The first one dates back to a long time ago when we were taking lessons in the beautiful portuguese language and suddenly came up against the imperative. We haven’t done that in the dutch language for a long time. I only know the famous slogan just after the war: “Help each other, buy Dutch goods!” (In dutch, that rimes) (By the way, you english people don’t even use this, so you’ll be lost this entire blog.)
There we suddenly have another culture shock
I’m not that fond of the imperative, but in Portugal it’s very normal. “Arrange small change, please! – Arranje moedas, faz favor!” “Come with me! – Ande comigo!” ” Come here!!!Anda cá!” For a dog (or a small child) the imperative is very normal, but we never actually use it as adults among ourselves.
In the portuguese language, there are two forms, the polite form and the casual one, and with the first variant you often add “faz favor – please”. To a dog (or a small child), when the casual form is used, you actually never say that. “Come here!!!! … please” is a bit strange. (You english people just add exclamation marks, I presume).
The second culture shock is a lot more positive
That was when I noticed that I could leave my wallet on one side of the stall at the market (by accident), and no one would change that (= take it). I was allowed to leave my bags with groceries in the busy café for a while, and they were still there, an hour later. (I followed the example of the locals.) The men who came to mow the hill charged a reasonable amount, even if they knew we were foreigners who almost didn’t speak the language, and thus could be easily ripped off.
It even happened that the contractor, who had demolished a wall from the kitchen, and had already been paid, came back with the message that he had made a mistake, and had charged too much. Wow. That I didn’t have to pay anything at the garage, because they had taken half the car apart but they couldn’t fix it. So no result = no bill.
That really blows you away, as a dutch person, doesn’t it?
The third culture shock, after so many years in Portugal, is quite unexpected. It is a second-hand experience, but the person who experienced it can tell it in an enticing way, so during her story we were often laughing our heads off but were also confused.
I am going to make that a cliffhanger, because otherwise this blog will become way too long. To be continued, next week more. And in the meantime I am also quite curious about your culture shocks – let me know!
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We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal.
A big step, especially with two small children.
We are busy to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa which has been turned into several holiday houses, rooms and a campsite.
You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
Since 2018 we call ourselves the first B&B&B in the world – Bed & Breakfast & Bathrobes. You can buy a home-made unique bathrobe/housecoat with us.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation
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