It´s horses for courses. Good and bad. I can´t wait for the Autumn when all the hoards had departed back to Madrid etc. I love the warm days walking on the beach and then sitting around the wood burner in the chill of an Autumn evening. The brightness of the sun on the sand really makes me feel good, but, on the other side, I do get bored. Okay I do the usual Spanish classes, see friends for lunch, pilates but.......... my brain still wants to work but my confidence in my Spanish does not allow me to. I also miss the buzz of working and colleagues and shopping. Now too I have a baby grand daughter and feel that I am missing all those important steps. My husband has no desire whatsoever to return, but, hey ho, the good and the bad as I said before and there is a chance in a few years that we may end up in New Zealand. A friend who lived in Spain for four years just before we came out said in a letter, "That you can´t be on holiday for ever!" and was contemplating going back. I did lose touch with him and always wondered what happened in the end.

how common is that !!!! hear it all the time mate - glad things worked out for you though, may would have chucked in the towel

I think that's very true.

I lived in Spain for two years. Everyone I met out there has now moved on. Some to France and some back home. Most cite not being able to deal with high crime rates (robbery and burglary) and just plain boredom of not having fulfulling jobs.

People talk alot of intergration but very few expats actually do it. Going to the local fiestas doesn't count. Most expats head to the Costas and even if they're not in an expat Urb, they're very very close to one. They tend to go to the nearest Brit bar, install SKY TV and just stick to themselves.

I found the Spanish really xenophobic. I can't say I blame them entirely as their Costas have been totally invaded, putting house prices up and changing their culture.

It really depends on you and your outlook on life. OH and I came out in January to purchase a business - plenty of them on the market - but if you could see the state of some of them! Found one and were then let down - too late to find another for the season - the lies that come out of the Seller's mouths are absolutely unbelievable. So we are looking for work but cannot speak Spanish (ok I know that's our own fault before anyone tells me so!!!). We are in our 50's and I do not have the figure for barwork (Crispy and I have the same problem) and even barwork they want experience and/or Spanish speaking. We intend staying for two years at least whether we find work or not. If all you kids can take a gap year we reckon we deserve at least two!!

We have decided that its not worth worrying about what is around the corner - if we hadn't done it now we would never have done so. We are just enjoying spending quality time with each other and if we fall flat on our faces so be it - we will have tried and have some wonderful memories.

IMO just go for it but be aware of the consequences.

Hi Chiclanagirl, I agree with everything you have said, I took early retirement (51) and sometimes I think I am brain dead. I really miss the buzz of meeting people and just going shopping with my daughters just at a drop of a hat. The grandchildren look different every time they arrive I am sure one day when I greet them at the airport I will get the wrong child completely

I just love it here in the cooler months, as you say when all the hoards have departed Chiclana is a different place, we have been shopping this morning oh my 3 hours it took just to go and buy 4 bags of shopping....roll on September when they all go home

Chiclanagirl, I loved New Zealand when I went, Oh I could be very happy there so could Mal, but we thought very long and hard about the family, it is such a long way off and can be very expensive for family and friends to visit, no just popping over for the odd weekend to catch up on the gossip. At the moment Mal and I have no plans to go back to the UK but we are moving on from Chiclana when we sell up as we both feel after five years it is time to move on. I will miss it here as I think it has much charm and character, plenty of good points and a few bad but then so does everywhere else.

So right what you say Sue, life is short and if you don't give it a go then there will always be regret, not such an easy thing to do with young children but if you are older and just the two of you then I would say go for it.

Mal and I are enjoying the quality time we have left together, after I spent over 35 years in a very difficult relationship and Mal's wife of 33 years died in her sleep next to him at the age of 53 it makes you realise that time does not stand still for anyone.

I know what you mean - our Son is 28 and standing on his own two foot - I am 53 and Ian 56 - I nearly lost him when he was 50 with a faulty heart valve and complications - Alzheimers(?) runs in my family and we just thought - sod it - what have we got to lose. If we don't find work we will have to go back but will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Hi Matt, what kind of buisness do you have? x

I'm sending you a PM as I don't want to be hung for advertising.........

and these personal reasons are ones I cant share with a public forum so why don't we drop it eh?

They were nothing to do with Spain, its people, its culture, its ethics or even its foreign policy.

Just because I was young free and single does that make my opinion not count?

Honestly woman, you come on here, are OK for a bit and then you start don't you? I have never made any intimation that I lived in Spain, if I did why would I have started a thread announcing I was moving back, why would I constantly ask questions about banks, cars and god knows what ever else I have.

If you don't like my posts then just don't reply, you only wanted my answer in the first place to prove a point about Spain.
I noticed you never piped up when a certain poster was slagging off the UK and I was defending it?!

hey Matt, I am moving with a wee girl, and dont really have any plans as to where we will land, but hey ho its an adventure. I dont think you really need to take years in planning a move to Spain, at the end of the day if we dont like it we will have a good tan and an extended holiday. So I say well done, any tips you can pass on to us would be appreciated xx

Well we are in the process of moving back, and we are not sure where we are heading ourselves.

I can only advise what I have always advised.

Take some time to learn Spanish, be committed and don't give up. It wont be easy, I have NEVER said it was for me, do as much homework as you can, and don't be too dreamy about what you do.
If it means going to a more ex-pat area initially then do it, things can always be changed at a later date.
You will do some crappy jobs, but there are opportunities if you know where to look for them and are tenacious enough to do them. By the time I go I will have a Masters and Diploma, but it is extremely unlikely that I will be able to use them, but that's fine, we want to live there for the time being and if it means cleaning boats then that's fine.

I have always just asked people if I don't know the answer, and there are some really helpful people on here, just be brave and ask.

Just so that you're aware, I'm not one of them

and just for the record................no he isn't.

Thanx Matt, my hubby is atree surgeon and also a motorbike mechanic so hopefully he will get work in that area, but as you say we might be cleaning boats. Learning Spanish just now and not doing too bad. We do have our heads screwed on and are very determined. Travelling in camper so will be able to suss the area out and if we dont like it we can move on, which I think is a bonus. Not really sure where we will end up!!!