Portugal is great. Thanks

The weather’s great. The beaches are great. The food’s great. The people — maybe a bit ignorant, maybe not the most open — but overall they’re very, very nice, and definitely not racist. We’re an Asian minority family, and trust me, we’ve seen far worse in other, more developed countries.

Yes, Portugal has its problems. But seeing all the negative posts, I just have to say: with all this negativity, we’re all still here. We hope things improve. I hope my driving license exchange finally happens (it’s been stuck for four months). I hope we can sort out our TRC renewal (we’ve been in limbo for eight months, unable to leave the country or visit home because of the bureaucracy). I hope kids in school become kinder and bullying eases.

But I believe these things will improve as Portugal opens up and gains a broader world view — and I believe it will. Overall, my feeling is simple: thanks.