The sharing of a young Spanish woman living in Portugal generated a new discussion about everyday practices that go unnoticed by residents, but which surprise those arriving from abroad. Among the episodes reported by Zulema Romero, a warning stands out about restaurant habits that can lead customers to pay more than they anticipate. In a video also released by the newspaper El Confidencial, the resident brought together several situations she has encountered since moving to Portugal, revealing cultural, legal and linguistic differences that have marked her adaptation.
Romero uses social media to expose these situations and describes that some of them do not cause immediate strangeness, but accumulate small surprises in everyday life. “Portugal never ceases to surprise me”, he writes in the caption of the video shared on TikTok and published by the Spanish newspaper.
Customs that surprise those who arrive
One of the things that caught the young woman’s attention the most was finding tobacco vending machines inside supermarkets. This practice, common in Portugal, led her to comment that she had never come across anything similar in Spain, highlighting that the surprise came not from a cultural shock, but from the unexpected difference in the usual shopping context.
The young woman also highlighted several linguistic misunderstandings she has faced since moving. She states that, when asking for a small battery in Spanish, she found herself involved in an embarrassing situation after realizing that the way the word is pronounced has a different meaning in Portugal. She was also surprised to discover that the adjective “exquisito” (esquesito in Portuguese), which in Spain tends to be used to praise, has an unfavorable connotation in Portuguese, as it is used to refer to something that deviates from normality.
Among the local routines that caught his attention, the daily fire department siren appears as a habit that does not correspond to any emergency. Romero reports that the tradition of sounding the siren three times a day was one of the first signs of cultural difference he encountered when moving to Portugal.
Notice to those who sit at the table
In the field of catering, the Spanish woman reports the practice of some establishments where starters or small side dishes are placed on the table without having been ordered and subsequently charged. In Spain, these items tend to be free when they arrive unsolicited.
The young woman also adds that car circulation has been a reason for adaptation, especially in the use of ‘turn signals’ at roundabouts. Romero says that in Portugal drivers are not in the habit of using ‘turn signals’ when entering a roundabout, although the Highway Code states that it is mandatory.
Positive experience in Portugal
Despite the differences, Romero claims to maintain great esteem for the country that welcomed her and recognizes that saying goodbye will not be easy. She writes that, in her publications, the young woman highlights her appreciation for coexistence and the routines acquired, describing her experience in Portugal as remarkable on a personal level.
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