Life in Lisbon

After six weeks, I finally found a moment to write another blog post. Whether I’ll keep doing this? Still unsure. Writing is my passion, and this blog is purely for entertainment. But with barely any appreciation coming in, I’m pretty convinced I’ll pull the plug on the website in the second half of 2025.

In the meantime, I’ve now been in Lisbon for a month and started working here as well. I rent a room in a shared house with four other expats: a Polish woman and a Belgian woman, both working from home. Then there’s a young Italian guy who’s hardly ever home (he has a girlfriend), and a man from Estonia - though he was born in Venezuela. The guys also work for Meta like me. Oddly enough, even in my 40s, I’m still the youngest in the house besides the Italian. I actually like that. I speak Spanish with the Venezuelan - and we also share a balcony.

The house has three bathrooms, so I share one with the Italian and the Belgian woman. Of course, everyone has their own bedroom - and I have to say, mine’s definitely the best (in my opinion, anyway). Sure, I would’ve loved an en-suite, but honestly... a big bedroom with a large wardrobe is nothing to complain about. I even have a great desk and an amazing office chair where I’m currently typing this.

Sharing a house is never easy though. We’re all adults, but still. There’s always one, right? The one who thinks they own the place and honestly should live alone. In the kitchen, there’s no scissors, kitchen towels, rubber bands... because this person keeps everything locked away in their own cupboard. Sharing? Never heard of it.

I try to focus on the good things - like the fact that my room and the view outside look like something out of Paris. With a bit of imagination, it feels like you’re on the Champs-Élysées. Especially in the evenings when the soft building lights come on - it becomes kind of magical.

I’m still struggling with Portuguese language, but I’ve known for a while now that it’s not my thing. Too bad. And no - it’s really nothing like Spanish. I’m not planning to take any classes, but I do give it a shot here and there. The other day, I urgently needed new sunglasses. Thankfully the optometrist spoke English, but otherwise I would’ve resorted to hand gestures and Spanish/Portuguese which I now call Portuñol.

There’s an app to learn Portuguese, but to download it, you need a Portuguese phone number... and I’m still waiting for my NIF number. Bureaucracy here moves slowly - not a surprise either.

On the bright side: a nice payment came through recently. The income is finally flowing again, which is a relief. Sadly, my books alone weren’t enough to make ends meet, but now I’ve been paid for the three weeks of training I did to learn the theory side of the job - and now we’re applying that in practice.

I actually really enjoyed the training. We started with eleven people, but one dropped out after the first week. So we finished with ten. On the last day of training, almost the whole group went out for drinks to celebrate - we had just signed our job contracts, too. It was a nice little send-off, since we were split up after that.

Five of our group joined the UK market, where they work night shifts. I admire them. Honestly, I could never do that - I wouldn’t even sign up for it. But they went for it and already have more hands-on experience than us.The rest of us (three from the Netherlands, one guy from Belgium, and myself) - ended up on the Dutch-speaking team. I wasn’t keen on it, to be honest, but we were urgently needed. That department usually has super young people, and they rarely stick around long. Why is that? I think I found out a few days ago.

Together with my Belgian colleague, I experienced a pretty clear form of racism. Yes, from a Dutch colleague. Someone who, thanks to their “slightly higher” role, feels entitled to look down on others based on nationality. Pathetic, small-minded, and completely unprofessional. This person walks around like some self-righteous moral authority with an inferiority complex. And let me just call it what it is: racism. Subtle, yes. But very much present. Not surprising, unfortunately - but still a sad reality.

Aside from that, I’m slowly getting used to life here and exploring Lisbon. I loaded my metro card with 40 euros, which now allows me to travel pretty far by train, bus, metro or even ferry - without having to buy separate tickets each time.

This month is all about exploring. I plan to revisit Sintra and Cascais - two places I visited in the past and would happily see again. I also returned to Tavira twice for an overnight stay to visit friends - and my special friend - but the bus trip is exhausting. It’s over four hours each way, and I usually have to travel back the next afternoon...

Until the next update. Hoping for more inspiration, fewer idiots - and plenty of sunshine. Obrigada! ✨PS: Got tips on how to deal with a bossy/selfish housemate or low-key racism from your neighbors? Leave them in the comments. ;-)

Photo: Farewell drinks with the training class, Lisbon, July 2025