Meet 3 French people living in Portugal

As I told you in a previous article: “Living in Portugal: 7 heartbreaks and gripes“, I always try to add a little of my own experience to my articles, so that you can get as much insight as possible into life in Portugal through them. However, apart from my own experience, there are many other people who decide to take the plunge and move to Portugal. This new article, without claiming to cover all expatriate profiles in Portugal, aims to share with you the different experiences of French people in Portugal. To make reading these testimonials easier for you, 3 profiles are revealed in this article and 2 others in the article here. Today, I’d like to introduce you to 3 French women living in Portugal:

• Alex, footballer’s wife in Porto,
• Anne-Marie, retired in the Algarve,
• Nathalie, a young mother in Lisbon.

I’ll leave you to discover these 3 profiles.

1. Alex, the footballer’s wife living between Porto & Lisbon

Alex, originally from the Côte d’Azur, has been living between Porto and Lisbon since 2012.

How did soccer bring her to Portugal?

“At the time, I had just finished my master’s degree and was working in Paris. I regularly went to see my family on the Côte d’Azur. One day, while I was down south, I met my current partner. He was Portuguese, lived in the Algarve and was a professional footballer.

At the time, I didn’t know Portugal at all, but I got to know it because for three years I went back and forth between France and Portugal to see my partner.

In 2012, after three years of going back and forth, I decided to look for a job in Portugal. I didn’t want to go and live there without a job. I found a job, so I joined my friend.”

Alex’s back and forth between Porto and Lisbon never stopped him from working.

“Job-wise, even though I’ve always found jobs fairly easily, I’ve often had to resign and look for new jobs because, with soccer, my friend has moved around a lot between Porto and Lisbon.

At the end of 2012, my partner was playing in Porto, so I looked for a job there. I had a few interviews and once I had my job, I moved to Porto.

In early 2013, after a few months in Porto, my partner left to play in Lisbon and I was already leaving Porto. So I had to start all over again. I quit my job in Porto and started looking in Lisbon. Within two weeks, I found a job in a call center, which paid well at the time, with a salary of around €1,150 gross.

After six months in Lisbon, the mercato(soccer market) happened and my partner moved back to Porto. Back in Porto, I worked at the head office of the Salsa jeans brand. I was in charge of merchandising and inventory for the brand’s French market. I really liked the fashion industry, so I was very fulfilled. I worked there for 1 year before moving back to Lisbon.

So in 2014, I followed my partner again and we returned to Lisbon. I went back to the call center job I’d left a year earlier. However, wages had fallen. During my first experience with them, I earned €1150 gross; the second time around, salaries were around €950 gross. More and more, in Lisbon, companies are getting a lot of applications from foreigners, especially in call centers, so salaries aren’t the same as they used to be. I stayed with the company for a few months before finding a job in communications that was more interesting for me.

We stayed in Lisbon for three years. Last year, we moved back to Porto and I now work for a company that rents vintage Volkswagen vans to tourists. More and more, people want to discover several regions of Portugal in a single trip. So renting a van allows them to discover a large number of regions at their own pace, and in a way that’s a little less conventional than the usual hotels and car rentals. It’s a really cool concept and I love working on it.

I’m glad I got out of the call center business, because when you’re a foreigner arriving in Portugal and you don’t speak Portuguese yet, you can quickly fall into the trap of working in a call center.”

Hobbies and social life: Alex tells us a little more.

“In my spare time, I love going to the seaside and surfing. It’s become a passion for me! I also love discovering new restaurants, especially brunches. There’s a lot of choice in Porto and always plenty of new concepts. I like to go with my partner or with friends.

When I arrived in Portugal, I didn’t know anyone apart from my partner. I quickly met people through work, surfing and my partner. Most of my friends at first were either foreigners like me or Portuguese who spoke English. As I didn’t speak Portuguese at first, it’s true that I had fewer Portuguese friends, and I also find that the Portuguese from Porto can be a bit hard to get along with(I’m going to get booed by the Portuenses (Porto inhabitants) (laughs)) . In fact, the Portuguese from Porto, when they’ve finished working they go back to their family, their sweetheart or their circle of friends. They’re not going to ask you to do anything outside work, and it’s hard to get into a circle of Portuguese friends unless you’re introduced by one. “

Alex’s favorite photo: sand, sun and surf, three important elements in his life in Portugal.

Alex’s feelings about his native France.

