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An english girl in Porto

By Jessica Dossena*

I have been living here in Porto for just over a year now. In the UK I studied for a Joint Honours Degree in History and Hispanics Studies and I came to Portugal to complete a Masters Degree in Translation at the University of Porto. My initial intention was to return to England after my masters; but having been seduced by the food, weather and friendly population I now see myself as a permanent resident.

When I arrived in Portugal for the first time I was initially shocked with just how little Portuguese I understood. I had been taught by mostly Brazilian Professors and was used to the more open accent; that was my first hurdle. I am now far more used to the Portuguese accent and who knows, one day I might just nail the Porto accent!

My favourite part of Porto is the famous francesinha, a dish I like to describe to my friends at home as the “soggy sandwich”, it is something that I will certainly try to introduce back in the UK. But above all I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere here in Portugal. After the initial frustration with tardiness I realised that it was not what we Brits call a “lack of respect”, it is just a different way of organising ones priorities and it is a much healthier way to live. I have now adopted a far more relaxed attitude.

I began working for INESC Porto in November of this year as part of the final part of my masters in translation. My first impression was of an incredibly professional organisation. I soon came to realise that although INESC Porto is made up of many separate departments, there is so much communication between all of them. I am working within the Communications department; the really friendly and supportive team has certainly made me feel welcome. What I have found most interesting is the huge variety of work that I can do here and how INESC Porto really does make the most of their interns, I am certainly not used to make coffee and photocopies. I have translated and revised texts from diverse areas like Robotics to European Union project data and this variety means I am constantly learning and improving. 

*Collaborator with The Communication Services