Is Spain really as bad as they say
May 14th 2012, 7:04 am
#61
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: In the middle of 10million Olive Trees
Posts: 12,053
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
for every nice person there will be 6 who are not....
or is it the otherway round
like you I take people as I find them - anything left lying around is there for the taking
no, seriously, I have found many many nice people from many countries in many countries. I have also found people I wouldnt want to share a half finished can of beer with.
without being totally off with everyone I (and BH) have learnt to put our toes into the waters very gently. we have almost nothing to do with expats, we use all the local shopping facilities, eat the local foods - believe it or not it is possible to have a good meal 7 nights a week without having to pop down to Iceland in Salobrena or wherever it is. (see don't even know where it is!!). The local shopkeepers help us out with our guiri pronunciation of their words and they are proud of the few words of English they have, in a better accent than my Spanish.
I am sure some Spaniards can tell you many varied and lurid tales about Columbians in the same way as Brits will tell you similar tales about Pakistani's, Indians, Poles, Latvians etc etc. Some are true, some are near truth and some are downright lies.
Enjoy being who you are.
May 14th 2012, 7:43 am
#62
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Alicante, Spain
Posts: 175
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
your problem is you are too trusting, everyone is nice.
for every nice person there will be 6 who are not....
or is it the otherway round
like you I take people as I find them - anything left lying around is there for the taking
no, seriously, I have found many many nice people from many countries in many countries. I have also found people I wouldnt want to share a half finished can of beer with.
without being totally off with everyone I (and BH) have learnt to put our toes into the waters very gently. we have almost nothing to do with expats, we use all the local shopping facilities, eat the local foods - believe it or not it is possible to have a good meal 7 nights a week without having to pop down to Iceland in Salobrena or wherever it is. (see don't even know where it is!!). The local shopkeepers help us out with our guiri pronunciation of their words and they are proud of the few words of English they have, in a better accent than my Spanish.
I am sure some Spaniards can tell you many varied and lurid tales about Columbians in the same way as Brits will tell you similar tales about Pakistani's, Indians, Poles, Latvians etc etc. Some are true, some are near truth and some are downright lies.
Enjoy being who you are.
for every nice person there will be 6 who are not....
or is it the otherway round
like you I take people as I find them - anything left lying around is there for the taking
no, seriously, I have found many many nice people from many countries in many countries. I have also found people I wouldnt want to share a half finished can of beer with.
without being totally off with everyone I (and BH) have learnt to put our toes into the waters very gently. we have almost nothing to do with expats, we use all the local shopping facilities, eat the local foods - believe it or not it is possible to have a good meal 7 nights a week without having to pop down to Iceland in Salobrena or wherever it is. (see don't even know where it is!!). The local shopkeepers help us out with our guiri pronunciation of their words and they are proud of the few words of English they have, in a better accent than my Spanish.
I am sure some Spaniards can tell you many varied and lurid tales about Columbians in the same way as Brits will tell you similar tales about Pakistani's, Indians, Poles, Latvians etc etc. Some are true, some are near truth and some are downright lies.
Enjoy being who you are.
I just take people as they are like you said. If they are nice to me, then fine. Who am I to judge them? Like you I don't hang out with expats, not because I don't want to...simply because there are NONE where I live! Thats why everyone here knows me as the "chica ingles"
The closest thing I have to home is a Primark, and im fine with that! I like the spanish foods and customs etc...though I wouldnt mind having somewhere to buy some decent cadburys 
May 14th 2012, 7:54 am
#63
Banned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,008
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
I don't think i'm too trusting I just take people as they are like you said. If they are nice to me, then fine. Who am I to judge them?
Like you I don't hang out with expats, not because I don't want to...simply because there are NONE where I live! Thats why everyone here knows me as the "chica ingles" The closest thing I have to home is a Primark, and im fine with that! I like the spanish foods and customs etc...though I wouldnt mind having somewhere to buy some decent cadburys
I just take people as they are like you said. If they are nice to me, then fine. Who am I to judge them? Like you I don't hang out with expats, not because I don't want to...simply because there are NONE where I live! Thats why everyone here knows me as the "chica ingles"
The closest thing I have to home is a Primark, and im fine with that! I like the spanish foods and customs etc...though I wouldnt mind having somewhere to buy some decent cadburys
May 14th 2012, 8:00 am
#64
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: In the middle of 10million Olive Trees
Posts: 12,053
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
I don't think i'm too trusting I just take people as they are like you said. If they are nice to me, then fine. Who am I to judge them?
Like you I don't hang out with expats, not because I don't want to...simply because there are NONE where I live! Thats why everyone here knows me as the "chica ingles" The closest thing I have to home is a Primark, and im fine with that! I like the spanish foods and customs etc...though I wouldnt mind having somewhere to buy some decent cadburys
I just take people as they are like you said. If they are nice to me, then fine. Who am I to judge them? Like you I don't hang out with expats, not because I don't want to...simply because there are NONE where I live! Thats why everyone here knows me as the "chica ingles"
The closest thing I have to home is a Primark, and im fine with that! I like the spanish foods and customs etc...though I wouldnt mind having somewhere to buy some decent cadburys think I saw a couple of bars of Cadburys in my local P'Aqui, but then they know there are some Brits in the area and stock gravy and a couple of other items to suit. their sales of fairy liquid washing up stuff are quite good, with the spanish as well as brits like me, but the formulation is different and it is more perfumed than the bottle I brought back from the UK.
