April 15, 2024 • 32 mins
Embarking on a journey that would transform their lives, Tania Plakonouris and her family waved goodbye to the familiar landscapes of South Africa for the quaint, uncharted territories of central Portugal. As Tania shares her family's extraordinary adventure, we're reminded of the incredible courage it takes to uproot one's life in pursuit of new beginnings. Imagine leaving behind a successful career, only to find yourself embracing the simplicity of housekeeping or the craft of carpentry—Tania's narrative is a moving chronicle of humility and resilience that speaks to the heart of every listener.
Throughout our conversation with Tania, we uncover the rich tapestry of experiences that come with settling into a new culture—from the late-night social buzz that contrasts the early sunsets of their former home, to the chilly European winters that test their warm African blood. These stories of adaptation are the threads that weave together the vibrant community of South Africans in Portugal, bound by the spirit of 'Ubuntu' and the shared pursuit of a fulfilling expat life. As Tania and her family continue to navigate this beautiful yet challenging landscape, their journey serves as an awe-inspiring blueprint for resilience, community, and the eternal quest for home.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Warren Burley (00:02):
Welcome back to South Africans Abroad, a show
for expat South Africans andanyone interested in the
experiences of those who havemade the move overseas.
Each episode we'll hear fromSouth Africans who have left the
country to pursue newopportunities, be with loved
ones or simply follow theirdreams.
We'll explore the challengesand triumphs of life as an expat
and the unique perspective thatcomes with being a South
(00:23):
African abroad.
Triumphs of life as an expatand the unique perspective that
comes with being a South Africanabroad.
I'm your host, warren Burley, anexpat South African who, like
many, followed the dream ofworking overseas.
Whether you're an expatyourself or just curious about
the expat experience, join us aswe delve into the motivations,
struggles and joys of being aSouth African living overseas.
Meet Tanya Plakonis, aremarkable South African woman
(00:45):
who embarked on a transformativejourney from the vibrant
streets of South Africa to thepicturesque landscapes of
Portugal.
With her infectious passion forlife and unwavering spirit,
she's not only embraced a newculture, but also woven her
unique South African identityinto the tapestry of her adopted
homeland.
Tania, how are you doing?
Tania plakonouris (01:02):
I'm fine, that's a wonderful introduction,
thank you.
Warren Burley (01:07):
Tania do you just want to introduce yourself and
just tell us a little bit aboutyou?
Tania plakonouris (01:11):
So, gosh, where do we start?
So, yes, I am Tanya Plakonoris,so you can hear a Greek surname
.
My dad-in-law is Greek, marriedfor many, many years but never,
never ventured into thinkingthat Europe would be our home.
Currently, we are a family offour.
(01:31):
So I am married to Ryan and Ihave two incredible daughters,
17 and 11, ray Vida and MilaPlakonoris.
Yeah, Brilliant.
Warren Burley (01:41):
Okay, let's just go back to the moment you
decided to move to Portugal.
What inspired your decision toleave South Africa and start a
new chapter in Portugal?
Tania plakonouris (01:49):
We had been speaking about going to go and
experience something differentfor many, many years.
Ryan and I have traveled quitea bit and we've lived up in East
Africa, for a few years livingin Kenya.
Our hospitality skills or ourhospitality careers gave us the
opportunity to go and live indifferent parts of Africa.
(02:12):
So it wasn't new leaving SouthAfrica, but always knowing that
there was home back at home.
And what maybe started thelittle itch to go and create
another home somewhere else wasthe cliche of kids and
(02:32):
opportunity.
We were raising two daughtersand we were thinking, oh sure,
but where do we see the girls inthe future?
Where do we see opportunity,the girls in the future, where
do we see opportunity?
Where do we see open channelsof opportunity to travel or
learning different cultures ordifferent abilities, skills?
(02:55):
And I had started the process ofapplying for a Portuguese
passport in 2015, 2016,.
Passport in 2015, 2016,.
Because my parents arePortuguese, but I was born in SA
and I had an SA passport.
I have an SA passport and mymother was born in Mozambique
and my father in Madeira, butthey started new lives at a very
(03:19):
young age in South Africa.
Yeah, so I started the processof applying for my passport and
it took a few years, with up anddown going to Cape Town, and
things started going a littlebit challenged for us in South
Africa once COVID hit because ofour hospitality backgrounds.
So, as we all know, hospitalitycame to a standstill Ryan is a
(03:43):
photographer and also operationsin hotel management and so work
dwindled.
Maybe that also gave us alittle bit of a push and a shove
to start thinking of newopportunities, not only for our
children but for us too.
Our passports came along and,yeah, we found ourselves a few
(04:05):
years later, a year into, livingin Portugal.
Warren Burley (04:08):
Okay.
So what are you doing now, youand your husband?
Are you doing the same thingyou were doing in South Africa?
Tania plakonouris (04:14):
No good question.
And I had to eat humble pie andI've started all over again.
So I was a general manager, Iwas earning a good salary in
South Africa.
I had, you know, climbed theladder of experience and so,
(04:39):
back in SA, I was delegating, soto speak.
I am now a housekeeper in inPortugal.
Warren Burley (04:48):
So I'm back to manual labor look, this is a
story we hear with everybody.
Tania plakonouris (04:53):
I mean, that's the first thing you do
eat humble pie when you moveright we yeah, we eat humble pie
, but I, the South Africans, arenot scared, and I I've picked
this up so quickly here too isthat we, as South Africans, are
not afraid to work at labour,and so Ryan is in construction.
So Portugal does have ashortage of skills in terms of
(05:17):
building, carpentry, hand skills, and so he was very quick to be
grabbed, and so he doescarpentry.
He's doing carpentry work andI'm working in a guest house.
Warren Burley (05:29):
Okay, and where about?
In Portugal, are you?
Tania plakonouris (05:31):
We decided to stay away from the cities.
We're not city people, we'rerural people.
So we live in the mostbeautiful part of Portugal
called Goiás.
Well, I say it's the mostbeautiful part, okay, but it's
central Portugal.
So we're about 45 minutes fromthe city of Coimbra, which is a
(05:52):
big university capital, and welive in the mountains.
We live next to the Ceira Riverand very much adventure,
tourism, ecotourism right up ouralley, and we live in a little
town that doesn't have more thantwo and a half thousand people
(06:13):
living in it.
Warren Burley (06:13):
Okay, wow, that's a big change.
Tania plakonouris (06:16):
Very big.
Warren Burley (06:18):
Being so remote in that, what logistical
challenges did you have likewith finding housing and work
and stuff, Salary adjustment,living in central rural parts
versus Lisbon and Porto?
