14 oktober 2020

Finding a place to rent in Portugal is not so easy. I expected there to be plenty of availability, but it is a crying shame. And many accommodations are above 1000 euros per month. I did not expect that in Portugal.

After many hours of searching (we can safely say working weeks), we found a place in Central Portugal. From a Belgian man, who is together with a Dutch woman. He is going to sell the house, now that they are together and living in her house. It turns out not to be an easy place. The access road for the caravan and to be able to park the bus, is cleared of greenery by my husband and son before that time. It was completely overgrown. That is where it started. That we did that, while we pay a hefty rent.

Then we arrived on October 1, 2020 and the access road was over grass. We have a heavy combination. The bus got stuck. We could not get it to the desired spot. We had to push the caravan (which is hanging behind the bus). I was exhausted. Then we had to move all the stuff from the caravan to the house. And that means walking up and down a lot of stairs. Parking at the entrance is not possible with the bus. The turning circle is too big.

What a terrible start. Gerlof settles into a study with a mattress on the floor (he has good internet there). Yanaica has a nice room downstairs. And we have a room there too. With a rather bad bed. The house is damp. After 1 night we are already fed up. I wake up with enormous back pain. And we decide to sleep in the caravan. So we have to move stuff again. Now back again.

This house has a great view. The sunrises are often breathtaking. But furthermore… We discover that it already rains a lot there in October. And that it gets cold. The pellet stove does heat the entire house, but we do need a bag per day. At about 7 euros. Gosh darn it! We don’t want that!
We explore the area. But I soon feel that I don’t want to stay there.

The back pain also remains. Won’t go away. Did I damage something on moving day? So I had to see what was really going on. And of course I knew I wanted to get out of here. But the kids like their rooms. And the cat enjoys the outdoors. It’s quiet here. We have a beautiful view… Why can’t I feel at home here? After two weeks I still haven’t put anything in a closet. That says something too.

Today, October 14th, we decided that we would be leaving this house on October 31st. The landlords were not happy with this news, even though we had already told them that we were really considering it, when we had dinner with them, just a few days after we arrived. You know what?!
Yesterday we were told that we had to make a decision, because they were going back to the Netherlands for medical appointments and wouldn’t be back until November 18th and we had to make arrangements if we were going to leave while they were gone.

So this morning I made the decision: We have to go. My dream is to be by the sea. I want to go to the Algarve. The coastline is beautiful. The weather is so much nicer. And the kids often stay in their rooms, but we want to live outside. And the temperatures are lower here than in the Algarve. A decision has been made.

It was not an easy decision. But it was okay. I could not tell her what was wrong with the house.

And believe it or not, after that phone call… my back pain was gone! So it had to do with this house and this place all along!

I am glad I did not decide to stay, LOL

So I am back in search mode. And I told Leo to manifest the place by doing nothing but visualizing, haha. I have to do something when there is a deadline. When there is no deadline, I can manifest what I want pretty well. And I do practice (I have not done anything on a house for almost a week), but it did not work yet. So I am house hunting again.

I realize that these problems are nothing compared to what some of you are experiencing in the Netherlands. I am saddened to see that my feelings to leave had to do with what was coming. And I am glad that I am protecting my children from living in that society. Life should not be like this… All those restrictions. And I feel for you if you have helped to raise awareness, and that it has not worked so far. That the ship has to sink even further, before anything changes. And it will change. We promise.

 

In Portugal there are many 1 and 2 bedroom houses for rent. Central and North are the cheapest. South is more expensive. Pureportugal.co.uk is a great website to find alternative places. Also for workexchange. Workexchange is getting a room and food and working 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. For some people this is a great way to get away.
And remember it doesn’t have to be permanent. You can also think of it as doing this for 6 months, seeing what the world is like then and then deciding what to do next. France by the way (even the quiet places) is great too. The energy there is good too. And it’s not that far away. Let me know if you want more information. I see it as giving myself the best possible place to be, in the most difficult times. It’s a gift to myself (and the kids, even if they don’t realise it yet).

So keep your spirits up.

Know that it will get better.

And give yourself at least 1 hour a day to think about the life you want (can be 5 minutes an hour).

And go to bed with 3 things in your head that you are grateful for on that specific day. Feel it and relive it. You can do this ❤️!
And if you just need a listening ear: I am here too ❤️

I keep telling people that moving is still an option. There is an English community that is starting in a very quiet place in Spain (not far from Portugal) where they are also going to set up an alternative school. There are still 5 houses for rent for about 500 euros a month, all included…

You can still travel. The borders are not closed. You will be amazed how normal life actually is. If you are outside 😉 . Inside you do need face masks.