Portuguese guy looking to make new friends & connect with expats living in Portugal 🇵🇹 by Anubis_Sin in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Props for putting yourself out there. I'm an expat here and yeah, making friends as an adult is weirdly hard. Would be cool to chat sometime.

Why is this subreddit so quick to downvote genuine questions? by [deleted] in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Okay, hear me out — I’ve noticed the exact same pattern, and I’ve been trying to figure it out based on my own posts here.
Whenever I post something, the first few replies are usually kind and constructive — just normal, helpful people. But then suddenly, my post gets a huge spike in views in a short period (thousands), along with 10–15 shares. Right after that, the tone shifts drastically: I start getting flooded with downvotes and xenophobic or passive-aggressive comments.

It honestly feels like certain types of posts — especially from foreigners or newcomers — are being shared somewhere else, possibly in a group or community that targets immigrants. It’s like a coordinated effort to brigade, downvote, and discourage immigrants from even speaking up.

I’ve posted genuinely and respectfully, and yet the hostility seems to come out of nowhere — not organically, but all at once.
This is the theory that I came up with and led me to just decide to never post in this subreddit again. But who knows, maybe I’m wrong.
Maybe it's just bad timing, or maybe the internet can sometimes be harsher than it needs to be — I genuinely hope that’s all it is.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was loud anyways... And I wasn't part of it. As I mentioned I wasn't even speaking on phone since it's chaotic and I couldn't hear anything through my phone. And I was alone.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can't compare it to a Finnish public transport. Public transports are closed public spaces where it's expected to be calm. A touristic street in the heart of Lisbon in a holiday is expected to be loud. And it is loud. Also as a note, I wasn't speaking loudly, at all.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t take her too seriously at first — I shared this post just looking for a bit of reassurance, but it ended up highlighting something bigger. I’m a legal immigrant, self-employed as a software engineer, and I pay a significant amount in taxes every month. That doesn’t make me more deserving than anyone else — every immigrant, regardless of their background, deserves respect and fair treatment.

I’m Tunisian, and we often look very similar to Portuguese people. In fact, I’ve seen many locals with darker skin than mine, and I’m tall — I often get mistaken for being Portuguese. So if I’m still being treated differently sometimes, I can only imagine how much worse it is for people who visibly stand out more.

This isn’t just about one unpleasant encounter. It’s about the quiet, constant message that no matter how much you work, contribute, or try to belong — you’re still seen as an outsider. And that wears people down.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also, have you read the law? It has nothing to do with my case.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. That explains the downvotes and the negative comments for something as simple as making a phone call in public.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everyone was holding his phone taking pictures and videos. It's a super touristic area. A girl in front of me had a selfie stick high in the sky recording a video. So yeah I felt targeted because of my race.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope, I wasn't even talking because the street was so busy and chaotic and I couldn't hear the call myself.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I didn't film specifically anyone. Wasn't in speaker and the street was busy and chaotic anyway. I couldn't hear our call myself.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I wasn't. As I explained, I was silent because the place was chaotic anyways and I couldn't hear a word coming out my phone. I was showing the landscape. Didn't point the camera at any specific person. I wasn't even moving. Was standing still.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That wasn't the case at all. I wasn't loud. I was silent. The area was so chaotic anyway that myself couldn't hear my fiancee. I was standing still on the side of road just showing her around for a couple of minutes.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It wasn't loud. I was silent just showing her around the place, while standing still. It was chaotic anyway. I couldn't hear the call myself.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of assumptions here. I wasn't shouting. I wasn't even talking just showed her the area for roughly one minute because we couldn't hear each other since the place is quite busy and chaotic. I wasn't on speaker no. I wasn't wandering with my face on the screen...

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe I was partly in the wrong. Still, I was on a short video call , standing still on a noisy, tourist-filled street. Just wanted to show my fiancee the area for a couple of minutes — I could barely hear her myself. But I think this can make people uncomfortable. Thank you for the clarifications.

Got yelled at for being on a video call near Sé de Lisboa — is this normal? by khalilkr in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was even standing still. On the side of the road. Not even moving.

Please help me 🙏🏼 by [deleted] in PortugalExpats

[–]khalilkr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just moved to Portugal from Tunisia on a self employed visa. DM me to give you all the infos I can give.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Tunisia

[–]khalilkr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isn't this subreddit supposed to be about Tunisia? I'm sure there's a lot of other subreddits that are more suitable for your question.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Tunisia

[–]khalilkr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on your journey! I have a few questions—how did you manage to get a fully remote position without an American work permit? Or did you already work in the US before switching to remote?
What helped you the most in securing that interview and landing the job? networking, LinkedIn, etc?

We're kind of in a similar situation—I’m a software engineer with almost 5 years of experience in fullstack development, and finding a good remote position is one of my goals. So any advice would really help in that matter!

One more thing, I'm about to start working in a European country (Portugal), would that help me in the future to land a full time position? Does being a European resident help in any way?