I really miss Woods Rum, at 54% proof it is probably too strong to go on sale in Spain but ISTR their website saying it was available in Spain - just nowhere near me, but then they say it is available in Sainsburys but the only place I have found it in UK is Morrisons at about £22 a 70cl bottle - but it is a really ace rum, like one or two single malts.
these are "international" companies with "international" products and many are made in Madrid and places but can we get them ? NO !
but that is the fun of living in the jungle, you have to eat what the natives eat - unless it happens to be you, by which time it is too late.
May 14th 2012, 9:49 am
#66
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Alicante, Spain
Posts: 175
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
i have a fondness for mint chocolate, have found Mercadona have their own label range which is more than just acceptable. but i have to restrict my consumption, the diet is working well and I don't want to go off the rails.
think I saw a couple of bars of Cadburys in my local P'Aqui, but then they know there are some Brits in the area and stock gravy and a couple of other items to suit. their sales of fairy liquid washing up stuff are quite good, with the spanish as well as brits like me, but the formulation is different and it is more perfumed than the bottle I brought back from the UK.
I really miss Woods Rum, at 54% proof it is probably too strong to go on sale in Spain but ISTR their website saying it was available in Spain - just nowhere near me, but then they say it is available in Sainsburys but the only place I have found it in UK is Morrisons at about £22 a 70cl bottle - but it is a really ace rum, like one or two single malts.
these are "international" companies with "international" products and many are made in Madrid and places but can we get them ? NO !
but that is the fun of living in the jungle, you have to eat what the natives eat - unless it happens to be you, by which time it is too late.
think I saw a couple of bars of Cadburys in my local P'Aqui, but then they know there are some Brits in the area and stock gravy and a couple of other items to suit. their sales of fairy liquid washing up stuff are quite good, with the spanish as well as brits like me, but the formulation is different and it is more perfumed than the bottle I brought back from the UK.
I really miss Woods Rum, at 54% proof it is probably too strong to go on sale in Spain but ISTR their website saying it was available in Spain - just nowhere near me, but then they say it is available in Sainsburys but the only place I have found it in UK is Morrisons at about £22 a 70cl bottle - but it is a really ace rum, like one or two single malts.
these are "international" companies with "international" products and many are made in Madrid and places but can we get them ? NO !
but that is the fun of living in the jungle, you have to eat what the natives eat - unless it happens to be you, by which time it is too late.
There's not really too much else I miss, you can get spanish versions of almost everything now! Except for hobnobs and jaffa cakes....ive tried mercadonas jaffas and they are horrible, and havent come across anything remotely similar to a hob nob!!!
May 14th 2012, 9:53 am
#67
¿Dónde estoy?
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: my paradise - Jávea
Posts: 13,330
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
Mercadona's chocolate is actually a great replacement!! I love their bars with the orange/strawberry centre...great price too! There's not really too much else I miss, you can get spanish versions of almost everything now! Except for hobnobs and jaffa cakes....ive tried mercadonas jaffas and they are horrible, and havent come across anything remotely similar to a hob nob!!!
There's not really too much else I miss, you can get spanish versions of almost everything now! Except for hobnobs and jaffa cakes....ive tried mercadonas jaffas and they are horrible, and havent come across anything remotely similar to a hob nob!!!
May 14th 2012, 11:37 am
#68
Banned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,008
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
I wrote it the way I hear it and it seem to be ColUmbians to me, with the U as in umbrella and not in Menu ( as in English men-you)
May 14th 2012, 1:10 pm
#70
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: In the middle of 10million Olive Trees
Posts: 12,053
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
personally I would agree with the umbrella rather than the menu, but then I can't get Spanish right so what would I know.
May 14th 2012, 8:00 pm
#71
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: near Colmenar, Prov de Malaga
Posts: 5,174
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
Mercadona's chocolate is actually a great replacement!! I love their bars with the orange/strawberry centre...great price too! There's not really too much else I miss, you can get spanish versions of almost everything now! Except for hobnobs and jaffa cakes....ive tried mercadonas jaffas and they are horrible, and havent come across anything remotely similar to a hob nob!!!
There's not really too much else I miss, you can get spanish versions of almost everything now! Except for hobnobs and jaffa cakes....ive tried mercadonas jaffas and they are horrible, and havent come across anything remotely similar to a hob nob!!!
May 14th 2012, 8:19 pm
#72
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Alicante, Spain
Posts: 175
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
not usually. I wish I could but it's along way out from me and it would require taking a taxi. I don't drive so I go to supermarkets within walking distance, mercadona, alcampo, carrefour etc. Love Lidl though!!
May 14th 2012, 8:31 pm
#73
Straw Man.
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: That, there, that's not my post count... nothing to see here, move along.
Posts: 46,302
Re: Is Spain really as bad as they say
Well done for keeping on topic people
*claps hands in a slow, patronising way*
*claps hands in a slow, patronising way*
May 14th 2012, 9:08 pm
#74
On the road again.
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: On Top of the World
Posts: 17,507