Tania plakonouris (06:24):
logistical challenges did you have like
with finding housing and workand stuff, salary adjustment,
living in central rural partsversus lisbon and porto?
Um, there's a big.
There's a big change in salaryexpectation.
Housing is very, very hard tofind because if you do come to
portugal, it's the mostbeautiful country, but you do
see hardship and you do see alot of homes that have been
(06:46):
neglected or totally forgotten.
So there's house after houseafter house it's just being left
, and from understanding what'shappened is people have left the
areas because of lack of workor because of lack of
opportunity COVID was a bigknock for Portugal, and anywhere
(07:08):
else actually and so you dofind a lot of homes that are not
actually habitable, and sothere is big opportunity to come
here and buy a house that isjust four walls and you have to
do a big restoration project,but we are finding that the
(07:29):
prices are extremely exorbitantbecause the locals know that
there are these expats coming inand willing to pay a lot of
money for nothing.
So you do find that challenge,but once you start becoming part
of the local community, youstart embracing the culture.
You don't see yourself as anoutside.
(07:50):
I do speak Portuguese, so thathas been a massive help.
So you start being accepted.
People start telling you oh no,go to this person.
Oh no, go there.
Yeah, go there, go there, gothere.
And we have managed to find ahouse.
Um, that is honestly nothing,but it's land and it there is a
(08:11):
footprint and there are.
There is um opportunity to do arestoration and that's what
we've done, and so we've builtor buying, or bought a house,
and now we're building it andwe're restoring it with the rest
of my family.
Warren Burley (08:27):
Oh nice, okay, Um , speaking of family, so is the
rest of your family moving overthere as well?
Tania plakonouris (08:33):
Yes, so when we started chatting about moving
, um, um, and we're quite aunique family, we are 11 people.
So I love my in-laws which Idon't know if it's an unusual
thing, but granny and grandpaare like my parents, my in-laws,
(08:54):
and then my mom.
Unfortunately, my dad passedaway 12 years ago, so it's just
my mom.
Fortunately, my dad passed away12 years ago, so it's just my
mom.
And then my in-laws, mysister-in-law, Kim and her
husband, France, and their twochildren.
So we came for supper the onenight back in South Africa and
(09:18):
we said we're going to Portugaland that kind of just triggered
the whole move or theopportunity to create a platform
for us to all possibly start anew life.
So, a year into Portugal andour whole direct family is with
us and we bought the landtogether.
And Kim, my sister-in-law, hasa Greek passport, so this is how
(09:39):
she got into the EU.
You know game and we're allhere, and naturally, my
dad-in-law, Aiki, who's Greek,has got an EU passport as well.
So this is where we foundourselves all together.
Warren Burley (09:55):
All right, so let's just talk about the visa
process, because it sounded likeit was pretty an easy process
for you, was there?
Tania plakonouris (10:01):
any challenges?
Yes, so there is.
The red tape here in Portugalis hard, yeah.
So we have three South Africansin the family, so mom-in-law,
brother-in-law and husband, andthey're all on South African
passports.
So we had to bring them throughI talked about them as luggage,
(10:24):
but they know what I'm talkingabout.
We had to deal with therestrictions of the passport
through family passport us beingPortuguese and Greek and they
came through with a Schengenvisa and once we were all here,
we started the process ofapplying for a family
(10:48):
re-migration visa, which is anArticle 15 family visa, and now
they all have resident permitsto live here for three to five
years and only after that willthey be able to apply for
citizenship okay, how long didthat whole process take?
(11:11):
it.
It's with my brother-in-law.
We, we, we finding itincredibly hard because here in
portugal the cf, which was the,the immigration officers, have
now integrated into thegovernment, so now it's IMA and
with that there's a major, majorbacklog.
So we find it very difficult toget an appointment for France.
(11:34):
But with my husband, ryan, andBrenda, my mom-in-law, it took
three months.
Warren Burley (11:40):
Okay, so it's not too bad Once we were here.
Tania plakonouris (11:41):
No Three months, okay, so it's not too
bad Once we were here, no, so Ineed to just to inform you that
there is a Facebook page calledSouth Africans Helping South
Africans Move to Portugal, andthe owner of the page is Steve
Robinson and he is a Bible ofinformation.
(12:02):
So he has files that are partof the facebook that you can go
in there free, free information,and he tells you exactly what
visa is suitable for what.
So there's nomad visas, there's, you know, there's all sorts of
visas that you can come in workvisa, and he has done an
(12:22):
incredible job to put all thisinformation for public use, for
yourselves if you're thinking ofmoving to Portugal.
So I went on to that page yeah,initially and started just
reading up about people'sexperiences and about how people
were moving across the seas atthe least pressure, and Steve
(12:49):
and his information wasincredible for Portugal itself.
Warren Burley (12:52):
Okay, some good advice there.
Tania plakonouris (12:54):
Yeah.
Warren Burley (12:54):
Speaking of Facebook pages, are you part of
a lot of Facebook groups therewith South Africans, or is it
just the one?
I mean, is there a lot of?
Tania plakonouris (13:03):
South Africans in Portugal?
No, there is quite a few.
And then once you go on intoPortugal, there's South Africans
in Portugal.
There's a whole bunch of pagesthat.
There's actually quite a lot ofus here in Portugal and it's
quite interesting.
We even have, we hold bribeshere and you often see people
(13:26):
advertising where you can get,you know, food, south African
food.
So yeah, there's quite a goodsupport about that.
But saying that, I think wheremy transition has been a little
bit easier for us is that Ihaven't forgotten about South
Africa.
I, like a lot of us, you knowour roots are South African.
(13:53):
My work was very, very SouthAfrican related.
I actually opened my own littlenon-for-profit to do community
work and community developmentand I lived for the empowerment
of our people, of the people ofSouth Africa.
So, moving here, I did havethis fear that I would lose the
(14:16):
Ubuntu of SA, and I do.
I do feel that that is missingin Portugal or in Europe, and
this is my own personal opinionand my own personal experience.
But the South African Zanzi ismissing anywhere else in the
world and I miss that.
(14:37):
I miss how we are charitablepeople.
I miss that we are alwayshopeful, that we're always
looking for a better tomorrow,that we use nature and we use
our land to make ourselves feelbetter.
We don't look for the bestthings in our daily lives.
(14:59):
I do feel that the challengeshere in Europe are very strong
because we forget.
We forget to embody where weare and who we really are as
humanity, which South Africansdo so well.
Warren Burley (15:17):
For sure.