“I’m happy to be living in Portugal and to have joined my partner, I don’t regret it, but I often ask myself questions about my professional life. I think my professional development would have been different (in a positive sense) if I’d stayed in France. Otherwise, I also miss my family and friends, but I try to return every quarter to overcome this.”

Anne-Sophie’s loose questions to Alex.

Surfing in California or Portugal? It’s not comparable, but I still really like surfing in Portugal.

Lisbon or Porto? That’s a tough one! A few years ago I would have said Lisbon without hesitation, but today I really like Porto! In fact, at the time I thought Porto didn’t move at all, it was sadly quiet for me. Today, it’s a very dynamic city. So I’ll ask for a “wild card” for this question and say both. They’re two different cities, I can’t decide which one to choose.

Tasca or rooftop? Tasca without hesitation. It’s much more typical, friendly and not at all stuffy.

Any Portuguese habits you’ve picked up? Lanche”, the Portuguese snack. I used to eat it as a child, but not as an adult. In Portugal, it’s customary for the Portuguese to have their “lanche”. So I’ve adopted this habit and like to order “torradas” (a thick loaf of bread toasted with butter) and an “abatanado” (a long coffee). I also eat a lot more soup than I used to. Soup is very common in Portugal.

Favorite Portuguese dish? Bacalhau á liberdade “, a cod dish that’s so good!

Favourite place?Ericeira without hesitation. I love this little fishing village. I love the beach, the surf, the atmosphere ..

Any advice for newcomers? You have to be aware that the reality of working in Portugal is different from that in France. You have to be prepared for that. Yes, it’s good to live here, the sun is shining, the people are friendly, the food is good… But if you have long-term plans: investing in property, having children… with Portugal’s salaries, it can be complicated.

2. Anne-Marie, the dynamic Algarve retiree

Anne-Marie, from Auvergne, has been living in Lagos (Algarve) since 2015.

What made Anne-Marie move from France to Portugal?

“I’m of Portuguese origin but French nationality. Both my parents are Portuguese, and I was born in Portugal, near Fátima, and lived there until I was 7. My parents moved to France in 1966. I became a naturalized French citizen when I entered nursing school. Today, I reside as a “French citizen” in Portugal. My Portuguese nationality is in my heart.

Even though my parents are Portuguese, I’ve lived in France all my life. I had everything in France: my life, my family, my work, my friends, my habits. So, before I moved there in 2015, I didn’t really know Portugal that well. I’d only lived there for the first 7 years of my life, and I’d come back for vacations with my parents when I was young.

But a few years ago, after my divorce, I met a man who became my partner: a Portuguese man living in Switzerland. His plan was to return to Portugal when he retired. That was the trigger for me, an obvious sign that I had to go back and live in Portugal! My partner waited for me to retire(he waited three years) and we set off together, to reconnect with our roots.

In 2015, we settled in Lagos. Initially, we wanted to move to Ericeira, a town close to Lisbon and not far from our respective Portuguese families. But, after a few visits to Ericeira, the region’s greyness(maybe we were unlucky) prompted us to head further south, to the Algarve, to Lagos in particular. We fell in love with the town, the region and its climate.”

Buying in Portugal from France: Anne-Marie’s experience.

“We were planning to buy a property in Portugal to live in, but didn’t want to rent. So we searched for accommodation and fell under the spell of a property in Lagos. We decided to buy our apartment in 2015, even before we arrived in Portugal for good. We did all the buying from France. We just went down to the Algarve twice, the first time for visits and the second time for the paperwork.”

Anne-Marie’s “coup de coeur” photo: typical colorful Portuguese house, blue sky and palm tree.

The Portuguese language in Anne-Marie’s daily life.

“I speak Portuguese with a French accent. Finally, even though I have Portuguese parents and lived in Portugal until I was 7, when I returned to Portugal in 2015, I hardly spoke any Portuguese. In France, at home or out, I only spoke French. I still remember, my mother and I were in a supermarket in France, and my mother started to speak to me in Portuguese, to which I replied “non maman, on parle français”. At the time, and I regret it now, I was afraid of how people would look at me because I was a foreigner and I spoke Portuguese.

In 2015, when I arrived in the Algarve, I enrolled at the University of Algarve to take Portuguese courses for foreigners. Today, I can get by in Portuguese. You can’t be afraid of making mistakes, and you have to dare to speak to make progress. At home, with my partner, I try to speak as much Portuguese as possible, except when I get angry, then it’s French that instinctively comes out of my mouth (laughs).”

