American Struggles with Culture Shock in Portugal but Turns It Around
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- Опубліковано 3 чер 2024
- Kalie from ExpatsEverywhere sits down with Emily, an American who has moved to and lives in Porto, Portugal. She talks about culture shock, if she likes Porto, and opening up a cafe. Have you felt culture shock? Let us know about it. Did Emily's advice help?
Head over to Cafe Passaporte for great coffee and yummy bagels: www.cafepassaporte.com/
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Josh and Kalie left the US for a life abroad in 2009 and haven't looked back. They have lived in Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and are currently in Portugal. Yes, they realize they only moved to countries starting with the letter "S" until they spoiled that streak with their move to Portugal. Follow ExpatsEverywhere as we aim to get information to you through expat interviews, city breakdowns, expat life, travel, vlogs, and more.
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Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Is Culture Shock Real?
01:35 - Have You Ever Lived Outside of the US?
03:12 - Did You Think About Moving Back to the US?
04:49 - Why Did You Choose Portugal?
05:58 - How Did You Decide What City to Move to?
07:12 - What Things Do You Like and Dislike Here?
09:42 - Are You Happy Here?
11:02 - Do you Speak Portuguese?
14:26 - Nomad Capitalist Live
15:29 - How Was Your Visa Process?
16:35 - Why Did You Decide to Open a Cafe?
18:40 - Was It Hard Getting Your Business Started?
20:28 - Do Locals Understand Bagels?
24:11 - How Have the Portuguese Community Supported You?
25:39 - What Advice Can You Give to People to Prepare Them for Culture Shock?
27:00 - How Has Living Abroad Transformed Your Life?
Have you ever experienced culture shock? What happened?
(🚨 BTW for those in Porto, we're going to be at Cafe Passaporte this Wednesday (April 17th) at noon to celebrate this interview with Emily and have a bagel or so. 😁 If you'd like to come and say hi to us or Emily, that would be great. - Josh & Kalie)
_"Not having the groceries I'm used to"_ - Why would she miss garbage when she has so much better things here in Portugal?
Because food in the USA has high amounts of sugar which is addictive.
Because is not what you are used to... That should be enough reason. If it is better, it will be easier to stay, but will not erase your childhood ;)
@@samuelsimoes8575Still, if you're gonna move somewhere in a permanent or even temporary capacity you should know what they have there available that will impact your life... Food being a primary one. I mean, I love my country and live abroad but along with the weather, and the relatively quiet pace of life, food has to be one of the major things someone would move to Portugal. You should not be "Shocked" that they have their own food I mean that just sounds dumb
😂😂😂
@@sledgehog1 Portuguese here, living in the US, can confirm :)
The thing that makes the biggest difference that I see expats disregard is learning the language. As soon as you speak the language of the place you live in, your perspective changes and the perception that people have from you being a foreigner living in their country also changes. You become one of them.
Nicely put!
O drama, o choque, o horror lol
It takes guts to do what Emily did, so kudos to her, and here’s to hoping everything turns out right! 🤞
Thank you, Paulo. Next time you pass through, let's go get a bagel and coffee there if you'd like. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere , sounds brilliant! 👍🏻
Excellent, insightful interview. We love living in Portugal. Porto reminds us so much of our hometown of San Francisco. Give us cool, damp and foggy any day over too hot and sunny 😊
Thank you very much. We appreciate hearing your feedback. :-) - Josh & Kalie
Unfortunately Porto has a lot of too hot and sunny days ... An average of more than 300 sunny days per year while also raining almost trice as much as in London. So, when it rains it usually pours...
Please don't insult Porto like that SF is a shithole
Culture shock and getting homesick is rough. Emily is right about getting involved in your community in order to feel more comfortable. Love the video/sound production. Great topic to touch on. When I relocate I will be coming alone so I will be looking for Americans that have been there awhile and can give me encouragement.
Thanks for watching, Regina, and thanks for the feedback on the video/sound production. We had a few issues with this one on the production side but we're glad it didn't disturb your viewing experience. We were filming with HUGE glass windows the back of the camera and when the sun rose above the buildings across the street, the light poured in to the space and started to blow the image out for the last 1/3 of the interview. We didn't see it's effects until we got the footage into post. :-( When you get here, if you're in Porto, you've got a community that will encourage you. :-) - Josh & Kalie
Recording in an empty space without much to absorb sound is tricky but you managed very well.