Okay, so, talking about that,how do you stay connected to
your South African roots whileembracing the new life in
Portugal, of course, Friends,because that's what I miss.
Tania plakonouris (15:28):
I miss my friends.
So I have a beautiful communityof friends that I stay
connected with.
I constantly look on SouthAfrican pages and tourism
because I'm part of that, I'vealways been part of that
industry, so I'm alwaysconnected in that way and I
don't know if I'll be able toget to South Africa physically
(15:51):
in the near future as much as Icould because I'm financially
strained.
But no, I'm still connected andI don't bash South Africa.
I think it's a beautiful placeand I still like the page what's
that page on South Africasaying I'm staying, why I'm
staying, or I'm here to stay.
(16:13):
This page I still lovelistening, I still love reading
the stories about that.
Yeah, south Africa is special.
Warren Burley (16:22):
South Africa.
South Africa never change, okay, so has there been any
surprising revelations orperspectives you've gained about
South Africa since moving toPortugal?
Tania plakonouris (16:31):
I miss community.
I miss community.
I miss I don't really missinterculture, because there is
here my girls go to, or myyoungest daughter still goes to
a local school and there are alot of foreign people there.
So, in terms of learning a newlanguage, understanding other
(16:54):
cultures, it's happening.
But what I do miss is possibly,you know, I miss the ability to
speak about different culturesfreely Going back to Portugal,
somebody who's never been toPortugal.
Warren Burley (17:07):
Can you describe where you live?
The good and the bad.
The good and the bad, we wantboth.
Tania plakonouris (17:13):
Okay Good, I was here for a few days and my
neighbor gave me eggs.
Um, a few days later, myneighbor gave me a cabbage.
A few days later, my otherneighbor gave me a bottle of
wine.
A few days later, I got a liftby a neighbor because she saw me
walking.
Um, they don't have money tooffer you here, but they are
(17:39):
very comfortable in sharingresources, which I absolutely
adore.
So there's no, he has more thanme.
So if there's eggs to share,they'll share eggs.
I really really love the factthat my mother can walk to share
they'll share eggs.
I really really love the factthat my mother can walk to in my
(18:02):
little village here and fetchmy daughter from school and walk
back.
I like that.
I love.
I like the fact that we do feelsafe here.
Safety is a big thing.
We leave the keys in the car.
I don't straight away lock thecar when I get in.
I don't have an alarm in thehouse.
(18:23):
So, yeah, safety.
I try and avoid speaking aboutsafety, but yeah, safety is a
big thing here.
Yeah, um, ryan, hasn't?
He told me the other day hehasn't slept so peacefully in a
long time.
He actually sleeps through, notconcerned about the noises that
he hears, possibly outside, andwe weren't neurotic people, but
(18:45):
crime was on top of mind there,where it's not here.
Okay.
Warren Burley (18:52):
That's always important.
Tania plakonouris (18:53):
That's, yeah.
What's getting to me a littlebit is because we live in a
rural area, not so much more inthe city, but animals here are
treated like animals.
They're not really their pets.
I'm a dog lover and so it hurtsme to see a dog chained and we
(19:15):
see lots of that here inPortugal Lots and lots of
chained animals.
Because they're just animalsand they're there for a purpose,
and a purpose is to look afterthe herd or to show warning,
sign and bark.
They're not house pets as such.
So I battle with that.
Warren Burley (19:34):
I really do that's one good thing about the?
U.
It's like the dogs and catshere are like people.
That's insane.
They push them around incarriages and stuff and dress
them up.
Tania plakonouris (19:47):
Not here.
There are lots of people thatare decent pet lovers, but
majority of the Portuguese are apet.
No, they, the Portuguese, are apet.
No, they are animals with apurpose.
They have a job, and the job isA, B and C right.
So I battle with that Language.
(20:13):
Even me speaking Portuguese, ithas been very, very difficult
to be accepted in the sensewhere we're not considered to be
immigrants or estrangers likethey call us.
So it has been difficult to beaccepted into the community.
Warren Burley (20:31):
Does the rest of the family speak Portuguese?
Tania plakonouris (20:34):
No.
Warren Burley (20:35):
Okay, so that must be quite difficult, no just
me and my mom.
Tania plakonouris (20:37):
Yeah, but the girls have picked it up.
The kids have picked it up very, very quickly, and that's just
because of who the kids are.
I have read many posts and manyforums where children have
battled, and we mustn't assumethat they can just be brilliant.
They also go through somereally hard stuff, you know, and
that's the other big, big, big,big concern on my heart is that
(21:01):
the children here, or the youthof today in Europe, they are
way ahead of our kids in termsof being street savvy.
So the swearing is just likesecond nature here and the
bullying is really harsh, and soNot just there believe me, I
(21:25):
think it's yeah.
And so I'm having to tell thekids every day have you got your
armor on, you know?
And then they come back fromhome and I, okay, let's fix your
armor, let's repair it.
Warren Burley (21:35):
Yeah.
Tania plakonouris (21:35):
So you know, you have to be a really tight
little family for the kids to beready for what's out there,
because they miss home, theydon't see their old friends, the
language is different, theschool curriculum is different,
but you know, we don't complainin front of them and they don't
feel our hardship.
And we, like you know, bepositive in front of them and
(21:59):
they don't feel our hardship.
And we, like you know, bepositive in front of them and
they, we say, okay, tomorrowwill be a better day.
But we, we, we can feel yourchallenge and we speak about
your challenge, but let's see ifwe can.
You know, maybe better, it's alittle bit the next day and yeah
, so the kids have found thatthe kids are very different here
, very different.
So it is a, it is a trueculture shock.
Yeah, I can't, I can't say itany better.
It is a true culture shock, Ican't say it any better.
(22:20):
It is a true culture shock, butit's one to embrace and see
where we go from there.
Warren Burley (22:25):
So what advice would you give to someone
thinking about moving toPortugal?
Tania plakonouris (22:30):
Know what you know and know what you don't
know.
That's a good one that myhusband always says yeah, do
your homework, don't believeeverything that social media
puts on Facebook.
Yeah, so read up, read up a lot, but sure, it's an exciting
(22:53):
thing to do.
It's a wonderful thing toexperience, to leave your
comfort zone and create anotherright.
Yeah, so that's what I'vereally appreciated.
So, yeah, so if you're everthinking of of leaving south
africa, um, do it with the sensethat you you're not leaving
shit behind.
Yeah, um, you're taking yourshit with you and you're going
(23:17):
to try and create a betterenvironment.
Okay, you know so, yeah.
So don't say, oh, I'm going toleave this terrible place
because you are the terribleplace.
