how has the life style
Mar 12th 2012, 7:21 pm
#31
Banned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,008
Re: how has the life style
although the BH has lived here for the past 3 years I have only been resident for the past 4 months, but already I see an improvement in lifestyle compared with Rip Off Britain.
There is real value for money, when you spend even a couple of euros you are given a thank you, sometimes (but not always) in the Chinese shops. The prices are lower, the product i.e. food is of better quality, no added this added that.
Yes Spain has its problems - but then many countries including those not in the EU have problems.
But as a life style we both feel that our lifestyle has improved being in Spain and can see no reason to be unhappy here. Asking the same question about the UK would be another matter, where we were beginning to feel foreigners in our own country. At least here we know we are the foreigners and revel in it.
There is real value for money, when you spend even a couple of euros you are given a thank you, sometimes (but not always) in the Chinese shops. The prices are lower, the product i.e. food is of better quality, no added this added that.
Yes Spain has its problems - but then many countries including those not in the EU have problems.
But as a life style we both feel that our lifestyle has improved being in Spain and can see no reason to be unhappy here. Asking the same question about the UK would be another matter, where we were beginning to feel foreigners in our own country. At least here we know we are the foreigners and revel in it.
The working age sick, who cannot afford their prescriptions, but need the medication to keep working.
The thousands who have not been paid for months by their employers and cannot leave their job as they will not get any government help for unemployment as they made themselves jobless.
The new law that will take free medical cover away from 65000 unemployed who have run out of dole, and will have no free health care.
And you call the UK a ripp off, you need to learn a bit more about your chosen country.
I could go on..................
Mar 12th 2012, 11:10 pm
#33
Senior Moment
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: On the edge
Posts: 20,460
Re: how has the life style
When I am over in Oliva the restaurants do not seem as busy but you are right overall there does not seem to be much change to me, although the bars/restaurant owners do complain that there is much less business.
I may be wrong but the bars that are closing appear to be foreign owned, whilst new bars are generally owned by the local Spanish.
I may be wrong but the bars that are closing appear to be foreign owned, whilst new bars are generally owned by the local Spanish.
Mar 13th 2012, 7:06 am
#34
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: In the middle of 10million Olive Trees
Posts: 12,053
Re: how has the life style
Obviously you dont know many Spanish people who are being shafted good style.
The working age sick, who cannot afford their prescriptions, but need the medication to keep working.
The thousands who have not been paid for months by their employers and cannot leave their job as they will not get any government help for unemployment as they made themselves jobless.
The new law that will take free medical cover away from 65000 unemployed who have run out of dole, and will have no free health care.
And you call the UK a ripp off, you need to learn a bit more about your chosen country.
I could go on..................
The working age sick, who cannot afford their prescriptions, but need the medication to keep working.
The thousands who have not been paid for months by their employers and cannot leave their job as they will not get any government help for unemployment as they made themselves jobless.
The new law that will take free medical cover away from 65000 unemployed who have run out of dole, and will have no free health care.
And you call the UK a ripp off, you need to learn a bit more about your chosen country.
I could go on..................
Yes Spain has poverty, something it had before, during and since Franco. I live in a village/small market town of 5000 people surrounded by 10million olive trees. The olive harvest is still on and people who have work are leaving the village at 0530 and returning at 2300
Do you think I don't see what is happening.?
Even the abogado at the end of the street has put his office up for rent, other similar businesses closed last year or the year before.
What do you want me to do about it as a guiri pensionista.?
ISTR you living/working in the UK, so what are you doing there when you could be back home saving the country?
The thread is about the lifestyle of BE Expats in Spain, to which I have made a contribution, which you have found to have shortcomings.
To enter a discussion about the poverty I see in and around my new home town on a daily basis would be off thread, so why don't you ask all those out there living in luxury, surrounded by like luxury exactly how they see the problems Spain has and what poverty they see on a daily basis
rgds
Mar 13th 2012, 7:07 am
#35
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: In the middle of 10million Olive Trees
Posts: 12,053
Mar 13th 2012, 7:28 am
#36
Banned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,008
Re: how has the life style
although the BH has lived here for the past 3 years I have only been resident for the past 4 months, but already I see an improvement in lifestyle compared with Rip Off Britain.
