MIGRATION

Everyone knows that migration is one of the most important things in the world. Is because of migration that we have so many races, so many ideas, so many different color skins, so many multicultural societies! And Portugal is no exception! Here we have a lot of immigrants and throughout the world we have immense Portuguese emigrants! Well, is obvious that we don’t have the flow of migration as we did in the 1960s but we still have lot of people abroad!

I met a Portuguese girl who emigrated about 6 years ago and her life story is undoubtely inspiring! In 2011, Alexandra Moreira, with 13 years old at the time had to immigrate with her parents because her mother's company went bankrupt. They went to Belgium because they already had family there (and with family everything is simpler) and they started a completely new life!

As it was expected she felt countless differences when she began her life in a completely different country! Imagine yourself going to another country where you need to speak a language that you never ever learned! Well, Alexandra started speaking french because of that and that was the hardest thing that she has outgrown. Also, one of the things that she noticed most difference, was the school, the exams, the people, the way they teach and the way they go to college.

The complete adaptation to Belgium took 3 years but she doesn't regret anything. Actually, Alexandra, thinks that migration can change a life completely! With migration, Alexandra and her family, learned how to accept other people’s ideas, customs and traditions; learned how to be responsible; learned another language and another culture and they also improved and strengthened relations with other family members!

Alexandra continues to visit Portugal, twice every year, however, she continues with extreme homesickness of Portugal, of her house, of watching her football club playing at the stadium, of weather and the fact that in Portugal people are more welcoming, genuine and friendly! In fact, she thinks that migration makes people grow as citizens, makes it easier to deal with different societies and makes people prouder of their countries.

And what about me. Well, for me migration is something to think about And what about me? Well, for me migration is something to think about! I truly believe that I will emigrate! I love my country but I know that Portugal will not help me in terms of future considering the profession I want to follow. Also, I still think that migrate can help me grow and get to know the world beyond these four walls.

And for Portugal, lets be honest, migration helps a lot sometimes and harms other times. If we think about people going to other countries we obviously know that that is bad for the country, for the economy and increases the aging rates (because most of the times the youngest people are the ones that emigrate) but If we think about people going to Portugal, immigrants living in our country are more entrepreneurial than the Portuguese people (statistics). They produce wealth, create jobs and contribute to Social Security.

So maybe migration was one of the best things that happened in the world and it is thanks to that that we are what we are, so different and exotic!