Warren Burley (23:27):
That's some good advice actually.
Tania plakonouris (23:29):
Know that, yeah, you create.
You know peace is where I am.
This is what we say toourselves all the time.
So you create what you want tocreate and so come with very
open arms.
Understand that you are cominginto an environment that is very
different.
When we arrived here, you knowwhat was the biggest challenge?
(23:50):
Was that people really juststart waking up or going out
from nine in the evening?
So we arrived here and, okay,we arrived in the winter.
So we arrived in late January.
So we came into freezing coldwith our little South African
jerseys, and so we had toquickly sort that out.
(24:12):
And then we bought some decentclothes and then we understood
about the early evenings.
Everybody goes back, you know,comes indoors at night in the
winter, but summer came andnothing really comes alive
before 9 pm, and that's when wewant to go to bed, but the
(24:32):
parties are after nine thefesters, the markets, children's
activities.
So Mila, my oldest weencouraged both girls to be part
of an extramural activity.
So Mila went straight into herflute, so she became part of an
orchestra and training was onlyat half past nine at night.
(24:53):
So, yes, ryan and I were goingto drop her off at the training
at half past nine at night untilhalf past 11 and I'm thinking,
no, I can't do this.
Back home we are locked upready for bed half past eight
yeah, right, yeah in bed by ninedinner yes at dinner.
(25:15):
Yes, supper at a restaurant yeah, you go in at 7 o'clock at
night and it's dead, dead, deaddead and you think, oh goodness,
is this a good restaurant, orwhy is no one here?
It starts to become quite happyabout hot post 8.
It's bursting with energy from10 o'clock at night until like 1
(25:35):
, 2 o'clock and I'm thinking, oh, my goodness, can I actually
even start comprehending aboutthis lifestyle?
And then everybody only startswork at 9 o'clock in the morning
.
Warren Burley (25:47):
I was going to say what time do they get up?
Tania plakonouris (25:49):
No, so then it's a late arrival at work.
Work starts here at 9 o'clock,and then you have a lunch break
and then you work until 7pm.
And hence why everything, allother murals, all other
activities only happen after 7,because everyone is working
until 7pm.
Warren Burley (26:09):
Yeah.
Tania plakonouris (26:10):
Because they take long lunch breaks and
everybody goes home and has alunch and so, yeah, so that was
a big adjustment to the timezones.
Yeah, to the weather.
So weather's a thing here too.
You know, us South Africans, wetalk about weather, but it is.
It's a big adjustment, althoughPortugal is mild weather in
(26:32):
comparison to some othercountries.
So, yeah, so it's quite funny.
You think that these thingsdon't make a difference, but
they do.
Little challenges that you canmake very big, but if you laugh
about them and you think, hangon, I'll be okay within a year,
waking up at seven, only goingto school at half past eight.
Warren Burley (26:58):
It sounds like you've got a lot of challenges,
but it also sounds like you'reovercoming them quite easily.
Tania plakonouris (27:02):
We do.
There's been tears, I havecried and I have thought oh, my
goodness, am I doing the rightthing with the children?
It's always the kids.
You know.
You kind of lose your identityas a person because you're a
parent first.
So you almost say, okay, if thekids are okay, you'll be okay.
But also that's not, that'snonsense, you know, because if
(27:23):
you're okay, the kids will beokay yeah, yeah, because they
kind of feed off our energy,don't they?
you read, they do so it's it'sboth ways.
So, ryan and I really we do tryand be positive about it, but
we don't hide our fears, becauseit's all about fears and you
know.
And it's also about being brave, because you know you've got to
(27:45):
be brave.
We have to be brave to leavesomething we know and something
that we are so comfortable with,but and to change, to change
our whole perspective aboutthings and what is right and
what's wrong To me.
You know, there was this oneperson that told me because you
know, I often speak aboutreligion and I often talk about
(28:06):
my deep faith, and I remember avery, very close friend of mine
saying oh, you know, excuse mefor my language, but he says no,
man, the Ten Commandments, allyou need to do is not be an
arsehole.
That's my Ten Commandments.
Warren Burley (28:22):
Just be lackey.
Tania plakonouris (28:23):
Just be good, just be good, you know, and
then everything else will come.
Warren Burley (28:29):
It's true advice.
So what does the future holdfor you in Portugal?
Any exciting projects or goals?
Tania plakonouris (28:36):
I think we're having short-term goals right
now, um, because of thechallenges we, we we find
ourselves in terms of finances.
We, we've got all our lifesavings in one little, in one
little bag, and we're buildingour new home.
Um, so, finances to to justkeep it.
(28:57):
The other big challenge wouldbe, or the other next goal is to
create a better career formyself, and so I really do
appreciate that I've been giventhe opportunity to start all
over again, and I appreciatebeing given the task of doing
(29:19):
something that's simple but yetso important in the bigger
picture of things.
So, yes, I'm cleaning and, yes,I'm serving breakfast again and
, yes, I'm doing purchasing andI'm not delegating and running,
you know, a five-star hotelanymore.
Yet I'm part of something, I'mpart of a cog that needs to to
work, so, but I would like tosee more of myself, um, so I can
(29:47):
see more of myself.
So the goal would be is toallow me to get, or have,
opportunity to be more, so Iwould like to continuously look
for that opportunity to be moreso.
That could be a goal.
So I don't know what it is, butit's there.
(30:07):
Ron and I want to maybe start abusiness for our whole family,
so my sister-in-law, kim andFranz.
We often talk about starting aconstruction business here in
Portugal because we're all quitehandy when it comes to you know
, we're quite resourceful withour hands, so maybe that's
(30:29):
something that we could pursue.
It's just a talk now, butpossibly something to pursue,
and I'd like to see my childrenhave the opportunity to either
come to me and say great, mom,you've given me the opportunity
to live in a rural area, but Iwant to go to university, or no,
I want a homestead, I want tocarry on living from the land.
(30:52):
So I want to give themopportunity, I want to give them
options, and I felt that Iwasn't giving that to them in
South Africa, so I'm hoping thatthat goal is something that I
could do.
Warren Burley (31:02):
Yeah, so final question, the famous question
that everybody gets asked is thegrass greener on the other side
?
Tania plakonouris (31:10):
My grass was beautiful in South Africa, and
so I'm planning to make my grassbeautiful here too.
My grass was beautiful, yeah,so I'm going to make my grass
beautiful here too.
My grass was beautiful, yeah,so I'm going to make it
beautiful here too.
Warren Burley (31:20):
Well, it sounds like you're bringing the shit
with you.
Exactly, make the grass greener, okay, yeah.
