Meet the man who may become their social lifeline in the Algarve
They came from as far away as Tavira, driving an hour to Lagos to be with other Americans. This time it was a Fourth of July celebration where about 130 people, mostly Americans including myself, gathered to celebrate Independence Day.
You can tell that Paul Hasenfus loves creating these gatherings for his fellow Americans. And by the ever increasing turn-outs, it appears Americans are very grateful for his efforts.
Paul immigrated from San Diego, California in 2017 and a year later he started bringing Americans together for Thanksgiving celebrations. Over the past six years, he’s organised five of these events (with a pause in 2020 due to COVID).
The events have steadily grown from 65 people back in 2018 to 200 people last year in November 2023. This was his first Fourth of July gathering and, by any measure, it was a hit. “I figured 50 or 60 people would be coming,” Paul said. “When I found out it was 130, I was shocked!”
More Americans but still a tiny fraction
We know from official statistics that track hotel stays and airline flights, increasing numbers of Americans are visiting Portugal. (The latest measure is based on the increase in hotel stays, which according to Portugal’s National Statistics Institute, makes Americans the third most important market for hotels.)
Paul’s attendance numbers may be unofficial, but they undeniably highlight the expanding American community in Southern Portugal. During my attendance at the Fourth of July event, held at Boa Vista, a resort community near Lagos, I got to talk to several Americans – discovering that most have lived here for no more than three or four years and others are newer than that.
Unlike the British, who have long been coming to Portugal and comprise the second largest number of immigrants (nearly 37,000 according to 2022 stats, far behind Brazil with 233,000), American immigration is still minuscule at around 10,000.
So, despite all the fanfare about Americans visiting Portugal, there are still very few of us who have actually immigrated here. We make up less than 1.5% of the country’s total immigrant population.
Finding our American peeps
So maybe that’s why Paul’s gatherings for Americans are such a hit. They’re a way to find each other! Even in the midst of the Fourth of July celebration, when America is hurtling toward a 2024 presidential election fraught with uncertainty there was no apparent antagonism at the gathering. Before coming, I wondered if people would be divided into “red” and “blue” groups. Would conversations turn heated? Would the atmosphere be tense?
But most everyone seemed on their best behavior and, when asked, attendees consistently shared with me some version of what Tina Dameron, an American from California living in Portugal for three years, had to say. “It just seems like we are here with all of our new friends in our new country having a wonderful barbecue, regardless of what date it is.”
Paul echoed that sentiment when I suggested that Thanksgiving was one thing but a Fourth of July event could be volatile. “I wasn’t thinking about having any kind of political conflict between anybody,” he said. “I was just thinking about putting together a barbecue for a group of people –Americans – to celebrate the birth of our country.”
It’s obvious that when Paul started these gatherings, he didn’t imagine they would grow to what they are today. As the event dispersed, it was clear that his work was about more than just organising. It was about creating a sense of belonging, a home away from home, connecting Americans to their roots and to each other.
Becca Williams, an American immigrant, is settled into small town living in Lagos. Contact her at AlgarveBecca@gmail.com
Future events will be promoted on Facebook, ‘Americans Living in the Algarve’, and ‘Americans&FriendsPt’. To book the Thanksgiving event on Sunday, 24 November, send an email to: alitathanksgivingevent@gmail.com
