The business program has been a fantastic way to introduce me to so many things Portugal has to offer! I?ve been eager to learn about the biggest differences between the everyday life of someone in Portugal and someone in America. Some of the biggest differences I?ve seen are the food, adherence to tradition, and the pharmacy system. The food has been good, but outside of chain restaurants, there are very few similarities to American dining. Most places offer appetizers without being ordered and salads are brought to be shared between the patrons instead of individually. Many of the dishes include cuts of thinly sliced pork and veal as opposed to chicken or steak, which is something I?m more familiar with. One of the biggest surprises, which may just be because we are having large group meals, is that often rice is served with fries. nothing really significant but interesting nonetheless. Next is the adherence to tradition. America constantly does construction and changes the facades of buildings, streets, and sidewalks. Here, however, most places are behind either the original or faithfully recreated facades that emulate the old architectural traditions. In some places of historical significance, the buildings and interiors are prohibited from being significantly altered or renovated. Lastly, something small that caught me off guard was the way the pharmacies are set up. When entering, every item in the store except for a handful of basics, like bandages and lotion, is behind the counter. This includes things such as vitamin supplements and hygiene products. In order to purchase anything, you have to take a number from the door and wait until it?s called. You then go up to the counter and ask for what you need. It is a relatively well-put-together system, but it takes much much longer to purchase something basic that would usually just be next to a cash register. One of the benefits of this, however, is that the techs behind the counter are authorized to write prescriptions for basic medicines. When going in to look for an allergy medicine, I was able to be prescribed and given an antibiotic for less than ?20. Overall, the differences in culture are mostly subtle. Small things here and there that we have just gotten accustomed to doing differently. The majority of people are easy to work and get along with and are happy to see you walk into their store. Communication has only been an issue in very remote or low-income parts of the city where multiple languages are often not spoken at all.