What is Anne-Marie’s relationship with France?

“I go back to France from time to time, but it’s rare. There’s no Faro-Clermont Ferrand line at the moment, so getting back to my region is quite complicated. However, in April 2019, a Lisbon-Clermont line will open. You’ll still have to go up to Lisbon, but it’ll still be easier.

Today, I don’t regret my decision to move to Portugal, even if I do miss my children. Afterwards, as they rightly say to me: “Mum, you’d be in Lille, we wouldn’t see you more often!” and then today with applications like Skype, Facetime, Whats’app… you can easily make videos with your loved ones and that’s important.”

Between volunteering and walking, Anne-Marie has no time to get bored.

“In 2015, I moved to Portugal, but I also experienced another big change being retired. As a very active person, I couldn’t imagine not doing anything when I arrived in Portugal. So I decided to keep a foot in the door of the medical field in which I worked in France, and decided to volunteer in a retirement home in the Algarve. On top of that, I do aquagym, enjoy the beautiful golden sandy beaches a lot and I also go on lots of walks – I love walking!”

Anne-Sophie’s loose questions to Anne-Marie.

A Portuguese habit you’ve picked up? At home, we cook Portuguese almost every day.

Pain au chocolat or pastel de nata? Pain au chocolat for breakfast and pastel de nata for a snack with a cup of coffee. That sums up my life! I can’t choose between pain au chocolat and pastel de nata, or between France and Portugal! I took a phrase from Charles Aznavour and transposed it to my case. I’m 100% French, 100% Portuguese, the two are as inseparable as milk and coffee.

What’s your favorite Portuguese dish? Grilled chicken from Nazaré, because that’s where I grew up, and arroz doce to finish the meal.

Any advice for future arrivals? Come to Portugal because you fall in love with the country, not because you want to.

3. Nathalie, the Belgian mother living in Lisbon

Nathalie from Brussels, living in Lisbon since 2015.

What inspired Nathalie to move to Portugal?

“I arrived in Portugal in 2015. I lived in Lisbon for two years, then went back to live in Belgium, my native country, for 1 year, and I’ve just been back in Lisbon since April.

In 2015, a succession of events led to my arrival in Portugal. It was a time when I wanted to discover life in another country, I had no partner, no children, and ultimately few ties to Brussels. I knew a little about Portugal, I’d been there three times before and had fallen in love with the country. One day, a friend of mine who lived in Lisbon told me that her company (a call center) was looking for French speakers. I jumped at the chance. I applied by email and then did the interviews via Skype from Belgium, and I was taken on. I wouldn’t have left without a job.”

Bye Bye Portugal (or not): Why did Nathalie return to Belgium?

“When my son was born in 2017, two years after my arrival in Portugal, I decided to return to Belgium to be with my family. I had created a circle of friends in Lisbon, but I needed to be surrounded by my family on a daily basis in this new stage of my life: that of being a mother.

After a year in Belgium, I was already missing Portugal and decided to return, that was in April 2018. Like the first time, I left having found a job beforehand from Belgium. It turns out that headhunters from a Lisbon-based insurance company came to recruit French speakers in Brussels. I applied and was accepted. The job and its conditions were ideal for me with a child: fixed working hours from Monday to Friday and a decent salary for Portugal. So I left with no worries about the job. On the other hand, it was much more complicated to find a rental apartment. That’s really the downside of my experience in Portugal.”

Finding accommodation in Portugal: the black spot of Nathalie’s experience in Portugal.

“In 2015, the first time I came to Portugal, I was in a shared flat in central Lisbon. I stayed in two different flat-shares and found them quite easily. However, when I came back in early 2018, it was much more complicated! A flat-share with my one-year-old child was not an option. So I looked for a small apartment. The problem is that in Lisbon and the surrounding area, there are very few apartments available for long-term rent, and prices are high.

When there is an apartment to rent, it goes very quickly. You’ve barely had time to call to see it before it’s already taken. Some even take units without visiting them. When you finally do get to see a property, it’s usually a group visit where there are several “candidates” for the same property, and the preferred candidate is often the one who raises the stakes the most. The one who says: “I’ll give you an extra 100 euros a month and you’ll give me the property”, or “I’ll give you 6 months’ rent in advance and you’ll give me the property”. Faced with this situation, since I returned to Portugal in April, I’ve been living with friends in Loures. So I’ve been looking for accommodation for my son and myself for 7 months!

