Compassion and Affordable Care
Heidi landed in Portugal with four heavy suitcases. As she struggled to collect them at the baggage carousel, the heaviest one fell on her foot—breaking her big toe.
Portuguese people descended, saying, "Where's your bags?" "We'll take care of you!" and "We'll get the airport nurse!"
The nurse sent her to the hospital in a taxi. The cabbie took care of all her luggage and rushed her to the emergency room. There, a doctor and two specialists treated her injuries. She was in and out in less than an hour, while the cabbie waited patiently.
Without traveler's insurance, Heidi was surprised when her final bill was only €100 (around $115… less than her deductible in the US). Follow-up visits, which Heidi says would have been cost-prohibitive to her in the US, were only €18 ($20) each.
"I've never had an injury heal so quickly," Heidi says. "It's amazing what happens when you get proper medical care."
The cabbie then drove to a pharmacy to fill her prescriptions, helped her use the ATM, and took her grocery shopping, before carrying all her bags up four flights of stairs to her apartment. With over three hours of his time invested, Heidi feared the cost. But the gentleman asked, "Is €50 ($57) OK?"
"I still get teared up thinking about it," says Heidi. "I thought, oh my goodness… I'm in the right country! The level of compassion was completely overwhelming."
And, just like that, Heidi knew she had found her perfect place to live. A place where people still cared, and the community supported and helped one another. Something she felt had been missing in the US for some time.
As a side note, Heidi now spends $33 per month on a health insurance plan she buys from her bank—banks and grocery stores sell insurance in Portugal—"less than a bad meal costs back home," she jokes.
Discovering Sintra
Heidi decided to explore more of the country when the classes she had been taking were cancelled. That's when she discovered Sintra and fell in love.
With its cool and cloudy microclimate, Sintra is very different from most of Portugal. But Heidi likes it that way, preferring to avoid excessive heat or cold.
She says there's only about seven expats living there, which also suits her fine, as she prefers to integrate with the locals. Sintra offers small-town life, just a short train ride from the big city. And, as a single woman, Heidi feels completely safe there.
Heidi rents a 970-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in a 250-year-old building, for €800 ($925) per month. Utilities, including electricity, water, and WiFi, run about another €150 ($173) monthly.
"Everything I've been looking for I found right here in Portugal," says Heidi. "I'm finally home!"
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