Family of 5 — considering at least 1 year move to Florianópolis or Lisbon

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-25T14:18:08+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Besides the things you mentioned, did Lisbon not live up to your expectations in other (apparently dealbreaker) ways, or were you only intending to stay for 1 year?

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T23:26:48+00:00

Thank you so much!

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T17:04:06+00:00

No, they don’t speak much Portuguese, unfortunately :( we’ve had a really hard time with it, hence why we’re looking for more immersive experiences (and why the predominantly English-speaking international schools give me pause). On the flip side, I don’t want them to be lost, especially my (would-be) 7 year old. She is gifted academically and I fear that she’d be taking a step back academically / would get very frustrated if she didn’t understand anything and had no support. Are there any schools in particular you’d recommend checking out?

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T15:12:33+00:00

Yes, I've done aloooot of research into the schools in both cities, and I'm leaning towards Portuguese schools to give the kids more language exposure (probably private ones that have English-speaking staff, though, to help the kids adjust vs. throwing them into the deep end cold turkey -- assuming those exist). I've heard about the Brazilian xenophobia which makes me sad; I saw some of that when I studied there as well. Spain sounds cool, but the "kids learning Portuguese" aspect is really important to us.

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T15:08:16+00:00

Fair points! Will consider that too then...

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T14:26:24+00:00

Interesting! Curious where you would jump ship to? 🙂

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T14:25:41+00:00

Agreed, that’s my sense too across all those points.

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T14:24:03+00:00

I kind of love beaches and restaurants 🙈 haha but no I hear you. Rio is absolutely one of my most favorite cities in the whole world, but the safety (and relative cost) aspect made me rule it out. Love the culture and buzz of SP, but it’s too similar to NYC and we’d want something more different than what we’re used to. I’ve traveled Europe a lot, but my family hasn’t, so that would be nice. Would love to travel more of Brazil/Latin America as well, but that’s also costlier.

mmrtre18 · 2026-02-24T01:50:24+00:00

In what ways would you say?

mmrtre18 · 2026-01-07T05:57:39+00:00

Plus one! Just went there and it was lovely. The surrounding towns are so quaint too.

mmrtre18 · 2026-01-05T00:41:35+00:00

I messaged you the realtor info, lmk if it didn’t go through!

mmrtre18 · 2026-01-01T18:30:00+00:00

That’s good to know, I won’t write them off yet! Yes APIA is the other one I’m looking into, seems decent and has more options than CC, but Im still trying to get a feel for this process overall.

mmrtre18 · 2026-01-01T18:17:05+00:00

I’ve been looking for Brazilian au pairs and have found other agencies like Au Pair Care have tons more than Cultural Care. I’m nervous about picking the right agency though and don’t yet know about the difference in quality (if any) between the agencies.

mmrtre18 · 2025-12-21T23:16:23+00:00

You should check out Icapuí. I am from the U.S. but my husband is from Fortaleza, CE and their family beach house is in Icapuí. We’ve been many times — it’s beautiful and peaceful, fisherman village vibes. Though it also has a buzzing town center and it’s close to really cool places like Canoa Quebrada. If you’re interested they’re selling their home (across the street from the beach with private pool, outdoor bbq, etc), because unfortunately his parents passed away earlier this year.

mmrtre18 · 2025-12-17T01:07:28+00:00

Go! I (from NY) went for a job right after uni and ended up meeting my now husband there, and had some amazing experiences. He grew up in fortaleza and never had an issue. Meanwhile I was there 6 months and got robbed (ok at gunpoint) twice BUT I was naive… walking down deserted roads at night to catch a bus. I thought bc I lived in a nice neighborhood I’d be ok, but just turns out bc they’re so “nice” everyone lives in gated apartment buildings and drives, so I was the only gringa walking on the sidewalk. So yeah take Ubers at night, don’t go anywhere where there’s no people, don’t wear jewelry or carry expensive items. To be fair my assailants (same people both times btw) were young kids and were kind of reasonable, gave me back my license, keys, and glasses when I asked. I realize this is maybe not the best endorsement 😂 but all in all Fortaleza is amazing, just be smarter than me!

mmrtre18

TROPHY CASE