Welcome And The Big Move

Gizane Campos 0:03

Hi there, welcome to the Bee Global Podcast. Today we are joined by two very special guests, Danny and Grace Vasquez, who, along with their daughter, made the life-changing move from the United States to Portugal. In this conversation, they will share the journey that brought them here, the challenges and rewards they've experienced along the way, and the story behind the move that changed their lives. Danny and Grace, thank you. Nice to have you here. How are you today?

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Great, great. Thank you for having us. Good. Thank you for having us.

Gizane Campos 0:40

Well, we are in the middle of a heat wave in Portugal. How are you feeling it? Is it too too hot for you, or are you used to it?

SPEAKER_01 0:48

So our our background's from the Caribbean, so it's in line with what we're kind of used to. But uh it is quite warm. But hope, you know, luckily that uh it broke over the last two days, so it's been a little cooler.

SPEAKER_02 0:58

It's beautiful this morning, so it's nice and cool. So we're hoping for a little break from the heat.

Gizane Campos 1:02

I also felt a bit of the breeze. That was very good. Yeah. So tell me about you mentioned that you um hail from the Caribbean. So do you mind sharing a bit of your story here?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Sure. Uh so um we actually I was born in the United States. Uh my our background is uh Puerto Rican. Uh so uh uh I was uh I was born on a road trip through uh Ohio and then ended up in New York where I spent where I grew up and went to school, um, and uh uh visited you know uh uh uh the Caribbean you know on occasion. So like we used to like background and growing up in in the uh uh New York in environment uh in New York. So um and then uh after uh school I uh went to the uh service where I joined the uh Navy for four years, where uh I was on an aircraft carrier. We we came to Europe uh on more than one occasion, so that was my exposure, and actually kind of like the prepers uh the the uh the lead-in to all this because once I had that exposure, I I knew that I I had to come back, something had to bring me back to me to Europe.

Gizane Campos 2:10

And full to leave or just to visit?

SPEAKER_01 2:12

I I knew that I would not retire in the States. Uh well once once, you know, once I I visited Europe and the countries, uh Israel and Turkey and uh uh um Italy, uh France, uh, you know, seeing the you know the different perspectives, the different you know, priorities, uh uh I I knew that it was the life that I wanted to you know uh work towards. Yeah.

Gizane Campos 2:37

And what do you feel that was like the most um that was very different from your um life in the United States that was very uh was drawing you to uh the European lifestyle?

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Uh pace. I would think pace. Um, in in the states, life is essentially so fast-tracked. A lot of stress-inducing moments, whether it's you know, uh um uh constant, you know, uh uh working out. Well, I'm in a uh I'm in a career path that's uh 24-hour availability. So I'm always cybersecurity, so it's always available. Uh, but it it was uh um it was un unsustainable. Uh so there is the uh uh the stress of work. There's also you know, healthcare, you know, which in itself introduces stress in the background because he's like, you know, I'm doing all this work, and any one scenario could really risk it all. Uh so um luckily we had we didn't never had any you know significant issues that that caused it, but it was always there in the background, always in the ether, if you would. Um, and uh so there's that. And there's you know, there's also safety issues, you know, in regards to not really, you know, always being on guard and you know, uh not really feeling 100% comfortable, right? You could be in better neighborhoods, right, that don't necessarily that aren't as uh um uh uh have as much crime or or what you or what have you, but the um overall there's all there was always the the the the layer that bottom layer of whether it's violence or risk or whatever. So you know, just all those things, you know, I it wasn't at least for for me, right? For us, was not a uh conducive to hey, this is not where we slow down and enjoy, you know, you know, all the work that we put in. This is more like when will it ever really stop? So it wasn't really attracted to continue that path.

