“The first thing that came up in my mind when asked about a favorite place was how much I have been appreciating feeling at home in Eindhoven, to be with friends here and to experience new things with them”, says Alves Lino. “If you ask for my favorite place I would answer ‘a place where I am with my friends and have fun with them’”, he adds. “That would be in funky places, where I can be myself and be with my friends and listen to music, for example the Effenaar.
I quite like going there.

I really have the best time there. Perhaps other people would mention a fancy shop or cultural things, but lately I have given much more attention to personal experiences, which really make me happy. It makes me feel like home.” He explains: “In the Effenaar you do not only meet the people you work with, but also people with whom you can have local references. With them you can have human contact.”

Soul and excitement
The first impression of Alves Lino of Eindhoven was that it’s a modern city. “The first time I saw Eindhoven, I thought it is so modern, it lacks on soul. But when you get to know people and feel integrated, you realize it can be a rather ‘culty’ city. You have to look for the soul. It’s not visible at first sight. It’s more from the inside.”

Alves Lino also mentions some disadvantages of living in Eindhoven: “I must admit that the fact that shops close at six o’clock is not really exciting. When you work until six you realize the only thing you can do after work is have a drink or go to a supermarket. Sundays are not that exciting in Eindhoven either.” On the other hand he mentions that Eindhoven is well placed and whenever you want to change environment you just take your car and within half an hour or an hour you enjoy Amsterdam, Cologne or Antwerp.

Leading in technology?
There are some things he would like to change about Eindhoven. Alves Lino: “Eindhoven should be ‘Leading in Technology’. If this is a city of technology and design why don’t we have a wireless Internet in the whole city? The symbol of Technology should be more tangible in the city. ‘Leading in Technology’ should not only be a phrase, it should also be reality.”

Alves Lino compares Eindhoven to his home town Lisbon. “Eindhoven is smaller and Dutch”, he says. “People in the Netherlands are northern people and they are different from southern people. People in the north are more objective-oriented, towards results. We in the south are more passionate, more emotional. I am not saying we don’t reach our goals, but reaching them is an emotional experience for us.”

Finally he tells us what he misses most. Alves Lino: “That would be having the ocean nearby. Of course I miss my friends and family, but I often go to meet them, so that is fine. But it’s at an environmental level I miss Lisbon most. I miss the food, the weather. But you don’t go to Portugal just to have a dinner.”/.