Tania plakonouris (31:28):
It might not be now.
Warren Burley (31:29):
Yeah, it's been fantastic having you on the show
.
Thank you for your time.
It's a pleasure and good luckfor the future and hopefully we
catch up soon thank you, thankyou, thank you, you take care
you too, thanks, thanks, taliaokay, bye, bye if you're eager
to explore more stories of SouthAfricans Abroad, be sure to hit
that subscribe button so younever miss a moment for
(31:51):
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an easy way to access all yourfavorite episodes.
So until next time, check youTuesday.
Welcome back to South Africans Abroad, a show
for expat South Africans andanyone interested in the
experiences of those who havemade the move overseas.
Each episode we'll hear fromSouth Africans who have left the
country to pursue newopportunities, be with loved
ones or simply follow theirdreams.
We'll explore the challengesand triumphs of life as an expat
and the unique perspective thatcomes with being a South
(00:23):
African abroad.
Triumphs of life as an expatand the unique perspective that
comes with being a South Africanabroad.
I'm your host, warren Burley, anexpat South African who, like
many, followed the dream ofworking overseas.
Whether you're an expatyourself or just curious about
the expat experience, join us aswe delve into the motivations,
struggles and joys of being aSouth African living overseas.
Meet Tanya Plakonis, aremarkable South African woman
(00:45):
who embarked on a transformativejourney from the vibrant
streets of South Africa to thepicturesque landscapes of
Portugal.
With her infectious passion forlife and unwavering spirit,
she's not only embraced a newculture, but also woven her
unique South African identityinto the tapestry of her adopted
homeland.
Tania, how are you doing?
Tania plakonouris (01:02):
I'm fine, that's a wonderful introduction,
thank you.
Warren Burley (01:07):
Tania do you just want to introduce yourself and
just tell us a little bit aboutyou?
Tania plakonouris (01:11):
So, gosh, where do we start?
So, yes, I am Tanya Plakonoris,so you can hear a Greek surname
.
My dad-in-law is Greek, marriedfor many, many years but never,
never ventured into thinkingthat Europe would be our home.
Currently, we are a family offour.
(01:31):
So I am married to Ryan and Ihave two incredible daughters,
17 and 11, ray Vida and MilaPlakonoris.
Yeah, Brilliant.
Warren Burley (01:41):
Okay, let's just go back to the moment you
decided to move to Portugal.
What inspired your decision toleave South Africa and start a
new chapter in Portugal?
Tania plakonouris (01:49):
We had been speaking about going to go and
experience something differentfor many, many years.
Ryan and I have traveled quitea bit and we've lived up in East
Africa, for a few years livingin Kenya.
Our hospitality skills or ourhospitality careers gave us the
opportunity to go and live indifferent parts of Africa.
(02:12):
So it wasn't new leaving SouthAfrica, but always knowing that
there was home back at home.
And what maybe started thelittle itch to go and create
another home somewhere else wasthe cliche of kids and
(02:32):
opportunity.
We were raising two daughtersand we were thinking, oh sure,
but where do we see the girls inthe future?
Where do we see opportunity,the girls in the future, where
do we see opportunity?
Where do we see open channelsof opportunity to travel or
learning different cultures ordifferent abilities, skills?
(02:55):
And I had started the process ofapplying for a Portuguese
passport in 2015, 2016,.
Passport in 2015, 2016,.
Because my parents arePortuguese, but I was born in SA
and I had an SA passport.
I have an SA passport and mymother was born in Mozambique
and my father in Madeira, butthey started new lives at a very
(03:19):
young age in South Africa.
Yeah, so I started the processof applying for my passport and
it took a few years, with up anddown going to Cape Town, and
things started going a littlebit challenged for us in South
Africa once COVID hit because ofour hospitality backgrounds.
So, as we all know, hospitalitycame to a standstill Ryan is a
(03:43):
photographer and also operationsin hotel management and so work
dwindled.
Maybe that also gave us alittle bit of a push and a shove
to start thinking of newopportunities, not only for our
children but for us too.
Our passports came along and,yeah, we found ourselves a few
(04:05):
years later, a year into, livingin Portugal.
Warren Burley (04:08):
Okay.
So what are you doing now, youand your husband?
Are you doing the same thingyou were doing in South Africa?
Tania plakonouris (04:14):
No good question.
And I had to eat humble pie andI've started all over again.
So I was a general manager, Iwas earning a good salary in
South Africa.
I had, you know, climbed theladder of experience and so,
(04:39):
back in SA, I was delegating, soto speak.
I am now a housekeeper in inPortugal.
Warren Burley (04:48):
So I'm back to manual labor look, this is a
story we hear with everybody.
Tania plakonouris (04:53):
I mean, that's the first thing you do
eat humble pie when you moveright we yeah, we eat humble pie
, but I, the South Africans, arenot scared, and I I've picked
this up so quickly here too isthat we, as South Africans, are
not afraid to work at labour,and so Ryan is in construction.
So Portugal does have ashortage of skills in terms of
(05:17):
building, carpentry, hand skills, and so he was very quick to be
grabbed, and so he doescarpentry.
He's doing carpentry work andI'm working in a guest house.
Warren Burley (05:29):
Okay, and where about?
In Portugal, are you?
Tania plakonouris (05:31):
We decided to stay away from the cities.
We're not city people, we'rerural people.
So we live in the mostbeautiful part of Portugal
called Goiás.
Well, I say it's the mostbeautiful part, okay, but it's
central Portugal.
So we're about 45 minutes fromthe city of Coimbra, which is a
(05:52):
big university capital, and welive in the mountains.
We live next to the Ceira Riverand very much adventure,
tourism, ecotourism right up ouralley, and we live in a little
town that doesn't have more thantwo and a half thousand people
(06:13):
living in it.
Warren Burley (06:13):
Okay, wow, that's a big change.
Tania plakonouris (06:16):
Very big.
Warren Burley (06:18):
Being so remote in that, what logistical
challenges did you have likewith finding housing and work
and stuff, Salary adjustment,living in central rural parts
versus Lisbon and Porto?
Tania plakonouris (06:24):
logistical challenges did you have like
with finding housing and workand stuff, salary adjustment,
living in central rural partsversus lisbon and porto?
Um, there's a big.
There's a big change in salaryexpectation.
Housing is very, very hard tofind because if you do come to
portugal, it's the mostbeautiful country, but you do
see hardship and you do see alot of homes that have been
(06:46):
neglected or totally forgotten.