Gizane Campos 4:38

Yeah,

Puerto Rico Roots And Feeling At Home

Gizane Campos 4:39

I understand. Grace, I'm coming for you.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Yes, tell me about you, yes. Um, so I was also born um born in New York, raised in New York. Um, but my family's Puerto Rican, so um they you know took us there as much as possible in the summers for Christmas. I have a huge family there, so it's it's hundreds of us when we get together. So it's always been really fun. Shout out to Cagmas, yeah. Shout out to the shout out to Cagmas. And um, so you know, just having that, I think, experience of living in New York, going to school, working, but then knowing what life could be like outside of that. Um, the life in Puerto Rico is like very similar to here, a lot more laid back. People still work and do all the things and get stressed, that always exists everywhere. It's just there's sort of like an appreciation for slowing down, for enjoying those moments, for going to the beach, spending time with family, having those, you know, drinks at night after dinner. So that I think that always appealed to us as well. Um so once we first arrived in Portugal, um, just environmentally, just seeing things visually, we're like, wow, this is so similar. You know, the architecture, the the people, the warmth, the kindness. And yeah, so I think it was easy for us to adapt in that sense because we were kind of used to that, but we didn't know to expect it at the same time. I was like, wow, I feel at home here. I feel, you know, welcomed. I could read the signs, you know, I could sort of understand a little bit of the language too, um, in in the in the writing, in the written sense. Um, you know, hearing it is very different and we're still learning. But, you know, just those things as they I think they would seem very daunting to most people when you don't have that kind of same experience, I think, that we have. So um it made it a little bit easier. We sort of eased into life here, and you know, being that we came with our young child and she was about to start school, that was our main focus, too, that she was happy, felt comfortable. And little by little we also started meeting people um and people with children, so that also helped so that she could establish friendships, and you know, we had things to do on the weekends, things to look forward to, and also ways to get to know the city, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:00

So, so we've been here coming coming up on a year now. Yes, um, and I think we I think the feeling of home set in about six months in. In six months, you felt like I think about six months, it's like, you know what, you know, when when when when there's a big move like this, you know, coming from the states, you know, the in the back of your mind, it's like, okay, if it doesn't work out, what you know, maybe there's a backup plan, you know. Around the six-month uh six-month time frame, we there was no backup. There was, you know, we are committed, this is what we're gonna do. It was great. You know, it was and we we we kind of you know, we had that hesitation because we we chose Portugal without ever coming to Portugal.

Gizane Campos 7:43

Okay,

Why Portugal Made The List

Gizane Campos 7:44

that was gonna be my next question. Why Portugal?

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Uh one is the Visa Path that was available to us. Uh um, and uh we did uh look at uh other countries, uh uh the first one being um um Australia, but they had a recent change in their visa which made it uh unavailable for us to come over. Um so we looked at you know a couple of you know uh um qualifications, if you would. One is the visa path, second is the uh quality of life, uh third is uh uh uh we you know architecture feeling and and and everything. So uh as I was doing my research, I would say every you know uh across 15, 20 different references, these articles kept coming up saying, you know, top five, Lisbon or Porto, you know, Portugal's always in the top five. And I'm like, well, what is that about? So I continued, you know, to look into, you know, you know, you know, some you know, uh expat accounts, right? You know, uh things like you know, whether it's Facebook and so forth, talking about, you know, you know, what life is like here, how they've adapted and so forth. I was like, you know, that's very appealing. So it was ultimately, you know, Grace who who made the call and said, you know what, let's just do Lisbon, let's do Portugal. Uh, and we just set our goals in it, and you know, we chose it, uh worked with, we, you know, reached out to you know, global citizens, and it's been, you know, they they've I I we could not imagine doing this without their help.

SPEAKER_02 9:11

Oh my god, don't yeah, it was so much.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

There was just so much coordination that had to occur, scheduling, you know, uh knowing the process, um, and for them to be able to, you know, uh walk us through, you know, first and foremost, the the the offer or the the the proposal was so detailed that it told it gave us you know a complete line side and hey, this is every aspect that needs to occur. So for everything from the NIF to uh uh to the to residency and and so forth. So it was like there was a level of comfort and comfort coming into it, saying, okay, I kind of know you know what needs to occur. And you know, there was continuous communication. Uh uh, any questions, you know, um that we had were you know quickly, you know, responded to. So that helped us ease into that process. We're like, okay, it's you know, it looks like it's you know, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it the right way, yeah, you know, through you know, global citizens. And uh through the entire process, they've held our hand. Uh they helped, you know, and even in areas where you know uh it's not a service that they offer, they were able to say, hey, you should, you know, here's some recommendations for X, Y, and Z. So they they it was almost like having a friend in uh uh Portugal that we could say, hey, can you help us understand X, Y, and Z? And you know, they they really came up for us.

