Just passed in Portuguese Parliament, the path for us expats and immigrants toward citizenship in Portugal is changing. Some people are fed up with how over-immigration is impacting this country and are cheering for reform. Some are livid that these changes will have a tangible impact on their lives, and not a positive one. It seems like everyone in Portugal is having big feelings right now. Online, in person, if you are thinking of moving to Portugal or living here, this is the topic of the moment. We break down what is changing, who's happy, who is unhappy, and why. Then we go through some of the social media posts we've seen. Some advice from Ryan the therapist: if you are coming at this discussion from a place of anger, maybe think about it a little more. We are all entitled to feel our feelings, but to have a fruitful conversation about a complicated topic, it's often really helpful to do your best to try to see both sides.
Fresh off of a trip to the UK, we find ourselves asking, "Could we live there?". So we take a look at some different categories: food, accommodation, transport, weather, and making friends, and try to compare Portugal with the UK. Which would you choose?
Meticulous overplanners, those who throw caution to the wind and come with a dream, lovers reuniting with their loves, career chasers, where do you fit in?
We fit into several of these categories ourselves, so we dive into the good, the bad, and the ugly about different expat personas.
Spoiler: there is no "best way" to move abroad. Each way has its pros and cons, so use your head and your heart when planning your move!
An appendix removal in Northern Ireland, a heart attack in Portugal, kidney stones in Australia. You never think a medical emergency will happen to you, but what do you do when it does?
Fresh off of an appendectomy, Ryan and Liz share their experience with the United Kingdomâs National Health Services, or the NHS.
You thought the appendicitis was scary? We also talk through the heart attack Ryan had in Portugal back in 2023 and the life saving care that he received. Why does this man think itâs so fun to have medical emergencies???? He really needs new hobbiesâŠ
Liz hasnât been as medically adventurous but helped translate for a Spanish speaking friend in Australia who had kidney stones and talks through that experience.
Being an expat often means being far from family, but being in a medical emergency means that you need to have people to help you. Sometimes that can feel impossibly difficult and other times the world can surprise you with just how kind and wonderful strangers can be.
We finish with a would you rather about medical emergencies, because who wouldnât want to play a game about that?
Find us on Instagram @expatslisten or send us an email expatslisten@gmail.com to tell us your story!
There are things that you know will be difficult about life abroad- being far from family and friends, language barriers, work, finding friends, visa struggles.
But then there are the things that you truly cannot believe knock you down.
Where is the place that Liz has been brought to tears the most in Portugal? The Portuguese post office, or the CTT.
Liz despises the Portuguese post office. Nothing can ruin her week faster than knowing she needs to pick up a package.
Was that on anybody's move abroad bingo card? I can't believe it was! But that's the thing about starting a life abroad- it's full of surprises. Some are good and some might be infuriating.
Enjoy Liz's rant, and please, don't mail us anything! đ€Ł
Join the conversation on Instagram @expatslisten or email us expatslisten@gmail.com
#livingabroad #expatlife #rant #movetoportugal
You've heard the things we struggle with on "Don't move to Portugal unless..." (And if you haven't, go listen to that episode!) It's time to talk about some of the things that surprised us about becoming expats in Portugal in the best ways.
Whenever you move to a country as an expat or an immigrant, you go there with lots of expectations. Most of your experiences will be very different from those expectations, some in difficult and painful ways and others in delightful and wonderful ways.
This week, we are talking about the delightful and wonderful surprises that we found when we moved to Portugal, from fresh orange juice machines to aging gracefully and a lot more.
We also hear some of the happy surprises of moving to Portugal from listeners Jane, Gareth, Ena, and Milos.
Want to connect? Instagram @expatslisten or expatslisten@gmail.com
What is home, really? As an expat, this answer can be so complicated. If I say that home is where I live now, am I abandoning where I came from? If I say that home is where I was born, am I living in the past and not showing love to the life I have worked so hard to build here?
And what about homesickness? We definitely miss people and places and things from our past homes. But we also miss the version of ourselves that was there for all of that. So going back to that place might not give us that same feeling.