Nowadays people apply a lot the word "shocked" instead of "surprised". The meanings are quite different. "I was shocked it was so good"... No you weren't... You were surprised! Shocked has a negative meaning, it relates to bad stuff, it's a negative surprise along with upsetness.
Culture shock is a commonly known term and culture surprise wouldn’t have a definitive semantic meaning to most people. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Of course. I wasen´t mentioning it in regards to Culture Shock, that's it's own thing/term. I was just pointing at the overuse of being "shocked" (per se) in general, being wrongly applied to certain situations, like in good/pleasant happenings. =)
@@kikoempisIsso para ela não interessa, aliás o americano gosta de generalizar e não aprofundar.
E além disso é arrogante a menina , like e subscrição minha esqueça.
If you think shock/shocked carries a negative connotation exclusively that's a you problem
@@TheRealVarzens Nope. That's an English problem. I'd suggest you check a good English dictionary. Due to the misuse of the word in recent times the negative conotation is slowly changing. But still, shocked has a negative meaning.
For a positive use, you could apply surpirised, amazed, stunned, astonished, astounded, flabbergasted, stupefyed... There are plenty of words other than shocked.
I will never get over people who relocate here without ever visiting the country. It is really a leap of faith whereas my wife have lived in many countries and were comfortable in making a country change. Our first visit to Porto it was raining and cold but we loved it just the same. So we came to Porto with our eyes wide open about the cold and rainy weather. We wanted a city that was walkable. I commend the courage of this young lady.
:-) Kalie and I have done it 3 times out of 5 HAHA (Spain, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were all sight unseen) We always knew it was short/medium term though (1-2 years)- Josh & Kalie
Portugal is Portugal not USA !!!
Claro.
Falta de noção da realidade, pessoas assim pensam que o resto do mundo é como elas imaginam ou querem.
Não vêm para se adaptar ao país e ao mundo, querem que o mundo se adapte a eles.
Exactamente isso que eu penso, obrigada !!
@@RosadosVentos963 ela não disse isso
Nem mais
uma jovem americana a falar "choque" e "cultura" em Portugal é mesmo Não ter noção de mais nada (mas isso já estamos habituados por parte dos americanos) e muito menos ter noção da triste realidade no país dela nos dias de hoje. Por alguma razão a sra veio para cá. Contudo, já mostra alguma energia ao fazer o seu negócio, como tal desejo-lhe sucesso, mas que não perca tempo a fazer muitas análises. Os portugueses são o que são. Umas gentes fantásticas bem mais afáveis e muitissimo menos arrogantes do que qualquer americano. Prometida uma visita para um cafezinho de que tanto gosto.
Hi Guys
I really enjoyed this video, Several things that were covered I can totally relate to..
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful videos !!🌺🤗☕☕
Thank you for the insightful interview and your wonderful channel. I am coming up on two years in Portugal at the end of this month and I also moved here sight unseen. Having lived abroad before, culture shock is something I experienced every time I traveled back and forth. Since moving to Portugal, I have not returned to the US. This has helped me adapt the mindset that I am here to stay. Still, moving abroad is a major life change and for me, it has also been a big adjustment on many levels.
Thank you very much, Michelle. We appreciate you still tuning in and supporting the channel. We hope for your continued success and progress with your move abroad. - Josh & Kalie
Great conversation and I’m excited to know about this cafe near Campanha station. Looking forward to stopping by when we are in the area! Thanks 😊
Thank you very much. Please do! We're going there on Wednesday at noon to meetup with any viewers that want to say hi to us or Emily. We appreciate you watching, Carmin. - Josh & Kalie
Definitely will visit Passaporte next trip to Porto. Love bagels and American coffee too. Congrats and best of luck to Emily. Kalie was great too as usual providing an informative and useful video by ExpatsEverywhere. Well done.
Thanks so much! 😊 We appreciate this positive feedback, Manny. Enjoy the bagels next time you're in Porto. - Josh & Kalie
Really good interview, Kalie!😊
Thank you, Terri! Great to hear from you. - Josh & Kalie
Really good interview, starting a business that is a great way to ground more into the country for sure, hopefully it grows from the customer base and to from Emily creative force, I live in Lisbon and I am Portuguese, but her cafe will be on my radar when i do my next visit to Porto for sure...