Gizane Campos 10:30

Uh that's good to hear. So then um just to let's try to um strategize this move. So you thought about Portugal as you were researching about uh visas and the options for relocation. Then when you came to speak to specialists to Global Cits and Solutions, um were you had did you have your mind set on Portugal or were you thinking of other options before you came to speak to Global Cits and Solutions?

SPEAKER_01 11:03

There was an option for Spain that we thought about. Um uh and the uh one of the eliminating factors for for Spain was the uh we wanted to maintain dual citizenship. So Spain doesn't allow that. Um and uh at the time, unfortunately, uh the uh uh uh Lisbon also offered, or Portugal also also uh offered the five-year uh um uh citizen path, which recently that changed. Uh but that was also one of the um uh attractors is hey, maybe getting citizenship uh within the five-year route.

Gizane Campos 11:40

Yeah. Okay. And then fine. So then you had the meeting with Global Citizen Solutions, so they were like, this there is a lot of work to be done, I believe, in terms of documentation and um, you know, get yourself, get all the um everything certified, apostles, and so on.

Paperwork Pressure And Selling The House

Gizane Campos 11:59

In any moment, did you feel like wow, I'm not gonna be able to do it? Or um were this guys like guys that just break into little pieces and then take it um one challenge at a time?

SPEAKER_02 12:12

We definitely felt overwhelmed um because not only did we have to do all of the work for the move here and work with global citizens, but we also had to sell our house, you know, um sort of unpack everything, you know, downsize. So it was like two worlds we were working on at the same time. So that got very overwhelming. At the same time, you know, working, taking care of our child. So we're, you know, figuring out how do you get an apostle? We've never done that before. Yeah. Going through that process and listing our home and then saying, what are we going to sell and what are we going to donate or give away or have friends take? So there was this balancing act that we went through for about six solid months of that, right? Um, good.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Oh, so there were there were a couple things. First, after I recall, you know, when I had we had an online meeting with the representative from Global Citizen where they broke down this is what the process is, the initial you know, meeting. Um after that meeting, you know, my wife and I, we we looked at each other, and you know, we it's it almost it's one of those times in our lives where the answer was already there. Like we we already knew that this was we were gonna go forward. We there was no hesitation, like, you know what, this is it, this is the moment, you know, and we're gonna go ahead and and and go forward with it. So uh we made that that decision that we are gonna go forward. Um, and then uh to Grace's point, I would say the majority of the stress was really closing up the loops of everything that, you know, in regards to our lives in the States.

SPEAKER_00 13:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

All right, you know, that you know, the the selling of the home, you know, and so forth. Everything on this side, we had you know a lot of uh help in regards to you know finding our school or for or finding our daughter's school, uh, finding a you know a place to stay, right? A lot of those things were really kind of like straightforward, uh, especially, you know, with the um uh finding a place. You know, we had, you know, uh our you know, Graciela, you know, very informed, you know, she took our needs, she knew exactly what we were looking for. I I I you know, we were looking at sites and I would say, hey, you know, what about this place? And she would say, I would not recommend that because of and they very, you know, uh um amazing, you know, input and or insight in regards to you know, based off of the pictures, this is this, this is that, and this is great, things I didn't catch. And then she saw this listing, and you know, she said, that's the one. And we saw it's like that looks fantastic. And so she nailed it, she knew, you know, she she was amazing to work with. Um, she knew exactly what we were looking for, uh, and she found the place that you know really you know met our needs. Okay. Um, so going back to you know, during the process, you know, what it was like, majority of that stress was the closing of you know, this, the our lives in the states. Uh, but it was an easier transition coming this way. Uh the the the stress was in regards to like uh um the documentation finding and so forth was really on the state side say, are we gonna get this stuff? When are we gonna get this stuff? Like, you know, uh, because we wanted to make sure we had like deadlines and so forth. So that was the biggest uh stress in disorder.

