Hey Jon, thanks for sharing that and it's so true. Since the interview, I've been receiving email messages from locals welcoming me to Portugal. I was not expecting it at all and was very touched by it.
Portugal was a super power. They had colonies all over the world. Therefore, they are very openness to all "races" . I am Chinese and I have been to Portugal numerous times and I have NEVER been discriminated against on the contrary I have all been accepted. Maybe it helps that I have married to a Portuguese man for 40 years so I know Portuguese culture and I made an effort to learn the language
As a Portuguese I really looooooveeeeeeee Chinese people. They are so fascinating, so nice, so friendly and one thing I didn't expect... They do give hugs!!! ahaha One thing I have to say is... The language. It really is difficult to get to know a Chinese person if they don't speak Portuguese or English. Or us not speaking Mandarin. Really a shame we don't have that in our school system also... But seriously we can't learn allll the languages in the world. The mess in Europe?! We have like 10 different languages... But hey if they give hugs, that's good enough for me xD
How is colonialism linked with being open to other races? Colonialism was based on trying to strip people of their culture because it was viewed as inferior or destroying countries to steal their resources.
The cashier raised her voice because some people think if they speak louder the other person suddenly will understand a foreigner language :):):):):):):):)):)lol
I experience the same thing in Switzerland over and over again. If i don't understand something and ask, they'll repeat...but louder! 🤣🤣 It may sound agressive but it's not. They don't even notice.
Somehow people think language barrier is associated with hearing impaired. That makes a lot sense, NOT! You only make the situation even worse because now the person is more anxious and can’t think of what that damn word in Portuguése.
What a great interview Josh (and Kalie). Sophian is such a nice person... loved hearing his story and about his his perspective of life in Portugal. I’m glad you addressed racism. It’s important to address all aspects of live when moving abroad and sadly that is still something that needs to be talked about. I was very aware of the people around me because my black daughter must feel welcome and comfortable in any place I am going to live (or visit). Again, thanks for this and a big obrigada to Sophian for sharing his journey and experiences with your and us!
Thanks, Jen. Sophian is a great guy for sure. We can't to check his Airbnb Experiences out when we get the chance. Regarding addressing racism, it's a tricky one, isn't it. Obviously, this is just one interview and maybe there are other's that disagree with him but we really like that Sophian had other countries to compare it to and we're open to letting other have their say in video format if they reach out and want to offer something different. We're glad people haven't taken it as trying to chase a trend because if we're going to chase any trends on this channel, it's going to be the top 10 countries to move to in 2021 or something like that. Feeling safe is something that's at the top of everyone's list in life after physiological needs, therefore it's important to talk about and a component of our normal question, "Do you feel safe in X country?" We appreciate your comment and sharing a bit more about your family's story. - Josh & Kalie
Don't be naive. If you truly are against racism, you have to first aknowledge where the world IS. Racism is the history of the world. People expect it to completely disappear in a couple of generations. It doesn't work that way. We are going in the right direction, but we can't tackle the issue by wishing it wasn't there.
Cool interview! I’m Colombian, saw way more racism in Spain than here. I do sense Portuguese get a bit annoyed when you don’t speak Portuguese but other than that the people are amazing.
I think they get more annoyed when someone speaks Spanish to them assuming they share the same language just because they share a border. Learning to say Obrigado and not Gracias goes a long way.
David, we agree. We saw and heard some ridiculous stuff while living in Spain and it changed our perception of racism in the US for example. - Josh & Kalie
the only people that get angry when you dont speak portuguese, are the ones that don't know how to speak any other language xD deep down theyre just angry at themselves hahaha
@@nativobeats4712 We are CRYING laughing over here. This is our favorite comment of the DAY! 😂 We need to put this on a t-shirt! It might just be too long, but it's hilarious and possibly true. - Josh & Kalie
Great video! Glad you were able to address the topic of racism towards Asians, and glad to hear he hasn't really experienced it there. As someone who wants to travel in the future but am worried about racism being Asian, this is always good to know. Hope you can do more interviews with Asian people's experiences abroad, since there seems to be a lack of that on TH-cam.
Thanks, Kenny. We've got several interviews with Asians living in a variety of places around the world. New content will go on our second channel when we get that up and running in September. Thank you again for the comment. - Josh & Kalie
Being an Asian American looking to retire in Portugal, I really appreciate this perspective. Considering that now, in the US, there's been an increase in violence targeted towards Asian Americans due to Covid. I'm exploring countries that are more accepting of Asian Americans besides Asia. I will definitely check out Sophian's business when we can travel to Portugal.
Thanks, Holly. Unfortunately, there are really poorly educated and not nice people everywhere. There just seem to be a lot less here in Portugal. We're really sorry that you're feeling less safe in the US. - Josh & Kalie
Portugal rated third place in safety and it still affordable to buy farm houses and grow most of your food I want to go there to rebuild these farm houses make it liveable and produce real organic food that nutritious think it also easy process to become citizens too
There’s def racism in Portugal. More so than in Spain IMO. Portugal is relatively poor for a western country and as a result you will encounter more “unhappy” ppl that may not be so nice or civil. Had a server in a cafe\bakery shop just blatantly act like I wasn’t waiting in line to get served and just totally ignore me while they serve other Portuguese guests. However most ppl were fine and the food in Portugal is excellent. Plus it’s the cheapest Western European country you can visit. That said I would go back to Portugal for a short visit. Prob not long term or even short term stay tho unless you speak the language.
Hi Holly I am Asian also and was concerned about racism towards Asians (especially these days). I was very glad to hear Soph talk about this exact concern for me. Are you moving to a specific place?
What a lovely comment! Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a positive comment and visiting the channel to see what us foreigners are saying about Portugal. Obrigad@. - Josh & Kalie
This is the exact interview I’ve been looking for! My partner and I have been interested in Portugal for a while. We are from the SF Bay Area and therefore used to living in a diverse place. Since he is Filipino-American the question of anti-Asian racism has been a big question for me moving abroad. I’m so glad to have found this channel and looking forward to checking out Sophian’s channel too!
Thank you , Britany. We appreciate you sharing a bit of your background. Let us know if you need any additional help with your move. Wishing you the best! We're glad you found us too. - Josh & Kalie
We don't care about races literally! If the person is good and well mannered.... You wont have ANY trouble! I personally can't believe this is a topic really. However I must say, so you don't assume this is a Paradise where nothing bad happens... Well it's close to a paradise in my opinion but anyway... Bad people are everywhere! They just are. Economics is not our strong suit so the main problems here are thievery and robbery. You can live most of your life without problems or you can be robbed the next day.... You just have to learn the ropes and you're going to be fine!!! Watch your money, don't trust people right away, pay stuff with some sort of guarantee (if you don't shop in official places), try to not walk around flashing valuable goods like iphones or expensive jewelry, don't walk alone in the streets (specially at night), keep your wallet close and don't speak to people with bad appearance. Even some of these can be *relative* but for the most part it serves well. Another thing also... We really get pissed if people throw garbage on the floor or if they don't pick their animal droppings. And if we get pissed, then yeah you might hear something unpleasant. Other than that... We are not racists like some Europeans are, specially the northern ones. Being racist is a stupid arrogant thing. We are all humans! Being blonde with blue eyes doesn't give special properties as some might believe
@@Trip4man it’s a topic people are concerned about because they don’t know from the outside what you’re saying about how Portuguese people in general care less about race. So it’s not really a video to inform the Portuguese people at all but to answer the question for foreigners.
I visited Porto and really fell in love and now I am regretting why I didn't shift there. Some visitors even took me and my daughter as Portuguese and were asking the routes. I loved it..Love Portugal
Really enjoyed this interview, especially since Sophian he has a unique perspective being from Southeast Asia, really admire him for being so patient, flexible and adventerous. I am moving to Lisbon myself later this year (as soon as entry into Portugal will be somewhat normal) and this interview had some very helpful information. I would definitely enjoy other expat interviews and also more about Lisbon since everyone these days seems to talk mostly about Porto, Coimbra, Silver Coast etc. for expats and digital nomads, so this is another thumbs up for this interview. :) Thank you!
Thanks Ales! I've watched several vlogs before moving to Lisbon to know that it can be frustrating and it's dependent on the type of services you're seeking. So best to come here with an open mind and be flexible. I would suggest learning as much Portuguese as you can before moving here. I learnt as much as I could and I'm still very much a beginner.
@@WeaveTheStory Thank you very much for your reply! I completely understand that certain things can be very frustrating as it can be with probably all countries one way or another, it's all part of the cultural experience. :) I currently live in Vancouver, Canada but have been to Portugal quite a few times over the last few years and completely fell in love with the country. Since I was supposed to move this month and now have extra time, I started to learn Portuguese with a tutor form Lisbon last month which I do twice a week and hopefully by the time I get to go to Portugal I'll be able to have some very simple converstations, still very much a beginner right now. When I am there I just might join your cooking class one day as I love Asian food from your part of the world. Wishing you all the best Sophian in all your endeavours and hopefully things will soon improve again so that you can start your cooking classes. :)
If you come to Algarve it will be much easier for non Portuguese speakers, Algarve has a huge English, Dutch, German community, almost everyone in Algarve speaks English. In Lisbon not so much, but in Spain is 100x worse.
@@NeMeSis7PT The Algarve is beautiful but personally learning Portuguese is part of moving to a new country and I honestly don't want to be somewhere, where I can get away with never learning the language. For me being in a bigger city like Lisbon is also important because I need to travel for work and this will be quite convenient. Another point which was also mentioned in the interview is to meet people and make friends which I think might be easier in Lisbon or Porto but I could be completely wrong. The Algarve is definitely something I might consider in the future but for now, I feel Lisbon is the right fit. :)
@@747800pro i respect that from you, learning the language is very important to feel connected to a new place, Lisbon is definitely a better place for work/business. Algarve is better for the elder who wants to enjoy the retirement.
@@theushistorian 😂 You're funny. It's all good. Just making sure. We wanted to clarify. Thanks for the comment and watching in the early hours. 😁- Josh
You're very welcome. We're happy to do it if people don't mind sharing their experience. At the end of the day, this channel isn't so much about us but it's about you guys. His food does look amazing and you better believe we're going to do his Airbnb Experiences. When Kalie and I heard about it, we were like that seems so cool. We love food, history and culture. Thanks for the comment, AA! 🙏 - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere not you. Sorry. But people keep pushing the narrative of racism and thats everywhere these days. A one line of thinking dicktatorshit pushed by the globalist oppressors.. the culprits are the far-left closet cognitive dissonant racists and their puppet masters. Self fulfilling prophecies exist and we don't want any of that sht here in Portugal. We have enough problems already with people from the Ex colonies. We don't need anymore snowflake coldness from persons who don't tolerate the idea we are a people of our own. To become trully portuguese it takes a life time. Just an official paper won't do it here or anywhere else in the world. Peace
Racism is everywhere. I am an Asian expat in France and are there racist people? Yes. Who cares. Was racism worse in America? Yeah. What am I going to do about it? Complain? No. I am going to get even and make my life awesome. Those racists can continue being miserable.
Always hit like before I even watch! I already know you guys won’t disappoint! Thank you for all you do! It matters! IT. MATTERS! You guys help keep the dream alive. Bed time for night nurse. Double shift today! Much love from Angi! ❤️❤️
Jamal & Shohedah = Great job Josh!! That's what you need . This kind of interviews and open discussion helps a lot to make decisions. Thanks again for your great ideas and vedios.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the positivity and encouragement Jamal & Shohedah. Is Kalie getting close to the correct pronunciation of your name, Shohedah? We gotta know so we can say it correctly on the Live Streams. - Josh & Kalie
If he doesn't like Portugal due to it being racist he can always leave through the same means he used to arrive. If I go to Singapore I don't have the right to tell the locals how to behave, it's their country, not mine.
"If I go to a restaurant and the waiters insult me and my family repeatedly, I don't have the right to tell them how to behave. It's their establishment, not mine" 🤡
Really appreciated this interview as an Asian American female who still wants to be in a Cosmopolitan city that’s is overall safe and has culture, food and arts.
We're glad you found value in it. We have another interview with an Asian American couple that talks about living and visiting different parts of Portugal. Have you seen it? - Josh & Kalie
Yes that’s right Malasadas are from the islands of Madeira and Azores and The Ukelele is also of Portuguese origins ( cavaquinho) big hugs to the Hawaiian people from Portugal 🇵🇹🙋🏻♀️
Uau really?! In south portugal, at alentejo, the dish we call malassadas its made with corn flour and water, all mixed and boiled and some fried slices of pork fat. What is it in Hawaii and in Açores e madeira?
@@srawhoiam são uma espécie de bola de Berlim ou Donut grande sem o buraco também polvilhado com açúcar e que originalmente não tinha recheio mas os Hawaiianos com o passar dos tempos criaram versões com vários sabores. Eles até têm um dia chamado de “ Malassadas Day” que é a nossa terça-feira gorda/Carnaval! São bem diferentes das malassadas Alentejanas 😉👋🏻
The Portuguese can be rude when we are annoyed. However it is not racism. It is not based on races. It is because of an attitude to everybody. Raising the voice can be unpleasant, however, it is an act of speach freedom. It is a very subjective thing. If I am deaf, I will speak louder. Besides, if you work for Airbnb, a company responsible for driving MILLIONS of people into homelessness, in Lisbon as well as in the whole world, expect local people to be rude and angry.
Hi Jonas, just to clarify, Sophian doesn't work for AirBnb. There's a smaller part of AirBnb called AirBnb Experiences where people can market "experiences" in a city so that visitors have a one stop shop for accommodations and tours when they go to a city. Imagine, you go to AirBnb's site and you can book your place to stay, a walking tour, a wine tasting tour, and maybe a cooking class of local cuisine. The people doing the tours and such don't work for AirBnb and they probably market their experiences on other platforms and their own website as well. - Josh & Kalie
No country survives without rain, obviously. Living in the Algarve, and having watched how some communities here are experiencing drought periods every year, I really hope it would rain MORE, not less.
Yes, but this year actually has been great in terms of rain. The period from December 2014 to November 2019 was very bad in terms of rain, not only in the Algarve but in most of Southern Portugal. In that period, the region had 11 rainy months and 47 dry months!
I’m thinking about leaving LA, thank you so much for this! With all the anti Asian hate in California and the rest of the US, it’s definitely something that’s on my mind when I’m looking at places. Really appreciate it!
You're welcome. We're really sorry to hear that you're looking at moving because of the anti-Asian hate in CA and the US. We love you and we LOVE Asia!!! Let us know if we can help you with the transition here. 😊 - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Anti-Asian hate in CA is actually the final straw. Many people of all races have been fleeing CA for a variety of reasons: taxes, wildfire, drought, expensive housing, traffic, homelessness, no sense of community.
Hey Antonio, thanks for the recommendations. So far Boa-Bao and JNcQUOI Asia are my favourite. I've seen Malaca Too at LX Factory but I wasn't so sure because the menu seems more Chinese to me. But I'll will defo will give Food Network Fusion a try.