Thank you! It was really nice to read your kind words. We hope that you make it to her cafe. :-) - Josh & Kalie
Loved the video! I'm from Porto born and raised and the weather is still a culture shock for me 😅.
Great interview, and, as Americans living in Nazare, we are envious of those in or near Porto who have regular access to this lovely cafe. The bagels look amazing. We will definitely be visiting at our earliest convenience.
Thank you for watching. Please pay Porto and Cafe Passaporte a visit soon. :-) Enjoy! - Josh & Kalie
Love the video and getting to hear more about Emily! Love her cafe such a nice spot when I’m wanting a fancy coffee. ☕️
Thanks for the love, Rachel. We appreciate the feedback. Will we see you on Wednesday? - Josh & Kalie
Welcome to Portugal
Thanks, Jose. - Josh & Kalie
Well, I lived 6 years in the US with a perspective of being my permanent home and I can also tell it wasn't easy. Weather was way different - too cold during Winter, too hot during Summer; celebrations and holidays were different, scale was different - even in food; there were a few foods I was familiar with, but tasted different in the US (sugar is substituted by corn fructose); beer was way more expensive; cars had automatic shift; people only spoke English; social interactions were way different, etc... Still, there's good people everywhere and despite the differences I made a lot of friends, who I had to leave behind when I got back... but they still live inside me and thankfully to modern technologies we keep connected as best as possible.
I agree with the cold. Homes in the US are better prepared for the cold winters than ours. But we never have extreme cold as in some States in the US. Anyway, I have to agree with this one.
There are good things and bad things everywhere.
I always felt safe in the US, but I had some edge situations where I felt I would be in trouble and life threatening. Something I never felt in Portugal.
Anyway, the thing is if you have the will to integrate and learn about the culture and meet the local people, you get used to. Portuguese are friendly in general and even not speaking the language they try to help you. I felt the same in the US, but maybe I was lucky with the people I met. Depending where you are from in the US, there's some areas where you have a melting pot of different languages, so you have to expect some broken English and will to communicate with you.
It's all good in the end. Home is where your heart is.
Thanks for sharing your experiences the other way around. It sounds like you're making it! - Josh & Kalie
Welcome to Portugal...I hope that you would feel at home in our country!!
Thank you. That's very kind! - Josh & Kalie
Great interview, thanks for the fanstastic content.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you very much for the positive feedback. - Josh & Kalie
06:35 I'd say Porto is a big city, but has the feeling of a small one.
Porto has around One Million people.
Wikipedia says that the municipality has circa 238.000, but "city" status in Portugal is a bit bizarre.
- A small parish with 8000 people can be called a city for having all the amenities needed for being considered one, but afterwards, it can grow beyond its borders. There's no parish called "Porto", the all municipality is called Porto.
I would call the city of Porto its municipality but also the neighbouring municipalities: VN Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia, and Gondomar. Together they form the Urban Area of Porto - the City. Not to be confused with the Metro Area of Porto, which encompasses 17 municipalities, which is in itself a Sub-Region of the North, and has 1.7 Million inhabitants
Porto officially ends with the borders of the municipality. Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia, Gondomar... aren't a part of Porto, people there pay different local taxes, have different types of services and different administrative places. Housing rules are also different and in many cases, the eletric instalation is different and even public transportation is different (in Porto you have STCP, while in the other places you have UNIR - which is a aglomerate of different companies under a same brand that used to run in those places separately before 2023).
“Culture Shock”: in Portugal you have breakfast and dinner at “normal” hours, no one is going to dinner at 17:00 (5 pm) 😂, in Europe we like renewable energy and also, Portugal doesn’t have as much garbage food or sugar in the food as in the USA; Portugal having more fruits and vegetables everywhere than in the USA; Portugal having normal “non diabetic” bag sizes and not the huge king or family sizes as in the USA; in Portugal people make some work breaks to drink a coffee or eat something and not straight lots of work hours; Portugal having a social and healthcare for everyone, instead just for some. For me the biggest culture shock: in the USA as a foreigner you won’t have access to a lot of things or rights until you are there for a lot of time and have a green card, but in Portugal / Europe, Americans come and are almost treated as at home, even benefiting from the healthcare and cheaper meds for which they never paid taxes to. Funny enough, the Americans find it right but if an European goes there, it’s as the European was a criminal.
