From the USA to Portugal: Celia + Jim
How they stay connected to family, work remotely, and figure out all the things they didn't know they didn't know.
In November 2022, Celia (then 53) and Jim (then 67) moved from a small, picturesque town in Rhode Island to a small city by the sea in Portugal.
They had been married for about 10 years at the time, with 4 adult children who all lived within 20-25 minutes of them. Celia’s parents also lived just a few minutes from them. They commuted less than 10 minutes from their big Garrison Colonial home to their offices every day (including stops at traffic lights and Dunkin’ Donuts for their iced coffees).
How does a couple with a house they loved, jobs they loved, family that they loved and were very, very close to...how did they end up moving to another country?
And does Portugal feel like home?
Let’s find out.
How does the idea get into your head: We're gonna leave all of this stuff behind, we're gonna leave this great life, and we're just gonna move to another country and have another life.
Celia: So I was born in Portugal. I moved to the US with my family when I was 11 years old. Fast forward to 7 years of Jim and I being married and I said, “You know, we should take a vacation in Portugal. Just so you can see where I come from, where my roots are.” And when I said that to him, of course he agreed right away.
I actually thought that he wasn't going to enjoy it here, because it's quite different than where we were coming from. And the thing about Jim is he does not eat seafood. If it's lived in the ocean, it will not go in Jim's mouth. And Portugal, especially this area of Portugal, is well known for their marine life and seafood and whatnot.
Jim: I thought I was gonna come here and starve to death and be a little skinny guy. Hasn't worked out that way.
Celia: So we came. And he fell in love pretty quickly. He started saying he liked the pace of life and how everyone was seemingly just sitting around, really enjoying the weather and the sunshine. And he said, “I could do this.”
Jim: I didn’t voice that until the flight home and I said, “I could see us moving to Portugal and living there.” There's something about the pace of life and the sunshine. It was really enticing.
I remember the words I said to my boss when I got back and told him about it. I said, “I think if I stay here I might live to 78 years old. But if I go to Portugal I might live to 100 years old.” And actually, right now I'm feeling like that's still the case
When Jim said, “What would you think about doing this?” What was Celia’s reaction?
Celia: So I you know, having been in the US my entire adult life, I hadn't really envisioned coming here. Especially after having a family there and being pretty settled in my job and my friends and whatnot. I didn't envision myself coming back here.
Because we had only been on vacation in Portugal, I was like: Yeah, yeah, we're only on vacation. The reality of actually living there will be different.
But then, COVID came and we were all forced to be home. I was working from home for like 16 months. And as COVID started to lift, at the beginning of 2022, I said to Jim, “Okay. We went to Portugal in 2019. You really liked it. Let's go back again. Give it another few weeks before we really decide whether or not this is what we're gonna do.”
When we came back in June of 2022, Jim said, “Let's look at a couple of apartments. Just to get an idea what the rents cost. Where we could find an apartment we might like.” We connected with a real estate agent. She showed us one apartment. And we loved it. One apartment.
Jim: Right in our budget. It was beautiful. And I said to her, “It’s a beautiful apartment. And if we don't sign for this today, we'll lose this. And that's fine. But we'll have to find something else.” And she said, “Let's go downstairs and sign the papers.” I was shocked. So we signed in June, and finally moved here in November.
When you told your kids that you’re moving to another country, what was their response? Did they think you had lost your mind? Were they worried about you?
Jim: I sat down with each one of my children individually and I asked each one of them, “You know this is a big move for us. We'll come back twice a year for a month. But how do you feel about it? Are you gonna be angry with us for leaving? Are you going to be sad? Are you gonna be happy?”
And all of them said it's gonna work fine. We've always supported them and they can take care of themselves. They all said, “We want you to do that and be happy. So go and see.” I don't know what they said to each other afterwards, but I did talk with each one of them separately, just to make sure that they understood that we were going, but we're gonna be right here. We're gonna talk to them every day. And we'll be back twice a year.
And so far, in 2 and a half years, it's worked amazingly well.
Celia: My oldest son didn't have any confidence that I would last here, so he said to me one day, “Mom, I'll give you 6 months to a year. Tops.” And then, just recently, he said, “I'm really proud of you and surprised that you lasted this long.
