Serious question, heard a local in Lisbon say 'you live here but you don't work here'

I was grabbing a coffee in Lisbon last week and the guy next to me, a local, was talking to his friend. He said something like, 'these new people, they live here but they don't work here, so they don't really feel the city's problems.' It really stuck with me. I've been here for three months on my freelance income, and I guess I am that person. I pay rent and buy food, but my work and my clients are all back in the US. It made me think about how I connect with a place. Am I just a visitor who stays a long time? I try to learn some Portuguese and shop at local markets, but his point hit hard. How do other nomads deal with feeling like you're not really part of the local economy or community?

2 comments

2 Comments

derekp705d ago

Yeah, that's a gut punch. I got the same comment in Mexico City. What worked for me was finding a local co-working space and forcing myself to hire a local accountant for my freelance stuff. It creates a real tie, even a small one, to the local work world. You stop being just a consumer.

robertsmith5d ago

Notice this happens everywhere now, not just with nomads. You get people who move for a cheaper cost of living or a nicer view, but their real life and money is somewhere else online. They don't deal with the same daily grind or local bosses, so that local guy has a point. It creates a weird split in a city. Makes you wonder if just spending money is enough to be part of a place, or if you need the shared stress of a local job to really get it.