Some Portugal Insight...Thanks to my Couchsurfing Friends!

 Recently I met Isobel and Leonor. Isobel is a retired English teacher, who has been translating novels for twenty years. She is currently working on Ken Follett's triology and did some of the Harry Potter books. We sat outside for coffee and then walked around the Chiado-Baixo neighborhood, before we went to her house for dinner. As a perk from her teaching days, she has a lovely flat which she did have to pay to renovate, which can be passed along to her son. However, he has moved to Australia and may stay there! Isobel also has a violinist daughter, who has gone to Australia with her musician husband also. It was impossible to find jobs in Portugal for them.

Then I met Leonor, who is a widow and child psychologist. We met at a mall at the site of Expo 98, which was an interesting structure and grounds. After she left, I went to see the movie "Hotel Budapest" at the mall. All US TV and movies ARE in English with Portuguese sub-titles. She loves India! (Nisha, I told her she should visit you in Pena!) She also has two children-one with a job, and the other unemployed.

Looking out the front entrance to the Metro stop....

Each of the working children of these two women happen to be engineers. However, both of them are contract jobs. The one was moved to Australia by the hiring company, as he has a specialty.

Now THIS economy in Portugal is VERY difficult-really abysmal!...Leonor told me how restaurants "hire" people for three days to "train" them with no pay, and they are told not to come back after 3 days, and they bring in more people for three days, etc....The "minimum wage" is totally ignored!

I am very grateful these two women shared this with me to help me understand what people are up against here!