As my time in Portugal came to a close, I thought a lot about how I had just spent three weeks in a foreign country. As someone who can only speak English, I was expecting the language barrier to be extremely difficult and that I would struggle to get much done. However, reality showed me that it was quite the opposite. Yes, there were times where I could not understand someone, but it did not make my experience any less exciting or enjoyable.
English is spoken at least somewhat by a lot of people in Portugal. Since Porto is one of two cities in Portugal that many tourists visit, and tourists (especially American tourists) are known for only speaking their native language, it makes sense that a lot of people in stores and restaurants speak enough English to converse. What locals appreciate though is attempts at speaking their language, even if they are small attempts. Learning simple things on the go like hello, thank you, sorry, and other common phrases can be enough to show people that you are at least trying to speak their language, and most people appreciate the consideration.
Another thing that surprised me about life in Portugal was the cost of living. Groceries were extremely cheap compared to groceries in the United States. Food, water, dish soap, paper towels, basically everything was cheaper than a simple run to Publix. I loved how easy it was to get everything I needed at an affordable price. I could then take the metro back to my dorm. The metro is extremely convenient too, as basically everywhere in Porto can be reached by metro, and student metro tickets are only three euros and last for months.
Overall, life in a foreign country was much better than I expected, and studying abroad was definitely worth all of the hype.