ForHotspot

I'm sure there's a lot more than those to live in Spain. For a start the weather is a lot better than where I'm now. Also from what I've read in this forum, the cost of living is lower in Spain & it seems a good place to retire but not to work.

Fortaleza

Xenophibic? Homophobic? Misogynistic? This comes from a paisano of the country that gives us the Daily Mail, Daily Express and the Sun or the Sport. Pot, kettle.

What u say abouit all kinds of people is spot on. You have clearly had a bad experience or not integrated well. I have (and have had) several Spanish business partners, and would trust them a thousand times more than the Brits I've been involved with. Whilst I will always be El Gales even if I'm here 80 years, I have been totally accepted in all places I've lived in - without need for little gifts from the garden

jackytoo

Hillybilly, a bit of honesty for a change. People are the same all over the world. Most races do not want outsiders (unless they are earning money from them). Karma for you

Fortaleza

Like I alluded to in my reply to Hillbilly - it's a little too simplistic to see it that way. You are right when you say that most races don't like to see outsiders coming in.

I mean, when you see these people move into your area, only mixing with their own, refusing to speak in anything other than their own language, eating their own type of food, sticking to their own pubs or restaurants, listening to their own radio, watching their own TV shows etc. Immigration is a problem - yes, you can understand why the Spanish get fed up with us

However, I along with a very large number of people I know who are not caught up in this Spanish Costa living nonsense, who make their living day in, day out alongslide Spanish people have no such experience that was mentioned. There are the usual problems of good people and bad people, but as Hillbilly said, you get that the world over. Spend some time with the Brits who are living in Madrid or Seville or whatever large city and I think they would laugh at some of the things said on this thread. That said, they are the type of people who would never want a crutch such as th BE forum

betris

well .fort and blacki the dog and fluffy the sheep hired a boat and sailed just of the coast of marbella.she floundered on the rocks and they were washed ashore on a nearby island.along with a few cases of bacardi and a few cases of coke,so they caught some fish,lit a fire and had a party and got drunk.this went on for a week then one night they were doing the same.but this night the stars were out and it was perfect for romance.after a good few drinks fort put his arm around fluffy the sheep.so blackie the dog bit his leg.this happend severel times over a period of a few weeks because blackie was very protective of fuffy.then one day they see a small boat.so they wave and shout and the boat comes close but also flounders on the same rocks.washed ashore is the girl in the post.amanda.so fort.fluffy.blackie and amanda are on the island.so they light the fire catch the fish and have a party.the stars were out.they could here music from the main land.(julio englasis).the best night ever for romance.fort puts his arm around amanda and wispers in here ear.Ive been stuck on this island for a while would you do somthing for me.she said yes fort anything.anthing.so fort says you couldnt take blakie for a walk could you.

jackytoo

Maybe thats true, yet you spend so much time here. Not sure what your job is as I don't read everything on here but I thought you did an ex-pat newspaper?

Fortaleza

A barman is not necessarily an alcoholic.

Hillybilly

I've integrated as much as I can and as much as I choose to (and as much as I would anywhere, UK included probably). I live in a big town where nobody speaks English although there are quite a few Brits (and also other nationalities, more Moroccans than any other nationality). I speak fluent Spanish and I have Spanish friends but I also have expat friends. I don't go near the costas, I don't frequent expat bars etc ...because there are none (unless I head over the border into Malaga province)! I've lived in the same place for 5 years and I have to work and I earn a decent living. What radio I choose to listen to or TV I choose to watch in the privacy of my own home is really nobody's business but my own! I do listen to Spanish radio in the car and at work and I read Spanish newspapers.

Unfortunately for me I am a professional single female, obviously Northern European in looks (tall, fair) and childfree so I am an aberration to the majority of the Spanish. I wouldn't presume to say that I have been "accepted" as Fortaleza has but I am tolerated. My only hope would be to marry a Spaniard...but they're all too short

Friends (expats, gay) who similarly live in a nearby village (in the same house for 4 years) also thought they had been "accepted" until their new Spanish neighbour (Policia Local) shouted insults involving the word "English" at them out of his window whilst they were on their own terrace this week. I personally think that in these hard financial times the tide is turning...

Jackytoo, thank you for the karma

betris

the tide may well turn.beforehand the brits were the meal ticket.now you may find its the bad brits who are stealing custom from the locals.doing the locals out of work.and responsible for the down turn as they are not buying houses after driving the prices up.

jurdyr

will in my case i am to tall for the señoras here

if was for the the brits germanys and so on spain wont be where it is to day back in the 70s when mas tourism

Fortaleza

That is certainly the case where you live.