Bookmarking her cafe for our next trip!
Please do! It's a great spot especially for those coming in and out of Campanhã. - Josh & Kalie
08:45 She really gets it... when people say cold is cold usually they don't experience much more than their city... There are different types... humidity has a lot to do with it.
Having grown up in the PNW, I'm used to and prefer that clinging, damp cold over frigid 😆 Porto is highest on my list because of the similarity in climate to my hometown!
Nice! Thanks for sharing, Marisa. We were surprised by her response to the cold thing because we don't find it that bad. This winter's rain wasn't great through. This winter was our 4th one and they've all be kind of different. - Josh & Kalie
Have a great time in Kuala Lumpur. While there, enjoy all the yummy local Malay, Chinese and Indian foods. They are similar to what you get in Singapore, yummy, cheap, and just like in Portugal, no tips required.
We love KL! We've been to KL a lot while living in Singapore as well as other cities in Malaysia. Penang is one of the best food destinations we've ever been. How about you? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhereI agree with you, Penang is a food heaven. A lot of foreigners also retiring there. Perhaps you can make a video out of it. Would I expat that? Definitely! 😄
Hi Emily, I'm portuguese and live further south but next time I will visit Porto I will have a coffee at your café for sure😊
Thank you, Mariam. We'll make sure she sees this comment. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere 🙏🌼
for any foreigner, you can start acclimatizing either in Lisbon or Porto, but then move to a smaller place, they are much better
Blessings forward to you and much success
Aww, thank you. We'll make sure that Emily sees this. - Josh & Kalie
Great interview.
Thanks, Abey. - Josh & Kalie
05:52 is this Genoa?
No
Tbf, Porto is not the easiest city to live imo. And it has more of that Celt vibe whereas the south is way different and much warmer too
Its always hard to live abroad. I myself lived once abroad but I wasnt happy I have to return to my homeland. But people are different.
Thanks for sharing. - Josh & Kalie
Poor girl. I almost cried with those horrific experiences. Hope you know the tickep back is cheap. Surviving Portugal 😂😂😂. Take a walk in New Orleans.
I really enjoy your content but I really struggle with audio quality with this interview and some of your previous interviews.. I love your channel though
Working on it! Can you help us identify which ones are the problem for you? We have had 2 part-time editors now working on videos and we notice problems too. If you can let us know a couple, I can check it out to see if there's a pattern. Thanks for the love and feedback. - Josh & Kalie
Tens sorte foste para um país amigo da Inglaterra e da América, muitos portugueses falam inglês e no Algarve ainda mais.
Aqui no Luxemburgo temos 3 línguas oficiais e não é o português .
Boa sorte para a tua vida e que consigas os teus objectivos bem vinda 😊
A long selfie, yes very much the American way. Thanks.
If you want good weather you should came to Algarve!!!
You better have a fat wallet!
@@ecerejo it is not that expensive...if you want to live in Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago or Vale do Lobo...you better be a millionaire!!!
@@pnmoura Tell me a place by the beach not expensive! Unless you live away from it.
Algarve has lots beside the beach! Visit Alte, Salir, Loulé, Nave do Barão....the list goes on... come visit! Everyone is invited!❤
The people make more difference than anything else for me, I actually enjoy going for a drive here in central Portugal and conversing with people. That something that I avoided at all costs in the US especially in the current political environment. Not to mention that there is no need to fear someone walking down the street, if you are approached by someone odds are that after the encounter you will walk away thinking “what a nice person” rather than getting robbed or extorted.
8:30 That's what I tell people! I've travelled enough to have been in countries where it snows. I have toured cities during blizzards. The only foreigners that I've met that aren't surprised by the COLD weather are the Brits. Winters in Portugal are cold and wet. Stop saying Portugal can't be that cold because it rarely snows.
Interesting interview from the psychological intergration point of view especiallly, love bagels as well :) (I am Russian Canadian). Would suggest to add a couple of options for soups if you ever want to expand the menu ;)
Thanks for sharing, Tatiana! Are you in Portugal? - Josh & Kalie
Fantastic.