So there's house after houseafter house it's just being left
, and from understanding what'shappened is people have left the
areas because of lack of workor because of lack of
opportunity COVID was a bigknock for Portugal, and anywhere
(07:08):
else actually and so you dofind a lot of homes that are not
actually habitable, and sothere is big opportunity to come
here and buy a house that isjust four walls and you have to
do a big restoration project,but we are finding that the
(07:29):
prices are extremely exorbitantbecause the locals know that
there are these expats coming inand willing to pay a lot of
money for nothing.
So you do find that challenge,but once you start becoming part
of the local community, youstart embracing the culture.
You don't see yourself as anoutside.
(07:50):
I do speak Portuguese, so thathas been a massive help.
So you start being accepted.
People start telling you oh no,go to this person.
Oh no, go there.
Yeah, go there, go there, gothere.
And we have managed to find ahouse.
Um, that is honestly nothing,but it's land and it there is a
(08:11):
footprint and there are.
There is um opportunity to do arestoration and that's what
we've done, and so we've builtor buying, or bought a house,
and now we're building it andwe're restoring it with the rest
of my family.
Warren Burley (08:27):
Oh nice, okay, Um , speaking of family, so is the
rest of your family moving overthere as well?
Tania plakonouris (08:33):
Yes, so when we started chatting about moving
, um, um, and we're quite aunique family, we are 11 people.
So I love my in-laws which Idon't know if it's an unusual
thing, but granny and grandpaare like my parents, my in-laws,
(08:54):
and then my mom.
Unfortunately, my dad passedaway 12 years ago, so it's just
my mom.
Fortunately, my dad passed away12 years ago, so it's just my
mom.
And then my in-laws, mysister-in-law, Kim and her
husband, France, and their twochildren.
So we came for supper the onenight back in South Africa and
(09:18):
we said we're going to Portugaland that kind of just triggered
the whole move or theopportunity to create a platform
for us to all possibly start anew life.
So, a year into Portugal andour whole direct family is with
us and we bought the landtogether.
And Kim, my sister-in-law, hasa Greek passport, so this is how
(09:39):
she got into the EU.
You know game and we're allhere, and naturally, my
dad-in-law, Aiki, who's Greek,has got an EU passport as well.
So this is where we foundourselves all together.
Warren Burley (09:55):
All right, so let's just talk about the visa
process, because it sounded likeit was pretty an easy process
for you, was there?
Tania plakonouris (10:01):
any challenges?
Yes, so there is.
The red tape here in Portugalis hard, yeah.
So we have three South Africansin the family, so mom-in-law,
brother-in-law and husband, andthey're all on South African
passports.
So we had to bring them throughI talked about them as luggage,
(10:24):
but they know what I'm talkingabout.
We had to deal with therestrictions of the passport
through family passport us beingPortuguese and Greek and they
came through with a Schengenvisa and once we were all here,
we started the process ofapplying for a family
(10:48):
re-migration visa, which is anArticle 15 family visa, and now
they all have resident permitsto live here for three to five
years and only after that willthey be able to apply for
citizenship okay, how long didthat whole process take?
(11:11):
it.
It's with my brother-in-law.
We, we, we finding itincredibly hard because here in
portugal the cf, which was the,the immigration officers, have
now integrated into thegovernment, so now it's IMA and
with that there's a major, majorbacklog.
So we find it very difficult toget an appointment for France.
(11:34):
But with my husband, ryan, andBrenda, my mom-in-law, it took
three months.
Warren Burley (11:40):
Okay, so it's not too bad Once we were here.
Tania plakonouris (11:41):
No Three months, okay, so it's not too
bad Once we were here, no, so Ineed to just to inform you that
there is a Facebook page calledSouth Africans Helping South
Africans Move to Portugal, andthe owner of the page is Steve
Robinson and he is a Bible ofinformation.
(12:02):
So he has files that are partof the facebook that you can go
in there free, free information,and he tells you exactly what
visa is suitable for what.
So there's nomad visas, there's, you know, there's all sorts of
visas that you can come in workvisa, and he has done an
(12:22):
incredible job to put all thisinformation for public use, for
yourselves if you're thinking ofmoving to Portugal.
So I went on to that page yeah,initially and started just
reading up about people'sexperiences and about how people
were moving across the seas atthe least pressure, and Steve
(12:49):
and his information wasincredible for Portugal itself.
Warren Burley (12:52):
Okay, some good advice there.
Tania plakonouris (12:54):
Yeah.
Warren Burley (12:54):
Speaking of Facebook pages, are you part of
a lot of Facebook groups therewith South Africans, or is it
just the one?
I mean, is there a lot of?
Tania plakonouris (13:03):
South Africans in Portugal?
No, there is quite a few.
And then once you go on intoPortugal, there's South Africans
in Portugal.
There's a whole bunch of pagesthat.
There's actually quite a lot ofus here in Portugal and it's
quite interesting.
We even have, we hold bribeshere and you often see people
(13:26):
advertising where you can get,you know, food, south African
food.
So yeah, there's quite a goodsupport about that.
But saying that, I think wheremy transition has been a little
bit easier for us is that Ihaven't forgotten about South
Africa.
I, like a lot of us, you knowour roots are South African.
(13:53):
My work was very, very SouthAfrican related.
I actually opened my own littlenon-for-profit to do community
work and community developmentand I lived for the empowerment
of our people, of the people ofSouth Africa.
So, moving here, I did havethis fear that I would lose the
(14:16):
Ubuntu of SA, and I do.
I do feel that that is missingin Portugal or in Europe, and
this is my own personal opinionand my own personal experience.
But the South African Zanzi ismissing anywhere else in the
world and I miss that.
(14:37):
I miss how we are charitablepeople.
I miss that we are alwayshopeful, that we're always
looking for a better tomorrow,that we use nature and we use
our land to make ourselves feelbetter.
We don't look for the bestthings in our daily lives.
(14:59):
I do feel that the challengeshere in Europe are very strong
because we forget.
We forget to embody where weare and who we really are as
humanity, which South Africansdo so well.
Warren Burley (15:17):
For sure.
Okay, so, talking about that,how do you stay connected to
your South African roots whileembracing the new life in
Portugal, of course, Friends,because that's what I miss.
Tania plakonouris (15:28):
I miss my friends.
So I have a beautiful communityof friends that I stay
connected with.
I constantly look on SouthAfrican pages and tourism
because I'm part of that, I'vealways been part of that
industry, so I'm alwaysconnected in that way and I
don't know if I'll be able toget to South Africa physically
(15:51):
in the near future as much as Icould because I'm financially
strained.
But no, I'm still connected andI don't bash South Africa.