I loved this interview. It was so detailed and filled with information I had not heard before from other expats. Looking forward to moving to Portugal in the near future.
Aww 🥰 Thanks for the love. It's great that Sophian could provide some information that you've haven't heard before. Hopefully as a channel we can keep doing that for you. Giving you more details about what to expect. Keep us posted on your move. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Thank you! I will keep you posted on my move. I love Lisbon but Porto is a place I would love to explore. Does Porto have a strong yoga community?
Cool interview! Good to know other nationalities coming here. About the weather: it's been a tough winter but it solved a great issue from the North to Algarve: most of water reserves are at high levels even in Alentejo and Algarve, wich means we are out of extreme drought danger!
Patrícia, thanks for letting us know about the water reserve situation. 😁 We appreciate your support of the interview. Definitely a lot of other nationalities here. We'll try to get more interviews from a variety of nationalities assuming that they're fluent in English since we're an English speaking channel. - Josh & Kalie
Nice video I loved it, nice job! I live in the Algarve the south of Portugal, I did live in Lisbon for about 2 years and it's as if the Algarve has a climate of it's own, sunshine most of the year round and doesn't have the extensive week long rain seasons the north and center of the country has. It's cold in winter notably from December to February but the rain only gets to you during April, March is warm and sunny but come April the Portuguese have a saying "Abril águas mil", meaning: April, a thousand waters. Note, I was born and lived in South Africa till I was 11 so anything under 20ºC is cold for me :p I'm "friorento" (Portuguese word for someone that is sensitive to cold) but all and all the weather is fantastic in the Algarve and everyone speaks English, a paradise for expats!
@@JoelSantos-lk9tu I disagree. My Portuguese friends complain about health care but in reality they have no idea how it is around the world. Heath care in Portugal is great compared to most of the world. An example I had a pneumothorax my left lung collapsed, I got to the hospital and was immediately treated, no waiting time (Hospital de Faro)! Only thing they asked for was my Nº de Utente. I was sent to the pneumologia sector and bedridden for 7 days. Cost 14 euros! How is that bad? Fala de quem percebe e de quem teve que usufruir do sistema mais nada!
@@PeterMKooiman great to hear you were treated well and quickly, some emergency sectors are still relatively good but I can tell you many bad experiences I had with relatives of mine, not mentioning many centros de saúde are virtually worthless, that's why hospital emergency are always crowded.
Thank you, Josue. Love the name. 😁We're trying to get better and better. That's the goal. We're trying new things what seems like every video so I don't blame people if they think we're inconsistent. We've got to figure out the right format, but we're trying. We appreciate the support. This comment means a lot to us. - Josh & Kalie
Josh, you remind me so much of Garret Mcnamara your compatriot. Anyways, glad to hear so good about my country and you guys are happy living there, so jealous. I'm from Lisbon and moved to Canada 15 years ago. Can't wait to return and enjoy my days at the beach, it's what I miss the most.
Hey Joao, not going to lie, I had to google GMAC. He sounds like a much better surfer than me. 😂 Thanks for the comment and watching the video. We hope to see you around the channel more. We would like to allow you to reminisce well by watching our adventures here. Where are in Canada are you? Did a job take you there? Garret Mcnamara
@@Module79L hey, nobody in this interview is Australian. Josh (that’s me) is from the US and Sophian (the interviewee) is from Singapore but was living in Australia before moving on a D2 visa to Portugal. Thanks. - Josh
But I thought Canada was renowned for its WARM beaches!!!! LOL Would it be too stereotypical to assume you are in Toronto? My Portuguese friends here in Massachusetts speak frequently about the enclave of Portuguese in toronto!
The cost of living in Porto opposite to Lisbon is a little cheaper, also when you go outside for dinner you might find some places with great quality food which are very affordable and with generous portions. The cost on average for a small flat in the big cities in Portugal is a bit inflated as of now, although you can find from time to time some good opportunities, most of the locals tend to rent or buy in the suburbs (since there are some very nice and quiet areas much more affordable than the city center) .. for example, I live on the other side of the Tagus where very modern and cool looking flats are for rent starting 650€ and there is no shortage of transports to commute to Lisbon. Also, I find 500€ per month for groceries a bit too much, but as the man said, it all comes down to the amount and quality of products you buy particularly if they are imported. Weather is unpredictable and this winter has been a bit long and rainy when compared to previous ones, some summers and more mild and rainy as well.. so you can never tell but overall, the weather here when compared to many countries is great I think. I´m curious as to what are Canton nuts (Macadamia nuts I do know since it's very easy to find them in Portugal.. just Google "Nozes Macadamia") but those.. never heard of it, also tempeh, fermented soybean, try El Corte Inglés or some other Hyper Market or perhaps if you know someone who shops at Makro maybe you can find it there, nevertheless, I googled all the items you said and could find all, at the very least online in Portugal. Myself as a principal I do not give money to homeless people, but if they are starving and I can help, then it's no bother to buy them something to eat, but giving them money for alcohol or drugs, no way !! But also know that there´s this phenomenon happening across Europe, of some gypsies that come from some eastern european countries, with the sole intent to beg or steal, they are nomads, moving from city to city and country to country, be aware of them (don't want to stereotype but..). Believe it or not, the bureaucracy is now much lighter than it once was ;D
Hello and thanks for watching! Ok, I should explain the reason why it's more for groceries as I'm new here (just into my third month) and stocking up goodies for my Asian pantry does add up to the chunk (plus I've been stocking up a lot of wine during lockdown 🤭). I do like my food a lot and trying various Portuguese produce I find in supermarkets. The expenditure will come down when I'm more settled and know particular brands to lookout for. Candlenuts are not available here so macadamia is the alternative for me. I've been to Continente a couple of times but wasn't able to find it there. I will keep a lookout for it 😃 Yes, I've noticed the gypsies lately and been aware of them but in general, it's been good. Wow, that's reassuring to know about the bureaucracy. Thanks for your comments!
@@WeaveTheStory Candlenuts just found were forbidden to sell in some countries since people resource to it in order to lose weight and due to some side effects it was considered toxic and dangerous and many people have died, those articles that I found are from Brazil can't tell if it's the same here, still couldn't find any reference to it in Portugal except for pills. See if Noz Moscada can work for you. Best of luck
Really bad luck about the lady who was rude about Sophian not speaking Portuguese, because we are very open and used to receive tourists due of being a country that receives a lot of tourists from all over the world. I'm a Portuguese living in Switzerland and here, if you don't speak the language, the Swiss people in general don't accept that well, but in Portugal that rarely happens. My husband is American and when we go to Portugal he never had/has an issue of not speaking Portuguese, quite the opposite! Hope you love live in my country! All the Best!
We agree and even he admitted it's been a one off that wasn't racially motivated. We've had some incredibly pleasant interactions with people. - Josh & Kalie
Hope you guys can be happy here! After the covid restrictions try and travel aroud the country...every small village has it´s own history and charm. Really hope and believe you will be very happy in Portugal. Stay cool ;)
😂 That's hilarious. We thought we were the only ones annoyed by it and then we started talking to people and it's like everyone knows. Thanks for the compliment. - Josh & Kalie
What a wonderful interview-especially how Sophian described how living abroad has transformed his life. It was especially appreciated after hearing about the reality of the costs of living in Lisbon as well as the cons list (yikes! 😬). Between the stray dogs, barking dogs, abandoned dogs (bags of abandon puppies?!?😭) and dog poop that I’ve been reading and hearing about, I was really questioning my decision to move to Portugal. Seriously though, what is with the dog situation? So sad!
Hey Elizabeth, thanks for watching! Every country has its pros and cons. As foreigners, our impressions are heightened as we leave our comfort zones out of our home countries. I tend to observe more things and noticed signs around me. It is a shame about the poops but it's not as bad than other cities I've been. It definitely can be improved. With regards to stray and abandoned dogs, I haven't noticed much in this city or at least where I am. There are people who genuinely care about these issues here especially my neighbours in the building I'm staying. There's faith in humanity! 😃
Great response, Sophian. Thanks, Elizabeth. We're glad that you liked the interview. Unless seeing doggie droppings is an absolute deal breaker, we would say, "Don't abandon Portugal." But maybe it's better to come visit and see for yourself. In 4 almost 5 months here in Porto, we've yet to have a stray dog situation but we're also donating to an animal shelter to help the situation too. We've gotta be the change. - Josh & Kalie
@@WeaveTheStory yes, true. Thank you for the gentle reminder. I so enjoyed your interview, perspectives and vision and look forward to your great success!
@@ExpatsEverywhere hi Josh. I wouldn’t abandon over dog poop lol, it was the entire list on cons that had me a bit concerned. I’ve visited (Lisbon, Algarve) and saw many stray dogs in Lisbon. The dog situation comes up frequently in FB groups I’m in from parts all over Portugal. I totally agree, we must be part of the solution and plan on supporting the animal shelters. I didn’t mean to sound negative; my heart hurts for these dogs! 💜
@@elizabethreynolds6874 You don't sound negative at all! The same two cons we hear from everyone so far has been dog poo and bureaucracy then everyone's experience varies. But the pros that everyone has said, safety and nice people. That's the other common link. A good amount of people say the weather, but the weather can be very relative right? Cost of living is on almost everyone's list too. It's great that you're planning on supporting a local shelter. - Josh & Kalie
Very informative and resourceful. Great job! Didn’t recognize you at first without your wife and baby girl. I’ve been following your videos since your family left Florida to Porta. Then a few videos after looking for a cellphone and getting established.
@@ExpatsEverywhere in this beautiful Sunshine State seeking to make a move to Portugal. Once they open back up we’ll be on our way. Had a trip planned for October 2020, we move it to December and now we’re looking at June. We’re wondering if that will happen without the country having the vaccine rollout. Under the new administration the rollouts here are much quicker and successful.
Wonderful interview, I am also from Singapore and was looking for good content of Singaporean living in Portugal. Nice coincident indeed, Great to know that Sophian is doing great there and hope I can find out more from him about life in Lisbon too. Thanks for the links to his YuoTube Channel, will see if I can link up with him too. Very nicely done interview..
Thanks, Roger. We appreciate hearing from you. We ended up doing his cooking class over the summer. We put out a video about that on our channel and then he interviewed us for his channel. Hope you enjoy those videos too. You've probably seen, we're fans of Singapore. - Josh & Kalie
Malaca was Portuguese for 130 years. And many other places in Asia also, like Macau, East Timor . And we were the first Europeans to reach Japan and other areas of that part of the world. But we had trading posts and did not colonize those areas. We all know that some Japanese words have Portuguese origin like, Tempura , Castela cake , pão , botão. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Empire#Trade_with_Maritime_Asia,_Africa_and_the_Indian_Ocean
I've just found your channel and I love it! Me and my husband used to hold expats meet ups in Porto and we miss talking to other expats since the lockdown started :(
This is a great interview. We have a condo in Lisbon. We are in America during the COVID. We looking forward to return to Lisbon. I hope to meet Sophian and introduce him to my American expat in Lisbon
I used to live in Singapore & Sydney, all paper work on Visa I did it my self, quite straight forward. Similar to what Sophian did at the Portugal consulate in Sydney. Some countries still need legal back up due to language barrier. So, try to do it yourself first, if it didn't go well then you get help from a legal associates. If it turned out well, welcome to Portugal. Good Luck !!!
Thank you so much for doing this video!! Especially during this time with the pandemic. It's good to know that as an Asian, I might not be subjected to racism in Portugal. Also good to know that there are some Asian ingredients available in the groceries should I miss something from "home".
You're welcome. We're excited to try it out when we're allowed because we love the Asian food he's talking about. After 4 years in that part of the world, we've gone over a year without having Singaporean, Malaysia, & Indonesian food. 😢- Josh & Kalie
As a portuguese i would like to comment on two things: racism and weather xd lets start with weather, it is much better the southern you go but ive spent the last 3 years living in uk and honestly i prefer the uk weather compared to the north of portugal, is colder here in uk but much dry, it doesnt rain nearly as much and nearly as hard. Now racism is a tough topic, im glad you guys feel safe and that dont feel uncomfortable about your culture and looks but i have to disagree when you say portuguese are all nice. We may be very welcoming but we have a big history of racism and discrimination in our country. We have been very divided and im glad to say the majority is very nice about it but especially after getting to know people from UK, for example, i just have to let people know we do have very old minded people that dont like people that look different, i can't really explain why and it makes me really happy that you say you haven't felt much racism but it is an issue portugal still needs to work on A LOT. There is a lot of judging in the streets bcs the way you look, walk, dress, speak, anything. I hate it but it is an issue that needs to be addressed and i dont want people to be misled by your statements, unfortunately we also have stupid people in our country, sorry about that.
Thanks for the comment. We think the major takeaway with Sophian's experience is that he's comparing it to the other places he's lived and worked and he feels Portugal is better than those place. I think any rational person can say that all places have negative and negative people. I just ran into one the other day here in Porto but I'm not going to go and tell other people that Portuguese are bad because of this one guy. You know? Stereotyping, prejudice, and racism seem to exist everywhere we've been but it's to different degrees and Sophian and we feel it less here than in other places. We really appreciate your comment. It actually sounds like for you the UK is less than Portugal. Is that your feeling or do you just know Portugal more intimately? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere I've been nothing but welcomed in uk, my accent is horrible and i've never felt left out or unwelcomed by their people, so yes, at least so far i can say my experience in uk was pretty good, at the same time im european, im not asian, im not black so maybe im a little prone to certain racism since im part of the privileged white group. Just for reference, months ago when the covid started there were asians around the entire world being harassed bcs of "china virus", ive seen multiple videos of people posting on the internet here in portugal harassing asian communities, that is just one more example of portuguese misbehavior. Im glad both you guys and Sophian had great experiences here tho, hopefully you'll be able to be in contact with great people in my country that are willing to help and befriend you more than attack or harass you for wtv reason they may have. At least we are not spanish and some of us do know or try to know english a little bit so that should help too with communication issues ahah Glad you are enjoying my beautiful little country, hope to have you here for longer :)
@@tatianaschoenfield9819 Not that much reserved. Usually, we don't make friends immediatelly, but usually when we make friends we are, indeed, friends.
Thanks, Sharon!! Awesome. We can't wait to try it as well. When are you going to be in Portugal? Maybe we'll do this Airbnb Experience together? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere well my trip is held up being in Maryland. So we are literally on a not my country list. But as soon as I get notified that the World is back opened. I would love to Airbnb experience with you all. I’m planning for 2022. Keep the great info coming.
Love the interview. It gives insight on prospective place to retire. I'm looking forward on doing the Camino de Santiago via the coastal portuguese route within the next 2 yrs then while I'm there research Algarve/Porto as a place to expat to.
With all due respect I will have to correct you on the homelessness part. My late husband worked with homeless people several years ago (running a rehab center) in the United States- Chicago to be exact. Many homeless people suffer from mental illness. Many homeless people don't have a penny in their pocket. Many homeless people made unwise choices with drugs causing drug addiction leading them to a downward spiral. Then they don't know how to get out on their own. It is a very difficult situation to be in. Many still have their pride because, well, they are human. However, I want you to know that I truly appreciate this interview and wish you guys the best.
