HBG

We had friends round earlier, and the four of us, all long-term residents, got to talking about the number of expats returning home. So we made a list of the people we knew of, nothing scientific, but the result amazed us. We listed at least 20 people, usually couples, who had returned home in the past year.

Even more amazing, we could list at least the same number who were planning to leave as soon as they could sell their houses.

We're ordinary people, and so are the people we discussed. There were no re-possessions, ill-health, domestic dramas, economic disasters, just ordinary people who went home because they wanted to, or still want to.

Why should that be? Surely not because of some silly TV programmes. Could it be the recession? But they've got that back home too, haven't they?

jjh

Were any/most/all of them reliant on income from the Uk and the exchange rate? That´s made a difference to people we know.

Fortaleza

Main problem is that over the last, what, 7 or 8 years numbers have swelled to unrealistic levels and there were far too many Brits who really should not have been here. This credit crunch has really found them out. Those who came here with plenty of funds and still have that (albeit not as great as before) or those who came here and forged out a life in Spain not dependent one bit on the UK will probably find things not too bad and certainly nowhere near bad enough to go back.

As cruel as it sounds, this crunch could be just what some areas need, sorting out the wheat from the chaff and getting back to sustainable levels.

bil

The other thing is simply homesickness.

Brits don't transplant well, it seems. I have seen articles reporting that 70% of expats return home within 3 years. Two of my friends did just that in Greece and Scotland. Interestingly enough, the same statistic apparantly applies to those of us that move any distance within the UK.

I always jokingly suggest a checklist of questions to anyone thinking of upping and going elsewhere.

Do you have strong family ties?
Do you suport a football team strongly?
Do you identify strongly with being British?
Would you be lost without certain food items?
Are you a steak and chips person in restaurants?
Can you only speak English?

Mark those all as 'yes' and I would advise a rethink.

bxpuser24710519

5 no's and the last is an almost and I have no plans to return to UK on any permanent basis.

rugbymatt

I hear what you are saying Bill and to a degree I agree, but I'm not sure I think this statement stands up, the British, above all, have transplanted themselves and their customs/ beliefs, all round the world, in varying success.

HBG

I think that could well be the big one. I remember doing a calculation when the Peseta (Pound) started to wobble for a short time and worked out that below a certain level we would have to consider our future in Spain. It was well over ten years ago, and I only did it in Pesetas, but I think it translates into something like 1.15 Euros to the pound.

I unashamedly admit that I came for the weather and the cheapness. although I have the greatest admiration for those who have truly integrated.

HBG

I understand your point, perfectly, and partly agree, but if your test had been applied at Dover on those returning that I know of, there would have been more wheat than chaff. It seems to me that the chaff is hanging on, me included.

Stockton

Yes. Particularly as my parents are aging and becoming more infirm, the geographical distance is something that bothers me. And I regret missing my nephews and nieces grow up.

Yes but as the Internet has advanced, this doesn't bother me as much.

Not especially, no. Every time I open my mouth, my roots are evident and I still get my news from the BBC, but I don't obsess about "being British".

I miss certain food items, although I can get many of them here, for a price. After 16 years in the US, I'm pretty sure that were I to move back, I would miss just as many food items from here.

I like steak and I like chips. But I wouldn't say I'm a "steak and chips person" Now if the question were "Are you a 'fish and chips' person..."

I don't speak English all that well.

me me

Just to turn this on its arse.
Question 1, if we put extended family and friends (YES)

Footie team (YES)

Being brought up British (YES)

Being lost without certain food items (YES)

Steak and chips person (YES)

Only speak English (NO)

So where do we go from here, I have answered all the questions as a typical Brit would, and I am Spanish. Holy s**t!!!!
I wonder if I could have a nationality change on the NHS, I am a Spaniard, trapped in a Englishmans body.
What does the future hold for me???? Are there any support groups? Can it be sorted out with medication? Would acupuncture help? Should I tell my wife? Would she understand? Will I be shunned by friends and family?
Would there be any point is going on a "bullfighting" or "hurling donkey from the church steeple course?"
Surely I cannot be the only one suffering from this condition, and any advice from others who have been though this would be very helpful.

Joking aside, I think that Bil made a good point. Not everyone will be happy here on a long term basis and if the pull is very strong, the problems are magnified.

Regards,

JLFS

steviedeluxe

You could take an English "Pit bull fighting in inner cities" course. Has anyone ever really come across this hurling a donkey business in Spain? I heard it was a Catalan village that did this, but it'd be interesting to find out where it does (or did) happen.
As for steak and chips - the best steaks are imo Argentinian. I was never impressed with the Brits way with steaks (they normally make a big deal advertising the weight, as they know they cook the steak badly); having said that I've had some really terrible barely cooked steak in Madrid province. Why do so many people get this wrong - or is it the raw product that makes the difference?

Rosemary

Bil, you left something off your list. English TV is a must for so many Brits who live in Spain and if they live in a place where it is impossible to have the huge ugly satellite dish that is necessary they will not survive.

Rosemary

bil

Matt, some Brits transplant brilliantly, I agree totally, and to be honest I couldn't begin to tell you how well or badly we compare to other countries.

Perhaps the numbers are so high because so many of us want out.

Interestingly, did you know that the majority of the Spaniards who conquered the new world are supposed to have come from Extremadura, which I have heard described as the most desolate part of Spain? Maybe so many Brits leave because they want out at any price??

bil

Well, I am grateful that we can have a dish, as without her daily fix of Neighbours, Jan might not have been so willing to move out there.....

She does pretty well tho, her Spanish is improving, and she bravely weeds the garden despite the snakes and rats she is so afraid of. You should have heard the screams when a five footer nearly stuck its head into the kitchen.

rugbymatt

... and Galicia I heard, but yeah, you may have a point, I see quite a few from places like Essex and the North West and North East but few from places like Gloucestershire, Sussex, etc.....