Vocabulary

 

coast	nomad (2)	private (3)
offer	location	year round
mild	pack (2)	population
design	trade (3)	permanent
citizen	space (2)	around (3)
full (2)	lifestyle	commitment
decide	found out	begin/began/begun
island	try it out	come/came/come
scenery	situation	find/found/found
villa	book (2)	give up (2)
flight	co-work	strengthen
free (2)	charge (2)	free of charge
founder	clear (2)	productivity
as well	trade in	feel/felt/felt (2)
mode	point (3)	destination
globe	residence	around the globe
tired	head (3)	take care of
Elysian	benefits	know/knew/known
lonely	structure	now-and-then
event	go wrong	build/built/built
stay	try/tried	go/went/gone
limit	stimulate	all the time
beyond	workplace	grow/grew/grown (2)
tai chi	get to (2)	see/saw/seen
IT	boot up	give/gave/given
place	amazing	globetrotter
enrich	view (2)	think/thought/thought (2)
mind	member	community
session	share (3)	come out (3)
activity	area (2)	melting point (2)
setting	creativity	meet/met/met
career	melt (2)	more or less
kick	kick back	progression
		unforgettable

 
 
 
 
 

Video: Digital Nomads on Madeira, 2

 

Transcript

Europe’s first village for digital nomads is in Ponta do Sol, on the southwestern coats of the Portuguese island, Madeira.

Year round, the location offers mild weather in an Elysian setting. It’s just the place for people who only need a laptop for work.

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Ana Maria Ghita has been living here for nearly two months. An app designer from Romania, she’s traded in her permanent residence for a workplace in the sun.

Ana Maria Ghita, App Designer: “Well, I did want to try out this lifestyle of a digital nomad. And I didn’t want to made a full commitment from the beginning.

So I decided I would come for a month, try it out. And I found out about Madeira being the first digital nomad village, Ponta do Sol, in Europe.

We have the co-working space. We have a community. So it seemed safe and clear. And that’s why I decided to come here and book my flight.”

Almost every day, the designer goes to the co-working space in the cultural center in Ponta do Sol.

Use if free of charge.

Ana Maria Ghita, App Designer: “Well the benefits are that I am able to work in a beautiful environment, with a beautiful scenery. That helps my productivity as well, my creativity especially.

And after working hours, do all kinds of activities with the people from the community. And that makes me feel in vacation mode all the time.”

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Working where others go on vacation isn’t a new idea. The Indonesian island of Bali is another popular destination for digital nomads. Big cities like Lisbon and Berlin are also popular. Digital nomads work all around the globe.

And when they get tired of one place, they simply pack their bags and head for another.

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One founder of the village for digital nomads, Goncalo Hall of Portugal, traveled all around the world as he worked.

He knows that even globetrotters get lonely now-and-then.

Goncalo Hall, Initiator, Digital Nomad Village: “We wanted to build the whole structure. So if you come here as a nomad, you have your questions answered. You know there are events. The government is organizing the events.

You know that there is a community leader. If anything goes wrong, if a friend of yours goes to the hospital, they will take care of you.

And that’s the structure that we’ve built here, that I’ve never seen anywhere else in the world.

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Ponta do Sol has a population of eight-thousand two-hundred, and room for around two-hundred digital nomads, who stay either in private homes or hotels.

But the community is already growing beyond its limits.

Local Resident, Male, one: “We’re pleased, because this strengthens Ponta do Sol and Madeira economically. That’s not just good for my business, but for everyone here.”

Local Resident, Female, two: “We learn from the different cultures. People that come to the island, we get to meet new people and learn. And they get to learn our cultures. And we get to see their cultures.

So I think it’s positive. Very positive. I think it’s a good idea.”

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Federico Violante has lived in this villa in Ponta do Sol since March. An IT manager, he’s been a digital nomad since 2019.

The Italian citizen has long since given up his apartment in Rome.

Federico Violante, IT Manager: “Being in contact with different cultures and situations, and just amazing places. It’s really enriching, and opening my views and my mind. And I think that’s really important.”

Each day, members of the community share their special skills with each other in professional educational sessions.

Federico Violante, IT Manager: “The village is really a melting point for meeting new people that come from different job areas, or similar job areas with more or less experience than mine.

That really stimulates my creativity and my work skills. And that’s really helpful for my job progression and career.”

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And after work, the digital nomads can kick back with a yoga session or some tai chi.

Ponta do Sol in Madeira offers digital nomads than just a place to boot up their laptops.

Living there is an unforgettable experience.

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Questions

Smartphone. The first digital nomad community was established in London. True or false?

Tablet. Do digital nomads need elaborate technical infrastructure to work?

Phablet. Most of the residents in Ponta do Sol are foreign digital nomads. Is this right or wrong?

Laptop. Ana Maria only loves four-season, temperate climates. Is this right or wrong? What does she think about Madeira? How does she feel about Madeira?

Notebook. The digital nomads work mostly from their own rooms or homes, independently and in isolation. Is this correct or incorrect?

Keyboard. Is Madeira Island totally unique in terms of being a digital nomad destination?

Mouse. Goncalo Hall, the founder of the digital nomad village of Ponta do Sol is a businessman. He has a background in business enterprises. Yes or no?

Webcam. According to Goncalo Hall, how is the digital nomad community of Ponta do Sol unique? How does it differ from other digital nomad hot spots?

CD Drive, DVD Player. Are the locals xenophobic? Do they dislike outsiders?

Desktop Computer, PC. How do the digital nomads describe Madeira Island? Is this a big distraction, making them lazy, listless, unimaginative and unproductive?

Monitor. After finishing work, do they all go home, watch TV and surf the internet by themselves?

 
 
 
Cable. Many people in my town, city and country do remote work. True or false? Do you know anyone who is a remote worker?

External Speakers. Are there digital nomads or expats in your town or city? Who are they? Where do they come from? What do they do? Why are they there?

Power Supply Cord. Do you know anyone who is a digital nomad or expat? Are some or many people from your country digital nomads? What do they say?

Built-in Microphone. My friends and I would like to become digital nomads. Yes or no?

Router. What are the advantages or benefits or being a digital nomad? What are the drawbacks or disadvantages?

Headphones. What should governments, companies, businesses and people do?

UBS Port. What might happen in the future?