0
0
After feeling extremely sorry for myself for all of 20 minutes, I started weighing my options: pros and cons of staying versus leaving and the different countries that make sense to me.
I wrote earlier about the rudeness of some government employees. That specific country (which I won’t mention here or ever again!) has been completely crossed off my list of possible new home countries. I am a government employee myself, so I can’t find any excuses for how I have been addressed. Sorry, neh?
I considered enrolling in a degree course, to maybe move to Italy that way, but I realized that that would eat up every last cent that I have, and it won’t be worth the effort. As much as I love learning new things, I am too old to go back to school with kids who are young enough to be my own.
That left me with a few interesting options, not all of which were palatable.
I have no idea how I came to settle on Portugal as a possible destination. It might have been due to the videos that I have been watching, but I started looking at their visa requirements. I realized that they had an option available that could have been designed for me – the D7 Visa!
On the one hand, it was meant for retirees with pensions or other streams of passive income, but it can also be made applicable to people like me, who want to pursue creative careers and not necessarily work for a boss in Portugal. As long as the source of my income is not Portuguese or from active employment somewhere and at a few levels higher than their minimum income, they’d be more than happy to accommodate me. That was confirmed by an extremely friendly immigration lawyer. She’ll have my business when the time comes, even if it is only to keep me moving in the right direction.
Friendliness counts for a lot!
What I have learned from the vlogs that I have been watching:
- Property is relatively cheap, but one has to haggle over the price, and aggressively so.
- Offers to purchase are taken seriously, so only make them if you are willing to follow up.
- Having a property lawyer can be useful.
- Things take time. And patience is a virtue. (Like in South Africa!)
- Portuguese is a difficult language to learn, but a few basic phrases help a lot.
- People are friendly.
- Low crime levels, and no farm attacks! No fences around the properties, except for privacy.
- Summers are hot!
- Afternoon naps are a thing there.
- People take August off!
- Lots of camping.
- They braai! With real wood! Outside kitchens, complete with ovens.
- There is more rain than one would expect.
- There is lots of water, but not all of it is potable.
- The place is vegan-unfriendly. Lots of meat and fish on the menu.
- There are many ruins to restore.
- Farmland has been neglected and a lot of clearing and pruning will be needed, especially where it has burnt a few years ago. Mimosa trees and brambles.
- Used vehicles are extremely expensive but necessary, as public transport does not reach everywhere! The roads are bicycle-friendly.
- It’s a small country and short distances.
- Medical services are good.
- Permaculture and green technology are encouraged.
- There are many cats.
- There is lots of history.
- It’s in Europe! Easy to travel.
There are many ex-pats from all over the world, but most are concentrated around the cities. As I have absolutely no interest in moving to the city, it will probably be much easier for me to acquire the new culture. It could be fun, and not something everyone else does. Just weird people, like me.