Last month, faced with this situation, I decided to return to Belgium for good, as finding accommodation was becoming impossible. But, as chance would have it, three weeks ago a friend of mine informed me that she was going abroad for an experience and offered to rent her apartment. So I’m going to stay in Portugal, and I’m delighted. “

Becoming a mother in Portugal: Nathalie tells us about her experience.

“The Portuguese approach to children and pregnant women is brilliant! People are very attentive to you during your pregnancy, they take great care of you. Once, in a restaurant, the waiter came up to me and said he’d specially washed the salad with vinegar for me because I was pregnant. Another time, in a supermarket, I was quietly queuing at a checkout and everyone stepped aside to let me through without me asking anything.

My pregnancy follow-up with the doctors also went very well. I didn’t have any health insurance, I only had my Portuguese social security through work. Everything went very smoothly and everything was covered financially. The after-care was professional, and my doctor regularly e-mailed me to see how the baby and I were doing. At the time of my pregnancy, I’d only been in Portugal a year and a half and I didn’t speak Portuguese very well yet, but the doctors understood and really adapted to me. We’d start talking in Portuguese, and when I didn’t understand, we’d mix it up with English and sometimes even a bit of French. The medical staff were great.

As for the crèche, it was a bit tricky because I applied late. In fact, to get a place in September, you have to start the formalities in April/May. So this year in September, everything was full and I ended up on the waiting list for several crèches. Two weeks ago, a crèche called to tell me that a place was available for my son. I wasn’t expecting it and jumped at the chance. My son has now joined a private crèche in the center of Lisbon. The price per month is 315 euros, including lunch and a snack. Day-care centers in Portugal are highly controlled, and all the ones I’ve visited are very good. At the crèche, I speak Portuguese with the staff. I now speak good Portuguese, so I don’t have any worries about exchanging with them.”

Nathalie’s favorite things about life in Portugal.

“My favorite thing about Portugal is the quality of life. It’s not all rosy in Portugal, as in all countries, but there’s sunshine, light… it’s great for morale, especially for me coming from Belgium where the sun isn’t very present (laughs)… Here, you feel you’re enjoying your life. You have time to do your shopping at the supermarket without having to run after your job because the store is about to close. Here, stores close late and are open on Sundays. You’re not under the same stress as in Brussels. And then there’s the food! So good and generous!

Nathalie’s favorite photo: a stroll through Feira da Ladra and the view over the Tejo.

On the negative side, I find that there’s a real problem of accessibility in Portugal, especially for the disabled and strollers. I’ve seen this since I had a baby. On public transport it’s super complicated, nothing is adapted. Every morning, when I get out of the metro to take my son to nursery school, I have to climb the stairs carrying my stroller. The elevators, when they exist, are often out of order. And I’m “lucky” because I can carry the baby carriage, whereas people in wheelchairs must find it much more complicated.

Anne-Sophie’s questions to Nathalie.

Gaufre liegeoise or Pastel de nata? Pastel de nata without hesitation.

Portuguese habit? I eat later than I used to, and I’m less stressed, I live “à la portugaise”.

Any preconceived ideas you had about the Portuguese before living there? They’re too hairy. It turned out not to be true, but they do have a lot of hair (laughs).

Favorite Portuguese dish?Bacalhau à braz, a classic!

Favorite place? Olhão, a small town in the Algarve. It’s zen, it’s small, it’s cute, it’s got a lovely market. You can take a little boat out to some deserted islands. I think it’s a mini paradise!

Any advice for future arrivals? Anticipate things before you come: work, and above all accommodation. We often think that we’ll easily find accommodation on the spot, but the reality is much more complicated.

In conclusion

We’re all different! My experience, Alex’s, Anne-Marie’s, Nathalie’s and yours are not and will not be the same. However, I believe that before you decide to move abroad, it’s important to get feedback from people who have lived the situation you’re about to experience. I therefore invite you, as you think about expatriation, to talk as much as possible with people who have taken the plunge and moved to Portugal, as this will be all the more enriching for you and help you to see if you’re ready. There are many social networking sites and groups dedicated to Portugal, such as the “Amoureux du Portugal” group.

Many thanks to Alex, Anne-Marie and Nathalie for taking the time to talk to me, and thank you for your sincerity during these exchanges. And to discover two other experiences of settling in Portugal, click HERE

Are you ready, too, to have the same experience and move to Portugal?

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