You might remember an American chap by the name of Victor Kiam, who – so impressed by his wife’s gift of a Remington electric shaver – decided he’d buy its manufacturer. “I liked it so much, I bought the company,” he famously said on TV commercials in the late 70s and early 1980s, incidentally turning the loss-making company into a rapid and notable success.
If you don’t recall smooth-talking and smooth-faced Victor, you can look him up and fact check me later. But after you’ve heard about a similar scenario whereby a woman, so engaged and inspired by the things she heard, week in and week out, about Portugal, decided to move here.
That woman is Sarah Davie, a Brit born in Durham, North East UK, now officially a resident of Portugal, who now lives among the expats and immigrants she began helping, and continues to help, with the vital matter of foreign currency exchange.
I share this life-changing journey with particular interest and joy, as one of the voices that whispered to Sarah’s subconscious on numerous Portugal-promoting webinars, and am delighted to call her a friend, a fellow foreigner of a friend, who shares my passion for the ‘Portuguese Way’.
To be fair, life was conspiring long before we met, with Sarah’s formative years including time served at a travel agent, dealing with holiday money conversions, and numerous visits to the USA, that now make retrospective sense in terms of her career path. Pre-graduation, she applied for jobs in banks and brokerages that dealt with commercial foreign exchange, and in her early working days, she helped British clients emigrate to places like Australia, New Zealand and Canada, or retire and buy holiday homes in Europe and around the world.
“What I saw then, which is still apparent now,” says Sarah with her near 20-year experience, “is that while we are assisting with something technically transactional, people are making life-changing decisions like buying property and transferring large sums of money. Decisions that are not taken lightly and can cause a lot of stress and hassle, but where the results can bring great joy.”
“I am very mindful about how I speak to and support clients during difficult and exciting times,” she adds, spending a lot of her professional life involved in webinars sharing valuable tips with clients around the world, especially Americans, who want to move to Portugal. Such clients can often overlook the impact of foreign exchange movements where a small fluctuation can end up costing thousands of dollars when they transfer large sums of money or purchase a house, differences big enough to buy a car.”
It was in this environment, helping others, where Sarah heard other migration and allied professionals, and me, talking not just about the nuts and bolts of moving to Portugal, but also its attractive culture and enviable lifestyle.
“The idea of moving to Portugal was planted early on and grew over time,” she recalls, remembering being surrounded by people who either wanted to move to Portugal or already lived here, and companies supporting these moves. “I frequently heard about its many charms and initially laughed off the idea of moving myself, but with each visit, the feeling of belonging grew stronger.”
Fast forwarding to last October, Sarah ‘tested the waters’, quite wisely I would add, in a residential area, not a hotel, where she realised: “I could genuinely see myself living here.” In fact, after her ‘VFS’ appointment, but before her visa was approved, she sat on the plane thinking how wonderful it would be to tell someone: “I’m flying to Lisbon because I’m going home.”
Sarah has clearly been fortunate in her two-year transformation from consultant to client, having helped countless others make the journey here, thereby creating for herself an instant set of friends and contacts, many of whom were instrumental and helpful in the making and execution of her own and unique migration adventure.
Interestingly, and despite knowing a great deal through ‘webinar osmosis’, she eschewed the DIY approach, enlisting the help of tried and trusted professionals like herself to enable and ease the process.
A big fan of Lisbon’s Ei! Migrante team, who helped with the Visa, Sarah said: “I am capable of doing it myself but didn’t want the added stress. I really didn’t want to risk doing something wrong and jeopardising my move. I had a lot of personal stress, and was moving house, which was another reason I got help. It was money well spent!”
“I was very fortunate as my visa was approved quite quickly,” revealed Sarah, who naturally used her own company SpartanFX for changing her pounds into euros for the move and for daily life. “It was such a relief and joyous moment to receive that (AIMA) email. All I needed to do was go to the Portuguese consulate, where they attached my visa to my passport. The next thing I knew, I was on a plane and moving to Portugal!”
And how, I also wondered in conversation with her, was the reality compared to the dream that I feel some responsibility for creating and encouraging?
“Comparing it to my old life, the difference is night and day. There are more opportunities to experience new things, meet new people, and, because of the weather, live a more active and outdoor lifestyle. It really makes a difference to your life, mood and mental health. So far, I have tried watersports, golf and walking. Padel is getting bigger here, although I am yet to try it,” says Sarah.
“I finish work in the evening and go for a long walk by the beach. I stop for a drink or have dinner alone in a restaurant,” she adds, in a way that warms my heart. “I feel safe; I have never felt intimidated as a woman walking alone. The staff in the restaurant make me feel really welcome, and once someone hears my accent or sees me sitting on my own, they engage in conversation.”
“Everyone, Portuguese and expats, have been very welcoming,” concludes the currency converting convert to Portugal. “While I will make a concerted effort to learn the language, it is not a necessity to live here. We are very fortunate that most people speak English, which helps to make the transition to a foreign country easier.”
“I have also experienced a lot of personal changes this year. I have moved here on my own, starting a new life in every sense. I am hopeful for the future, and more so because of the life I am starting to build in Portugal. The plan is to see how I feel in two years and, when it comes time to renew my visa, see if I am still enjoying it.”
And would she recommend moving to Portugal to others?
“Absolutely! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made, and so far, I have no regrets. It is scary to make a big, life-changing decision. Come to visit and spend a few weeks to see if you can live here and get a feel for the place. I think you will know. Trust your gut.”
“I heard a talk recently by the sports promoter Barry Hearn, who said that while it is important to work hard, it’s often down to luck and seizing the opportunities that present themselves.
“If you are not happy in your current situation, only you can make those changes. They will not happen on their own. Making hard decisions and putting myself out of my comfort zone is liberating and, so far, has worked well for me.”
By Carl Munson
Carl Munson is host of the Good Morning Portugal! show every weekday on YouTube and creator of www.learnaboutportugal.com, where you can learn something new about Portugal every day!
