Enjoy ;-)

- pasteis de nata

recipe

- Bolinhos de Bacalhau is one of the most frequently prepared foods in Portugal. Bacalhau(Salted Cod fish) is one of the most popular, if not the most popular food in Portugal.

• ½ lb (250 g) boneless salt cod, soaked
• 2 boiling potatoes, about 10 oz (315 g) total
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons each chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian
• 1 parsley and fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Milk if needed
• Olive oil or vegetable oil for deep-frying

Drain the cod and place in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, flake the cod, removing any bits of skin and small bones. Pulse in a food processor until finely shredded, then place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, combine the potatoes with water to cover, bring to a boil, and boil until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain and, when slightly cooled, peel and mash until smooth. Add to the salt cod.

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the contents of the sauté pan to the cod mixture and mix well. Fold in the eggs, parsley, and cilantro. Season with cayenne pepper and black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of firm mashed potatoes. If it is too stiff, beat in a little milk.. Form into balls 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.

In a deep, heavy frying pan, pour in oil to a depth of 2 inches (5 cm) and heat to 375 F (190 C). Add the balls, a few at a time, and fry until golden, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and drain. Serve at once. (Serves 6-8)

Food

- staple food: codfish 

Portugueses started to fish the cod during the age of the great discoveries, there were good naviguators. At this time it was difficult to do long journeys since sailors were unable to preserve food for a long time. Portugueses have been the first who had salted the cod and made it dry therefore they managed to discover a lot of territories. The cod is one of the food which has the best nutritional values.The tradition continues. Today, it exists 600 ways to cook the cod in Portugal. 

Specialities: 

- Aletria is a Portuguese Sweet Pasta dessert. It is kind of like the pasta version of Arroz Doce, or Sweet Rice. It is quite a unique and traditional dish in Portuguese dessert making. For those with a sweet tooth and love pasta, this is a perfect dessert.  *Serves 3-4*  

Ingredients: 1 pound angel hair pasta 1/2 cup water 1 cup milk 1 cup sugar 1 lemon rinds 5 egg yolks 1/4 pound butter 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder 

Directions: 1) In a saucepan, add 3/4 cup of milk and 1/2 cup water in and heat it until it boils. 2) Now add the angel hair pasta, sugar, lemon rinds, and butter to the saucepan. 3) Let it cook until the angel hair pasta has absorbed most of the liquid. 4) Beat the egg yolks well and then add them to the saucepan along with the last 1/4 cup milk. 5) Stir it well. 6) Pour it on a dish to serve. Cover with cinnamon powder. 

Qualities and Portuguese culture

Qualities:

- the weather and the beach 

That is certainly a matter of some significance since what would be better than a stroll along the beach after work or enjoy a glass with your friends with sun terrace?

I remember last year I dived in the sea on Chrismas Day. :)

There are great differences between England and Portugal.

- Portuguese is a beautiful language and it is not so difficut to learn it, it can be a benefit for you and your children.
(portuguese is the ninth language the most widely spoken)

- adjectives that best describe a Portuguese : warm, discrete, polite, proud, funny, pacifist, strict on the values, loyal people, modest, respectful, family

Portuguese culture : 

- Football is a part of their habits. People watching a football game in pubs is very common. Cristiano Ronaldo is a deep proud for the country since he illustrates the "portuguese dream" which involves that you can start from scratch and climb the social ladder just as he did.

-Patriotism is omnipresent. It is a quite poor, small and humble country that's why people help out. Probably you will see a Portuguese flag on every window. We feel there a strong national support and it is quite touching to see such solidarity. 

-Portugal is a country open-minded despite the patriotism. Racism is unusual and poorly looked. It is multicultural country because of immigration during the world wars. Most of people have various origins. A large part of the population speaks french. They are also good at english (each movie is in english with subtitles. There are African people because of portuguese islands in Africa during the colonization.

-Religion is also very important for them. They are true believers, there are little atheistics. Different religions
live together although there are 90% of catholics.

-Handicraft (The portuguese are really creative)

-Food (see below)

-Music : Fado : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARS7Zi-Zpkw

 

How to earn a living there ?

- the cost of living is really less expensive

Indices Difference
Consumer Prices in United Kingdom are 60.20% higher than in Portugal
Consumer Prices Including Rent in United Kingdom are 76.50% higher than in Portugal
Rent Prices in United Kingdom are 133.68% higher than in Portugal
Restaurant Prices in United Kingdom are 106.77% higher than in Portugal
Groceries Prices in United Kingdom are 65.56% higher than in Portugal
Local Purchasing Power in United Kingdom is 57.90% higher than in Portugal

what’s it like working in Portugal? 

• Average working hours: 40 hours a week, which is also the legal maximum. 
• Holidays: annual leave entitlement is a minimum of 22 days, plus public holidays. Work typically starts at 9am and finishes at 7pm with a two hour lunch break. 
• Tax rates: tax, national insurance and social security contributions are automatically deducted from your salary via the PAYE (pay as you earn) system. Tax deductions for residents (usually defined as anyone living in Portugal for more than 183 days in a year) are on a progressive scale from 14.5% to 48%. Don't forget to check your UK tax and National Insurance position with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to ensure that you are not losing any UK pension rights.
  
  

domains where there are jobs:

- optical
- manual works
- translation (they are looking for people who speak foreign langages)
- restoration
- engineer
- lawyer
- teacher
...

How to get there?

- documentation

EU nationals can stay for an unlimited period in Portugal, but must register with the local authorities after three months. If travelling from one border-free Schengen country to another (including Portugal) , EU nationals are not required to show a passport or national ID card however the UK are not part of the Schengen area, so a passport or ID card is required if travelling from these countries. In a nutshell, all you need is an national ID or a passport which is valid for the duration of your stay.

- means of transports
 
 Let's focus on the 2 main cities in Portugal :

London → Porto 1244 miles 

-plane 2h20 estimated cost: from 40 euros to 200, depending on the airline company (should be made well in advance)

-car 21h40 estimated cost: 295 euros including toll 118e and fuel 160e 

-carpooling 21h40 estimated cost from 100euros to 200 

London → Lisbonne (capital town) 1357 miles 

-plane 2h40 estimated cost from 50 to 250 depending on the airline company (should be made well in advance)

-car 23h10 estimated cost: 330euros including toll 141e and fuel 173e 

-carpooling 23h10 estimated cost from 100 to 200

Presentation

Hi, my name is Abby Lewis, I am 22. I come from London, England. I quit my job on the spur of the moment as an english teacher in a prestigious grammar school to fulfil my dream. I have the hunger for adventure. I've been craving a new life experience I wanted to discover a new country and a new culture. That's why I moved to Portugal in Porto three years ago. Upon my arrival, I worked as a waitress in order to earn a living. After 2 years, I found back my job as an english teacher in an high school.



Why having created a blog dedicated to my expat life?

I want to share my experience and my advices so as to help people who are hesitated to take the plunge. It is a wonderful way of life being an expat, I've learned a lot on myself. I will also to share my favourite places (where to eat, where to stay, how to come in Portugal...) You will see that my whole life changed completely.

I will explain :

-how to get there
-how to earn a living there
-the culture there (differences between Portugal and England)
-the food there
-my 5 top tips