Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies Essays-Biographies
André Ribeiro ’ s Biography
I am André , from Portugal , a 31 year – old single emigrant .
I am living and working in the Netherlands since about four years . I came here without my family . I took the decision to emigrate to see by ‘ myself ‘ whether the resources of a foreign country were better than the ones in Portugal .
Before going to the Nederlands , I got to know a lot about this host country . In my opinion , The Nederlands is a progressive and a very open country to foreigners . I had high expectations before coming here . I took with me a scarf of my football club so that I could have by me a little from my country .
The beginning was not particularly difficult , only the fact of living alone . To overcome that I started to create relationships . Now I have a lot of friends in the host country . I can assure that I have never been discriminated for being an emigrant . I celebrate the national holidays such as the King ’ s birthday and the Sinterklass . Comparing the two cultures I think that the Anglo Saxonic culture is completely different from the Latin one . People are more direct but colder in dealing with the other .
One thing I must agree : both the Portuguese and the Dutch share the same passion of living their lives . In my free time I go out with friends , and I travel . I have in my mind to return to Portugal one day . Of course , I miss the climate and the food from my home country .
Daniel
Julien Pereira Simões ’ Biography
I ’ m Daniel Julien , a second generation immigrant living in Slovakia .
I was born in France but I ’ m Portuguese . Some years ago when I did interrail I visited Slovakia . About twenty months ago I decided to look for better professional conditions abroad . Then Slovakia came to my mind . I came here and I stayed . I work as a Retail Account Manager . I expected to stay for only two years . The coldness of the Slovaks was one of the most difficult things I have to face . I try to adapt myself but it is very difficult to overcome that .
I miss the Portuguese people , the fresh fish and the Portuguese culture . I brought with me a Portuguese flag , a scarf , some photos , among other things . I have already felt discrimination . Slovaks are not very friendly with foreigners . So , I have already felt discrimination whenever I ’ m in a restaurant , in a store , etc . Portuguese and Slovaks have nothing in common .
Portuguese are much more friendly and welcoming . A positive aspect is the location of Slovakia . That ’ s why I end up travelling a lot . I have here a group of excellent friends , workmates , and we do several activities together . Although I have plans to return to Portugal , I intend to live in another foreign country before returning to Portugal .
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