In 2012, I left Canada with an EU passport and built a marketing career and a Ph.D. in Brussels. A later stint in Rio led to meeting my Brazilian husband. Around 2020 we moved to Portugal, fluent in Portuguese and attracted by Lisbon's connections and Portugal's textile industry. I launched a swimwear brand, Now in Rio Swim, and we bought a fixer-upper near Lisbon. After three years, bureaucratic barriers, freelance income verification issues, and limits on building a family and securing the future made life difficult. By late 2023 I convinced my husband to move back to Canada, where we are now thriving.
For years, living abroad felt like a dream. In my mid-20s, I'd left my home in Canada in 2012 with an EU passport in hand. I moved to Brussels, where I built a marketing career and earned a Ph.D. During a stint living in Rio, I even met my now-husband. Together, around 2020, we landed in Portugal, which we'd thought would be our forever home. It seemed like a great fit as we both spoke fluent Portuguese and wanted to stay in Europe.
By this point, I was planning to start my own swimwear business, and Portugal, once again, felt like an excellent choice - it gets lots of sun and is renowned for its textile industry. For the next few years, we navigated hurdles and put down roots. I launched my business ( Now in Rio Swim), and we bought a fixer-upper in a village outside Lisbon.
But by our third year in Portugal, building a family and securing my future were on my mind. I realized I couldn't write the next chapter of my life how I wanted while living abroad. And, much to my surprise, I had begun to miss home. Many things felt difficult or impossible for me to accomplish in Portugal - especially as a freelancer without citizenship
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