No, we completely agree. We've worked with homeless populations as well and we know that the two most common things tend to be drugs and mental issues, it's just that the government has taken a rather large socially funded initiative to help. Then you have some people that go to the streets to beg, but they're able-bodied and scammers, which is also common in cities. There was no disrespect meant in the video but I wanted to quickly get out of the topic otherwise we could have gotten in the weeds and off track. Thanks for the comment and giving me a chance to address it. - Josh & Kalie
Nice to hear the perspective of someone from Singapore and other parts of the world. I'm Portuguese, and what I can tell you is that we are mostly nice people, and the racism here is one a very low note, except regarding Gipsies and Romanians, and still a bit regarding Brazilian women, but fortunatly that is changing. We are one of the countries in the world with more immigrants, so we are very wellcoming to others and understand the sacrifices, we also used to be very poor, so there was never much difference in the treatment within 90% of our poppulation, we were all treated like garbage. I have experience in anglo saxonic world and other parts of Europe, and the biggest difference is that here there can be a negative opinion regarding a community (like Americans, Gipsis, Romanians, Arabs, etc), for whatever reason, but that does not influence your opinion or actions when you meet someone and get to know them, something that does not happen in places I've been where the label sticks with you no matter what.
Thanks for the comment and welcoming nature of it. We completely agree that people have stereotypes and feelings toward people groups but treating people as individuals in very high here from our experience too. - Josh & Kalie Here's a link to where Portugal ranks in terms of foreign born residents here. www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/which-countries-have-the-most-immigrants-51048ff1f9/
This year has been an unusually long winter, but you living in Porto you should have known better hehehe everywhere along the coast side, from Peniche upwards, not only it rains a LOT but also temperatures are always lower, and the upper you go the worse it is. In the center of Portugal there´s a mountain formation called "sistema montanhoso Montejunto - Estrela" that basically cuts the weather in half, north of it, it tends to rain a lot, while in the south side it tends to be dry and sunny. I would only live on the north side of this crappy mountain if I had no other chiose. If you guys have any other questions don´t be shy and just ask. Adeus
Hey Mario, we knew better. We intentionally choose Porto and normally it's not this wet so we have next winter to "look forward to" 😂We love the 3 seasons we get up here. Thanks for the offer. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Hello Guys, thanks for your answer, I have a bit of an apologize for you, before when I´ve used the term "you should have known better" I was probably over reacting a bit, the fact that you guys are new comers and had no idea about the rain and the general weather in Porto it´s very understandable, so my apologize for you. I´m the one who should have known better, for the last 27/28 years I´ve working a bit all over and three years ago I decided to land in Paris (which I hate by the way but life drives us through strange paths hehe) on which the main differences from Porto, weather wise, has to do with the temperatures, generally much lower over here in Paris. But on the good side, I´m flying down to Portugal at least a week every month and relax at my home town of Rio Maior. If you guys ever go down south just let me know, if I´m there I´ll be very happy to show you around, from my little home town to the near by coast line. Thanks
@@mariomarques4247 , my guy! I'm already a huge fan of yours. You have no idea how nice this comment is. In a time when people are so quick to say stuff and so slow to genuinely apologize, I commend you on that. I really appreciate it. 100% transparency, at first I read it poorly and as an attack, but then I backed up and just took it softer. Thank you for clarifying. You're better than we are putting up with Paris for 3 years! Idk if we would do that. 😂Sure, if and when we're going south, we'll let people know and if they're available to meet up or whatever, we'll organize something. Thanks for the offer and letting us know. - Josh
@@ExpatsEverywhere No worries guys. Thank you for your nice words and if you ever need something you think I can be of some use just ask, don´t be shy hehe I´ll do my best to sort it ou for you. Bye Bye Mario
It's really early into our stay in Portugal but we would certainly say Portugal at the moment. Our lives where very, very different though. We didn't have a kid and a dog. We weren't living together. Kalie was living with a family as an au pair and I had 3 different set of roommates in 2 years. Our work was easier in Spain compared to Portugal (believe it or not) but we're happy to be doing what we're doing here. This sounds like a video idea. 😂 - Josh & Kalie
Como assim fazes programação e não falas fluentemente Inglês? Mas .. dica para ti, vai viver em Southampton, ou Brighton, Reino Unido uns dois anos... vais aprender Inglês de certeza. E se fazes programação podes sempre trabalhar online! You could also pay me and I teach you :))
Thanks for the public sub, Judy! Is this your first comment? If so, awesome! If we've missed your other comments, so sorry we haven't responded til now. 😁 If you need that sun 365-ish then Algarve is probably the best place. 😊- Josh & Kalie
We Portuguese will welcome you too but Algarve is diferent from the rest of the country , the people in Algarve are very accustomed to the forein but if you travel here you will see the true Portugal.
@@sammyjdakid-GFN All portugal is a good place to go we have miles of beaches nice women and sun in the biggest part of the year , we are a little country but we have all.
I am an Indian living in USA for 30 years. Portuguese lived in India for 400 years. I have been watching your videos. planning to retire in the next 4 years and move to Portugal. Awesome videos. thanks a bunch
Portugal has always been mostly open to Asian countries, which always had an appeal of mystery and reconnection (religare): the Discoveries and the link to the sea have always held a deep call to us and the Orient is part of that experience, to be drawn to the sea is to be drawn to travel to connect to another place, to the other extreme, in this case, the journey to the East, in a sense we do the reverse of the Monkey King, ours was the Journey to the East, and it was meant to connect Europe to India and the Far East, so that connection and the journey itself have an historical value that is deeply rooted in our "seafaring mythos". We established relations with China and Japan, and we left descendancy in Macau for instance, many people from Macau have mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry and there are a few Portuguese people I know that have strong Chinese traits, even though they were born in Portugal and their, at least immediate, ancestors are all Portuguese, somewhere up the genealogical tree they may however have Chinese ancestry. So, no, the discrimination found in some countries, including Anglo-Saxon countries, towards some Asian communities you won't find here in Portugal as a predominant trait.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you. We actually just met up with Sophian in real life and TODAY he was able to have his first Airbnb Experience. He said it went really well. - Josh & Kalie
I decided to go Lisbon for a few days while vacationing in Morocco in 2016, spur of the moment decision, and I was pleasantly surprised. Nice buildings and nice people. Fact that centuries ago, Portuguese colonised Melaka (now just a state in Malaysia) for purpose of bringing Malay spices back to Portugal and to the parts of Europe. Just like Sophian, I am a Malay Singaporean and I travel the world quite a bit for leisure. Watching this video made me want to visit Portugal again but for a few weeks this time, if at all possible right now.
The start-up costs range (10K-15K euros) seems a bit high. Can you provide a breakdown on what exactly this covers? Is it possible to move to Portugal with a lower budget?
Hopefully Sophian see this. For me and Kalie, we would say that it should be around €5000 to cover flights, 3 months rent and some stuff you tend to buy when you're new to a place. This is also taking into consideration that we're making income during the move. We think Sophian's was higher because he bought furniture as well. Kalie and I are in furnished apartment. - Josh & Kalie
Hi Luis, it is definitely possible to move to Portugal with a lower budget. If I was able to ship my furniture, it would cost a lot less but because of freight policies, all shipments to Portugal from Australia has been ceased until further notice. I came into a non-furnished apartment therefore I had to buy home comforts (beds, study table, sofa, tv console, dining table, bedroom table lights, coffee table, paying deposits, home accessories etc) and starting out the kitchen (pots, pans, cutleries, items in kitchen). Like Josh and Katie mentioned, they came into a furnished apartment so their start up costs are understandably lower. I'm starting from ground zero (except clothes) therefore it's higher.
@@WeaveTheStory I know it's hard to give-up your favourite belongings but coming from australia don't you think it'd be better to sell them & buy new ones? 🤩
@@jazzyjazz9872 Australia was not sending any freight items to Portugal at the time of my move. So I had to sell and give away a lot of items and start over again in Portugal. It made more sense to sell them than shipping as I had those furniture in Aus for more than 10 years.
Perhaps I was unfortunate to experience quite a handful of unpleasant experiences, mostly in Madeira which we chose to spend a few days of holiday, perhaps locals on the island don't encounter as many Asians. Lisbon was much better for us and it probably isn't surprising since it is metropolitan, but small things like security stopping us for extra checks or waiters treating us as second priority when serving. Porto was the best experience for us, people were extremely friendly and courteous! So I just think it was very much a mixed experience for myself.
Great to ser our contry from outside eyes please post soph links in the description, I’ also very interested in legacy influences between Portugal and other cultures
Well, I really don't mean to sound so negative, but I assume that after the pandemic, majority of East Asians in the western side of the world must have gone through some form of racial harassment at least once -- it doesn't make Portugal an exception from my experience. I live in Lisbon and there were both teenage boys and grown-ass men who called me "Corona", "Chinatown", "go back to China" etc. There was also another incident at a post office where an old man in front of me in the line started barking something to me in Portuguese right after he saw me, and I could clearly hear the two words 'chines/chinesa' and 'corona' repeating. It only stopped when there was a woman coming out of the office. At that moment, what I found sadder than being shouted by that old dude is the fact that nobody around me was willing to chime in and stop him... I also encountered a homeless man on the subway punching me in the arm just because I refused giving money to him, so that's when I started just avoiding them at all costs haha... Of course, this kind of things would never happen when I am out with my boyfriend, so I think probably what you get to experience also differs by whether you are a woman or man, unfortunately... I love Portugal and Portuguese people, I really do, but when it comes to the matters of racism and safety, I definitely prefer to stay neutral.
Hi Jihye, sorry that you've gone through all that. Would you like to do an interview to talk about the positives and negatives to living in Lisbon? We're keen if you are. - Josh & Kalie
That was awesome! Thank you for the interview with Sophian from Singapore, who is actually my so called neighbor or neighboring country, & to hear his take on in Lisbon Portugal is all in all very nice. It gave me a somewhat comfort in knowing I will be safe (enough) if I ever have a chance to set foot there. I will check out his TH-cam channel later.. x Thanks 👍🙏 again Josh. & I also want to extend my thanks to you & Kalie for always making me feel so welcome by your responses, not only to me, but most of your viewers, and subscribers. ~ my warmest regards to you, Kalie, and Cia ♥ from Malaysia with love.
Hello fellow neighbour Malaysia! Hope you are coping well with MCO. My paternal side's from Malaysia and I visit relatives whenever possible. Portugal's a beautiful country and hope you'll be able to visit this part of the world someday 👍🏻
@@WeaveTheStory Wow! I didn't expect you Sophian. Well, Hello there again. :-) We are well, thanks so much. MCO is so boring! 😅🤦♀️ & I am so tired of it all. Yeah, I so want to be there in Portugal, trust me. Too bad, can't go anywhere right now. Not even in Malaysia itself. We would love to stay in touch with you, if you don't mind, just so we can take up your classes or maybe one day you'll have a restaurant in Lisbon, and we can visit you 😉 So, you're half Malaysian I believe? Which part? I'm in PJ. :-) Stay safe, stay well, stay Happy 🙏☕
@@leneekay1 I feel for you and I'm tired of lockdown in Portugal too. We might see restrictions lifted around April I think. Sure, would be nice to say hello if you come visit in this part of the world. You're welcome to stay in touch 👍🏻 Haha...technically I am half Malaysian although my parents decided to have me born in Singapore so not much I could do about that. 😅 My paternal side's from Negri Sembilan but my relatives are all over the country. Some in Ipoh, KL, PJ, Melaka, JB. Stay safe there and take care 😃👋🏼
🥰Thank you. We really try to respond to everyone we can. We miss some every now and then. We're especially encouraged that this interview has encouraged and comforted you. We're glad to reach our audience where they are. Thanks for the LOVE!!! - Josh & Kalie
@Expats Everywhere --- Awwww...... My heart melted. Don't worry, I'm married, wasn't hitting on you.. haha 😂 Kidding; kidding. I had kind of the same issue when I was a kid growing up in Kuantan, because I didn't /don't look typically Chinese, hence all the.. errr, you know! 😂 Coz I remembered you spoke about it somewhere in this interview, or I think you did. Thanks 🙏- you too take care ya. Hope to meet you, Josh, Kalie, Cia & whoever, one day_____ soon! Portugal is definitely one of my top picks. Keep cooking those yummy dishes. 😋 Selamat Malam from Malaysia 👋
I was in Portugal about 12 years ago, even in Lisbon, and cafe com leite, coffee with milk- bloody good quality - was 1 euro. So if coffee is 2.50 now, I'd keep away, or check out where the locals go, and avoid tourist trap (Lattes and capuccinos)
A meia de leite in a normal cafe is surely that price still but speaking with Sophian, he doesn't go to the average cafe in Lisbon. It's the same here in Porto. You'll pay .70 for an espresso and anywhere from 1-1.2 for a coffee with milk, but at a specialty coffee cafe, you're looking at €2 and up because of the coffee they use and the general vibe at these places is marketing towards a different crowd. Thanks for the comment. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywherebeing an expat is about making choices. Keep your old home comforts at a price, or going local. Those "normal" cafes are damn good coffee. Find a locals' cafe you like, am sure they exist
you both should follow the stay.classy.vlog example and, after living in Lisbon, move to Madeira Island. it is in this corner of the sky that you can enjoy the sunny wether of portugal all year around. safty and people here are... it's an island. you can imagine. Sophian, perfect idea for a food vlog.
Hey Mario, yes, personally I feel like I might be on a similar journey with Stay Classy. Lisbon is the starting point and hoping to explore more around the country. I feel I could be based somewhere else in the coming years, but for the moment, I'm settling here first and want to get to know this city better. I've been following Stay Classy ever since they set foot in Lisbon and I'm a big fan of them. I'm lucky to have met them when I was a tourist and they're lovely people. Mario, believe it or not, Stay Classy was my inspiration to start my own TH-cam channel and they inspired my move to Lisbon. Madeira is definitely on the bucket list and hope to make a trip there in the summer. Thanks for the well wishes and wish you a good week 👍🏻
You have very good asian supermarket in Almirante Reis on the left almost arriving to the Martim Moniz Plage, you'll find there almost everything you need, its run by asian people.
Im asian, i experienced racism sometimes in Portugal but that can happen in any country. I think they are nice because they themselves are being discriminated by other countries. The language is just a barrier for me. I have my own language, i only stay here because of my Portuguese partner but to force me to speak in Portuguese won’t work that way. I respect my partner so demanding for me to speak in Portuguese is not a way for a person to be motivated to learn. I can speak a little and understand pretty much a lot already and so I guess its enough. I want to preserve my culture and language as an Asian although it is indeed critical to learn their language but for me it is not a big deal specially if I don’t plan to live here for long.
