Relocation - European ST's help

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi you all,
Looking for relocation advice, and don’t know where to begin.

I lived one year in Germany, 2003-2004. I am back in Brazil already for 6 months now. I can’t take “home” anymore - traffic is terrible (I have as many close-encounters in a 3h ride here as I had in 10 months riding in Germany), sport in particular and life in general (police, university, authorities) is corrupt, future doesn’t look all that bright.

I was hit by a car one week ago, and while sustaining no serious injuries, the bike is lost, and I’m fighting an uphill battle against the driver and his insurance company trying to get at least a decent, equivalent bike back. Can’t feel comfortable riding around here anymore - respect for riders is pretty much inexistent, and casualties aren’t higher by sheer luck (and because there aren’t that many people riding anyway).

I once considered a serious career in sport, right now that is looking dim. I can ride ok, but I’m probably no world-class material. Right now I consider I’ll be happy finishing off my 20’s riding non-professional amateur elite. Btw, I’m not a triathlete yet, just a roadie - very decent TT skills, regular pack riding ability, can hold my own on climbs, and definitely not the best in field sprints.

I’m currently a 4th semester Physics student. I’ve got decent grades, some lab experience on microelectronics and numeric simulation. I can program pretty much any language, databases, etc. I can naturally wrench a bike if given the tools. Can also make up the tools sometimes =). I speak German (quite OK), English (better) and my native Portuguese. I can also hack Spanish if my life depends on it. Above average looks. 6"2, 150lbs, brown hair. And I hold an european passport.

I want to finish my degree, although I’m not in a rush to do it (makes little difference right now if I graduate aged 23 or 25, I suppose). Btw I’m 21 right now, turning 22 in about a month. I definitely don’t want to give up riding/training at least a comfortable 15+hrs/wk, and I suppose I need a job to at least help me share a flat or some other housing alternative + basic life support expenses. I have financial support up to paying for my trip, perhaps enough money to last me the first month or so while I look for something.

There, you have all the background. I’m considering Portugal, U.K., and perhaps back to Germany (though I’m not too comfortable yet with the thought of a german professor teaching Quantum Mechanics… it’s gotta be a scary sight). Climate, ease with the language, cost of living, ease of transferring my current studies, finding a job, it all could weight in.

Looking for any kind of advice I’m sure some of you might have - be it cycling, job, or school-related. Thanks!

2

Hey Rick,

From the alternatives you present, probably the best place for you to relocate is here in Portugal.

You speak the language and in general people are welcoming to brazilians. What you should take note is that the little things that annoy you in Brasil are present here, perhaps at a smaller scale, much like Portugal is smaller than Brasil.

The other advantage is the weather. I list the good weather as the main reason I stay here and I’m not kidding, I hate the cold and couldn’t live in the snow. The weather is Germany and the UK can be pretty shitty.

Work here can be hard to find if you’re looking for a tech job and you still don’t have a college degree. And it’s not well paid when compared to the rest of Europe and the cost of living here. Also for a non-pro cyclist like yourself, the cycling scene here is not very attractive.

My suggestion would be to look into Spain. The cycling scene there is amazing at every level even though it might not be easy to get a job. But for more details you need to find a spaniard.

Hope I could help you,

Paulo

3

Show up on Francois’ doorstep. Good cycling and a university close by.

4

sorry to hear about your disappointment dude… It can be quite sad sometimes, FELIPE BASTOS who reads the forum also moved from Brazil to USA after being hit by a car… I have also, we all have, or will…

Anyway, I hope you get better, and enjoy the good things about our country (and that is because u r still living in the best part of brazil, try to do some cycling in Belo Horizonte, Pedro Autran and Hugo PradoNeto are my heroes for this matter!)…

vinnie

5

Hey Vinnie
Nice hearing from ya mate.
I know those guys are heroes. All the guys cycling for the big Sao Paulo teams are heroes for that matter. But after this accident - which by luck alone I avoided something really serious - I do not want to be a hero in the sense that I battle traffic and odds everyday for something as simple as a training ride.
I can handle training out in the cold and the rain - I even enjoy doing so sometimes - but to face all the adversities our sports already present us, and still have to fight to avoid being run over by a car at every intersection, or not having the bike stolen at gunpoint at any traffic light - no thanks, I’d rather be alive and ride for many years more. If I keep battling as I’ve been, I’ll soon lose the will to go out and ride - which would be a very sad thing.
Um abraço!

6

as a german living in the us i can at least give you an impression about the difference of those two countries.

cyclingwise it very much depends on where you live (both in germany as well as in the us). when you live in northern germany, you would have to ride on flat roads but should be able to find routes without any traffic. on the other hand i lived in the augsburg/ munich area which is just perfect for riding!! all kinds of terrain including the alps, no traffic and beautiful scenery.

for all other matters germany - as i’m sure you already noticed - can be pretty frustrating. a lot of “burocrazy” and the economy is somewhere in the twillight zone, which does make it too easy to get a decent job. live is pretty expensive and the germans are not the most lovely people.

when i compare living in the us to my life in germany there are 3 factors that make me stay:
1)weather - although i’m living in upstate new york at the moment (where the weather is worse than in germany), i could relocate to about any climate zone and still stay in the same country.
2)money - as a physician i’m able to make 2-3 times more money here than in germany
3) you have to like the americans though :wink: which i definitely do! germans always look for something to complain about, americans tend to be very optimistic and outgoing folks - makes life much more pleasant!

i hope you find what you are looking for!