I moved from a big city to Concord NH and this is what I learned
In March 2019 I moved from Lisbon, Portugal, to the capital of New Hampshire, after being accepted into a government program that sends young professionals off to work abroad. I not only swapped continents, which is crazy on its own, but I also had to adapt to the dynamics and lifestyle of a smaller city.
Upon arriving at the bus terminal, I remember my first thought was “Where am I?” Everything was so different from what I was accustomed to. The streets were wide and open, the façades were made of brick, there were no tall buildings and instead, endless rows of pretty houses with yards and porches. Oh, and for someone who comes from a country where the average winter temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees, arriving to piles of snow was pretty intimidating.
Now, six months later, I can say Concord redefined my perception of “quality of life.” I swapped commuting by car for a bike or my own two feet, traded in rush hour traffic for friendly streets where strangers greet each other, stopped buying at big retail chains and supported locally-owned businesses, and gained much needed calmness.
In the work field I find this was a very positive and fruitful change, too. I left behind a stressful work environment in a corporate open-space with around 20 people and became one of three employees in a small company. But what I gained in quietness and autonomy, I also gained in responsibility thanks to the trust of my internship supervisor. This experience allowed me to learn a lot from an American working culture, especially in terms of productivity and work-life balance.
During my time in Concord, I was able to actually enjoy life and make the most of my free time, even on weekdays. Being able to walk to work was probably one of the biggest advantages, because your day goes by pretty fast when you spend an hour in traffic to drive 3 miles, and that’s one thing I surely didn’t miss about home.
But living in America also made me reevaluate distances (keep in mind that Portugal is a relatively small country and you can drive from the Northern to the Southern border in about 6 hours). Soon enough, traveling on an overnight bus for 14 hours or driving for 5 hours straight didn’t seem like an impossible feat. And that’s actually how I managed to visit 9 states and Canada on short weekend trips.
However, my greatest discovery when I moved to Concord was the people. Here I found a sense of community that I didn’t have back home. People care for their neighbors, know the local business owners, take part in events and get involved in causes. And as a newcomer and foreigner, I never felt alone or unwelcome. Everyone I met was ready to help me and made an effort to integrate me, or simply told me about the places I must see during my time here. And that is something I truly appreciate, because in a big city you often don’t even know the name of your upstairs neighbor.
And I was really surprised by Concord’s offerings. I came here prepared to have little to do, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Concord might be a small city, but it sure has a big city agenda. A very walking-friendly Main Street and international food options from almost every continent, lots of independent stores with unique finds, open-air markets and cool bars. And the best thing about Concord is its central location – in about an hour I could be in the mountains, on the lakes, on the Seacoast or in Boston. And lots of other nice places are within short drives, too.
Overall, the six months I spent in Concord were an experience I will cherish forever. I love Lisbon and often miss being at home, but living somewhere entirely different opened my eyes to other ways of leading a healthy and happy life. I got so accustomed to Concord’s balanced, stress-free and simple lifestyle that now I’m finding it hard to pack my bags and leave. Either way, Concord will definitely stay with me.
By Carlota Morgado de Almeida
During my time in Concord, I was able to actually enjoy life and make the most of my free time, even on weekdays. Being able to walk to work was probably one of the biggest advantages, because your day goes by pretty fast when you spend an hour in traffic to drive 3 miles, and that’s one thing I surely didn’t miss about home.