Gizane Campos 15:30

Sure, I

Picking A School And A Neighborhood

Gizane Campos 15:31

can imagine. Um, okay, so then moving now, you got your visa or like everything sorted now. Um, you're planning your relocation to Portugal. Then you start working with Goldcrest as a uh buyer's agency, but also on their uh rental service. Um, and then you worked with Graziella as part of our team, um, who is part of our team. When you start doing uh your research uh on the property, choosing a property, you not only choose where to live, but you're also choosing the community. I guess you're also choosing somewhere where you can walk. I don't know, but that's what I hear from Americans, you know, when they move abroad, they want to walk. They don't want to be reliant on the car. And also, but you had an added challenge, which was the school. So then, with the school and the property, it's always almost like the chicken and the egg. What comes first, the school or the property? What did you do? And how was how helpful was Goldcrest in in uh attuning uh the decision of the school and the property in in this process?

SPEAKER_02 16:49

So Goldcrest gave us school recommendations um based on what previous clients have chosen for their children. So I was able to research different schools.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Well, that was also after we gave them the requirement saying we definitely, you know, because our main priority is to ensure an easy transition for for Penny, that you know, we need to make sure that there was, you know, uh at least a focus with English, right? And then, you know, it make sure that Portuguese is part of that. So, you know, giving that, you know, uh feedback, right? That then Graciela said, okay, well, with other clients that had that similar type of criteria, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Um yes, all of that added. Um also um, so I was able to do research on different schools, see what their curriculums were like. Um, and it wasn't I wasn't so specific about I need her to learn, you know, um this specific subject, or it has to focus on, you know, a specific curriculum. It was more about the environment where she would feel comfortable and welcomed and happy and have fun. So I looked at a few schools online and then I did choose one school to tour. So when we we visited Portugal for the first time in uh March of last year, and um we did a school tour, and she uh our daughter met with the school psychologist, got a tour of the school, you know, was able to see some of the classrooms, and came out so happy and so excited. So I said, you know what? I think this is the place, and I think we also felt comfortable there. We felt, you know, welcomed. Everybody was very kind, very, you know, able to explain everything. She always thought, oh, this is this class, that's this class. You know, we have children from all over the world and got to see examples of children from other countries who, you know, a year before didn't speak a word of Portuguese and were now speaking the language and understanding it well. And it was hard to believe that that would happen, but it did. You know, we've we've seen that now for our experience that our daughter is actually speaking Portuguese as um a third language, yeah. Um, so it's pretty, you know, amazing just how everything sort of fell into place. Um, we were really pleased with that experience. Um, and then based on the school, we knew we wanted something walking distance um from our apartment because we knew uh we at the time we didn't have a car. We said maybe later we will buy a car. Um but at the time we wanted something that was convenient, you know, a 15-20 minutes walk that we could take her back and forth every day would be pretty easy. So um that's how we were able to work with Goldcrest and you know find something in in the neighborhood. And um, so that made it easier in that sense. And then we also I think chose. I know I don't I know I'm really speaking for myself. I don't know if he felt the same exact way, but we chose the neighborhood because it felt familiar to us, or it felt familiar to me. Um, from where I grew up as a child. I said, Oh, this is just like when I was a kid. There was which neighborhood is that uh in Queens, um, when I grew up in uh it's Forest Hills, Queens.

Gizane Campos 19:58

I know, I mean here.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Oh, here, um Rostello in Rebeague. Rostello, okay. Yeah. So um where I grew up in Queens, there was, you know, you would go downstairs from the building, from the apartment building, and there was a playground and there was a path, and there was some somewhere for the children to play. And this neighborhood had the same sort of setup. I said, This is like it's almost perfect for us. So, and it was just really pretty neighborhood, beautiful trees and plants, and people walking their dogs, and it just had a very nice community.

Gizane Campos 20:29

Yeah, really, it's very residential, but with the uh a good balance of cafes, squares, kiosks, um supermarkets, they are not too super, they can actually be small, walking in. Yes, yes. Um, I I love that place and also very close to the river.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Yes, it's an eight-minute walk.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

That's our favorite. I think their favorite walk to do is from you know our neighborhood from the from right from Rostella and all the way down to the monastery, and then we go into the park and to the river, and we walk around, and it's we just love that. It's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