Is there a chance you could interview black people/ African Americans also so we can get their point of view on how they’re treated in Portugal? It would be nice to know how life may be for black people in Portugal
Thanks for the comment, Justin. It looks like Jake has a suggestion so I'm going to pop down there and answer both of you in one shot if you don't mind 😉 - Josh & Kalie
Yes, we had organized with Driven Spice to do an in person interview back in December and then a domino effect occurred and we couldn't travel down to Lisbon to do that. We so desperately wanted to do in person interviews for these because of possible internet lag, choppiness, and well let's be honest, in-person interviews are just warmer, aren't they? Due to everything that's gone on with the pandemic and restrictions here, we're now doubling back to all those that we've wanted to do interviews with and we're going to go on with Skype interviews. So yes, Jake, it's in the works. Justin, 100%! Driven Spice was going to be our first interview here in Portugal and we definitely want to hear her perspective on our channel as well. We have decent number of people in our audience that want to know and to be honest, we want to know as well. 😊 Rest assure, we're working hard to bring you these interviews. Thanks for all the support fellas, it's really appreciated. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere thank you for the quick response and the Initiative!! I definitely watch your channel every chance I get because I aim to move to Portugal sometime soon too. Keep up the great work and the best of luck to you both 💙💪🏾
@@justinthomas1237 You're welcome. Both of your comments really stuck out so I've emailed Cinnamon to try to get an interview with her. Thanks for supporting the channel. We would love to play a part in helping you get here or anywhere abroad you're looking to go. Thank you. We're trying to keep up 😂 It's getting pretty crazy. I'll have to get to the rest of the comments in the morning 😅 Thanks for the love. - Josh PS - If you haven't watched that live stream from Friday (i don't blame you it's long), put it on the background and you'll hear us talk about some of the collabs we hope to do.
Really nice video 👏🏼 as a Portuguese (& before vegetarian) that lived in different Asian countries including Singapore, I find some things he says interesting & I understand it’s his own experience. I have had my share of bad experiences in Singapore, but oh my those food courts made me fat 😆 Portugal do have tempeh in most big supermarkets & specialty stores specially in the capital. Although there’s no Singaporean or Malay restaurants, I’m pretty sure he could find the ingredients he is missing. I mostly find them in Asian supermarkets. Nuts can be seasonal, but we normally do have them all ^.^ we import a lot of them. Singapore is much more humid & rainy than Portugal but I do understand that when mixed with the cold it can be hard to bare. I agree the weather shock is a real thing... I’m in Sweden now and I still use layers while people use thin clothes. I think it’s a matter of which country you compare Portugal to. Regarding racism, I must say that Portugal can be very racist, but mostly inside doors and online where keyboard Warriors think they aren’t accountable, because outside a computer people normally mind their own business too afraid of confrontation. He was spot on on the cons tho, Portuguese sometimes can fall into old bad habits and spitting, dog poop, graffiti doodles and being slow in services are a real thing 😓. Hope you all enjoy Portugal 🤗 it’s not perfect but it’s not the worst eheheh ♥️
Great information on what grocery products are not available. I am very accustomed to large Asian grocery stores where I live in the US and my pantry is filled with items from all over the world. Americans have an issue with dog poo, spitting, smoking, bureaucracy, graffiti, and all the things you mentioned. These seem to plague much of Europe.
Thanks for the comment, Carol. Some locals are chiming in on different places to find Asian goods in Lisbon, but we're not sure it's as ubiquitous around the rest of the country. We're pretty sure it's not. We just had a conversation yesterday with two Koreans at a Korean restaurant here in Porto and they struggle to find many key ingredients. - Josh & Kalie
Portuguese people can get more annoyed now and consequently less friendly due to the boom of tourism we had few years ago. People started loosing their houses to give place to foreigners. People from abroad started buying property in the city centre and new guest houses could be built. Many portugueses were forced to go to live in the outskirts as they did not have the financial capacity to compete with the prices that were being putting in place at the time. The quality of life drastically went down as the tourism has increased dramatically and infrastructure has remained the same for years, which has made cities much more crowded. Of course it will never be turist's fault, it's purely government's fault, but some people get too affected with the whole situation and and end up being rude to people who shouldn’t. (I'm only speaking about my own experience in Lisbon, where you felt more, but I'm from the north originally, where a big change happened too) Sadly there is a lot of racism in Portugal as there's everywhere in the world, but please bear in mind that Portugal is a lovely country with one of the most friendly people I've ever met, and it's not because I'm Portuguese. We truly are friendly and simple and we always liked to accommodate everyone. I hope you enjoy your stay in that beautiful country and you feel part of it, I'm sure you will meet lovely people ♥️
Thanks for the heartfelt comment. We think Sophian is trying to get across that he's experienced little, no racism and that he's having a positive experience compared to other places he's lived and worked - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere yes of course, I understood what he said about his experience :) I'm just anticipating and trying to justify some bad attitudes that Portuguese people can have towards tourists, so my hope is he doesn't take it too serious if that happens in the future 🤣
@@dricaslb you’re right. It could go a long way into explaining why we thought people in Lisbon weren’t as nice as people basically anywhere else in Portugal when we visited there 10 years ago. 😂 Porto probably didn’t have the level of tourism then that it has in the past few years. - Josh & Kalie
@@dricaslb This is true anywhere! I am American, but ask people from Vancouver Canada what the influx of Chinese money has been on the cost of daily living for the average Vancouverite! it isnt necessarily meant to be racist, but all that money the Chinese are trying to hide from THEIR government makes daily life for the average Vancouverite more expensive. So, excellent insight, thank you for sharing how this has impacted you!
if you guys work online why live in a big city ,you guys can buy an apartments or houses in small places like the zona oeste and pay less for a mortgage then for rent ,lots a nice places by the ocean living in aldeias ,aldeias is small villages ,portugal is small you can get anywhere in minutos ,get a car .insurance is cheap very cheap and quality of life is much better outside big city's,i have a house on a small place by the ocean i dont exchange for any city ,just looking at the ocean everyday is nothing that pays that
Hey George, thanks for your comment. As much as I agree with you on saving costs and how I would love to be hearing the sounds of the ocean every morning when I wake up 😍. Speaking from my personal experience, I was born and raised in a city so cities tend to be a natural choice. Having experience Portugal as a tourist, I thought Lisbon or a big city would be a good starting point to get to know the country and culture better. Through time meeting more locals, understanding systems and exploring different areas will give me a better sense of where I could be based next. Yes, cost savings is one factor but getting to know the country first through city life is my way of settling into this country. Baby steps...have a good week my friend 😃👍🏻
Hey George, we're going to echo what Sophian said too. The first move is probably easier if it's Lisbon, Porto, or Braga for 6-12 months and then once you get your bearings and better with the language and culture, it'll make it easier to go somewhere smaller and maybe more remote. You're not wrong about any of what you've said here though but we think that's why people naturally select the cities first despite the lower cost of living elsewhere. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere hi! If you wanna know about Portuguese health care see "our rich journey". Their daughter was at the hospital. You don't need an health insurance here in Portugal! I loved the interview
As a member of a FilAm (Filipino-American) family with a wife and mom who is from the Philippines I would be very interested in hearing how prevalent Filipinos are in Portugal. Filipinos are generally very extroverted and outgoing (some would just say "loud" and they wouldn't be wrong LOL) as a general rule. I know that uprooting from the Dallas area where we currently live and have a LOT of Filipino friends will by far be the most difficult aspect for my wife in particular. If any fellow Filipinos read this I would love to know if it's difficult to find other kababayan for socializing/bonding sessions, videoke, etc. Also how difficult is it to find Filipino ingredients to make sinigang, adobo, lumpia, pancit, pinakbet, etc. Salamat po!
Hi. Kathleen, the founder of Bordr, is Filipina and has lived in Portugal for over a year now. She hasn't stated any issues although she and her husband don't necessarily live in an Asian community in Portugal. They hangout with anyone. - Josh & Kalie
Nice to see that there are Filipinos who are also researching this channel because they also wanted to move to Portugal. Moving there as a Filipino family someday is also on my mind so both me and my husband can retire early but still will have a great healthcare, safe country and mild climate to retire too from the U.S.
I can't find spring onions (daun Bawang) and the bureaucracy is mental.. Bureaucracy in Portugal is difficult. You may receive courteous and attentive service at a personal level, but government employees in Portugal work firstly for themselves, secondly for the state, thirdly for the people. A job in government in Portugal is a very good job, bullet proof.
I'm portuguese and I struggle to find those too. One day when searching I went to the supermarket in El Corte Ingles and found a few bunches. Other times I went there and they had none. It's a matter of luck. There was another place where I found spring onions once, a little chinese supermarket near Rossio square but I didn't buy anything at that store as the stentch of piss was disgusting.
Only Algarve and Madeira island have good weather all year, less cold and less rain then other states of Portugal, Lisbon is not bad but it’s not the best weather of Portugal.
Sophian, contact the Lisbon Project which not only provides aid to migrants and refugees but has an excellent network of volunteers that speak English, provide Portuguese lessons, etc. This climate is wonderful for growing all kinds of vegetables, herbs, etc. so you can grow your own. I grew up in Singapore and the Indian spice shops carry a lot of spices used in the former Strait Settlements.
Hey Thomas, thanks for the tip. That's nice to know you grew up in Singapore. I agree Lisbon's climate's great for growing vegetables and I'm experimenting some in my balcony. Are you based in Lisbon? You can email me at weavethestory@gmail.com Cheers! 👍🏻
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I am an Asian person living in Hawaii and I think Portuguese people are very beautiful people. It’s nice to know they are warm and welcoming
Thanks for the comment, Jon. - Josh & Kalie
Hey Jon, thanks for sharing that and it's so true. Since the interview, I've been receiving email messages from locals welcoming me to Portugal. I was not expecting it at all and was very touched by it.
@@WeaveTheStory amazing! That’s great to hear, Sophian.
True
I thank you for that as a Portuguese citizen
Portugal was a super power. They had colonies all over the world. Therefore, they are very openness to all "races" . I am Chinese and I have been to Portugal numerous times and I have NEVER been discriminated against on the contrary I have all been accepted. Maybe it helps that I have married to a Portuguese man for 40 years so I know Portuguese culture and I made an effort to learn the language
Thanks for sharing. It seems like your view falls in line with Sophian's. - Josh & Kalie
As a Portuguese I really looooooveeeeeeee Chinese people. They are so fascinating, so nice, so friendly and one thing I didn't expect... They do give hugs!!! ahaha
One thing I have to say is... The language. It really is difficult to get to know a Chinese person if they don't speak Portuguese or English. Or us not speaking Mandarin. Really a shame we don't have that in our school system also... But seriously we can't learn allll the languages in the world. The mess in Europe?! We have like 10 different languages... But hey if they give hugs, that's good enough for me xD
How is colonialism linked with being open to other races? Colonialism was based on trying to strip people of their culture because it was viewed as inferior or destroying countries to steal their resources.
Good that you learned the language, that is important in any country🙂⭐
@@mariancounsellor colonial days are long gone. .. we are open to different cultures and we respect everyone, especting the same respect back. ..
The cashier raised her voice because some people think if they speak louder the other person suddenly will understand a foreigner language :):):):):):):):)):)lol
😂If only we speak louder, they'll understand us. 😅 It's a very common practice in a lot of languages isn't it? - Josh & Kalie
I experience the same thing in Switzerland over and over again. If i don't understand something and ask, they'll repeat...but louder! 🤣🤣
It may sound agressive but it's not. They don't even notice.
@@ExpatsEverywhere Yes... hehe :):):):):):):):))
@@mariaborboleta7537 And it works, right? You INSTANTLY understand everything perfectly! LOL
Somehow people think language barrier is associated with hearing impaired. That makes a lot sense, NOT! You only make the situation even worse because now the person is more anxious and can’t think of what that damn word in Portuguése.
What a great interview Josh (and Kalie). Sophian is such a nice person... loved hearing his story and about his his perspective of life in Portugal. I’m glad you addressed racism. It’s important to address all aspects of live when moving abroad and sadly that is still something that needs to be talked about. I was very aware of the people around me because my black daughter must feel welcome and comfortable in any place I am going to live (or visit). Again, thanks for this and a big obrigada to Sophian for sharing his journey and experiences with your and us!
Thanks, Jen. Sophian is a great guy for sure. We can't to check his Airbnb Experiences out when we get the chance. Regarding addressing racism, it's a tricky one, isn't it. Obviously, this is just one interview and maybe there are other's that disagree with him but we really like that Sophian had other countries to compare it to and we're open to letting other have their say in video format if they reach out and want to offer something different. We're glad people haven't taken it as trying to chase a trend because if we're going to chase any trends on this channel, it's going to be the top 10 countries to move to in 2021 or something like that. Feeling safe is something that's at the top of everyone's list in life after physiological needs, therefore it's important to talk about and a component of our normal question, "Do you feel safe in X country?"
We appreciate your comment and sharing a bit more about your family's story. - Josh & Kalie
quite horrific to worry about racism, yet legit worry. Dear people, be kind towards each other, we are all one big family.
Yes, be kind to one another. 😁 - Josh & Kalie
Don't be naive. If you truly are against racism, you have to first aknowledge where the world IS. Racism is the history of the world. People expect it to completely disappear in a couple of generations. It doesn't work that way. We are going in the right direction, but we can't tackle the issue by wishing it wasn't there.
Cool interview! I’m Colombian, saw way more racism in Spain than here. I do sense Portuguese get a bit annoyed when you don’t speak Portuguese but other than that the people are amazing.
I think they get more annoyed when someone speaks Spanish to them assuming they share the same language just because they share a border. Learning to say Obrigado and not Gracias goes a long way.
David, we agree. We saw and heard some ridiculous stuff while living in Spain and it changed our perception of racism in the US for example. - Josh & Kalie
100% and a good ole "se faz favor" could be handy too. - Josh & Kalie
the only people that get angry when you dont speak portuguese, are the ones that don't know how to speak any other language xD deep down theyre just angry at themselves hahaha
@@nativobeats4712 We are CRYING laughing over here. This is our favorite comment of the DAY! 😂 We need to put this on a t-shirt! It might just be too long, but it's hilarious and possibly true. - Josh & Kalie
Great video! Glad you were able to address the topic of racism towards Asians, and glad to hear he hasn't really experienced it there. As someone who wants to travel in the future but am worried about racism being Asian, this is always good to know. Hope you can do more interviews with Asian people's experiences abroad, since there seems to be a lack of that on TH-cam.
Thanks, Kenny. We've got several interviews with Asians living in a variety of places around the world. New content will go on our second channel when we get that up and running in September. Thank you again for the comment. - Josh & Kalie
Being an Asian American looking to retire in Portugal, I really appreciate this perspective. Considering that now, in the US, there's been an increase in violence targeted towards Asian Americans due to Covid. I'm exploring countries that are more accepting of Asian Americans besides Asia. I will definitely check out Sophian's business when we can travel to Portugal.
