I’m a British expat – here’s how living in Europe has changed me for the better

IN THE summertime of 2020, aft 9 years of surviving successful London I packed up and travelled to Lisbon for a alteration of scene.

During the intervening 4 years, arsenic I've travel to larn much astir the Portuguese mode of life, I've besides noticed subtle changes successful myself.

The small, but important, differences of surviving successful confederate Europe person woven their mode into my regular - for amended and worse.

From my flexibility with time-keeping erstwhile it comes to societal plans to my shrunken wardrobe, this is the interaction swapping the UK for sunnier climes has had connected me...

Nature

I would ne'er person antecedently described myself arsenic an outdoorsy benignant of person, but surviving successful a sunnier state has encouraged maine to permission the location astatine each opportunity.

It helps that Portugal has immoderate unthinkable nature to explore, from beauteous coastlines to stunning mountains.

I'll find myself 'saving' hikes I've seen connected Instagram Reels arsenic overmuch arsenic swanky bars successful Lisbon.

Not that surviving successful the metropolis means I'm acold from quality astatine each - with the Tejo stream and the woods of Monsanto some nearby.

Make-up

Since my teens, I've religiously applied make-up each time earlier leaving the house, with barefaced tegument leaving maine feeling astir naked.

This attack to quality followed maine to Lisbon - lone to find that I would sweat it each disconnected walking up the city's hills successful 30-degree heat.

Slowly but surely - and boosted by a small vitamin D-powered glow - I've travel to consciousness much comfy going without.

Which successful crook has helped my complexion and dilatory built backmost up my assurance successful my ain tegument again.

English

As successful the language. Not lone person I realised however fortunate we Brits person it - with truthful galore Portuguese radical speaking unthinkable English - but, equally, not everyone can.

I've cringed arsenic visitors from other, ahem, English-speaking countries simply accidental words LOUDER successful the anticipation of getting their connection across.

Because our connection truly is not the centre of the universe, adjacent if it mightiness consciousness that mode erstwhile it comes to films and songs.

In fact, dilatory learning Portuguese has been the hardest - but besides the champion - happening I've done successful years.

Belongings

There's thing similar moving countries to marque you re-evaluate however overmuch worldly you ain - and don't really need.

Shortly earlier my Lisbon-bound flight, I recovered myself whittling down each my belongings into those I would truly usage - which turned out, erstwhile propulsion came to shove with my suitcase, to beryllium not overmuch astatine all.

During my clip surviving successful abroad, I've besides been truly cautious astir the things I've bought, knowing that 1 time I'll person to battalion it each up and instrumentality it back.

Which, each successful all, has made maine acold little materialistic - and shrunk my antecedently bulging wardrobe successful the process...

Punctuality

Or deficiency thereof. Firstly, this isn't successful the nonrecreational consciousness - particularly since, arsenic a freelancer, I thin to enactment remotely and usually don't request to origin successful a commute.

However, extracurricular of work, I've fallen into Portugal's leisurely rhythm, wherever it's communal for appointments to spell implicit oregon friends to tally late.

It's not a slippery-slope-of-a-habit that I'm arrogant of, and hatred myself each clip I find myself keeping idiosyncratic waiting - particularly erstwhile it's backmost successful the UK.

However, it's becoming 2nd quality successful a state wherever the dentist keeps maine lingering 1 hr to beryllium seen, and restaurants astir expect you to not beryllium connected clip for your meal reservation.