Becoming Expats: Yishyene, a Malaysian in Portugal
Published on PassionPassport.com on July 4, 2017
Yishyene (@smallcrazy)
From: Malaysia
Currently living in: Porto, Portugal
Has also lived in: London, England; Melbourne, Australia
Must-sees in Porto: Ribeira (riverside), Clerigos Tower, Igreja do Carmo, the view from Miradouro da Vitoria or Passeio das Virtudes (during sunset)
Best place for seafood in Porto: Adega Sao Nicolau for tiger prawns and bacalhau (traditional codfish)
Best place for wine in Porto: BASE is one of very few cafes that has an open garden space available. For a more extensive wine menu and cosier atmosphere, Capela Incomum
Best Porto neighborhood to see decorative tiles: Anywhere in the city is good, but especially in the historical town centre
Best place to watch the sunset in Porto: The top of Dom Luis I bridge or from any of the beaches north or south of the city
Recommended day-trips from Porto: Douro wine region, Aveiro (where there are colorful beach houses on Costa Nova), or Braga
Four and a half years ago, a last-minute trip with friends brought Yishyene to Portugal for the first time. If asked, she couldn’t have pointed out Portugal on a map.
But Yishyene fell in love with Portugal.
She started visiting every time she had a break from work or a long weekend. Eventually, she decided to spend a month in Porto and rented an apartment downtown. It was then that she met her now-boyfriend through Tinder. He provided her a reason to continue returning to Portugal until, in 2015, she moved there.
She found Porto a little challenging at first. Being a long-term resident was very different than just vacationing. The timeliness of life was much slower than bustling London and Porto lacked the international community Yishyene might have found in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.
But it didn’t matter, Yishyene felt at home during that first month in Portugal, before she even made the move.
Upon finding out her Portuguese friends didn’t know what traditional pancakes were, she threw a pancake party. She had a good circle of friends, a home, and everything felt right.
Portuguese culture reminds her of Malaysia, in a way. They’re both warm, welcoming, easygoing cultures, with friendly people.
Yishyene likes being close to the beach, seeing the architecture of Porto, and taking advantage of the good, affordable wine. She only truly learned to eat seafood after moving to Portugal, and only occasionally laments that she can’t find fresh corn on the cob or a good lamb kebab.