Thanks, Holly. Unfortunately, there are really poorly educated and not nice people everywhere. There just seem to be a lot less here in Portugal. We're really sorry that you're feeling less safe in the US. - Josh & Kalie
Let's try friendly spain 🤩
Portugal rated third place in safety and it still affordable to buy farm houses and grow most of your food I want to go there to rebuild these farm houses make it liveable and produce real organic food that nutritious think it also easy process to become citizens too
There’s def racism in Portugal. More so than in Spain IMO. Portugal is relatively poor for a western country and as a result you will encounter more “unhappy” ppl that may not be so nice or civil. Had a server in a cafe\bakery shop just blatantly act like I wasn’t waiting in line to get served and just totally ignore me while they serve other Portuguese guests. However most ppl were fine and the food in Portugal is excellent. Plus it’s the cheapest Western European country you can visit. That said I would go back to Portugal for a short visit. Prob not long term or even short term stay tho unless you speak the language.
Hi Holly I am Asian also and was concerned about racism towards Asians (especially these days). I was very glad to hear Soph talk about this exact concern for me. Are you moving to a specific place?
I'm so happy to see this and that the overall view of my country is so positive!!
What a lovely comment! Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a positive comment and visiting the channel to see what us foreigners are saying about Portugal. Obrigad@. - Josh & Kalie
This is the exact interview I’ve been looking for! My partner and I have been interested in Portugal for a while. We are from the SF Bay Area and therefore used to living in a diverse place. Since he is Filipino-American the question of anti-Asian racism has been a big question for me moving abroad. I’m so glad to have found this channel and looking forward to checking out Sophian’s channel too!
Dear Brittany,
Come to Portugal! Racism against Asian people is not an issue in Portugal.
Thank you , Britany. We appreciate you sharing a bit of your background. Let us know if you need any additional help with your move. Wishing you the best! We're glad you found us too. - Josh & Kalie
We don't care about races literally! If the person is good and well mannered.... You wont have ANY trouble! I personally can't believe this is a topic really. However I must say, so you don't assume this is a Paradise where nothing bad happens... Well it's close to a paradise in my opinion but anyway... Bad people are everywhere! They just are. Economics is not our strong suit so the main problems here are thievery and robbery. You can live most of your life without problems or you can be robbed the next day.... You just have to learn the ropes and you're going to be fine!!! Watch your money, don't trust people right away, pay stuff with some sort of guarantee (if you don't shop in official places), try to not walk around flashing valuable goods like iphones or expensive jewelry, don't walk alone in the streets (specially at night), keep your wallet close and don't speak to people with bad appearance. Even some of these can be *relative* but for the most part it serves well. Another thing also... We really get pissed if people throw garbage on the floor or if they don't pick their animal droppings. And if we get pissed, then yeah you might hear something unpleasant. Other than that... We are not racists like some Europeans are, specially the northern ones. Being racist is a stupid arrogant thing. We are all humans! Being blonde with blue eyes doesn't give special properties as some might believe
@@Trip4man it’s a topic people are concerned about because they don’t know from the outside what you’re saying about how Portuguese people in general care less about race. So it’s not really a video to inform the Portuguese people at all but to answer the question for foreigners.
Thank you Sophian for your honest and insightful information as an Asian living in Portugal. Your information is very appreciated
Glad it was helpful! - Josh & Kalie
I visited Porto and really fell in love and now I am regretting why I didn't shift there. Some visitors even took me and my daughter as Portuguese and were asking the routes. I loved it..Love Portugal
Thanks for sharing! That's great to hear. - Josh & Kalie
Really enjoyed this interview, especially since Sophian he has a unique perspective being from Southeast Asia, really admire him for being so patient, flexible and adventerous.
I am moving to Lisbon myself later this year (as soon as entry into Portugal will be somewhat normal) and this interview had some very helpful information.
I would definitely enjoy other expat interviews and also more about Lisbon since everyone these days seems to talk mostly about Porto, Coimbra, Silver Coast etc. for expats and digital nomads, so this is another thumbs up for this interview. :)
Thank you!
Thanks Ales! I've watched several vlogs before moving to Lisbon to know that it can be frustrating and it's dependent on the type of services you're seeking. So best to come here with an open mind and be flexible. I would suggest learning as much Portuguese as you can before moving here. I learnt as much as I could and I'm still very much a beginner.
@@WeaveTheStory Thank you very much for your reply!
I completely understand that certain things can be very frustrating as it can be with probably all countries one way or another, it's all part of the cultural experience. :)
I currently live in Vancouver, Canada but have been to Portugal quite a few times over the last few years and completely fell in love with the country.
Since I was supposed to move this month and now have extra time, I started to learn Portuguese with a tutor form Lisbon last month which I do twice a week and hopefully by the time I get to go to Portugal I'll be able to have some very simple converstations, still very much a beginner right now.
When I am there I just might join your cooking class one day as I love Asian food from your part of the world.
Wishing you all the best Sophian in all your endeavours and hopefully things will soon improve again so that you can start your cooking classes. :)
If you come to Algarve it will be much easier for non Portuguese speakers, Algarve has a huge English, Dutch, German community, almost everyone in Algarve speaks English. In Lisbon not so much, but in Spain is 100x worse.
@@NeMeSis7PT The Algarve is beautiful but personally learning Portuguese is part of moving to a new country and I honestly don't want to be somewhere, where I can get away with never learning the language.
For me being in a bigger city like Lisbon is also important because I need to travel for work and this will be quite convenient.
Another point which was also mentioned in the interview is to meet people and make friends which I think might be easier in Lisbon or Porto but I could be completely wrong.
The Algarve is definitely something I might consider in the future but for now, I feel Lisbon is the right fit. :)
@@747800pro i respect that from you, learning the language is very important to feel connected to a new place, Lisbon is definitely a better place for work/business. Algarve is better for the elder who wants to enjoy the retirement.
Great interview. You've asked very pertinent and helpful questions and let Josh answer in detail. Josh was very insightful!
Hi Donna, thanks for the comment. Just to clarify, the interviewer is Josh and the interviewee is Sophian. 😁 - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere OMG...it's early over here! LOL! Of course...so sorry!!
@@theushistorian 😂 You're funny. It's all good. Just making sure. We wanted to clarify. Thanks for the comment and watching in the early hours. 😁- Josh
Thank you for bringing up racism, its something a lot of other travel channels ignore. His food looks amazing btw!
You're very welcome. We're happy to do it if people don't mind sharing their experience. At the end of the day, this channel isn't so much about us but it's about you guys.
His food does look amazing and you better believe we're going to do his Airbnb Experiences. When Kalie and I heard about it, we were like that seems so cool. We love food, history and culture. Thanks for the comment, AA! 🙏 - Josh & Kalie
Leave my country alone you bullies !!!
@@ADMBPR huh?
@@ExpatsEverywhere not you. Sorry. But people keep pushing the narrative of racism and thats everywhere these days. A one line of thinking dicktatorshit pushed by the globalist oppressors.. the culprits are the far-left closet cognitive dissonant racists and their puppet masters. Self fulfilling prophecies exist and we don't want any of that sht here in Portugal. We have enough problems already with people from the Ex colonies. We don't need anymore snowflake coldness from persons who don't tolerate the idea we are a people of our own. To become trully portuguese it takes a life time. Just an official paper won't do it here or anywhere else in the world. Peace
Racism is everywhere. I am an Asian expat in France and are there racist people? Yes. Who cares. Was racism worse in America? Yeah. What am I going to do about it? Complain? No. I am going to get even and make my life awesome. Those racists can continue being miserable.
Always hit like before I even watch! I already know you guys won’t disappoint! Thank you for all you do! It matters! IT. MATTERS! You guys help keep the dream alive. Bed time for night nurse. Double shift today! Much love from Angi! ❤️❤️
I do too! They are great! Also thank you for all you do as a nurse!! 🙏
@@elizabethreynolds6874 Awww bless you!
@@mrsiz218 💜💜💜
You''re great! Thanks Angi 🙏 Looking forward to seeing what you thought of this one. - Josh & Kalie
Thanks @elizabeth and good call. Thanks again @angelia for risking it all of us. - Josh & Kalie
Lots of rain in the winter means juicy oranges in January!! 😋
I love the educational experience that you are offering with your business! It sounds beautiful!
We agree. We're looking forward to trying it because we love Asian food and learning more about history and culture. - Josh & Kalie
Jamal & Shohedah = Great job Josh!! That's what you need . This kind of interviews and open discussion helps a lot to make decisions. Thanks again for your great ideas and vedios.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the positivity and encouragement Jamal & Shohedah. Is Kalie getting close to the correct pronunciation of your name, Shohedah? We gotta know so we can say it correctly on the Live Streams. - Josh & Kalie
If he doesn't like Portugal due to it being racist he can always leave through the same means he used to arrive. If I go to Singapore I don't have the right to tell the locals how to behave, it's their country, not mine.
Did you even watch the video... Nasty troll that you are ! Please delete this comment guys
Did you watch the video?
🤡🤡🤡
"If I go to a restaurant and the waiters insult me and my family repeatedly, I don't have the right to tell them how to behave. It's their establishment, not mine"
🤡
Really appreciated this interview as an Asian American female who still wants to be in a Cosmopolitan city that’s is overall safe and has culture, food and arts.
We're glad you found value in it. We have another interview with an Asian American couple that talks about living and visiting different parts of Portugal. Have you seen it? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Haven't just yet but I'll take a look asap :)
In Hawaii we have a dish called “Malasadas” I know it’s of Portuguese origin.
Yes that’s right Malasadas are from the islands of Madeira and Azores and The Ukelele is also of Portuguese origins ( cavaquinho) big hugs to the Hawaiian people from Portugal 🇵🇹🙋🏻♀️
Uau really?! In south portugal, at alentejo, the dish we call malassadas its made with corn flour and water, all mixed and boiled and some fried slices of pork fat. What is it in Hawaii and in Açores e madeira?
@@srawhoiam in Hawaii it’s more of a sweet. It’s fried dough and sugar is sprinkled on it. There is no pork or savory taste to it
@@srawhoiam são uma espécie de bola de Berlim ou Donut grande sem o buraco também polvilhado com açúcar e que originalmente não tinha recheio mas os Hawaiianos com o passar dos tempos criaram versões com vários sabores. Eles até têm um dia chamado de “ Malassadas Day” que é a nossa terça-feira gorda/Carnaval! São bem diferentes das malassadas Alentejanas 😉👋🏻
Im from the north of portugal and malasadas is a sweet dough and normal topped with sugar and cinnamon.
The Portuguese can be rude when we are annoyed. However it is not racism. It is not based on races. It is because of an attitude to everybody. Raising the voice can be unpleasant, however, it is an act of speach freedom. It is a very subjective thing. If I am deaf, I will speak louder. Besides, if you work for Airbnb, a company responsible for driving MILLIONS of people into homelessness, in Lisbon as well as in the whole world, expect local people to be rude and angry.
Hi Jonas, just to clarify, Sophian doesn't work for AirBnb. There's a smaller part of AirBnb called AirBnb Experiences where people can market "experiences" in a city so that visitors have a one stop shop for accommodations and tours when they go to a city. Imagine, you go to AirBnb's site and you can book your place to stay, a walking tour, a wine tasting tour, and maybe a cooking class of local cuisine. The people doing the tours and such don't work for AirBnb and they probably market their experiences on other platforms and their own website as well. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Thank you for the clarification.
No country survives without rain, obviously. Living in the Algarve, and having watched how some communities here are experiencing drought periods every year, I really hope it would rain MORE, not less.
Yes, but this year actually has been great in terms of rain. The period from December 2014 to November 2019 was very bad in terms of rain, not only in the Algarve but in most of Southern Portugal. In that period, the region had 11 rainy months and 47 dry months!
sure but in the northwest it rains too much and it ruins everything
@@skurinski It ruins everything? What does it ruin?
That was a good interview. Very interesting. Love the different perspective.
Thanks for listening/watching. Glad you like the different perceptive. Hopefully more to come! - Josh & Kalie
Fantastic interview, well done. Sophian was very informative with sharing his experiences.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it! Get to see your public sub badge, Eric! - Josh & Kalie
I’m thinking about leaving LA, thank you so much for this! With all the anti Asian hate in California and the rest of the US, it’s definitely something that’s on my mind when I’m looking at places. Really appreciate it!
You're welcome. We're really sorry to hear that you're looking at moving because of the anti-Asian hate in CA and the US. We love you and we LOVE Asia!!! Let us know if we can help you with the transition here. 😊 - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Anti-Asian hate in CA is actually the final straw. Many people of all races have been fleeing CA for a variety of reasons: taxes, wildfire, drought, expensive housing, traffic, homelessness, no sense of community.
Sophian, aparently there are some malaysian restaurants in Lisbon: Malaca Too, Boa-Bao, Food Network Fusion Restaurant.
Hey Antonio, thanks for the recommendations. So far Boa-Bao and JNcQUOI Asia are my favourite. I've seen Malaca Too at LX Factory but I wasn't so sure because the menu seems more Chinese to me. But I'll will defo will give Food Network Fusion a try.
Report back to us too! - Josh & Kalie
Boa-Bao is very famous around people living in the center of lisbon 👍🇵🇹
Also an Asian market in martim moniz
So the gettos already start, what a suprise
I loved this interview. It was so detailed and filled with information I had not heard before from other expats. Looking forward to moving to Portugal in the near future.
Aww 🥰 Thanks for the love. It's great that Sophian could provide some information that you've haven't heard before. Hopefully as a channel we can keep doing that for you. Giving you more details about what to expect. Keep us posted on your move. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Thank you! I will keep you posted on my move. I love Lisbon but Porto is a place I would love to explore. Does Porto have a strong yoga community?
Cool interview! Good to know other nationalities coming here.
About the weather: it's been a tough winter but it solved a great issue from the North to Algarve: most of water reserves are at high levels even in Alentejo and Algarve, wich means we are out of extreme drought danger!
Patrícia, thanks for letting us know about the water reserve situation. 😁
We appreciate your support of the interview. Definitely a lot of other nationalities here. We'll try to get more interviews from a variety of nationalities assuming that they're fluent in English since we're an English speaking channel. - Josh & Kalie
Until the summer.
It's enough for 2 years at least
Been to the Algarve last september. Water levels in the reservoir lake north of Lagos have been terrifying low at est. 30%.
@@wolfgangwust5883 thanks for the comment! Interesting 🤔
Nice video I loved it, nice job! I live in the Algarve the south of Portugal, I did live in Lisbon for about 2 years and it's as if the Algarve has a climate of it's own, sunshine most of the year round and doesn't have the extensive week long rain seasons the north and center of the country has. It's cold in winter notably from December to February but the rain only gets to you during April, March is warm and sunny but come April the Portuguese have a saying "Abril águas mil", meaning: April, a thousand waters. Note, I was born and lived in South Africa till I was 11 so anything under 20ºC is cold for me :p I'm "friorento" (Portuguese word for someone that is sensitive to cold) but all and all the weather is fantastic in the Algarve and everyone speaks English, a paradise for expats!
wow I'm sold 🤩
Except for healthcare services, I don't recommend coming here for people with serious health conditions.