I think it's a beautiful placeand I still like the page what's
that page on South Africasaying I'm staying, why I'm
staying, or I'm here to stay.
(16:13):
This page I still lovelistening, I still love reading
the stories about that.
Yeah, south Africa is special.
Warren Burley (16:22):
South Africa.
South Africa never change, okay, so has there been any
surprising revelations orperspectives you've gained about
South Africa since moving toPortugal?
Tania plakonouris (16:31):
I miss community.
I miss community.
I miss I don't really missinterculture, because there is
here my girls go to, or myyoungest daughter still goes to
a local school and there are alot of foreign people there.
So, in terms of learning a newlanguage, understanding other
(16:54):
cultures, it's happening.
But what I do miss is possibly,you know, I miss the ability to
speak about different culturesfreely Going back to Portugal,
somebody who's never been toPortugal.
Warren Burley (17:07):
Can you describe where you live?
The good and the bad.
The good and the bad, we wantboth.
Tania plakonouris (17:13):
Okay Good, I was here for a few days and my
neighbor gave me eggs.
Um, a few days later, myneighbor gave me a cabbage.
A few days later, my otherneighbor gave me a bottle of
wine.
A few days later, I got a liftby a neighbor because she saw me
walking.
Um, they don't have money tooffer you here, but they are
(17:39):
very comfortable in sharingresources, which I absolutely
adore.
So there's no, he has more thanme.
So if there's eggs to share,they'll share eggs.
I really really love the factthat my mother can walk to share
they'll share eggs.
I really really love the factthat my mother can walk to in my
(18:02):
little village here and fetchmy daughter from school and walk
back.
I like that.
I love.
I like the fact that we do feelsafe here.
Safety is a big thing.
We leave the keys in the car.
I don't straight away lock thecar when I get in.
I don't have an alarm in thehouse.
(18:23):
So, yeah, safety.
I try and avoid speaking aboutsafety, but yeah, safety is a
big thing here.
Yeah, um, ryan, hasn't?
He told me the other day hehasn't slept so peacefully in a
long time.
He actually sleeps through, notconcerned about the noises that
he hears, possibly outside, andwe weren't neurotic people, but
(18:45):
crime was on top of mind there,where it's not here.
Okay.
Warren Burley (18:52):
That's always important.
Tania plakonouris (18:53):
That's, yeah.
What's getting to me a littlebit is because we live in a
rural area, not so much more inthe city, but animals here are
treated like animals.
They're not really their pets.
I'm a dog lover and so it hurtsme to see a dog chained and we
(19:15):
see lots of that here inPortugal Lots and lots of
chained animals.
Because they're just animalsand they're there for a purpose,
and a purpose is to look afterthe herd or to show warning,
sign and bark.
They're not house pets as such.
So I battle with that.
Warren Burley (19:34):
I really do that's one good thing about the?
U.
It's like the dogs and catshere are like people.
That's insane.
They push them around incarriages and stuff and dress
them up.
Tania plakonouris (19:47):
Not here.
There are lots of people thatare decent pet lovers, but
majority of the Portuguese are apet.
No, they, the Portuguese, are apet.
No, they are animals with apurpose.
They have a job, and the job isA, B and C right.
So I battle with that Language.
(20:13):
Even me speaking Portuguese, ithas been very, very difficult
to be accepted in the sensewhere we're not considered to be
immigrants or estrangers likethey call us.
So it has been difficult to beaccepted into the community.
Warren Burley (20:31):
Does the rest of the family speak Portuguese?
Tania plakonouris (20:34):
No.
Warren Burley (20:35):
Okay, so that must be quite difficult, no just
me and my mom.
Tania plakonouris (20:37):
Yeah, but the girls have picked it up.
The kids have picked it up very, very quickly, and that's just
because of who the kids are.
I have read many posts and manyforums where children have
battled, and we mustn't assumethat they can just be brilliant.
They also go through somereally hard stuff, you know, and
that's the other big, big, big,big concern on my heart is that
(21:01):
the children here, or the youthof today in Europe, they are
way ahead of our kids in termsof being street savvy.
So the swearing is just likesecond nature here and the
bullying is really harsh, and soNot just there believe me, I
(21:25):
think it's yeah.
And so I'm having to tell thekids every day have you got your
armor on, you know?
And then they come back fromhome and I, okay, let's fix your
armor, let's repair it.
Warren Burley (21:35):
Yeah.
Tania plakonouris (21:35):
So you know, you have to be a really tight
little family for the kids to beready for what's out there,
because they miss home, theydon't see their old friends, the
language is different, theschool curriculum is different,
but you know, we don't complainin front of them and they don't
feel our hardship.
And we, like you know, bepositive in front of them and
(21:59):
they don't feel our hardship.
And we, like you know, bepositive in front of them and
they, we say, okay, tomorrowwill be a better day.
But we, we, we can feel yourchallenge and we speak about
your challenge, but let's see ifwe can.
You know, maybe better, it's alittle bit the next day and yeah
, so the kids have found thatthe kids are very different here
, very different.
So it is a, it is a trueculture shock.
Yeah, I can't, I can't say itany better.
It is a true culture shock, Ican't say it any better.
(22:20):
It is a true culture shock, butit's one to embrace and see
where we go from there.
Warren Burley (22:25):
So what advice would you give to someone
thinking about moving toPortugal?
Tania plakonouris (22:30):
Know what you know and know what you don't
know.
That's a good one that myhusband always says yeah, do
your homework, don't believeeverything that social media
puts on Facebook.
Yeah, so read up, read up a lot, but sure, it's an exciting
(22:53):
thing to do.
It's a wonderful thing toexperience, to leave your
comfort zone and create anotherright.
Yeah, so that's what I'vereally appreciated.
So, yeah, so if you're everthinking of of leaving south
africa, um, do it with the sensethat you you're not leaving
shit behind.
Yeah, um, you're taking yourshit with you and you're going
(23:17):
to try and create a betterenvironment.
Okay, you know so, yeah.
So don't say, oh, I'm going toleave this terrible place
because you are the terribleplace.
Warren Burley (23:27):
That's some good advice actually.
Tania plakonouris (23:29):
Know that, yeah, you create.
You know peace is where I am.
This is what we say toourselves all the time.
So you create what you want tocreate and so come with very
open arms.
Understand that you are cominginto an environment that is very
different.
When we arrived here, you knowwhat was the biggest challenge?
(23:50):
Was that people really juststart waking up or going out
from nine in the evening?
So we arrived here and, okay,we arrived in the winter.
So we arrived in late January.
So we came into freezing coldwith our little South African
jerseys, and so we had toquickly sort that out.