It's a big one, so let's dive in.
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Or on email expatslisten@gmail.com
#expatlife #whatishome #findinghome #expats
Everybody makes mistakes, but sometimes when you move abroad, what you don't know can cost you dearly.
Ryan and Liz share some of the biggest expat mistakes they made, from paperwork errors that ended in tears, a job opportunity that turned into a scam, and lots more.
Listener Nina shares her expat mistake of trying to become a local and losing her identity along the way.
Learn from our mistakes so that you don't make them yourself! đ
A loaded question! But one that you should ask yourself, whether or not other people ask you.
Moving away from a good job and âon the right trackâ life in New York, Liz was asked this question constantly in her 20âs when she chose a new path. Moving from South Africa to Europe, nobody asked Ryan what he was running away from, but he asked himself.
We have all tried to run away from our problems at one point or another, and moving to another country seems like such a shiny way to start fresh. Unfortunately, your problems are yours and theyâll stay stuck to you wherever you go.
That said, there are always going to be good things AND bad things about every place. The key is finding balance and being able to see both the good and the bad when youâre choosing where to live. Seeing only the bad or only the good is a sure way to make yourself miserable, and weâve seen plenty of that in expats and immigrants from our own countries!
So how do you find that balance? And how do you run toward what you want instead of running away from what you donât? Ryan and Liz have so much to talk about this week!
Plus, now that weâve got real listeners, our new segment where we hear from YOU and have some real expats chime in on what they say when asked what theyâre running away from. This week weâve got Massimo from Italy living in Canada, Anca from Romania living in Portugal, and Ian from South Africa living in the United Kingdom.
Do you want to be featured in a future episode? Send us a DM on Instagram @expatslisten and weâll send you the question! đ
When you live abroad, how do you balance your vacation days? You want to visit your friends and family but you also want to rest or explore somewhere new. Doing one means less time to do the other, so it's tricky!
Liz feels guilty that she left and bends over backwards to create an intricate schedule to see everyone she can while she's back in New York. Ryan feels like he came all the way back to South Africa so his friends and family can put a little effort in to see him while he's there. What about you? Join the conversation on Instagram and tell us what you think! @expatslisten
This week's would you rather is two true vacation destinations, Iceland and the Seychelles.
#vacationmode #visitinghome #expatlife #holidays
Expats Listen is thrilled to announce our first interview! We are joined by another South African named Ryan, but with a very different story. After a gap year in Taiwan, Ryan Brock's partner got a job offer she couldn't refuse in London and together they made the move. What they thought would be maybe 2 or 3 years turned into 8 and counting! While Brock wasn't the most prepared for the move (he only brought one pair of shorts because he never expected to see the sun), the South African community fully took his family under their wings and created a soft landing in a new place.
#expatlife #movetolondon #southafrica #london #interview
Thinking of making the move to Portugal? You're not alone! So many folks have recently made the move or are planning it now. Stop reading articles that tell you how idyllic and perfect your life will be here. There are phenomenal things about living in Portugal, but you also need to hear some of the hard truths of what you need to accept if you want to live here. So let's get going. Don't move to Portugal unless.......
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#expatlife #Portugal #movetoeurope
We know these can be loaded words! Ryan and Liz talk through what it means to be an expat, and what it means to be an immigrant, both in theory and in practice. We share some stories of how we đżđŠđșđž are labeled and treated, and Psychologist Ryan talks through how difficult it can be to be shoved into a box that might not feel like you fit into. Our show is called Expats Listen, but we identify as both, and we are most definitely here for the Immigrants just as much as the Expats!
Hosts Ryan and Liz met in an airport. Yep, really. Hear the whole story of how we met in the airport in Muscat, Oman. A listener question is answered about intercultural relationships. We wrap it up with our first ever "Would you rather?" with the choices of South Africa versus the USA.
Our first episode! Meet hosts Ryan đđŸââïžđżđŠ and Liz đđŒââïžđșđž and see what we have in store for this podcast, a place to be real about the ups and downs of living abroad for expats and immigrants.