@@JoelSantos-lk9tu I disagree. My Portuguese friends complain about health care but in reality they have no idea how it is around the world. Heath care in Portugal is great compared to most of the world. An example I had a pneumothorax my left lung collapsed, I got to the hospital and was immediately treated, no waiting time (Hospital de Faro)! Only thing they asked for was my Nº de Utente. I was sent to the pneumologia sector and bedridden for 7 days. Cost 14 euros! How is that bad? Fala de quem percebe e de quem teve que usufruir do sistema mais nada!
@@PeterMKooiman great to hear you were treated well and quickly, some emergency sectors are still relatively good but I can tell you many bad experiences I had with relatives of mine, not mentioning many centros de saúde are virtually worthless, that's why hospital emergency are always crowded.
I watch so many of your videos, and they just keep getting better and better
Thank you, Josue. Love the name. 😁We're trying to get better and better. That's the goal. We're trying new things what seems like every video so I don't blame people if they think we're inconsistent. We've got to figure out the right format, but we're trying. We appreciate the support. This comment means a lot to us. - Josh & Kalie
Josh, you remind me so much of Garret Mcnamara your compatriot. Anyways, glad to hear so good about my country and you guys are happy living there, so jealous. I'm from Lisbon and moved to Canada 15 years ago. Can't wait to return and enjoy my days at the beach, it's what I miss the most.
We hope to bring you back home sooner from balmy Canada Joao! Thanks for watching 😃👍🏻
Hey Joao, not going to lie, I had to google GMAC. He sounds like a much better surfer than me. 😂 Thanks for the comment and watching the video. We hope to see you around the channel more. We would like to allow you to reminisce well by watching our adventures here. Where are in Canada are you? Did a job take you there? Garret Mcnamara
@@Module79L hey, nobody in this interview is Australian. Josh (that’s me) is from the US and Sophian (the interviewee) is from Singapore but was living in Australia before moving on a D2 visa to Portugal. Thanks. - Josh
But I thought Canada was renowned for its WARM beaches!!!! LOL Would it be too stereotypical to assume you are in Toronto? My Portuguese friends here in Massachusetts speak frequently about the enclave of Portuguese in toronto!
The cost of living in Porto opposite to Lisbon is a little cheaper, also when you go outside for dinner you might find some places with great quality food which are very affordable and with generous portions.
The cost on average for a small flat in the big cities in Portugal is a bit inflated as of now, although you can find from time to time some good opportunities, most of the locals tend to rent or buy in the suburbs (since there are some very nice and quiet areas much more affordable than the city center) .. for example, I live on the other side of the Tagus where very modern and cool looking flats are for rent starting 650€ and there is no shortage of transports to commute to Lisbon. Also, I find 500€ per month for groceries a bit too much, but as the man said, it all comes down to the amount and quality of products you buy particularly if they are imported.
Weather is unpredictable and this winter has been a bit long and rainy when compared to previous ones, some summers and more mild and rainy as well.. so you can never tell but overall, the weather here when compared to many countries is great I think.
I´m curious as to what are Canton nuts (Macadamia nuts I do know since it's very easy to find them in Portugal.. just Google "Nozes Macadamia") but those.. never heard of it, also tempeh, fermented soybean, try El Corte Inglés or some other Hyper Market or perhaps if you know someone who shops at Makro maybe you can find it there, nevertheless, I googled all the items you said and could find all, at the very least online in Portugal.
Myself as a principal I do not give money to homeless people, but if they are starving and I can help, then it's no bother to buy them something to eat, but giving them money for alcohol or drugs, no way !! But also know that there´s this phenomenon happening across Europe, of some gypsies that come from some eastern european countries, with the sole intent to beg or steal, they are nomads, moving from city to city and country to country, be aware of them (don't want to stereotype but..).
Believe it or not, the bureaucracy is now much lighter than it once was ;D
Hello and thanks for watching! Ok, I should explain the reason why it's more for groceries as I'm new here (just into my third month) and stocking up goodies for my Asian pantry does add up to the chunk (plus I've been stocking up a lot of wine during lockdown 🤭). I do like my food a lot and trying various Portuguese produce I find in supermarkets. The expenditure will come down when I'm more settled and know particular brands to lookout for. Candlenuts are not available here so macadamia is the alternative for me. I've been to Continente a couple of times but wasn't able to find it there. I will keep a lookout for it 😃 Yes, I've noticed the gypsies lately and been aware of them but in general, it's been good. Wow, that's reassuring to know about the bureaucracy. Thanks for your comments!
@@WeaveTheStory Candlenuts just found were forbidden to sell in some countries since people resource to it in order to lose weight and due to some side effects it was considered toxic and dangerous and many people have died, those articles that I found are from Brazil can't tell if it's the same here, still couldn't find any reference to it in Portugal except for pills. See if Noz Moscada can work for you. Best of luck
@@m000Theevilcow That's interesting to know. Thanks for enlightening me. I'm definitely not using it to lose weight. Haha
Really bad luck about the lady who was rude about Sophian not speaking Portuguese, because we are very open and used to receive tourists due of being a country that receives a lot of tourists from all over the world. I'm a Portuguese living in Switzerland and here, if you don't speak the language, the Swiss people in general don't accept that well, but in Portugal that rarely happens. My husband is American and when we go to Portugal he never had/has an issue of not speaking Portuguese, quite the opposite!
Hope you love live in my country!
All the Best!
We agree and even he admitted it's been a one off that wasn't racially motivated. We've had some incredibly pleasant interactions with people. - Josh & Kalie
Very good interview, thanks for that! Very nice to hear your views about living in lovely Lisbon! :)
Glad you enjoyed it! We appreciate the comment. - Josh & Kalie
Hope you guys can be happy here! After the covid restrictions try and travel aroud the country...every small village has it´s own history and charm. Really hope and believe you will be very happy in Portugal. Stay cool ;)
Thank you very much. That's the plan. - Josh & Kalie
I've been researching to retire there soon and it sounds like a fantastic place to live and enjoy life.
@@neilschmid4991 Despite not retiring and covid, we're enjoying life here in Portugal. Thanks for the comment and view. - Josh & Kalie
Nice interview, Josh! Looks like "dog poop" is here to stay 😂. I even got a dog training ad when I watched your video.
😂 That's hilarious. We thought we were the only ones annoyed by it and then we started talking to people and it's like everyone knows. Thanks for the compliment. - Josh & Kalie
What a wonderful interview-especially how Sophian described how living abroad has transformed his life. It was especially appreciated after hearing about the reality of the costs of living in Lisbon as well as the cons list (yikes! 😬). Between the stray dogs, barking dogs, abandoned dogs (bags of abandon puppies?!?😭) and dog poop that I’ve been reading and hearing about, I was really questioning my decision to move to Portugal. Seriously though, what is with the dog situation? So sad!
Hey Elizabeth, thanks for watching! Every country has its pros and cons. As foreigners, our impressions are heightened as we leave our comfort zones out of our home countries. I tend to observe more things and noticed signs around me. It is a shame about the poops but it's not as bad than other cities I've been. It definitely can be improved. With regards to stray and abandoned dogs, I haven't noticed much in this city or at least where I am. There are people who genuinely care about these issues here especially my neighbours in the building I'm staying. There's faith in humanity! 😃
Great response, Sophian.
Thanks, Elizabeth. We're glad that you liked the interview. Unless seeing doggie droppings is an absolute deal breaker, we would say, "Don't abandon Portugal." But maybe it's better to come visit and see for yourself. In 4 almost 5 months here in Porto, we've yet to have a stray dog situation but we're also donating to an animal shelter to help the situation too. We've gotta be the change. - Josh & Kalie
@@WeaveTheStory yes, true. Thank you for the gentle reminder. I so enjoyed your interview, perspectives and vision and look forward to your great success!
@@ExpatsEverywhere hi Josh. I wouldn’t abandon over dog poop lol, it was the entire list on cons that had me a bit concerned. I’ve visited (Lisbon, Algarve) and saw many stray dogs in Lisbon. The dog situation comes up frequently in FB groups I’m in from parts all over Portugal. I totally agree, we must be part of the solution and plan on supporting the animal shelters. I didn’t mean to sound negative; my heart hurts for these dogs! 💜
@@elizabethreynolds6874 You don't sound negative at all! The same two cons we hear from everyone so far has been dog poo and bureaucracy then everyone's experience varies. But the pros that everyone has said, safety and nice people. That's the other common link. A good amount of people say the weather, but the weather can be very relative right? Cost of living is on almost everyone's list too. It's great that you're planning on supporting a local shelter. - Josh & Kalie
Very informative and resourceful. Great job! Didn’t recognize you at first without your wife and baby girl. I’ve been following your videos since your family left Florida to Porta. Then a few videos after looking for a cellphone and getting established.
Welcome back! Thank you for the comment and compliments. So where are you now? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere in this beautiful Sunshine State seeking to make a move to Portugal. Once they open back up we’ll be on our way. Had a trip planned for October 2020, we move it to December and now we’re looking at June. We’re wondering if that will happen without the country having the vaccine rollout. Under the new administration the rollouts here are much quicker and successful.
Wonderful interview, I am also from Singapore and was looking for good content of Singaporean living in Portugal. Nice coincident indeed, Great to know that Sophian is doing great there and hope I can find out more from him about life in Lisbon too. Thanks for the links to his YuoTube Channel, will see if I can link up with him too. Very nicely done interview..
Thanks, Roger. We appreciate hearing from you. We ended up doing his cooking class over the summer. We put out a video about that on our channel and then he interviewed us for his channel. Hope you enjoy those videos too. You've probably seen, we're fans of Singapore. - Josh & Kalie
Malaca was Portuguese for 130 years. And many other places in Asia also, like Macau, East Timor . And we were the first Europeans to reach Japan and other areas of that part of the world. But we had trading posts and did not colonize those areas. We all know that some Japanese words have Portuguese origin like, Tempura , Castela cake , pão , botão. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Empire#Trade_with_Maritime_Asia,_Africa_and_the_Indian_Ocean
And Arigato in japanese comes from Obrigado a portuguese word that means Thank you.
Nice! It sounds like you and Weave the Story need to do a cohosted episode on his channel. - Josh & Kalie
@@NeMeSis7PT Sorry but that's an urban myth
@@NeMeSis7PT that is not true...
In reality, Portuguese did colonized some parts of the Indian ocean...Goa, Diu and others areas still got some evidence of Portuguese presence....
I've just found your channel and I love it! Me and my husband used to hold expats meet ups in Porto and we miss talking to other expats since the lockdown started :(
Nice! Glad you've found us and thanks for the love! So are you still in Porto? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Yes, we're still in Porto. Waiting for things to get better so we can have more meet ups and travel around here.
This is a great interview. We have a condo in Lisbon. We are in America during the COVID. We looking forward to return to Lisbon. I hope to meet Sophian and introduce him to my American expat in Lisbon
Thank you, Sue. That's very nice of you. When do you plan on returning? - Josh & Kalie
I agree 100% that if u are going to stay in a foreign country for few years that learning the language and culture is very essential.
For sure, learning the language gives greater access to learning the culture. - Josh & Kalie
Good information from Sophian. Well done! Thanks for doing these interviews
Thanks, Thomas. Our pleasure! We appreciate the compliment. - Josh & Kalie
Best wishes and good luck for you and your family, Sophian.
Thanks Antonio. Greatly appreciate your well wishes 👍🏻
I used to live in Singapore & Sydney, all paper work on Visa I did it my self, quite straight forward. Similar to what Sophian did at the Portugal consulate in Sydney. Some countries still need legal back up due to language barrier. So, try to do it yourself first, if it didn't go well then you get help from a legal associates. If it turned out well, welcome to Portugal. Good Luck !!!
Thank you so much for doing this video!! Especially during this time with the pandemic. It's good to know that as an Asian, I might not be subjected to racism in Portugal. Also good to know that there are some Asian ingredients available in the groceries should I miss something from "home".
You're very welcome. We had a lot of people ask so we wanted to try to reach people's needs and alleviate their fears. - Josh & Kalie
This guy has a great idea for his business! Thanks for introducing him!
Thanks Melinda! Greatly appreciate 😃
You're welcome. We're excited to try it out when we're allowed because we love the Asian food he's talking about. After 4 years in that part of the world, we've gone over a year without having Singaporean, Malaysia, & Indonesian food. 😢- Josh & Kalie
what an absolutely helpful and informative video. thanks for sharing your life in Portugal Sophian
This is a very important topic to address. Good job guys. Racism unfortunately exists everywhere, but some places are worse than others.
Very informative. Josh, always enjoy watching your video.
Thanks, Cheng! Good to see you again. We appreciate the support. - Josh & Kalie
I think your rent is far too expensive. I'm sure you can find a good T2 in central Lisbon for around 1k.
A very educative video, thank you so much and I'm also planning to move to Portugal this year. Thank you
Thank you. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie
As a portuguese i would like to comment on two things: racism and weather xd lets start with weather, it is much better the southern you go but ive spent the last 3 years living in uk and honestly i prefer the uk weather compared to the north of portugal, is colder here in uk but much dry, it doesnt rain nearly as much and nearly as hard.
Now racism is a tough topic, im glad you guys feel safe and that dont feel uncomfortable about your culture and looks but i have to disagree when you say portuguese are all nice. We may be very welcoming but we have a big history of racism and discrimination in our country. We have been very divided and im glad to say the majority is very nice about it but especially after getting to know people from UK, for example, i just have to let people know we do have very old minded people that dont like people that look different, i can't really explain why and it makes me really happy that you say you haven't felt much racism but it is an issue portugal still needs to work on A LOT. There is a lot of judging in the streets bcs the way you look, walk, dress, speak, anything. I hate it but it is an issue that needs to be addressed and i dont want people to be misled by your statements, unfortunately we also have stupid people in our country, sorry about that.
Thanks for the comment.
We think the major takeaway with Sophian's experience is that he's comparing it to the other places he's lived and worked and he feels Portugal is better than those place. I think any rational person can say that all places have negative and negative people. I just ran into one the other day here in Porto but I'm not going to go and tell other people that Portuguese are bad because of this one guy. You know? Stereotyping, prejudice, and racism seem to exist everywhere we've been but it's to different degrees and Sophian and we feel it less here than in other places. We really appreciate your comment. It actually sounds like for you the UK is less than Portugal. Is that your feeling or do you just know Portugal more intimately? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere I've been nothing but welcomed in uk, my accent is horrible and i've never felt left out or unwelcomed by their people, so yes, at least so far i can say my experience in uk was pretty good, at the same time im european, im not asian, im not black so maybe im a little prone to certain racism since im part of the privileged white group.
Just for reference, months ago when the covid started there were asians around the entire world being harassed bcs of "china virus", ive seen multiple videos of people posting on the internet here in portugal harassing asian communities, that is just one more example of portuguese misbehavior. Im glad both you guys and Sophian had great experiences here tho, hopefully you'll be able to be in contact with great people in my country that are willing to help and befriend you more than attack or harass you for wtv reason they may have. At least we are not spanish and some of us do know or try to know english a little bit so that should help too with communication issues ahah Glad you are enjoying my beautiful little country, hope to have you here for longer :)
@@BuzzKora thanks. Glad to know things are going so well for you in the UK. We appreciate the welcome here. - Josh & Kalie
Ó AEtherth, História de racismo no passado também há em Espanha, Inglaterra, Holanda... Portugal foi dos primeiros países a abolir a escravatura...