And it's uh yesterday I went out for a walk around the neighborhood, and uh Grace said that she'll meet me in a couple of minutes. So she she messages me afterwards and be like, okay, I'll meet you. Where are you? By the river. I always met right near the right near the river. It's just amazing. And it's it's you know, it's as I mentioned, it's been a year now, and there's there are times in which I take a step back and be like, wow, we live here. I'm looking at this monastery that is just beautiful architecture. I'm looking at the monument, you know, uh for uh navigation, and it's just amazing. The Belem Tower, like in the middle of all this, and then the architecture, and then the food and the people. And I'm like, I can't believe, you know. I I I knew, you know, when I was 18, you know, when I was in the service, that I was gonna live in Europe, right? So For it to be happen now. Like, it's here. It's amazing. This is, you know, what you know, this is the life that we know we made for ourselves. And you know, thank, you know, you know, we're so grateful to, you know, uh to Global Citizens and Gold Trust Goldcrest for you know helping us do that transition.

Gizane Campos 22:16

That must be an amazing feeling. I clearly I remember when you said that only in six months you felt like you were at home. Do you think that having being in the good property also helped you with that feeling? Or was it more like a combination of factors?

SPEAKER_01 22:34

I I would think I would say it it would it attributed it, uh, attributed to that feeling. You know, we we like our place, it's comfortable. I think we're really happy in our in the school and that our daughter is in a happy place every day, right? So the fact that she comes home happy, you know, you know, uh we our our living situation could take a step down and we'll still be okay being, you know what, she's happy, which is our priority. But you know, I think right now we're just lucky that you know uh a great place to stay, you know, uh daughter is happy, and you know, all in the scenery, all in the beautiful scenery that we have all around us.

Gizane Campos 23:11

I'd

Renting Remotely With Real Trust

Gizane Campos 23:12

like to dig a bit further on the property um journey because obviously uh organizing your visa, all the documents is super daunting, looking for the school as well, but those are all things that you can do remotely. Choosing where you're going to live is super hard to do remotely, and putting a lot of confidence into your agent to find this property for you the way you want, and so on. So, um did you go through a few properties before that you were like, oh, maybe there's one, but maybe not so much? Which sort of advice? Actually, I'm rephrasing the whole question, forget what I just said. What advice has um Graciela or the team of Gold Quest uh given to you that was like, okay, this is this is why I'm staying at this place?

SPEAKER_02 24:02

I think we definitely did put a lot of confidence and trust into Christiella. Um and with you know, a lot of I think we're happy that we did because she first of all, she was so cool from the start, like so nice, so kind, so warm, and understanding of like what our needs were, without even really us having to say too much. We said, This is you know, we have a young child, we're looking for, you know, a school and maybe a couple of other points, but we didn't have a huge list because we had never been here, so we didn't, we couldn't tell her, oh, we really desire all these things because we said we don't know what to expect, we don't know what's available. So I think we were like, you know, walkability to the school, if there's some supermarkets around, you know, just to make life easier, great. And she said, you know, I understand, you know, my life is very similar. Um, I can I know what you need. She said, I know what you need, and I was like, Okay. You know, that it was kind of good to hear that from someone that you know was going to be, you know, the person on the ground looking at these places and really helping us. So a lot of the things that we looked at were, you know, from online images. And you know, we said, Oh looks like that barely worked. Yeah, can we see, can we see this place, or or can you look at this place? Can you, you know, what do you think of this? What do you think of that? And she would make, I think like he mentioned earlier, she would say, Well, I don't know about this area for you guys, or maybe it's too far, or I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. So she really made specific You know what, we're gonna trust her. She's been there a lot longer than we have, she knows our needs. And then when we did find a place that we liked, she did the video walkthrough for us, and she said, This place is great, you know, there's other people waiting to see it. I don't know if you wanna, you know, make an offer. And we were like, Okay, you know, maybe that is the place.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

And I remember how thorough that video walkthrough was. Like she opened everyone. She was like, This is the cabinet, this is the window. And it was like at the end of it, I felt like, okay, if I close my eyes, I'm walking through the thing myself.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

Yeah, yeah. It was very thorough, very clear. She was great about the whole process and helped us.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