Yes Spain has its problems - but then many countries including those not in the EU have problems.
But as a life style we both feel that our lifestyle has improved being in Spain and can see no reason to be unhappy here. Asking the same question about the UK would be another matter, where we were beginning to feel foreigners in our own country. At least here we know we are the foreigners and revel in it.
Yes Spain has its problems - but then many countries including those not in the EU have problems.
But as a life style we both feel that our lifestyle has improved being in Spain and can see no reason to be unhappy here. Asking the same question about the UK would be another matter, where we were beginning to feel foreigners in our own country. At least here we know we are the foreigners and revel in it.
I was only putting my view because by refering the the UK being a rip off, you implied that Spain wasnt, and Ipointed out a few scandalous rip off that are happening right now in Spain, that is how I read it, you will correct me if I am wrong.
JL, thank you for reminding me I am new to the country. Funny that I have been lambasted on this forum for admitting it over the past few months, but I must assume you missed those posts.
Yes Spain has poverty, something it had before, during and since Franco. I live in a village/small market town of 5000 people surrounded by 10million olive trees. The olive harvest is still on and people who have work are leaving the village at 0530 and returning at 2300
Do you think I don't see what is happening.?
Even the abogado at the end of the street has put his office up for rent, other similar businesses closed last year or the year before.
What do you want me to do about it as a guiri pensionista.?
ISTR you living/working in the UK, so what are you doing there when you could be back home saving the country?
The thread is about the lifestyle of BE Expats in Spain, to which I have made a contribution, which you have found to have shortcomings.
To enter a discussion about the poverty I see in and around my new home town on a daily basis would be off thread, so why don't you ask all those out there living in luxury, surrounded by like luxury exactly how they see the problems Spain has and what poverty they see on a daily basis
rgds
Yes Spain has poverty, something it had before, during and since Franco. I live in a village/small market town of 5000 people surrounded by 10million olive trees. The olive harvest is still on and people who have work are leaving the village at 0530 and returning at 2300
Do you think I don't see what is happening.?
Even the abogado at the end of the street has put his office up for rent, other similar businesses closed last year or the year before.
What do you want me to do about it as a guiri pensionista.?
ISTR you living/working in the UK, so what are you doing there when you could be back home saving the country?
The thread is about the lifestyle of BE Expats in Spain, to which I have made a contribution, which you have found to have shortcomings.
To enter a discussion about the poverty I see in and around my new home town on a daily basis would be off thread, so why don't you ask all those out there living in luxury, surrounded by like luxury exactly how they see the problems Spain has and what poverty they see on a daily basis
rgds
There is a world of difference between pointing out things that are happening and expecting guiri pensioners to do something about it...
That is a totally ridiculous question, and not a good way of debating, it is playground speak as is the "so what are you doing there when you could be back home saving the country?" comment.
The question about me saving the country
does not come into any rational discussion, and BTW I do live in Spain.The thread is about how the lifestyle of expats has changed whilst living in Spain, not the diffennce between living in the UKand Spain, if you want to keep strictly to the thread at least get it right.
Thread topic is:
How life has changed for expats due to the recession whilst living in Spain, not the difference between living in the UK compared to Spain. I am not all that bothered about veering off topic slightly, but as you seem to be, you should at least get the topic right.
Last edited by JLFS; Mar 13th 2012 at 7:42 am.
Mar 13th 2012, 8:13 am
#37
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2009
Location: Alicante province
Posts: 5,753
Re: how has the life style
High unemployment levels among young people must affect everyone living in Spain; if you open your eyes you can see them wandering around because they don't have a job. That wasn't the case six years ago, and it's caused by the recession.
I see a young Spaniard most mornings when we both walk our dogs. I used to see him get on his scooter at the crack of dawn when he was working, and his mother used to walk the dog.
My post box is filled every day with people offering to do any kind of work, at least they're trying. The Church charity is running out of money to provide food for the needy, houses are being repossessed all over the place, and the Indignados are not demonstrating for the fun of it.
I suppose our level of awareness depends on our level of integration, that dreaded word, and I only mean the kind of integration where you're not blind to what goes on around you.
