Mixed Fam Abroad

For our last episode of our first season, the whole family pitches in—Yvette, Josh, and our son— to share three things that each of us likes and dislikes about living in Portugal. We open up about our experiences as US Americans abroad and how that influences the things we are enjoying and the parts of life abroad that we are not a fan of. If you're curious about what it's like living in Portugal, then you won't want to miss this episode. This is also the last episode of our first season so if you liked what you heard, please rate our podcast and subscribe so that you are the first to find out when we release our second season with more updates and tips this summer/fall.

In this episode, I (Yvette) share my observations about fashion and what people dress like in Porto, Portugal compared to what people dress like in Southern California, where we're from. I also share what it's been like shopping for clothing as someone who is in between straight and plus sizes in the US. Has it been hard for me to find clothes in my sizes? What is the quality of clothing like here? What's it like shopping for shoes? What's it like shopping for men's and kids clothes? Do we fit in based on how we dress or do we stand out? Are there any articles of clothing that we wished we had packed and brought with us before our move? Listen to learn more.

In this episode, we share all about the different ways that our family has been learning European Portuguese. There are so many strategies you can take with learning a new language from immersing yourself in a location that speaks the language, to taking lessons, to using websites or apps, to listening to podcasts and watching television, and so on. We share what we've been trying and what's been the most useful in our learning journey. Tune in to learn more.

In this episode we chat all about our experience going grocery shopping in Portugal as new immigrants or expats. We share all about our reactions when we first went to get groceries here. We also name eight different types of grocery chains we've been to and what they are like compared to big chain grocery stores in the US. The episode also covers the different forms of culture shock we experienced when we first started grocery shopping here. And of course, we felt the need to share some advice for those of you who end up moving to Portugal or visiting here and want to be prepared for a quick grocery run without the overwhelm.

In this episode, Yvette shares the most commonly used apps that she and Josh have been using since moving to Portugal. These include apps for grocery and meal deliveries, apps for ride-sharing and transportation, and apps to help communicate with others and learn European Portuguese. If you're thinking of relocating to Portugal, you might want to check out some of these apps yourself in preparation for your move. Tune in to learn more!

This episode was so much fun to record because we, Yvette and Josh, get to talk about Portuguese culture from the perspective of two people who were born and raised in the U.S. We cover several topics, including language, food, lifestyle, customs, bureaucracy, transportation, religion, and more. We also discuss our overall impressions of the culture here in northern Portugal and if it makes us want to stay or leave.

In this episode, we share our experience enrolling our child in Portuguese public school. We take you through the process of describing what the education system is like in Portugal. We discuss why we decided to go the public school route rather than the private or international school route. We also share what we needed to do to enroll our son, including the specific documentation they requested. We close the episode sharing what we are liking about his school thus far.

In this episode we share our experience preparing for and applying for the D7 Porgies visa. We go over the different components of the application and what we provided for each component. We also answer some frequently asked questions we've received regarding applying for a visa. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode we share all about our experience flying from the US to Portugal, which involved 3 flights, 15 hours on air, 3 hours of layovers, and 4 hours waiting before our first and after our last flight. We traveled with 2 children, an infant and a our school-aged son, who also makes an appearance on this episode and shares his take on this experience. We discussed how we prepared for the flights, what worked, and what didn't work. Tune in to learn more.

In this episode, we share what we learned about what you do and don't need to bring with you when moving abroad. We have identified eight different categories of must have items that we brought or wished we brought with us from the US. Some of the categories we mention include beauty products, tech items, important documentation, books, and more!

In this episode, we share all about the process we went through to identify a city to live in and secure a rental in Portugal. We discuss: the differences between the two major cities — Lisbon and Porto our needs and wants from our cities of choice our needs and wants from our rental how we ultimately found and secured our place, and more! If you're curious about the similarities and differences in choosing a place to live abroad, then listen in.

For our very first episode, we (Yvette and Josh) answer the most frequently asked question we've received since we shared with others about our desire to move abroad. Tune in to hear the multiple reasons we couldn't say no to taking the leap of moving to Portugal without ever having visited the country. And find out what we think now that we've been here for a few days.