It was her honesty from the beginning uh that I think, you know, allowed us to uh provide uh to to trust her uh as much as we did, you know, where you know there was no fluff, there was no, you know, being sold anything. It was just, hey, you know, uh when as I mentioned before, you know, I I would bring up you know certain properties and say, okay, what do you about what do you think about this? And she would call out things like that, not quite that. Like, for example, there was one apartment that was on the top floor. Um, and she, you know, I was like, okay, well, it looks okay, but then she's the one who zoomed in, but like, well, you see those lines on the walls. That means that there was a water that came in, so I wouldn't necessarily. I was like, okay, that's a great call out. So you know, anybody else, you know, especially what we've dealt with before in the States, was like, Oh, you like something? Okay, we'll go right right away.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Yeah, she was very she scrutinized very scrutinized for us, really well for us in that sense. It's like, okay, those are things I would look at too. You know, those are sort of the concerns you have of like moving into an apartment, especially a rental, like how well is it taken care of, and you know, what's the building like, and what do you have to deal with, and you know, so a lot of those things came into play. Yeah, and then I think when we came to actually see the apartment, we were blown away, first of all, because it was recently renovated. So, how beautifully it was renovated, um, how solid the building was, too. We're not used to that in the States. We a lot of rentals are like, you know, wood buildings, very thin walls, and we're like, these places are built so differently, they're so sturdy, constructed so well, and when they are renovated, they're just adapted for modern life, but it doesn't take away the beauty of the original, you know, layout or the construction. So you have a lot of like nice factors that that really you know stand out. And I think right when we saw the apartment, we liked it, we we thought it was great, we felt good in the neighborhood, the proximity to things, um, and it just felt right. And I think we were just like, oh, this is good. We can kind of tick a box on something that is a big part of this move.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Yeah, so so that first week we visited, right? Uh, we came for how many days?

SPEAKER_02 28:36

I think it was about five.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Five days, right? So we land, and the first thing is, okay, this is our first time in Portugal, and you know, in the back of my mind, did we make the right decision? And you know, we landed like, okay, this is nice, it's weather's great, looks looks good. You know, then you know, we you know, we we were staying at a hotel, and and that first week, you know, we went to a couple of local areas and you know, had dinner, you know, in downtown Lisbon. Like, this is really nice, you know, uh the architecture's great. There are hills.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

So we've never hills, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Um, but it was you know, every day, you know, was more of an affirmation that we did the right thing. And then towards I think day three is where we had the uh tour of the school, right? And that worked out for us well. And then day four is when we sold the apartment for the first time and actually signed the lease, right? So it was like, okay, so every day, like towards at the end of that time when we left, we're like we made the right decision. We can't wait to come back, right? Uh and uh then it was that was in March, and then we came we came back to to stay for two weeks in July. In July, not this time only because our visas didn't come in come through yet. So we took two weeks, we stayed here. It was an amazing two weeks. At the end of it, like we don't want to go back, but we we need to. Then finally, we you know, uh after after we went back, we closed up everything, sold a house, ready to go. Visas came in. I'm surprised they didn't hear me yell out in excitement here because it was was really excited. Uh, and then we came in uh uh on August um uh uh 14th. 14th, yeah. Uh which is actually our wedding anniversary, so it's like Mary has double the happiness from that uh from that day, uh, and been happy ever since.

Gizane Campos 30:25

Fantastic, lots to celebrate.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Yes.

Gizane Campos 30:28

So

Advice, Safety, Friends, And Language

Gizane Campos 30:29

it's been a year, and um now looking back um as a um a newcomer, is there anything that you learned that you would like to share with our listeners as a piece of advice regarding um every step from the initial research to uh the visa choice of the country you're going to go to and the property. What would you what piece of advice is very important, and if you could go back, you you would change it?

SPEAKER_01 31:07

Stay true to your search criteria. Okay, don't deviate too much from that. Um, and I think that's we that's why we were happy when we came in March, because we had our criteria. We were like, okay, we want it to be safe, we want it to be, you know, uh uh we want to enjoy being there, we want to, you know, good, you know, comfort, you know, a beautiful place to stay. Um and not just the apartment, but you know, the city and so forth. And you know, we had these criteria that we we wanted to make sure that you know uh um were you know were met. And uh we were lucky that all of them were. So I I think that if any of them, if there was any you know, hesitance and so forth, um uh that that would have definitely changed our experience. Um, but you know, make make sure that whatever it is that you're looking for, you take the time and find, whether it's that apartment, you know, whether it's the proper floor, whether it's the proper, you know, location and so forth. Um, because that just makes that time it makes that transition easier.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