(24:12):
And then we bought some decentclothes and then we understood
about the early evenings.
Everybody goes back, you know,comes indoors at night in the
winter, but summer came andnothing really comes alive
before 9 pm, and that's when wewant to go to bed, but the
(24:32):
parties are after nine thefesters, the markets, children's
activities.
So Mila, my oldest weencouraged both girls to be part
of an extramural activity.
So Mila went straight into herflute, so she became part of an
orchestra and training was onlyat half past nine at night.
(24:53):
So, yes, ryan and I were goingto drop her off at the training
at half past nine at night untilhalf past 11 and I'm thinking,
no, I can't do this.
Back home we are locked upready for bed half past eight
yeah, right, yeah in bed by ninedinner yes at dinner.
(25:15):
Yes, supper at a restaurant yeah, you go in at 7 o'clock at
night and it's dead, dead, deaddead and you think, oh goodness,
is this a good restaurant, orwhy is no one here?
It starts to become quite happyabout hot post 8.
It's bursting with energy from10 o'clock at night until like 1
(25:35):
, 2 o'clock and I'm thinking, oh, my goodness, can I actually
even start comprehending aboutthis lifestyle?
And then everybody only startswork at 9 o'clock in the morning
.
Warren Burley (25:47):
I was going to say what time do they get up?
Tania plakonouris (25:49):
No, so then it's a late arrival at work.
Work starts here at 9 o'clock,and then you have a lunch break
and then you work until 7pm.
And hence why everything, allother murals, all other
activities only happen after 7,because everyone is working
until 7pm.
Warren Burley (26:09):
Yeah.
Tania plakonouris (26:10):
Because they take long lunch breaks and
everybody goes home and has alunch and so, yeah, so that was
a big adjustment to the timezones.
Yeah, to the weather.
So weather's a thing here too.
You know, us South Africans, wetalk about weather, but it is.
It's a big adjustment, althoughPortugal is mild weather in
(26:32):
comparison to some othercountries.
So, yeah, so it's quite funny.
You think that these thingsdon't make a difference, but
they do.
Little challenges that you canmake very big, but if you laugh
about them and you think, hangon, I'll be okay within a year,
waking up at seven, only goingto school at half past eight.
Warren Burley (26:58):
It sounds like you've got a lot of challenges,
but it also sounds like you'reovercoming them quite easily.
Tania plakonouris (27:02):
We do.
There's been tears, I havecried and I have thought oh, my
goodness, am I doing the rightthing with the children?
It's always the kids.
You know.
You kind of lose your identityas a person because you're a
parent first.
So you almost say, okay, if thekids are okay, you'll be okay.
But also that's not, that'snonsense, you know, because if
(27:23):
you're okay, the kids will beokay yeah, yeah, because they
kind of feed off our energy,don't they?
you read, they do so it's it'sboth ways.
So, ryan and I really we do tryand be positive about it, but
we don't hide our fears, becauseit's all about fears and you
know.
And it's also about being brave, because you know you've got to
(27:45):
be brave.
We have to be brave to leavesomething we know and something
that we are so comfortable with,but and to change, to change
our whole perspective aboutthings and what is right and
what's wrong To me.
You know, there was this oneperson that told me because you
know, I often speak aboutreligion and I often talk about
(28:06):
my deep faith, and I remember avery, very close friend of mine
saying oh, you know, excuse mefor my language, but he says no,
man, the Ten Commandments, allyou need to do is not be an
arsehole.
That's my Ten Commandments.
Warren Burley (28:22):
Just be lackey.
Tania plakonouris (28:23):
Just be good, just be good, you know, and
then everything else will come.
Warren Burley (28:29):
It's true advice.
So what does the future holdfor you in Portugal?
Any exciting projects or goals?
Tania plakonouris (28:36):
I think we're having short-term goals right
now, um, because of thechallenges we, we we find
ourselves in terms of finances.
We, we've got all our lifesavings in one little, in one
little bag, and we're buildingour new home.
Um, so, finances to to justkeep it.
(28:57):
The other big challenge wouldbe, or the other next goal is to
create a better career formyself, and so I really do
appreciate that I've been giventhe opportunity to start all
over again, and I appreciatebeing given the task of doing
(29:19):
something that's simple but yetso important in the bigger
picture of things.
So, yes, I'm cleaning and, yes,I'm serving breakfast again and
, yes, I'm doing purchasing andI'm not delegating and running,
you know, a five-star hotelanymore.
Yet I'm part of something, I'mpart of a cog that needs to to
work, so, but I would like tosee more of myself, um, so I can
(29:47):
see more of myself.
So the goal would be is toallow me to get, or have,
opportunity to be more, so Iwould like to continuously look
for that opportunity to be moreso.
That could be a goal.
So I don't know what it is, butit's there.
(30:07):
Ron and I want to maybe start abusiness for our whole family,
so my sister-in-law, kim andFranz.
We often talk about starting aconstruction business here in
Portugal because we're all quitehandy when it comes to you know
, we're quite resourceful withour hands, so maybe that's
(30:29):
something that we could pursue.
It's just a talk now, butpossibly something to pursue,
and I'd like to see my childrenhave the opportunity to either
come to me and say great, mom,you've given me the opportunity
to live in a rural area, but Iwant to go to university, or no,
I want a homestead, I want tocarry on living from the land.
(30:52):
So I want to give themopportunity, I want to give them
options, and I felt that Iwasn't giving that to them in
South Africa, so I'm hoping thatthat goal is something that I
could do.
Warren Burley (31:02):
Yeah, so final question, the famous question
that everybody gets asked is thegrass greener on the other side
?
Tania plakonouris (31:10):
My grass was beautiful in South Africa, and
so I'm planning to make my grassbeautiful here too.
My grass was beautiful, yeah,so I'm going to make my grass
beautiful here too.
My grass was beautiful, yeah,so I'm going to make it
beautiful here too.
Warren Burley (31:20):
Well, it sounds like you're bringing the shit
with you.
Exactly, make the grass greener, okay, yeah.
Tania plakonouris (31:28):
It might not be now.
Warren Burley (31:29):
Yeah, it's been fantastic having you on the show
.
Thank you for your time.
It's a pleasure and good luckfor the future and hopefully we
catch up soon thank you, thankyou, thank you, you take care
you too, thanks, thanks, taliaokay, bye, bye if you're eager
to explore more stories of SouthAfricans Abroad, be sure to hit
that subscribe button so younever miss a moment for
(31:51):
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fellow listeners.
Be sure to join our vibrantcommunity on Facebook.
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