X-Pat Expert - Maayan & Gal

from WHEREVER Magazine, Lisbon - The STYLE Issue

by wherevermagazines

Travel - What’s Hot

Yogeeta Davids Expat Mum life in Cascais

The adventures of a brand-new expat loving her life in her new home.

“I look different, like I’ve made an effort and I haven’t. I love that!”

@yogi_davids

Yogeeta is a mum of three who arrived in Portugal last year in search of a sweeter lifestyle.

Changing Lives and Styles

My husband has wanted to move to Portugal for years and I was always the one who thought: ‘Noooo, we can’t do that, what about the kids/family/our house?’ One morning I woke up miserable as it was grey outside and he asked me again.

He said: “Imagine waking up to sunshine every day.” So, I thought: ‘OK let’s do it!’.

Three months later our house was packed up and we were on a flight to Portugal with no clue what to expect or where we were going.

A proper adventure!

I’m so happy to say that eight months in and we are loving it, feeling that sunshine on our faces is one of the many reasons why.

I’m a stay-at-home mum and a dog mum too, so I’m kept busy wearing all the usual hats us mums have. Since moving I’ve felt I’ve almost had to find myself again and discover what I love and enjoy, because being away from family and friends and being somewhere new, with the kids at school, has almost forced me to do this and I’ve got to say I’ve really enjoyed connecting with myself again. I also decided to blog our journey and made some YouTube videos in a bid to help anyone else that was thinking of making the move, creating content has been a really fun way to share our adventure with others. Reconnecting with myself and living somewhere new led to my everyday style changing. When we left England I couldn’t bear to part with ALL my clothes so I brought 99.9% of them with me… and boy was that a mistake! I reckon I could have saved loads in shipping fees… shhhh don’t tell my husband.

Style for me is simplicity and comfort whilst playing with trends. I like to look good but I also have three children which means I don’t have as much time as I’d like to ‘put myself together’. In the UK I spent a lot of my time cold, but here, although I do get cold in the winter months it’s nowhere near as bad. My summer clothes are getting very well utilised but the jeans, jumpers, hoodies, boots – not so much. Take for example the school run. I’ve switched from jeans, a hoodie, trainers and a tote bag to a pair of shorts, a simple tee and sandals with a basket bag. Add a pair of sunglasses and I’ve completed a look that feels and looks great with little effort.

There have been so many positives that I actually wasn’t expecting fashion to be one of those, but it has been, getting dressed, actually showing my outfits rather than them hiding under a coat has added to the happiness I’ve felt since moving here. Have any of you felt the same? Tell me it isn’t just me!