Yeah. Yeah, what I think what whatever really feels right, you know, if it feels good, if it feels right, then go for it. I I don't know if I have anything I that I would personally say would do differently, because I think everything we did got us to this point. Um and we were, you know, successful in our search and our move and happy with the outcome. So I'm kind of like, okay, everything that happened happened the way it should have for that, you know, for that reason we planned it. Um and I think I I'd say, you know, any advice I'd give people to that want to move here, just come here, embrace the city, right? Open mind, um, try the food, talk to the people, tell them you don't speak Portuguese, you know, off the bat and say, you know, I'm sorry, I'm I I want to learn, I would love to learn. Be respectful of that, uh, you know, of course, and and they will they'll embrace you and they'll understand. I think they're used to lots of people coming from you know other countries and and seeing, you know, the community grow. So I think if you kind of try to be part of the community that um that will be, you know, appreciated, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

And and also understand that the the documentation aspect at the time that you're doing it seems daunting. Yeah. Seems like, you know, is this too much, you know, there's you know, there there they could be times in which you're waiting for documents on either side, and you and and you don't have a status update, and that's fine. It will work out, right? Sometimes you don't have, you know, uh, I think in the States we we get we were spoiled with a lot of uh instances of okay, at least we will know exactly where this thing is tracked, right? And uh like whether it's a web page or something that would show us that. Uh and and there are as part of this process, there you don't have that. You there's just a sit and wait. We did get the you know updates from you know uh uh uh global citizens that saying this is normal, this is the wait time. This, you know, if anything goes past that, then we could you know look into it. So there's that level of comfort there, but know that you know there is patience, the process is working, and it does take a little bit of it.

Gizane Campos 34:32

That's that's live from the end of a tunnel. I I get it, yeah. I know um that everything you just said sounds like perfect last words, but they are no, they are not the last words here yet. Because I still I've I thought that I I could ask a bit more about your life in Portugal. Um I wanted to know from you what has been your favorite part um of living in Portugal so far? Like um, has anything surprised you about the daily life here that's very different from what you um grew up with in New York or uh from your Puerto Rican uh background?

SPEAKER_01 35:17

Anything I'll start with one thing, right? And it's it's minor but not at the same time, and then if you want to add another one. Um it so living in the States with our daughter, uh, when we go out, whether it's in our neighborhood, whether it's going to a park, wherever, uh we she would walk right next to us, right? We would keep her close. And um, you know, if she strayed too far, one of us speeds up just to make sure that she's you know near us and so forth. And we don't have that feeling here, we don't have that need here. So what happens is she'll she'll go out, she'll walk ahead of us, right? We'll notice that there are other adults, you know, that are looking out for her as well, right? So let's say we're walking down the street and she gets to the street corner first. If there's an adult there, they'd be like, Are you okay? You want to walk, you know, they'll act, they'll they'll engage her. It's like, you know, there's that feeling of safety, right? So that took a moment for us to accept, right? So, you know, little by little, you know, she we were like, okay, you could, you know, go and so forth. But now, you know, just to you know, there are times in which you know she could be almost, you know, just in distance and we could see her, or she just goes right out our distance and we're not we don't have anxiety, we don't have stress, she's going to be okay.

Gizane Campos 36:36

Yeah, yeah. Security is very um important for quality of life. And I agree you have that in Portugal. How about you, Grace? Do do you have friends? How easy it was to make friends here?

