“With the pandemic, the idea of returning to Portugal gained more strength”
Rita Cavadas is 26 years old and has lived in London since 2019. She left Portugal to study Hotel Management in Santiago de Compostela and, in four years, did an internship in Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Texas. After that, London chose to work for the opportunities that the city offers her in her area, a hotel industry.
THE MAYAN NEWS went to meet this Maiata around the world and her different experiences outside Portugal.
Maia News (NM): How did your experience in London start?
Rita Cavadas (RC I came to London on April 20, 2019. When I returned from the United States, as in Portugal there are not many opportunities in the hotel work area): I stayed for a year and, shortly after signing a contract with another hotel, because of the pandemic, my contract was suspended and I came back to Portugal. I was here until things got better and in May 2021 I came back. London is a city where there are many job opportunities, and not just in my area.
NM: And how was your journey to London? Did you study in Portugal?
RC: I took the Hotel Management course in Santiago de Compostela for four years and, during those years, I had to do an internship every summer. So every summer I went to different cities. I’ve been to Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and last year I went to Texas, USA, this time for a year.
NM: And what was it like working in Texas? Did you feel any culture shock?
RC: Yes, I did, mainly because the way they approach life is very different from ours. They live long for work and to support the lives they have. We’ll drink one more dinner for a lifetime, go dinner go drink. They don’t really know the meaning of the word fun. Which is strange for us.
NM: But is that because the cost of living is very clear or is it cultural?
RC: The cost of living is expensive, yes, but I don’t think that’s why. I think they want to buy everything and, as they have a lot of credit, then they have to work harder to pay. Many of them do two jobs, morning and afternoon, and their day is busy.
NM: Did you enjoy the experience?
RC: Yes, I loved it! And I think it was this experience that brought me here and that I grew the most while. It wasn’t, I wouldn’t go back to the same city, but it was easy for everyone to have these experiences.
NM: Did you get to work in Portugal, in your area?
RC: During the pandemic I worked at a beach bar, to keep myself busy, because I’m a person with a lot of energy and I don’t know how to be at home (laughs). But it was only then.
NM: And what would be the biggest differences between your work in Portugal and, in this case, in London?
RC: London manages to give me much faster growth opportunities. In Portugal, in the positions that demand leadership, people are always older. Therefore, these older people do not leave there and the younger ones end up not having opportunities for growth. And, as it is not possible to grow in Portugal, people end up leaving, looking for opportunities abroad and then, when they are at their peak, they return to Portugal where they can already find a good job.
NM: And is that your goal? Return to Portugal later?
RC: Yes, I always said I would like to return to Portugal, but I can’t say exactly when. I think that, with the pandemic, the idea of returning to Portugal gained more strength, but it is not always easy to put the idea into practice.
NM: What do you like most about London?
RC: It’s not a city with which I recommend myself 100%. It is one that has a lot to offer, but the city lacks the sun, sea and color. It’s a very dark city, and as I’m a very cheerful person, that doesn’t help much. But hey, I also always say that I’m in London to work.
NM: You don’t see London as a home.
RC: No, it’s for work and it’s a passing place. I have good friends here, but I’m only here for the opportunity to work, not because it’s London.
NM: Are these good friends Portuguese, English or from other countries?
RC: A little bit of everyone! I have good Portuguese friends, great friends from all over the world, but, curiously, I don’t have great English friends there (laughs). But it’s also because there aren’t many English people working in hotels.
NM: And do these friends you speak, from all over the world, know where Portugal is? What do we associate?
RC: They always associate the thing, whether with Cristiano Ronaldo, or with custard tarts or even something with cod, which isn’t even ours (laughs). And then they also talk about the Algarve, the good weather and how cheap it is to go to Portugal. And I always end up finding someone who has been to Lisbon or Porto.
NM: Finally, what do you miss most about Portugal?
RC: From my family, of course, on top of that I now have a niece! And of life itself, of time and quality of life. Here, as much as there are many things to do, everything is more expensive. Go drink a glass and leave 20 pounds, for example. It’s different, but I think that’s it, the quality of life itself.
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