“Im emigrating!” was an announcement that not only raised my own heartbeat, but also my family and friends’. I have received many different reactions: open mouths and big eyes, joyous laughter and congratulations, but also disappointed and sad messages. And many of my friends have come up with the same questions. Where do you go? Why? For how long? What about your Job?
To all those questions, I answered to the tune of something like this:
Where are you going? To Portugal
Why? I have no idea! To be honest, I’ve never been there! But my boyfriend is so enthusiastic about this country, about the people, and that the time passes much slower down there. The life in Portugal must also be incredibly cheap. We looked at a house on the internet that only costs 240 euros a month … can you believe that? In Switzerland, I paid 860 swiss francs a month for my 1-bedroom apartment!!
In addition, one finds almost everywhere someone who speaks some English, so that we’re not completely lost when we arrive. (Yes, we have to learn Portuguese …) And what suits me personally is that we have moved south. I love the sun and warmth. I’ve never really liked the winter, except fresh crushed snow, all covered in white, no mud on the ground, sunny day, not too cold. And it was very rare in Switzerland, that it all came together like this. I think these are enough reasons why we emigrate to Portugal. 🙂
But why? Why are you emigrating? Wow, this question is a bit harder to answer. Or rather, harder to make it plausible for people. Especially because I had a job that I liked a lot. I had a really great team and employers. In addition, I just started the course CAS (Certificate of Advanced Studies) in Typography & Print at the Zurich University of the Arts. One month later, in April, I moved to my own flat. Nothing seemed to indicate that I would throw all this away. Well, I guess now I owe you the whole story …
As a child, I always said that someday I would emigrate. Through all those years, it has always been just words and I had no reason to actually go, except that I did not like the winter too much. I’ve always loved traveling, going on vacation to other countries. One day I became interested in the Indian culture and I was so fascinated that I wanted to go there, possibly alone. To prepare myself for the trip to India, I told myself that at least I would have to travel to Morocco on my own first. And so I did that. In November 2016, I took 2 weeks vacation. My sister came with me to Morocco the first week, after that I traveled alone from Marrakech via Fès, Chefchaouen, to Tangier. At this time, the fascination for the Indian culture was lapped into the Arab culture. I still rave about the language, the writing, the food, the colors …
In any case, I got to know Aaron on this trip meeting him on the last day and forgetting to pay my bill. Aaron paid it! And since then everything started to change in my life. Aaron came to visit me in Switzerland in January 2017 after I offered to pay for his tea here in Switzerland, and the visit turned into a relationship. We often talked about our dreams and I mentioned that I would like to start my own business. And very spontaniously and also very unofficially, we founded our own business with the focus on film & design. (For those who want to check it out: http://www.aclcreativestudio.com) We talked about the idea of emigrating one day. I would’nt have thought, that it would be so soon.
Gradually, however, the reasons piled on and it was looking likely that we would emigrate sooner. On one hand the work, the study and our business became too much for me and I also wanted to see more of the world. On the other hand, Aaron didn't like it very much in Switzerland; it was too expensive for him and he missed the freedom he had lived so far. And at some point I said to myself: “If I don’t do it now, I’ll probably never do it.” Not only did I mean the emigration, but also the leap into self-employment. Our business will never grow if I don’t invest time and energy into it. And if in the future it doesn’t work out well, I can always go back to Switzerland and look for a job again.
Here I met Aaron (on the right in the red Djellaba). Today he looks a bit more civilized 😉
How long will you stay in Portugal? We don’t know. There is no return date or return ticket. We also don’t know if we want to stay in Portugal forever. We’ll see how we like it and how we’re doing and everything else comes gradually.
Do you already have a Job? No, I won’t take employment. I’ll invest my energy in our business ACL Creative Studio and into my own projects, such as a childrens book I've recently finished writing. :D
We give ourselves a year to get the business rolling. If after a year there are no signs that it works, then we need to think of something new. And yes, we have money by the side, so we do not have to starve right away 😉
That was pretty much it. Any questions? If yes, feel free to write me, so I can supplement / expand the post. :) I'd also love to hear your stories of immigration, how it changed your life, and how you first felt when you arrived.
I'll see you in the comments :)
All the best!