are not racist or xenophobic, as I’ve heard some countries in Europe tend to be. Of course, at my workplace, I also came across people who would look funny at me as soon as I open my mouth and see I am a foreigner. But there were just a few of them. Portuguese and English (In the Algarve you get to see immigrants and tourists from the U.K quite often) were very respectful and open-minded. Probably this is also due to the diversity you encounter here. The locals and the immigrants of all races and ethnicities and the tourists as well coexist in harmony. As Romanians use to say:‟There is a place under the sun for everyone”.

4. The quietude that surrounds the region. Not only the small town I live in is a calm place, the bigger towns that are close to this one share the same laid-back vibe. Although they are more vibrant and you see people walking on the old, cobblestone streets everywhere, you don’t feel overwhelmed by noise and agitation. The rush and stress of a big city are missing here, thank God! You can drink a good coffee, and have a nata(superdelicious national dessert) while admiring the ancient, but well-preserved buildings which showcase the historic European charm that still haunts the region.There is a place under the sun for everyone”.

4.I have to put on the list the quality of life. If you are lucky enough to find a nice house and don’t spend too much money on the rent ( having acquaintances or family here helps a lot, I have to admit), you can decently live from the minimum wage. You won’t have a lavish lifestyle, but a normal one. The food is not very expensive, the Internet is worth 34 euros a month, the electricity bill doesn’t exceed 65 euros in the winter, the gas bottle costs 33 euros now. The minimum wage is around 700 euros. Might sound like nothing to you, but if you know how to spend wisely… Personally, I can’t complain. But depends a lot on your expectations, the lifestyle you are used to, if you have kids or you don’t, and other factors. Please take note this is my personal experience and point of view.

5.The quietude that surrounds the region. Not only the small town I live in is a calm place, the bigger towns that are close to this one share the same laid-back vibe. Although they are more vibrant and you see people walking on the old, cobblestone streets everywhere, you don’t feel overwhelmed by noise and agitation. The rush and stress of a big city are missing here, thank God! You can drink a good coffee, and have a nata(super-delicious national dessert) while admiring the ancient, but well-preserved buildings which showcase the historic European charm that still haunts the region.

This is Loule, a enchanting town we use to go to have a walk,relax and do some shopping. I haven't taken pictures of the town myself, so I had to stole one from the Internet. Shame on me!

These are mostly the reasons I love living in Portugal. Of course, sometimes I miss my home country and my friends and family. Fortunately, nowadays, we at least can count on video calls. We shouldn’t take technology for granted, isn’t it?

Don’t be shy and comment below on your experience as an immigrant away from your home country. What do you love most about the country you are currently living in?