@@tatianaschoenfield9819 Not that much reserved. Usually, we don't make friends immediatelly, but usually when we make friends we are, indeed, friends.
Thank you for this!
As south korean, I dream to move Porto! This is very helpful to me!
You're welcome. We're glad that you enjoyed it. We've seen quite a few Koreans around Porto but most likely they're students. - Josh & Kalie
Very little racism in Portugal compared to other countries
That's right! - Josh & Kalie
Nice and informative. I joined his TH-cam as well. Can’t wait to try some meals.
Thanks, Sharon!! Awesome. We can't wait to try it as well. When are you going to be in Portugal? Maybe we'll do this Airbnb Experience together? - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere well my trip is held up being in Maryland. So we are literally on a not my country list. But as soon as I get notified that the World is back opened. I would love to Airbnb experience with you all. I’m planning for 2022. Keep the great info coming.
Love the interview. It gives insight on prospective place to retire. I'm looking forward on doing the Camino de Santiago via the coastal portuguese route within the next 2 yrs then while I'm there research Algarve/Porto as a place to expat to.
Sounds great! Let us know if there's any way we can help. - Josh & Kalie
With all due respect I will have to correct you on the homelessness part. My late husband worked with homeless people several years ago (running a rehab center) in the United States- Chicago to be exact. Many homeless people suffer from mental illness. Many homeless people don't have a penny in their pocket. Many homeless people made unwise choices with drugs causing drug addiction leading them to a downward spiral. Then they don't know how to get out on their own. It is a very difficult situation to be in. Many still have their pride because, well, they are human. However, I want you to know that I truly appreciate this interview and wish you guys the best.
No, we completely agree. We've worked with homeless populations as well and we know that the two most common things tend to be drugs and mental issues, it's just that the government has taken a rather large socially funded initiative to help. Then you have some people that go to the streets to beg, but they're able-bodied and scammers, which is also common in cities. There was no disrespect meant in the video but I wanted to quickly get out of the topic otherwise we could have gotten in the weeds and off track. Thanks for the comment and giving me a chance to address it. - Josh & Kalie
Thank you so much for this video!!! This was very helpful and will help me make my decision.
You're welcome. Glad to hear it. Let us know if there's any other way we can help. - Josh & Kalie
Nice to hear the perspective of someone from Singapore and other parts of the world. I'm Portuguese, and what I can tell you is that we are mostly nice people, and the racism here is one a very low note, except regarding Gipsies and Romanians, and still a bit regarding Brazilian women, but fortunatly that is changing. We are one of the countries in the world with more immigrants, so we are very wellcoming to others and understand the sacrifices, we also used to be very poor, so there was never much difference in the treatment within 90% of our poppulation, we were all treated like garbage.
I have experience in anglo saxonic world and other parts of Europe, and the biggest difference is that here there can be a negative opinion regarding a community (like Americans, Gipsis, Romanians, Arabs, etc), for whatever reason, but that does not influence your opinion or actions when you meet someone and get to know them, something that does not happen in places I've been where the label sticks with you no matter what.
Thanks for the comment and welcoming nature of it.
We completely agree that people have stereotypes and feelings toward people groups but treating people as individuals in very high here from our experience too. - Josh & Kalie
Here's a link to where Portugal ranks in terms of foreign born residents here. www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/which-countries-have-the-most-immigrants-51048ff1f9/
@@ExpatsEverywhere Again, glad you feel at home here, best regards for you and yours.
@@josearaujo8616 Thank you. We appreciate it! - Josh & Kalie
This year has been an unusually long winter, but you living in Porto you should have known better hehehe everywhere along the coast side, from Peniche upwards, not only it rains a LOT but also temperatures are always lower, and the upper you go the worse it is. In the center of Portugal there´s a mountain formation called "sistema montanhoso Montejunto - Estrela" that basically cuts the weather in half, north of it, it tends to rain a lot, while in the south side it tends to be dry and sunny. I would only live on the north side of this crappy mountain if I had no other chiose. If you guys have any other questions don´t be shy and just ask. Adeus
Super helpful! Thank you Mario!
Hey Mario, we knew better. We intentionally choose Porto and normally it's not this wet so we have next winter to "look forward to" 😂We love the 3 seasons we get up here. Thanks for the offer. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Hello Guys, thanks for your answer, I have a bit of an apologize for you, before when I´ve used the term "you should have known better" I was probably over reacting a bit, the fact that you guys are new comers and had no idea about the rain and the general weather in Porto it´s very understandable, so my apologize for you. I´m the one who should have known better, for the last 27/28 years I´ve working a bit all over and three years ago I decided to land in Paris (which I hate by the way but life drives us through strange paths hehe) on which the main differences from Porto, weather wise, has to do with the temperatures, generally much lower over here in Paris. But on the good side, I´m flying down to Portugal at least a week every month and relax at my home town of Rio Maior. If you guys ever go down south just let me know, if I´m there I´ll be very happy to show you around, from my little home town to the near by coast line. Thanks
@@mariomarques4247 , my guy! I'm already a huge fan of yours. You have no idea how nice this comment is. In a time when people are so quick to say stuff and so slow to genuinely apologize, I commend you on that. I really appreciate it. 100% transparency, at first I read it poorly and as an attack, but then I backed up and just took it softer. Thank you for clarifying. You're better than we are putting up with Paris for 3 years! Idk if we would do that. 😂Sure, if and when we're going south, we'll let people know and if they're available to meet up or whatever, we'll organize something. Thanks for the offer and letting us know. - Josh
@@ExpatsEverywhere No worries guys. Thank you for your nice words and if you ever need something you think I can be of some use just ask, don´t be shy hehe I´ll do my best to sort it ou for you. Bye Bye
Mario
Hey Josh and Kalie, one question which country where you really happier, Spain or Portugal? ❤️❤️
It's really early into our stay in Portugal but we would certainly say Portugal at the moment. Our lives where very, very different though. We didn't have a kid and a dog. We weren't living together. Kalie was living with a family as an au pair and I had 3 different set of roommates in 2 years. Our work was easier in Spain compared to Portugal (believe it or not) but we're happy to be doing what we're doing here. This sounds like a video idea. 😂 - Josh & Kalie
Hello, my name is Neves, I live in Lisbon, Portugal, work as a programmer, and would like to learn and speak fluent English.
Como assim fazes programação e não falas fluentemente Inglês?
Mas .. dica para ti, vai viver em Southampton, ou Brighton, Reino Unido uns dois anos... vais aprender Inglês de certeza.
E se fazes programação podes sempre trabalhar online! You could also pay me and I teach you :))
When I move over I'm going to the Algarve... More sun ☀
Thanks for the public sub, Judy! Is this your first comment? If so, awesome! If we've missed your other comments, so sorry we haven't responded til now. 😁
If you need that sun 365-ish then Algarve is probably the best place. 😊- Josh & Kalie
We Portuguese will welcome you too
but Algarve is diferent from the rest of the country , the people in Algarve are very accustomed to the forein but if you travel here you will see the true Portugal.
Good luck bud!
@@TheTusto best places to go in Portugal ? Sun , beaches, nice women
@@sammyjdakid-GFN All portugal is a good place to go we have miles of beaches nice women and sun in the biggest part of the year , we are a little country but we have all.
I am an Indian living in USA for 30 years. Portuguese lived in India for 400 years. I have been watching your videos. planning to retire in the next 4 years and move to Portugal. Awesome videos. thanks a bunch
As indian you know that majority of portuguese arent racist..
We appreciate you sharing, Vijaya. Thanks for the support. We wish you the best with your transition. Keep us posted. - Josh & Kalie
Portugal has always been mostly open to Asian countries, which always had an appeal of mystery and reconnection (religare): the Discoveries and the link to the sea have always held a deep call to us and the Orient is part of that experience, to be drawn to the sea is to be drawn to travel to connect to another place, to the other extreme, in this case, the journey to the East, in a sense we do the reverse of the Monkey King, ours was the Journey to the East, and it was meant to connect Europe to India and the Far East, so that connection and the journey itself have an historical value that is deeply rooted in our "seafaring mythos". We established relations with China and Japan, and we left descendancy in Macau for instance, many people from Macau have mixed Portuguese and Chinese ancestry and there are a few Portuguese people I know that have strong Chinese traits, even though they were born in Portugal and their, at least immediate, ancestors are all Portuguese, somewhere up the genealogical tree they may however have Chinese ancestry. So, no, the discrimination found in some countries, including Anglo-Saxon countries, towards some Asian communities you won't find here in Portugal as a predominant trait.
Really enjoyed the interview and hope the best for Sophian, I would love to try his food!
Thanks. Us too! - Josh & Kalie
Thanks for sharing. Love the interview. Keep it up!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you. We actually just met up with Sophian in real life and TODAY he was able to have his first Airbnb Experience. He said it went really well. - Josh & Kalie
I decided to go Lisbon for a few days while vacationing in Morocco in 2016, spur of the moment decision, and I was pleasantly surprised. Nice buildings and nice people. Fact that centuries ago, Portuguese colonised Melaka (now just a state in Malaysia) for purpose of bringing Malay spices back to Portugal and to the parts of Europe. Just like Sophian, I am a Malay Singaporean and I travel the world quite a bit for leisure. Watching this video made me want to visit Portugal again but for a few weeks this time, if at all possible right now.
Thanks for sharing, Zulkifli! Love hearing your story. If you do make it back, let us know. - Josh & Kalie
great interview. What neighborhood is Sophian living in Lisbon?
Thank you! Hopefully Sophian will see this answer get back to you. - Josh & Kalie
The start-up costs range (10K-15K euros) seems a bit high. Can you provide a breakdown on what exactly this covers? Is it possible to move to Portugal with a lower budget?
Hopefully Sophian see this.
For me and Kalie, we would say that it should be around €5000 to cover flights, 3 months rent and some stuff you tend to buy when you're new to a place. This is also taking into consideration that we're making income during the move. We think Sophian's was higher because he bought furniture as well. Kalie and I are in furnished apartment. - Josh & Kalie
Hi Luis, it is definitely possible to move to Portugal with a lower budget. If I was able to ship my furniture, it would cost a lot less but because of freight policies, all shipments to Portugal from Australia has been ceased until further notice. I came into a non-furnished apartment therefore I had to buy home comforts (beds, study table, sofa, tv console, dining table, bedroom table lights, coffee table, paying deposits, home accessories etc) and starting out the kitchen (pots, pans, cutleries, items in kitchen). Like Josh and Katie mentioned, they came into a furnished apartment so their start up costs are understandably lower. I'm starting from ground zero (except clothes) therefore it's higher.
@@WeaveTheStory I know it's hard to give-up your favourite belongings but coming from australia don't you think it'd be better to sell them & buy new ones? 🤩
@@jazzyjazz9872 Australia was not sending any freight items to Portugal at the time of my move. So I had to sell and give away a lot of items and start over again in Portugal. It made more sense to sell them than shipping as I had those furniture in Aus for more than 10 years.
@@WeaveTheStory am glad that you are in portugal & now I have anxiety about leaving barcelona with all my stuffs 😅
Love your vdos. I'm moving there this year 🙏
Thanks, Kora. Reach out if you need anything. Have a great move. - Josh & Kalie
Perhaps I was unfortunate to experience quite a handful of unpleasant experiences, mostly in Madeira which we chose to spend a few days of holiday, perhaps locals on the island don't encounter as many Asians. Lisbon was much better for us and it probably isn't surprising since it is metropolitan, but small things like security stopping us for extra checks or waiters treating us as second priority when serving. Porto was the best experience for us, people were extremely friendly and courteous! So I just think it was very much a mixed experience for myself.
Great to ser our contry from outside eyes please post soph links in the description, I’ also very interested in legacy influences between Portugal and other cultures
Hi Carlos, thank you. His TH-cam channel is already linked in the description section. - Josh & Kalie
Great interview. Well done both of you
Thanks, D J. We appreciate the compliment. - Josh & Kalie
Well, I really don't mean to sound so negative, but I assume that after the pandemic, majority of East Asians in the western side of the world must have gone through some form of racial harassment at least once -- it doesn't make Portugal an exception from my experience.
I live in Lisbon and there were both teenage boys and grown-ass men who called me "Corona", "Chinatown", "go back to China" etc. There was also another incident at a post office where an old man in front of me in the line started barking something to me in Portuguese right after he saw me, and I could clearly hear the two words 'chines/chinesa' and 'corona' repeating. It only stopped when there was a woman coming out of the office. At that moment, what I found sadder than being shouted by that old dude is the fact that nobody around me was willing to chime in and stop him... I also encountered a homeless man on the subway punching me in the arm just because I refused giving money to him, so that's when I started just avoiding them at all costs haha...
Of course, this kind of things would never happen when I am out with my boyfriend, so I think probably what you get to experience also differs by whether you are a woman or man, unfortunately... I love Portugal and Portuguese people, I really do, but when it comes to the matters of racism and safety, I definitely prefer to stay neutral.
Hi Jihye, sorry that you've gone through all that. Would you like to do an interview to talk about the positives and negatives to living in Lisbon? We're keen if you are. - Josh & Kalie
Oh, thank you so much for the invite, but I am camera-shy 😝 Keep up the good work guys!
@@nemaminika we’ve heard that before 😉 if you change your mind, please let us know. Thank you 🙏
That was awesome! Thank you for the interview with Sophian from Singapore, who is actually my so called neighbor or neighboring country, & to hear his take on in Lisbon Portugal is all in all very nice.
It gave me a somewhat comfort in knowing I will be safe (enough) if I ever have a chance to set foot there. I will check out his TH-cam channel later.. x
Thanks 👍🙏 again Josh. & I also want to extend my thanks to you & Kalie for always making me feel so welcome by your responses, not only to me, but most of your viewers, and subscribers.
~ my warmest regards to you, Kalie, and Cia ♥ from Malaysia with love.
Hello fellow neighbour Malaysia! Hope you are coping well with MCO. My paternal side's from Malaysia and I visit relatives whenever possible. Portugal's a beautiful country and hope you'll be able to visit this part of the world someday 👍🏻
@@WeaveTheStory Wow! I didn't expect you Sophian. Well, Hello there again. :-)
We are well, thanks so much. MCO is so boring! 😅🤦♀️ & I am so tired of it all.
