As a Brit who has lived in rural central Portugal for 16 years, I have seen this area grow significantly with influx of Northern European immigrants (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, U.K) and more recently loads of Israelites. The second language is becoming English, now taught in Portuguese schools in preference to French. The Portuguese …
As a Brit who has lived in rural central Portugal for 16 years, I have seen this area grow significantly with influx of Northern European immigrants (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, U.K) and more recently loads of Israelites. The second language is becoming English, now taught in Portuguese schools in preference to French. The Portuguese people, and bureaucracy, are incredibly patient with accommodating 'foreigners' - at least in my experience.
Foreigners are attracted to come here because it's warmer, their money goes further, and many want to go 'back to the land' and grow food, live more simply and off-grid, etc. There are plenty of abandoned quintas (small-holdings) to buy and start a new life. Many Portuguese welcome the foreigners reviving abandoned quintas their grand-parents knew as working 'farms'.
But I am noting now the first tensions. Having Portuguese friends myself, they are beginning to feel it's a bit of an 'invasion'. However also, being a rural community, they have have great pride in their traditions, their communities (which are very resilient), and their village festas, etc.
The main problem is with certain types of foreigners who are either druggies (and generally disrespect all 'authority') and those types of foreigners who insist things should be done in the same way as in their home country (ie: people who "know what's what!" - a real pain in the neck anywhere in the world).
Having said all that, when I visit the U.K (once every two years or so) I am jolted by the number of 'foreigners'; England feels different every time I go there. Not necessarily bad, but certainly different. And of course, it's changing anyway due to a variety of factors, not least the level of surveillance, and regimentation of driving a car anywhere.
Humans are 'tribal' by nature, and I think that's a good thing. I hope we can grow in consciousness sufficiently, so that colourful tribalism (as opposed to bland globalism) will become the new norm. And that divide-and-rule, after many centuries, will at last fail.
As a Brit who has lived in rural central Portugal for 16 years, I have seen this area grow significantly with influx of Northern European immigrants (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, U.K) and more recently loads of Israelites. The second language is becoming English, now taught in Portuguese schools in preference to French. The Portuguese people, and bureaucracy, are incredibly patient with accommodating 'foreigners' - at least in my experience.
Foreigners are attracted to come here because it's warmer, their money goes further, and many want to go 'back to the land' and grow food, live more simply and off-grid, etc. There are plenty of abandoned quintas (small-holdings) to buy and start a new life. Many Portuguese welcome the foreigners reviving abandoned quintas their grand-parents knew as working 'farms'.
But I am noting now the first tensions. Having Portuguese friends myself, they are beginning to feel it's a bit of an 'invasion'. However also, being a rural community, they have have great pride in their traditions, their communities (which are very resilient), and their village festas, etc.
The main problem is with certain types of foreigners who are either druggies (and generally disrespect all 'authority') and those types of foreigners who insist things should be done in the same way as in their home country (ie: people who "know what's what!" - a real pain in the neck anywhere in the world).
Having said all that, when I visit the U.K (once every two years or so) I am jolted by the number of 'foreigners'; England feels different every time I go there. Not necessarily bad, but certainly different. And of course, it's changing anyway due to a variety of factors, not least the level of surveillance, and regimentation of driving a car anywhere.
Humans are 'tribal' by nature, and I think that's a good thing. I hope we can grow in consciousness sufficiently, so that colourful tribalism (as opposed to bland globalism) will become the new norm. And that divide-and-rule, after many centuries, will at last fail.