I see a young Spaniard most mornings when we both walk our dogs. I used to see him get on his scooter at the crack of dawn when he was working, and his mother used to walk the dog.
My post box is filled every day with people offering to do any kind of work, at least they're trying. The Church charity is running out of money to provide food for the needy, houses are being repossessed all over the place, and the Indignados are not demonstrating for the fun of it.
I suppose our level of awareness depends on our level of integration, that dreaded word, and I only mean the kind of integration where you're not blind to what goes on around you.
Mar 13th 2012, 8:43 am
#38
MODERATOR
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Costa Valencia
Posts: 14,800
Re: how has the life style
High unemployment levels among young people must affect everyone living in Spain; if you open your eyes you can see them wandering around because they don't have a job. That wasn't the case six years ago, and it's caused by the recession.
I see a young Spaniard most mornings when we both walk our dogs. I used to see him get on his scooter at the crack of dawn when he was working, and his mother used to walk the dog.
My post box is filled every day with people offering to do any kind of work, at least they're trying. The Church charity is running out of money to provide food for the needy, houses are being repossessed all over the place, and the Indignados are not demonstrating for the fun of it.
I suppose our level of awareness depends on our level of integration, that dreaded word, and I only mean the kind of integration where you're not blind to what goes on around you.
I see a young Spaniard most mornings when we both walk our dogs. I used to see him get on his scooter at the crack of dawn when he was working, and his mother used to walk the dog.
My post box is filled every day with people offering to do any kind of work, at least they're trying. The Church charity is running out of money to provide food for the needy, houses are being repossessed all over the place, and the Indignados are not demonstrating for the fun of it.
I suppose our level of awareness depends on our level of integration, that dreaded word, and I only mean the kind of integration where you're not blind to what goes on around you.
If you live in a place populated by the Spanish you cannot be blind to their difficulties. I heard last week of a family who are now all having to live off grannies pension because none of them are now receiving the paro. They have always been a hard working family and this is so frustrating for them, they are ashamed that they are unable to find work, ashamed that they have to rely on granny and fear for the future.
Our lifestyle has not changed but then again when we came here we only had my OH´s small company pension and some savings to live off until our state pensions kicked in so we did not live the high life anyway. When my state pension kicked in the exchange rate meant that this only kept us on the same level instead of making things easier. When my OH´s pension started we found that we had to draw less of our savings (good job as they were running out) so maybe we are not feeling the pinch as much as we might have done. However, we are also not as well off as we might have hoped to be. On the other hand we would probably notice it more if we were trying to have holidays, trips out etc but OH´s illness stops these things so I guess that life change has affected our experience of the recession too.
Rosemary
Mar 13th 2012, 9:02 am
#39
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,368
Re: how has the life style
I would not expect people who live in an area that has a high number of immigrants to necessarily know that there are huge problems for the Spanish people. Their daily lives are possibly not affected by the difficulties that the Spanish people are experiencing.
Rosemary
Rosemary
Mar 13th 2012, 9:23 am
#40
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2009
Location: Alicante province
Posts: 5,753
Re: how has the life style
There is a common misconception about places which have a large number of expats, some silly people even call them ghettos and have obviously never even visited an expat area.
Even in a place with a dense expat population, the majority of people are still Spanish, ordinary Spaniards living alongside ordinary expats and they observe life around them from that perspective; not that of an occasional visitor to Spain who prefers creeping around decaying villages taking photographs of the occasional donkey.
On top of that, the expats are not immune to the recession, it affects them in exactly the same way as the local Spanish population, the expat kids will be unemployed too, and their shops will be shuttered up - and their homes will be repossessed in probably equal numbers.
Even in a place with a dense expat population, the majority of people are still Spanish, ordinary Spaniards living alongside ordinary expats and they observe life around them from that perspective; not that of an occasional visitor to Spain who prefers creeping around decaying villages taking photographs of the occasional donkey.
On top of that, the expats are not immune to the recession, it affects them in exactly the same way as the local Spanish population, the expat kids will be unemployed too, and their shops will be shuttered up - and their homes will be repossessed in probably equal numbers.
Mar 13th 2012, 9:26 am
#41
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 7,749
Re: how has the life style
That's a sad thought, if there are some Brits so isolated in their ghettos that neither know nor care what is happening around them to their host country. True, financially they made be relatively unaffected by the crisis, compared with many of the locals I imagine most Brits are able to comfortably ride out the storm. Pull up the ladder, I'm on board!