Thank you. - Josh & Kalie
Culture Shock exist everywhere in every country. When I moved to USA 2024 everything was confuse. after 20 years I'm an American like everyone else. I had to adapt.
As someone born in Portugal, raised in the culture, speak the language, has family there, but moved away as a child, I couldn't imagine ever moving back. It's a great and beautiful place, but it just makes the idea of moving there without ever having seen it even crazier. Good for you managing this kind of radical lifestyle change.
Wow, fascinating to read. Where are you now? Let's talk! - Josh & Kalie
I agree with you 💯.I would never want to live there. Kudos to her!
@@MR-kj8jdIt's my country and a great place to live....if you have money. I'm just not adventurous enough to move back.
@@lost_porkchop I’m a 60 year old,born in Lisbon and believe me you would not want to live in Portugal.
PT is an aging country with many problems.Kudos to all these folks whom are living there,hope they will love it just as much 10 years from now.
the north of portugal is diferent
Been in Portugal for two years and does not speak the language... brazilian boyfriend and speaks english with him... friends speak english with her... someone is having serious effort problems... in no country people are as receptive to foreigners and in no country people adapt as much to people from abroad, but this kind of lack of effort is almost insulting. If she does not speak the language it is not because of lack of oportunities. Someone seriously needs to change habits, I would say. If it was in Spain or France people would outright refuse to speak english, even if they know the language. Only proves that being nice does not help nice people.
I wouldn’t choose a big city to live in either… and I’m Portuguese… I live 30 mins away from Lisbon.. just cross the Vasco da Gama bridge and life is so peaceful, and homes are way more affordable… avoid the cities…
Thanks for sharing your opinion. - Josh & Kalie
Please how can I get to you?
info@expatseverywhere.com is Kalie's email address. - Josh & Kalie
Can u try interviewing people from other countries than just the US?
From our last 8 interviews....
ua-cam.com/video/VMx-mwDvAnY/v-deo.html (South African)
ua-cam.com/video/FPbyYg-kyf4/v-deo.html (born in Bolivia moved to US at age 12)
ua-cam.com/video/3mPaZ6Pcw74/v-deo.html (Canadian)
ua-cam.com/video/riemkS_jAk8/v-deo.html (Australian)
Have you seen these?
The bulk of our viewers are from the US. We're American. So it make sense for us to come from that perspective. - Josh & Kalie
@@carlosdelins8070 why don't u stfu and do ur thing?
That was the best place in portugal to live.... Porto. . after some yesrs u dont speek potuguese... Or fter . someone will yo .... . beautifi
Fulll countty but
That type of coffee in Portugal... Not the best idea. 🤷♂️
Younger Portuguese people are getting into the specialty coffee business. Several of the largest roasters in the city are owned by Portuguese (30-50 year olds). Their business is predominately foreigners though. - Josh & Kalie
Nobody expect the Portuguese culture shock
And the Spanish Inquisition
What is "culture shock"? !!! For this lady? We are not amercicans for sure, but...
GL trying to find a place to live in portugal as a single.... 90% of your paycheck go to home rent only loool... fk portugal and im portuguese. most of young adults need to live with their parents or in their cars if they have 1.
I guesd that she moved Portugal.not.to.lesrn Portuguede but because mostbPortuguesebthebyounger generation speaks English People.in Porto are more opened more hospitablebthen then Portuguese in Lisbon
A part of her story that she didn’t go into is that her online Portuguese teacher that she had while back in the U.S. is from Porto and lives there now. - Josh & Kalie
Native language Brazilian? 😅
No, you didn’t.
Work and pay taxes, not commiting any crime, learning the language and the history, to after 5 years be able to apply portuguese nationality, and than to travell 100% free inside schengen nations.
But you only desirve nationaly rights if you be FC Porto fan. -.-
HAHA that's funny, Ricardo. The way we're playing right now as Porto fans, we're suffering too much. Sheesh. - Josh & Kalie
Portugal really sucks
Why culture sho is bad...??? Im portuguese and i won't comeback to portugal. The culture is 50 years behind uk or france or even a nórdic country. Cost of living ridiculously high. No way
??????
We don’t miss you, anyway…
@@bilie9117 I didn’t asked for your opinion.
Awesome.
Thanks! - Josh & Kalie
Get out of Porto I don’t like big cities move to castelo branco smaller ,better to live in peace