Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

The eXpat Files Ep. 18 - Is the Dream Over? (Patreon)

Published:
2025-12-20 15:23:34
Imported:
2025-12
Tags:

Downloads

Content

The eXpat Files is a new series of podcast episodes that chronicle David and @joyofnapping's conversations as they consider how to adjust to life in another country.

In this episode, David and @joy discuss:

Being sick in Portugal

Massive updates in Portuguese immigration law

Why Portugal is changing its tune

What the new timeline looks like

What our options are now

Playing a poker tournament in Portugal

PATRONS: You can get this audio in your podcast app by going to patreon.com/davechen, going to the "My Membership" section, and copying and pasting the RSS link to your podcast app.

Files

Comments

Andy Sherwood

Have you given any thought to how you will clear CPB, if you chose to come back to the US? I’m super freaked out by all of the requirements for scanning your phone & social media. There’s definitely a chance things will get better here, but in the short term, they are decidedly getting worse. The latest HHS proclamation is bone-chilling.

Joy o Napping

Hi Andy, are you referring to the ‘5 years of social media posts’ rule? Sadly, there are so many terrible HHS proclamations to choose from.

Nizar B

I was actually wondering what the poker scene was like there. Glad you found it was a mostly pleasant experience

Mads Olsen

Very interesting to follow your conversations. Especially because the difference between your feelings about the stay are so different. I know you did a ton of research before moving, so I’m quite surprised by the amount of “why is this not available” rants, but I suppose that is one way to express some justifiable homesickness. Having been to the US a couple of times, I can see why a complaint would be “why can I only get one or two brands of X”, as you have so so so may options, but… Do you really need more than 2-3 types of peanut butter, pain killers, decongestants, etc? I think what you’re doing is very admirable, but maybe it’s difficult to really commit when, as you said, you still have a very easy way out and a house to come home to. I understand why you haven’t sold it, but just a thought. Additionally, do you think these past 90 days are fair to base a decision to either leave or stay on? You’ve experienced the worst part of the year weather wise and you have just missed some of the biggest holidays of the year, so it seems like it can only get better from here. Many more thoughts while listening, but the comment is already way too long! In any case, I hope you come to the right decision for you two :)

David Chen

Appreciate the feedback Mads. I think I was not in the greatest space when I recorded the episode. And in general, I don’t care that much about the lack of choices here. But the totality of all the things I miss just got to me this week

Mads Olsen

I hope the initial comment didn't come off as too harsh. It is critique, I suppose, but if you take anything away from my comment, it should be that this podcast is really engaging, to me at least. This is probably the most parasocially engaged I have been with a podcast - it's hard not to care, even though I don't know you or your wife. So keep it up, whether it's the west coast of Europe or the west coast of North America!

Steve Vermeulen

Unbelievable that Portugal isn't grandfathering in existing immigrants to the original 5 year timeline. Japan might also extend their timeline from 5 to 10 years too. I hope this doesn't become a trend in more countries.

Gregg D.

I hope I’m not being too familiar, but it does seem like Dave is looking to reproduce most of his American life in Portugal and that’s going to be very difficult and a recipe for misery. While I understand some things feel like necessities, my advice would be to embrace new things instead of trying to recreate the things you know. To some extent I’m sure Dave knows this and this feeling is an outgrowth of a pretty shitty week, but people have been living in Portugal for a long time and have developed their own solutions to various human needs and desires. Obviously if you’re feeling shitty you want chicken noodle soup and probably don’t feel interested in new experiences, so that’s challenging, but I can virtually guarantee they also have a go-to “I feel sick” food

David Chen

Gregg: is it okay for me to miss things from home? Or does that qualify as “trying to make my US life work here?” Also: I’m totally open to using whatever the local solutions are. The issue is that it’s often hard to identify them and get a good version of them.

Nicolas Zika

Hi Dave and Joy, Just binged the last few eXpat episodes so things may be a bit mixed up in my head, but I think it’s fair to say that are going through a slump with you move to Portugal. Having lived in 6 different countries myself, I can tell you that, in my experience, this is completely normal. It takes a long time to get used to the way things work in the country you have moved to and to stop comparing things to the country you are coming from. When I moved to the UAE 12 years ago, it took me a long time to get used to the way things worked there. I couldn’t do the hobbies that I loved, couldn’t find the food that I liked in the supermarket, etc… But eventually I was able to integrate to life in the UAE to the point that now, that I’ve moved back to my home country, I dearly miss it and I’m having a hard time getting used to life here. So the good news is that things will get better, the bad is that it will not take a couple of weeks or months but maybe a year or two. Bad days and bad experiences are just that, let them go, and focus on the good ones. Love all your podcast and wish you all the best

Mark Griffith

As I often tell my wife - things always seem and look worse when you’re sick. Hope you feel better and you both have a wonderful Christmas and New Year - where you are, right there.

ivano

Hearing Dave talk about how every medicine has a different name and how hard it is to get stuff that's common and well known in the US, he may now understand what it's like for us non-Americans watching shows/movies . The characters casually talk non-stop about the pills they're taking after they wakeup, what they take when they eat, when they poop, when they fly, when they drive, when they have sex, and what they take before they go to bed. All of us outside of the US are going "What the fuck are they talking about? And why the hell are the doctors prescribing all this medicine? There must be side effects on top of side effects with all of the mixing". But we realise it's just Americans buying pills like we do cereal ("Ow, a new flavour combination!") because of the 24/7 deluge of pharmaceutical adverts on US TV. And that they know better than doctors.