Dear Editor,
All three of my children went to Portuguese state schools in both Marmelete and Monchique and were brought up on a TV and electricity free farm in the mountains.
My son has his own carpentry business in England, he spends a lot of time in Portugal and is thinking of setting up a business revolving around surfing and employing some of his Portuguese school friends.
One of my daughters is a dental nurse in the UK who also, for several years, used her language skills whilst working for easyJet.
My other daughter learnt French whilst at school in Monchique and works as a security advisor in France.
So, on the whole, being brought up as an estrangeiro in Portugal doesn’t appear to have done them any harm.
And me? Won’t be long before I can retire and get back to working my land in Marmelete.
Geoff Allen, By email