I go to Malaga a lot, still see the restaurants full down in El Palo/Pedregalejo on a Sunday. Malaga is a very Spanish city and it looks a lot more prosperous than 10 years ago
Its actually very difficult to notice people struggling in day to day life.
Mar 13th 2012, 9:54 am
#42
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: In the middle of 10million Olive Trees
Posts: 12,053
Re: how has the life style
OK, so if we are going to be strict about the topic of the thread being about British expats and how thier life has changed in Spain, Why did you have to compare it with rip off UK?
I was only putting my view because by refering the the UK being a rip off, you implied that Spain wasnt, and Ipointed out a few scandalous rip off that are happening right now in Spain, that is how I read it, you will correct me if I am wrong.
As for the question about what I expect you to do about the problems as a guiri pensioner, are you for real?
There is a world of difference between pointing out things that are happening and expecting guiri pensioners to do something about it...
That is a totally ridiculous question, and not a good way of debating, it is playground speak as is the "so what are you doing there when you could be back home saving the country?" comment.
The question about me saving the country does not come into any rational discussion, and BTW I do live in Spain.
The thread is about how the lifestyle of expats has changed whilst living in Spain, not the diffennce between living in the UKand Spain, if you want to keep strictly to the thread at least get it right.
Thread topic is:
How life has changed for expats due to the recession whilst living in Spain, not the difference between living in the UK compared to Spain. I am not all that bothered about veering off topic slightly, but as you seem to be, you should at least get the topic right.
I was only putting my view because by refering the the UK being a rip off, you implied that Spain wasnt, and Ipointed out a few scandalous rip off that are happening right now in Spain, that is how I read it, you will correct me if I am wrong.
As for the question about what I expect you to do about the problems as a guiri pensioner, are you for real?
There is a world of difference between pointing out things that are happening and expecting guiri pensioners to do something about it...
That is a totally ridiculous question, and not a good way of debating, it is playground speak as is the "so what are you doing there when you could be back home saving the country?" comment.
The question about me saving the country
does not come into any rational discussion, and BTW I do live in Spain.The thread is about how the lifestyle of expats has changed whilst living in Spain, not the diffennce between living in the UKand Spain, if you want to keep strictly to the thread at least get it right.
Thread topic is:
How life has changed for expats due to the recession whilst living in Spain, not the difference between living in the UK compared to Spain. I am not all that bothered about veering off topic slightly, but as you seem to be, you should at least get the topic right.
nothing I have said could/should be taken as an implication, just a plain statement.
Mar 13th 2012, 10:31 am
#43
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,368
Re: how has the life style
Nor me, but I never said it was. Someone made a comment, I merely said "That's a sad thought, IF there are some Brits so isolated that..." I find it hard to believe that even the ghetto dwellers don't "necessarily know that there are huge problems for the Spanish people."
Of course parts of Málaga are doing well, there are cities all over the EU doing well, but the overall trend is the closing of bars/restaurants/businesses all over. Personally, we like Málaga, we often tag a few days onto our visits to stay there.
Of course parts of Málaga are doing well, there are cities all over the EU doing well, but the overall trend is the closing of bars/restaurants/businesses all over. Personally, we like Málaga, we often tag a few days onto our visits to stay there.
Mar 13th 2012, 10:36 am
#44
Senior Moment
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: On the edge
Posts: 20,460
Re: how has the life style
In the UK I lived in Solihull in the UK, and when the housing crashes happened it didnt affect us. We were selling our house in the middle of one of them, and we got a good price. When the recession hit, we didnt notice anything in Solihull.
So consequently in Spain if you live in certain areas of Spain the same applies I guess.
Mar 13th 2012, 10:52 am
#45
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,368
Re: how has the life style
) but I'm aware of the problems that a lot of people are suffering, and I'm sure that would be no different if I was in Spain. Or Timbuktu. I'd make it my business to know what was happening in the country I had opted to spend my life in. Just seems odd to me that someone could chose a country to live in and be totally unaware of what was happening around them, to have no interest whatsoever in the locals.