Town centre yesterday at 3pm, the terraces were practically deserted. Compare that to other years. But is it just the credit crunch? Nearby towns, whilst not as busy as last year, are still doing good trade (although the owner will moan that it's the worst year ever - like they do every year!!!!). Ayamonte is really a ghost town at the moment, and I've been proferred a reason by a couple of restaurant owners as to why this is - could be true, could be paranoia. They say that the usual Spanish trade is not going in so often, or choosing other nearby places, as there's a feeling that there is too much 'foreign' tourism in the town and they feel out of place 'in their own country'

Could explain why the others have not seen such a dramatic downturn.

Fortaleza

Well, I reckon Spain is going to beatify you in recognition to your services in helping this poor country out.

And people wonder why Spaniards get fed up with the foreigners, FFS

bil

Hell, all those progs are waaayyy over the top. We play buzzword bingo with them. You know, every time you hear a certain phrase like 'risking everything' etc etc etc.

brisca

Well, I would say that our experience of life in Spain is much closer to that which Rosemary (The Oddities) describes; although I can also understand a lot of where Hillybilly is coming from - and I don't doubt that there are Spanish people that feel and behave that way towards foreigners.

It all depends on where you live, what kind of person you are, what you expect and hope for from life in Spain, what you are willing and able to put in, whether you are an outgoing kind of person, whether you are the kind of person who takes up opportunities and so on.

We have lived in our tiny rural village in the south (400 inhabitants) for two and a half years, and we have been made to feel extremely welcome here.
I don't speak fluent Spanish, but my friends tell me that they can understand me perfectly well - and I can understand the vast majority of conversations that I'm party to.
I strive to improve my language skills on a daily basis, and friends and neighbours are more than willing to help me in my quest.

There are people in the village whom we class as very close and dear friends; there are those with whom we pass the time of day, and there are others that will respond to us if we greeet them (but otherwise they wouldn't bother with us, I'm sure)
Whilst there are undoubtedly people who can be two faced, the vast majority of people here seem to be genuinely friendly towards us and are interested in us.

Our ex neighbours hate us with a passion..........but the feeling is very much mutual!
Enough said that the majority of people in the village say that said neighbours are impossible to reason with, and they don't know how we managed to stick living opposite them in our rented house for the two years that we put up with their extreme behaviour and abuse!

I have a wide circle of friends thanks to my membership of a local walking group, and most of the social activities that I attend are related to that circle off friends.

I sit out in the street in the evenings and talk to my neighbours.
I carry the eldery folks' shopping back from the Plaza on market days.
I get "dragged" into numerous houses on a regular basis, kissed and hugged, am shown photos of all the extended family so that I will recognise them when they come to visit in the summer, I help the village children with their English during the school holidays, I greet most people by name (as I'm blessed with a pretty good memory) and people are always bringing us fruit and vegetables or eggs - just because they can.
We will reciprocate when the figs are ripe on our tree, and we did likewise with our oranges earlier in the year.

We never sought a life on the Costas, surrounded by other British people.
That may well be some people's cup of tea; but it isn't for us.
That doesn't make us better or worse people; it just makes us a different type.
People are different the world over (thank goodness!) otherwise it would be a pretty boring place to live

I agree totally that if you haven't got the means to realistically support yourself, then life in Spain can be extremely difficult - especially in the rural south where job opportunities are very scarce.

Everyone will have a different perspective of life in Spain (or any other country including the UK) based on their individual experiences.
We are very fortunate that our experience to date has been positive and happy.

Guess what!?
We moved to this particular region because we saw it featured on "A Place in the Sun!!"
We made four exploratory visits here within one year prior to our move, and we put plenty of research into our move.
We even met and became friendly with the couple who featured in the programme - and remain so to this day.
They have now been living in their (slightly larger) village for the past 5 years, and are also totally accepted within their community.
We are fortunate that we each have the same attitude to Expat living; it's nice to know there's someone that you can converse with in your own language if there's an emergency; but we came to Spain to live the Spanish life, so we don't need to be on each other's doorsteps.
Hence we see each other perhaps twice a year, and exchange the occasional phone call or e-mail.

As I said, each to their own; but that's our take on the situation

Sam.

bil

That is almost word for word what I would have written.

Apart from the bit about meeting up with the couple from the prog, and the location, it was like reading our own experiences!