Yeah, I so want to be there in Portugal, trust me. Too bad, can't go anywhere right now. Not even in Malaysia itself. We would love to stay in touch with you, if you don't mind, just so we can take up your classes or maybe one day you'll have a restaurant in Lisbon, and we can visit you 😉
So, you're half Malaysian I believe? Which part? I'm in PJ. :-)
Stay safe, stay well, stay Happy 🙏☕
@@leneekay1 I feel for you and I'm tired of lockdown in Portugal too. We might see restrictions lifted around April I think. Sure, would be nice to say hello if you come visit in this part of the world. You're welcome to stay in touch 👍🏻
Haha...technically I am half Malaysian although my parents decided to have me born in Singapore so not much I could do about that. 😅 My paternal side's from Negri Sembilan but my relatives are all over the country. Some in Ipoh, KL, PJ, Melaka, JB. Stay safe there and take care 😃👋🏼
🥰Thank you. We really try to respond to everyone we can. We miss some every now and then.
We're especially encouraged that this interview has encouraged and comforted you. We're glad to reach our audience where they are. Thanks for the LOVE!!! - Josh & Kalie
@Expats Everywhere ---
Awwww...... My heart melted. Don't worry, I'm married, wasn't hitting on you.. haha 😂
Kidding; kidding.
I had kind of the same issue when I was a kid growing up in Kuantan, because I didn't /don't look typically Chinese, hence all the.. errr, you know! 😂 Coz I remembered you spoke about it somewhere in this interview, or I think you did.
Thanks 🙏- you too take care ya.
Hope to meet you, Josh, Kalie, Cia & whoever, one day_____ soon!
Portugal is definitely one of my top picks.
Keep cooking those yummy dishes. 😋
Selamat Malam from Malaysia 👋
I was in Portugal about 12 years ago, even in Lisbon, and cafe com leite, coffee with milk- bloody good quality - was 1 euro. So if coffee is 2.50 now, I'd keep away, or check out where the locals go, and avoid tourist trap (Lattes and capuccinos)
A meia de leite in a normal cafe is surely that price still but speaking with Sophian, he doesn't go to the average cafe in Lisbon. It's the same here in Porto. You'll pay .70 for an espresso and anywhere from 1-1.2 for a coffee with milk, but at a specialty coffee cafe, you're looking at €2 and up because of the coffee they use and the general vibe at these places is marketing towards a different crowd. Thanks for the comment. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywherebeing an expat is about making choices. Keep your old home comforts at a price, or going local. Those "normal" cafes are damn good coffee. Find a locals' cafe you like, am sure they exist
@@mango4ttwo635 absolutely! Although, with the coffee thing for us, it isn’t about home comforts, it’s about the coffee. - Josh
you both should follow the stay.classy.vlog example and, after living in Lisbon, move to Madeira Island. it is in this corner of the sky that you can enjoy the sunny wether of portugal all year around. safty and people here are... it's an island. you can imagine.
Sophian, perfect idea for a food vlog.
Hey Mario, yes, personally I feel like I might be on a similar journey with Stay Classy. Lisbon is the starting point and hoping to explore more around the country. I feel I could be based somewhere else in the coming years, but for the moment, I'm settling here first and want to get to know this city better. I've been following Stay Classy ever since they set foot in Lisbon and I'm a big fan of them. I'm lucky to have met them when I was a tourist and they're lovely people. Mario, believe it or not, Stay Classy was my inspiration to start my own TH-cam channel and they inspired my move to Lisbon. Madeira is definitely on the bucket list and hope to make a trip there in the summer. Thanks for the well wishes and wish you a good week 👍🏻
@@WeaveTheStory all the best for you.
Who said we didn't 😉 We're hoping to get an interview with the lovely Danish couple soon. 💪 Thanks for the comment and advice, Mário. - Josh & Kalie
Me being a Filipino got a gratifying feeling to know there's no prevalence whatsoever of racism in Portugal!
Thanks for sharing, Ran. - Josh & Kalie
You have very good asian supermarket in Almirante Reis on the left almost arriving to the Martim Moniz Plage, you'll find there almost everything you need, its run by asian people.
Im asian, i experienced racism sometimes in Portugal but that can happen in any country. I think they are nice because they themselves are being discriminated by other countries. The language is just a barrier for me. I have my own language, i only stay here because of my Portuguese partner but to force me to speak in Portuguese won’t work that way. I respect my partner so demanding for me to speak in Portuguese is not a way for a person to be motivated to learn. I can speak a little and understand pretty much a lot already and so I guess its enough. I want to preserve my culture and language as an Asian although it is indeed critical to learn their language but for me it is not a big deal specially if I don’t plan to live here for long.
Wow after seeing this I add Portugal to my travel list!
Cool. - Josh & Kalie
Is there a chance you could interview black people/ African Americans also so we can get their point of view on how they’re treated in Portugal? It would be nice to know how life may be for black people in Portugal
How about interviewing fellow TH-camr Driven Spice?
Thanks for the comment, Justin. It looks like Jake has a suggestion so I'm going to pop down there and answer both of you in one shot if you don't mind 😉 - Josh & Kalie
Yes, we had organized with Driven Spice to do an in person interview back in December and then a domino effect occurred and we couldn't travel down to Lisbon to do that. We so desperately wanted to do in person interviews for these because of possible internet lag, choppiness, and well let's be honest, in-person interviews are just warmer, aren't they? Due to everything that's gone on with the pandemic and restrictions here, we're now doubling back to all those that we've wanted to do interviews with and we're going to go on with Skype interviews. So yes, Jake, it's in the works.
Justin, 100%! Driven Spice was going to be our first interview here in Portugal and we definitely want to hear her perspective on our channel as well. We have decent number of people in our audience that want to know and to be honest, we want to know as well. 😊 Rest assure, we're working hard to bring you these interviews. Thanks for all the support fellas, it's really appreciated. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere thank you for the quick response and the Initiative!! I definitely watch your channel every chance I get because I aim to move to Portugal sometime soon too. Keep up the great work and the best of luck to you both 💙💪🏾
@@justinthomas1237 You're welcome. Both of your comments really stuck out so I've emailed Cinnamon to try to get an interview with her. Thanks for supporting the channel. We would love to play a part in helping you get here or anywhere abroad you're looking to go.
Thank you. We're trying to keep up 😂 It's getting pretty crazy. I'll have to get to the rest of the comments in the morning 😅 Thanks for the love. - Josh
PS - If you haven't watched that live stream from Friday (i don't blame you it's long), put it on the background and you'll hear us talk about some of the collabs we hope to do.
Really nice video 👏🏼 as a Portuguese (& before vegetarian) that lived in different Asian countries including Singapore, I find some things he says interesting & I understand it’s his own experience. I have had my share of bad experiences in Singapore, but oh my those food courts made me fat 😆
Portugal do have tempeh in most big supermarkets & specialty stores specially in the capital. Although there’s no Singaporean or Malay restaurants, I’m pretty sure he could find the ingredients he is missing. I mostly find them in Asian supermarkets. Nuts can be seasonal, but we normally do have them all ^.^ we import a lot of them.
Singapore is much more humid & rainy than Portugal but I do understand that when mixed with the cold it can be hard to bare. I agree the weather shock is a real thing... I’m in Sweden now and I still use layers while people use thin clothes. I think it’s a matter of which country you compare Portugal to.
Regarding racism, I must say that Portugal can be very racist, but mostly inside doors and online where keyboard Warriors think they aren’t accountable, because outside a computer people normally mind their own business too afraid of confrontation.
He was spot on on the cons tho, Portuguese sometimes can fall into old bad habits and spitting, dog poop, graffiti doodles and being slow in services are a real thing 😓.
Hope you all enjoy Portugal 🤗 it’s not perfect but it’s not the worst eheheh ♥️
Great information on what grocery products are not available. I am very accustomed to large Asian grocery stores where I live in the US and my pantry is filled with items from all over the world. Americans have an issue with dog poo, spitting, smoking, bureaucracy, graffiti, and all the things you mentioned. These seem to plague much of Europe.
Thanks for the comment, Carol. Some locals are chiming in on different places to find Asian goods in Lisbon, but we're not sure it's as ubiquitous around the rest of the country. We're pretty sure it's not. We just had a conversation yesterday with two Koreans at a Korean restaurant here in Porto and they struggle to find many key ingredients. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere still easier to drive to Lisbon than to Amsterdam to get that stuff
Thanks! Great discussion.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you. - Josh & Kalie
Portuguese people can get more annoyed now and consequently less friendly due to the boom of tourism we had few years ago. People started loosing their houses to give place to foreigners. People from abroad started buying property in the city centre and new guest houses could be built. Many portugueses were forced to go to live in the outskirts as they did not have the financial capacity to compete with the prices that were being putting in place at the time. The quality of life drastically went down as the tourism has increased dramatically and infrastructure has remained the same for years, which has made cities much more crowded. Of course it will never be turist's fault, it's purely government's fault, but some people get too affected with the whole situation and and end up being rude to people who shouldn’t. (I'm only speaking about my own experience in Lisbon, where you felt more, but I'm from the north originally, where a big change happened too)
Sadly there is a lot of racism in Portugal as there's everywhere in the world, but please bear in mind that Portugal is a lovely country with one of the most friendly people I've ever met, and it's not because I'm Portuguese. We truly are friendly and simple and we always liked to accommodate everyone.
I hope you enjoy your stay in that beautiful country and you feel part of it, I'm sure you will meet lovely people ♥️
Thanks for the heartfelt comment. We think Sophian is trying to get across that he's experienced little, no racism and that he's having a positive experience compared to other places he's lived and worked - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere yes of course, I understood what he said about his experience :) I'm just anticipating and trying to justify some bad attitudes that Portuguese people can have towards tourists, so my hope is he doesn't take it too serious if that happens in the future 🤣
@@dricaslb you’re right. It could go a long way into explaining why we thought people in Lisbon weren’t as nice as people basically anywhere else in Portugal when we visited there 10 years ago. 😂 Porto probably didn’t have the level of tourism then that it has in the past few years. - Josh & Kalie
@@dricaslb This is true anywhere! I am American, but ask people from Vancouver Canada what the influx of Chinese money has been on the cost of daily living for the average Vancouverite! it isnt necessarily meant to be racist, but all that money the Chinese are trying to hide from THEIR government makes daily life for the average Vancouverite more expensive. So, excellent insight, thank you for sharing how this has impacted you!
You can find Tempeh in some of the health food stores, like Celeiro.
if you guys work online why live in a big city ,you guys can buy an apartments or houses in small places like the zona oeste and pay less for a mortgage then for rent ,lots a nice places by the ocean living in aldeias ,aldeias is small villages ,portugal is small you can get anywhere in minutos ,get a car .insurance is cheap very cheap and quality of life is much better outside big city's,i have a house on a small place by the ocean i dont exchange for any city ,just looking at the ocean everyday is nothing that pays that
Where do you live?
Hey George, thanks for your comment. As much as I agree with you on saving costs and how I would love to be hearing the sounds of the ocean every morning when I wake up 😍. Speaking from my personal experience, I was born and raised in a city so cities tend to be a natural choice. Having experience Portugal as a tourist, I thought Lisbon or a big city would be a good starting point to get to know the country and culture better. Through time meeting more locals, understanding systems and exploring different areas will give me a better sense of where I could be based next. Yes, cost savings is one factor but getting to know the country first through city life is my way of settling into this country. Baby steps...have a good week my friend 😃👍🏻
Hey George, we're going to echo what Sophian said too. The first move is probably easier if it's Lisbon, Porto, or Braga for 6-12 months and then once you get your bearings and better with the language and culture, it'll make it easier to go somewhere smaller and maybe more remote. You're not wrong about any of what you've said here though but we think that's why people naturally select the cities first despite the lower cost of living elsewhere. - Josh & Kalie
@@carolschurter3737 close to a village call lourinha ,45 minutos north of lisbon ,calm ,beautiful and close enough to lisbon when i need some noise
@@ExpatsEverywhere hi! If you wanna know about Portuguese health care see "our rich journey". Their daughter was at the hospital. You don't need an health insurance here in Portugal!
I loved the interview
As a member of a FilAm (Filipino-American) family with a wife and mom who is from the Philippines I would be very interested in hearing how prevalent Filipinos are in Portugal. Filipinos are generally very extroverted and outgoing (some would just say "loud" and they wouldn't be wrong LOL) as a general rule. I know that uprooting from the Dallas area where we currently live and have a LOT of Filipino friends will by far be the most difficult aspect for my wife in particular. If any fellow Filipinos read this I would love to know if it's difficult to find other kababayan for socializing/bonding sessions, videoke, etc. Also how difficult is it to find Filipino ingredients to make sinigang, adobo, lumpia, pancit, pinakbet, etc. Salamat po!
Hi. Kathleen, the founder of Bordr, is Filipina and has lived in Portugal for over a year now. She hasn't stated any issues although she and her husband don't necessarily live in an Asian community in Portugal. They hangout with anyone. - Josh & Kalie
Nice to see that there are Filipinos who are also researching this channel because they also wanted to move to Portugal. Moving there as a Filipino family someday is also on my mind so both me and my husband can retire early but still will have a great healthcare, safe country and mild climate to retire too from the U.S.
Great interview! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for listening! We appreciate the support. - Josh & Kalie
I can't find spring onions (daun Bawang) and the bureaucracy is mental.. Bureaucracy in Portugal is difficult. You may receive courteous and attentive service at a personal level, but government employees in Portugal work firstly for themselves, secondly for the state, thirdly for the people. A job in government in Portugal is a very good job, bullet proof.
Thank for sharing, Noddy Bray. - Josh & Kalie
I'm portuguese and I struggle to find those too. One day when searching I went to the supermarket in El Corte Ingles and found a few bunches. Other times I went there and they had none. It's a matter of luck. There was another place where I found spring onions once, a little chinese supermarket near Rossio square but I didn't buy anything at that store as the stentch of piss was disgusting.
@@RitaFMachado thanks for sharing. Not good about that stench though. 😆 - Josh & Kalie
Who cares? Don't ruin Portugal like the country you left by making everything about Race.
Apparently, a lot of people. Just curious, how much of this interview did you listen to? - Josh & Kalie
This was a fantastic interview
Only Algarve and Madeira island have good weather all year, less cold and less rain then other states of Portugal, Lisbon is not bad but it’s not the best weather of Portugal.
Portugal não tem estados mas sim provincias.
Thanks for the comment, Edgar. - Josh & Kalie
@@m000Theevilcow by states I mean regiões
@@NeMeSis7PT eu percebi-te mas não é pra ser picuinhas mas sim de informar os nomes correctos de forma a não gerar confusões a alguns portugueses ;D
Not true, Madeira is lush green because of the rain ;)
Sophian, contact the Lisbon Project which not only provides aid to migrants and refugees but has an excellent network of volunteers that speak English, provide Portuguese lessons, etc. This climate is wonderful for growing all kinds of vegetables, herbs, etc. so you can grow your own.
I grew up in Singapore and the Indian spice shops carry a lot of spices used in the former Strait Settlements.
Thanks. We hope he sees this. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere if you have his contact, I can contact him directly, especially since we both grew up in Singapore.
@@thomasclark6249 We wrote him.
Hey Thomas, thanks for the tip. That's nice to know you grew up in Singapore. I agree Lisbon's climate's great for growing vegetables and I'm experimenting some in my balcony. Are you based in Lisbon? You can email me at weavethestory@gmail.com Cheers! 👍🏻