SPEAKER_02 36:50

Um, so I think I made most of my friends so far the small group that I have from my Portuguese class. Oh no. So I took we both took classes at the same school, um, but we had separate course, separate classes. So I had a big group. There was about eight or nine of us um to start, and then it kind of whittled down to like maybe six people. Um, and everybody was from you know, somewhere else. There was someone from Belgium, a couple from the US, um, Germany, Italy, uh, so it was a nice melting pot of us. Everybody was learning Portuguese pretty much for the first time. And then um, and we had a great teacher, really funny, really engaging and fun, and you know, taught us a lot about just how to exist day to day, you know, and and kind of go into stores and ask for things. And so it was it was a good kind of crash course, right? Just to be able to um ask for things and like you know, go feel a little confident day to day. And then so you know, we just we kept in touch, and and since then, I think we took the class last year, it was like October, November time frame, and since then we've you know had them over for dinner and we've done some gatherings and we've um you know gone to the festivals together, so we made a little friend chat um out of that, which was nice. So we had that in common, and we you know, and our teacher was part of the friend group as well, so we've gotten together with him, and he's been to our house and all of that. We did meet another couple um through um Graciela, actually, who was moving from the US as well, and they also had a young child, so she introduced us, so that was nice to to meet another, you know, family of three, and we've been friends with them since two, so which is really nice. And then little by little we made a few more friends. I find that the more events you attend, as so just as the Santos Populates just that just passed, yeah. I met a bunch of people there, so that was really nice. I have about like three or four new phone numbers in my phone now, and people with children or not to you know include in our gatherings and different things. So um, you know, there's so many different ways to meet people, whether it's at work or at you know social events or anything like that. I know there's also like meetups and Facebook groups that you can join to. I I haven't done that specifically yet, but this is how I think we've been able to meet people so far.

SPEAKER_01 39:19

Yeah, it's been a good experience. As an expat, it's very easy just to come to a place and just be like, okay, I'm just gonna live my life there. Um and I think you know, you'd be doing yourself a disjustice if you don't try to assimilate, right? So we made it a point that when we get when we came here, we were gonna learn the language, right? We're gonna really immerse ourselves, which is why we wanted to take those courses. And you know, there is that, you know, as Grace pointed out, that anxiety when you want to, you know, even though everyone's been very warm and welcoming, you want to go into a store and communicate, right? Uh, but you know, you fumble or you put you know, you don't want to say the wrong thing.

SPEAKER_02 39:57

He really wants to talk to the butcher.

SPEAKER_01 39:59

I really want to talk to the butcher or the seamonger or the fishmonger.

SPEAKER_02 40:03

I really want to do those things. I want to get that. Yeah, really. I don't know if I've got anything very different here.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Yeah, so you know, it you know, if I think you know it helps it helps that transition when you you know learn a language and put yourself out there, go to those events. Uh we uh I went to uh a um uh music festival uh uh in uh Caprica. Uh that was over four days, met a uh you know, a bunch of people there. Uh so you know uh start building your life in uh uh in Portugal, don't just bring your life to Portugal.

Gizane Campos 40:40

Yeah, how would you describe this experience you're having here in three words? Documentation good, good, which is fun waiting, yeah, patience, patience, definitely patience.

SPEAKER_01 40:58

And even though it has a hyphen, payoff.

Gizane Campos 41:00

Payoff, yeah. Because it does it's all worth it, it's all worth it when you get here. Yeah, I agree. That's good. I like those three words.

SPEAKER_02 41:08

Yeah, yeah, I can't think of anything else.

Gizane Campos 41:10

It's very realistic, yeah. Yeah, I agree. Fantastic. And um what's the next chapter since you're all settled here?

SPEAKER_01 41:20

So

Starting A Business And Giving Back

SPEAKER_01 41:21

um we uh I actually I started my own business here. Uh so my background is in cybersecurity. Um, I initially intended to just come here and almost like semi-retire or do like remote work. Uh, but um I also knew that you know I wanted to give back to Portugal for giving me the ability to come here. So uh I started my own business with the with the goals of being able to do cybersecurity training for you know the uh uh for um uh the young uh students here to get them you know into the work uh workplace and so forth. So I'm still building that, but that's my goal to be able to give back to that, whether it be in education or whether it be you know helping small and medium businesses, you know, uh, you know, attain a level of security that helps them, you know, protect their investments, to protect their business and protect their customers. Yeah.

Gizane Campos 42:12

So has a ripe market for that. Um, you're probably you're aware of all the events here, such as Web Sermits. Um, so yeah, I'd like to hear more about it once the business is up and running. And uh and yes, Danny and Grace, thank you very much for coming here, sharing your story with you. I hope you have an amazing summer.

SPEAKER_02 42:36

Thank you.

Gizane Campos 42:38

And uh and yeah, keep improving your Portuguese. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 42:50

Thank you, thank you, everybody.