I’ve been using Practice Portuguese for a couple weeks now and wanted to introduce myself. I’m Paula, my wife’s name is Serafina. We currently live in Austin, Texas in the USA.
We first started thinking about moving to Portugal about three years ago. We made our first trip there two years ago and all of our positive thoughts about the country were confirmed. We loved it! We’ve visited Lisboa, Coimbra, Aveiro, and Porto. We’re pretty decided on moving to Porto and have visited there twice now. We had hoped to return there for Christmas this year but alas COVID.
At this point we are about two years out from our move. I’m self employed and can work remotely. My wife has two years until she is vested in her pension with her work so that is the limiting factor.
We both started learning Portuguese first through Memrise and then through Gabe Wyner’s Fluent Forever model which we really liked. After learning the basic 625 word vocabulary, I joined PP.
We’re both anxious about the whole process of immigration, mostly jumping through all the hoops. I also worry as I am Trans and while I know Portugal has wonderful non discrimination laws, (and we’ve never experienced any hint of discrimination in our visits) discrimination does still exist and could potentially pop up in dealing with bureaucracies. We’ll probably hire an attorney in Porto to help facilitate the process.
I know I’ve been long winded. Thanks for reading this and thanks for all you do for this site.
Bem-vindas Paula e Serafina! By the way, I graduated from UT Austin School of Library and Information Science (during the age of the dinosaurs!) Glad to hear that you and your wife are enamored of Portugal! My spouse, Antonio, and I visited Porto once, and we liked it. I, also, started learning Portuguese with Memrise, but, as you probably know, they don’t offer any advanced lessons like PP does. My spouse (who is Brazilian, but also a Portuguese citizen) and I have been also working toward possibly moving to Portugal, and I am in the process of obtaining my citizenship through marriage. The process is moving along, albeit slowly.
Please keep all of us informed as to how things progress for you!
Muito obrigado!
Serafina got her degree in Computer Science from UT back in the age of dinosaurs as well. I practically grew up on the 40 acres having moved to Austin in 1972 when I was 13 and my mother entered UT to complete a Master’s in Nursing. I myself am a double winner having both my undergraduate in Psychology and a Master’s in Clinical Social Work both from UT.
You might get this having lived in Austin. We visited both Lisbon and Porto. To us Lisbon had more of a Dallas “vibe” and Porto more of an Austin vibe.
Thanks for the warm welcome. We look forward to seeing you around the forums!
Olá, @Paula, sê bem-vinda Portuguese bureaucracy can be messy, so an attorney could be helpful if you don’t want to navigate all that by yourselves. Here’s a topic where people have been sharing some of their experiences: Experiences with Portuguese Bureaucracy . In any case, I’m sure you’ll be able to make your move to Portugal and enjoy a pleasant life in Porto. Those two years will go by fast!
Joseph is correct, use an attorney. The attorney my husband and I used walked us through every step. Attempting to do this without an attorney will be a giant headache. Moving across the pond is stressful enough, being organized makes all the difference.
As a gay couple living in Porto, I can honestly say we have never felt any discrimination. It’s just a non-issue. I started an LGBT group on InterNations. Unfortunately, because of COVID, the group has been suspended for the last several months. Last I checked I have 26 members.
Best of luck to you and if there is anything I can help you with, please ask.
Yes, in our trips we have never experienced an iota of discrimination. I feel far safer there than I do in my hometown of Austin (which is a very, very progressive city). And, it only seems to be getting worse for us in the states. I’m a clinical social worker and psychotherapist. In 2012 I was instrumental in getting gender identity and expression added to our Texas Social Worker code of conduct. (Sexual orientation had been added in 2010.) This week Governor Abbott stripped both of those from our code of conduct non-discrimination clause (as well as disability!).
I can’t wait for travel to open up again so we can return to Porto.
I am now living in Portugal and have been for 6 months. It is my goal to learn to speak European Portuguese. To me, learning the language is an integral part of living here and assimilating to the culture. The challenge for me is that I live in a small town, but most people speak English and prefer to speak and practice their English with me. I learned yesterday to say, Portuguese please, and will try that going forward. My favorite place is the Mercado and I have at least learned names of foods and how to order from the counter. Baby steps!!
Olá, @debchic! It’s a good move to insist in speaking Portuguese as much as you can. I hope it all goes well for you and that you can have more opportunities to practise from now on. Also, hope you’re enjoying your life in Portugal
My name in Martin, and I currently live in Alaska, USA. I am in my late 50s. I grew up in California and Oregon, but moved to Alaska upon college graduation. I am hoping to move to Portugal in the summer or fall of 2022. I discovered this resource when my wife and I flew back from Lisboa to the USA on our first visit to Portugal this past June. The teachers seemed kind and fun, and Joel is from Canada, which is one of my favorite countries, so that was a bonus.
In some ways, I have always felt a bit baffled by life and culture in the United States. I guess my value system aligns itself more to Western Europe than the USA. The last 5 years really convinced me that I really should find another place where I might relate better.
I have so much to learn as far as European Portuguese. I have used Memrise a bit so far, and that is about it. I want to be able to carry on basic conversations, at the minimum. I hope to stay in Portugal for many years, and so learning the language is something I want to do out of respect for the Portuguese, but also out of self interest so I can get along better in day to day life. Also, I cannot understand the culture if I don’t learn the language. I find it difficult learning at my age. A few concussions along the way probably also not helpful.
I look forward to improving my language skills, with the help of this resource and those hanging out here.
Welcome and thanks for posting, @frozenrope8! It’s a difficult language, but your motivation is there and starting next year, so will the immersion. I’m sure you will be able to gradually improve your Portuguese – and earn the admiration of all your future neighbors
Hi! I’m an American, who has been living in Russia with my (American) husband for almost a decade. However, the time has come to move on. We’re headed for Lisbon next, and I want to get to know the language before we move. I had tried Duolingo but found that it was the wrong Portuguese. I also tried learning from books, but the pronunciation is not easy to tease out from spelling. Luckily, I found this site and am thrilled at how well it seems to be organized. Hopefully, this will get me to a high enough level that I will be able to communicate when in Portugal.
Hi, @FlightlessRaccoon! Hope everything goes well for you and that you land in Portugal confidently speaking at least some Portuguese. The locals should be impressed
By the way, I graduated from UT Austin School of Library and Information Science (during the age of the dinosaurs!) 
Glad to hear that you and your wife are enamored of Portugal! My spouse, Antonio, and I visited Porto once, and we liked it. I, also, started learning Portuguese with Memrise, but, as you probably know, they don’t offer any advanced lessons like PP does. My spouse (who is Brazilian, but also a Portuguese citizen) and I have been also working toward possibly moving to Portugal, and I am in the process of obtaining my citizenship through marriage. The process is moving along, albeit slowly.
Portuguese bureaucracy can be messy, so an attorney could be helpful if you don’t want to navigate all that by yourselves. Here’s a topic where people have been sharing some of their experiences: 
