Adriana

Day to day living in São Tomé and Príncipe was difficult when she was growing up. The country was heavily impoverished with challenging infrastructure and lack of opportunities for education and employment leading to many families with Portuguese heritage leaving to go to Portugal following independence. Adriana tells us it was a dangerous place to live and there was very little in the way of health care provision. She went to live in Portugal initially, seeking better opportunities, sadly however, Portugal’s economy was quite unstable as well and many people were leaving to come to NI especially with the prospect of work.

After her sister moved to Dungannon she decided to come to live in Mid Ulster too. It made fitting in a little easier since her sister already lived here and she was attracted by the prospect of well-paid work. Of course, coming to Mid Ulster was not without its challenges and she enrolled in English classes at FSWC to help make her transition a little easier and also this gave her the chance to meet more people and make friends. The climate in her new country took a little bit of getting used to; the tropical climate of West Africa and the Mediterranean sunshine of Portugal, Adriana had exchanged for a much cooler, rainy NI! But it’s part of life she accepts here now and she loves living in NI.

The most important thing is she feels safe and that matters a lot when she has 2 children – a son at 17 and a 6 year old daughter. Adriana is very family oriented and her children’s well-being is her priority. She hopes they can grow up in a community where they are respected, valued and have equal opportunities for education and employment.

Adriana works very hard to balance family and work life. She works as a cleaner 5 days a week and looks after her children. She loves nature, the outdoors and is quite a fitness fanatic, enjoying morning workouts at the gym. She still speaks Portuguese and because of the importance of staying connected to her homeland she tries to encourage her children to retain her language, she laughs that some days they want to learn but generally since they go to school here English is the language of choice.

She still cooks Portuguese food at home and ingredients for traditional dishes are more readily available now. Traditional Portuguese cuisine is a comforting, soul-satisfying food built on fresh seafood, slow-cooked meats, robust olive oil, and simple, bold aromatics like garlic, bay leaves, and paprika. Bacalhau (Salt Cod) known affectionately as the “fiel amigo” faithful friend; salt-dried cod is the undisputed national dish. Local lore claims there are more than 365 ways to cook it! Top versions include shredded cod scrambled with eggs, thinly sliced matchstick potatoes, and black olives and another variation is a baked casserole of cod, potatoes, onions, and hard-boiled egg.

Adriana is happy here but misses the climate and family in her home country. Her culture and family heritage from both Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe remain very dear to her heart.