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So got her life worked out


shootingstar

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Rather interesting today.... a  chat with another woman who was locking up her bike while I was unlocking mine.  She raved about low tax for Canadians to go over and live in Portugal now. So after her hubby died 5 yrs. ago., she's on a roll to  sell her stuff, move remaining and settle in Portugal.  She's done bike touring and probably living a cycling life for awhile ..I could tell by her type of bike, accessories and panniers for shopping, plus carrying 2 locks to prevent bike theft..

In my opinion, women whom I've met/known as a long-time experienced cyclists, have a personae of independence and pragmatism.     

I said her:  "I still haven't figured out my life  forward".  I don't have the drive like her, to go off to live in a foreign, non-English language country in my retirement. I never have.

Maybe I would feel different if I had an extra $1 million.   Or maybe if I hadn't already experienced what it is like not to know a language, learn it and then let go of a 2nd language but can't abandon it because I  need it for  my relatives and living in twilight zone understanding. Which is what it would be for ex-pats.  

 

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Sorry, several jumbled themes in above post. 

I  probably sound like narrow-minded senior.  However I don't feel guilty....if people even understood my background and life. Maybe I'm just need a break from learning /of coping with situations foisted on me.

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My brother and his wife retired last year.  Pre-covid they took a trip to Portugal to check out the area with the idea of moving there after retirement. After spending a number of weeks there, they decided against it and scrapped the plan.  Right now they are in Italy for 6 weeks, but AFAIK just exploring and not looking for places to live

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7 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

My brother and his wife retired last year.  Pre-covid they took a trip to Portugal to check out the area with the idea of moving there after retirement. After spending a number of weeks there, they decided against it and scrapped the plan.  Right now they are in Italy for 6 weeks, but AFAIK just exploring and not looking for places to live

I dunno....I really think for English speaking ex-pats who won't know much of the language, it might become more important for health care and dealing with local services.  It's different when one is several decades younger: one has higher tolerance for unexpected stuff.

If one is bilingual Portuguese-English, then that's a distinct advantage when dealing with local services, systems. People forget that with language fluency, there's a lot of cultural nuances to zoom in quickly on understanding well and not waste too  much time going in circles.  Or cultivating good local friends...which one should NEVER assume particularily when retired. It's other ex-pats one may hang out with.. which doesn't always get you into inner circle of local knowledge of getting things done/best deals.

Frankly here I am Canadian, and I haven't a huge circle of local close friends because I've moved across 3 provinces in my life. Those supports become important over time.

So if I retired France or Germany (which has a good health care system)  would I get better support?  It probably won't be much better than now,....at best because I don't know German but lots of the younger local generation can speak English. Nice to visit, but personally I would feel always disconnected:  I'm not German and never started in that country decades younger in life. 

Just because some locals can speak English doesn't mean things are a lark. No, it is not their official language. It would be like in Quebec, where an English-speaking Canadian knows things socially, would be so much better for themselves if they spoke/understood well/read French first, then English. You would feel far more integrated and happier too.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, petitepedal said:

My co-worker and her significant are going to Portugal at the end of the month...looking to someday retire there. :dontknow:

The local Canadian cyclist I chatted up with, has Canadian-American dual citizenship. She's willing to pay both Canadian and American income tax annually because of her U.S. assets (which must be sizable) she's afraid she will get a big tax hit if she transfers them to Canadian accounts.  She is keeping her U.S. citizenship since she has U.S. relatives...however she has no home there. She hopes to KEEP her Canadian home and rent it out.

Portugual natural birth rate is falling and they are losing their young people who are going elsewhere for better jobs. The latter should indicate something. So Portugal sees foreign residents as means of income to add to national coffers.  Presumably their tax rates for foreigners to younger people, because quite honestly that's what Portugal needs....a younger, active and working population.

Meanwhile, CAnada is trying to keep pace annual immigration rates due to covid blunting the numbers.

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