What did you do with your home in Rhode Island and all of your belongings?
Jim: Our home sold in 4 days. And they wanted us to be out in 12 days. We told them we needed 19 days. We had a big Garrison Colonial in New England. Two story house. Eight rooms, 3 bedrooms, full basement, and a garage that was full of stuff. And we had to empty that in 19 days. We had to pack what we were gonna bring. We had to give or sell everything else. We had a real whirlwind. Both of us still worked every day and then came home and got it all taken care of.
How did you decide in 19 days what to pack and what to sell. How much did you actually bring with you to Portugal?
Jim: We filled half a Container and it cost $7,700 to get the container here. It had furniture that we loved, decorations we loved, our clothing. We didn't bring appliances because of the power conversion.
Celia: While I was here looking at the apartment, I was visualizing the things that I wanted to bring with me, the things that I needed to bring with me, where everything was going to fit. And it actually really worked out.
Is the 5 hour time difference an issue with Jim working remotely from Portugal?
Jim: When I told my boss I wanted to work remotely, he said OK. I changed my hours from 8 hours a day to 5 hours a day. And in Portugal, I’m at my desk from 1:00 to 6:00 (which is when Portugal closes a lot of the shops and the restaurants). So I joke and say, “Well, cause they're closed, I'll work.” So when I sit down at my desk at 1:00 here, I'll get messages from my coworkers who have just gotten to their desk because it’s 8:00 a.m. in Rhode Island. And they know that I’m not on vacation in Portugal. I’m actually here working. That’s what I had planned in the US. And it's all worked out. I haven't had to make any major, if any adjustments to come here and live this great life that we live today.
What is the best part of your expat experience, and what has been the hardest part of your expat experience.
Celia: The hardest part is the adjusting, the getting things solved, and getting things done in a timely manner without too much frustration. That's been the worst for me.
The best is just the sunshine, the weather, the people that we've met, that we've come across. Everybody is so friendly. And I did always think that I would love to live by the ocean. As a kid growing up I always thought, Oh, I would love to live by the ocean. There's nothing like opening a window and seeing the ocean. And now I have that. That's the best part.
Jim: The best is the weather. The city. With the weather. With the people. With the food. With the economy. With the ease of getting everywhere in a couple of hours—Lisbon's 2 hours south and Porto’s an hour and a half up.
And to go back to the food thing. Celia thought: seafood, Portugal, seafood. I have tried seafood my whole life and I do not like any of it. She'll eat squid and octopus and I can't imagine eating them after seeing them live. But there's plenty of beef, pork, and chicken here. All the restaurants have a wide variety of everything. So I come here thinking I’m going to lose 35 pounds and in 2 ½ years I’ve only lost about 2 pounds.
Does Portugal feel like home?
Jim: It does, Celia actually refers to it as home when we're leaving the US. She can't wait to get back home.
When did that start feeling like home?
Celia: For me, it was only the last trip. Because I’d always thought that I was here on vacation and I was going home to the US. Every time we've been back. But the last trip was the first time that I thought, I'm ready to go home–meaning here in Portugal, being in my own house. So that was, that's when it clicked. It took a year and a half until it actually clicked. But this is home now.
Plus: One of the things they didn’t know they didn’t know when they left the US?
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WHAT ELSE?
Celia and Jim shared so many things about their experience leaving Rhode Island and getting settled in Portugal during our conversation.
Including:
The most frustrating thing about living in Portugal, even for someone who is fluent in Portuguese.
3 reasons they decided to rent instead of buy a home here. Even though they’d sold their home in the US.
The one thing Celia wanted to bring with her to Portugal more than anything else. And why she thought it was so important.
And the one thing they brought with them that they have never, ever used.
How they planned their finances, including what happens when Jim retires.
How they finally got a residency card for Jim (Celia is a Portuguese citizen, but Jim still needed official authorization to reside in Portugal with her).
How they’re navigating the healthcare system.
How they maintain their connections with friends and family back in the States.
And, the advice they’d give to their pre-moving-to-Portugal selves, including the things they wish they’d known before they left the US. Spoiler: There are things they didn’t know they didn’t know.
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