As you research all you can about moving to Spain, you cannot fail to notice the term 'expat'. If you look for information about Spain on the net, many of the places you will end up at will be forums for 'Spain expats'. These can be very helpful places. You can browse for help on everything from Spanish customs to what you do with your pets when you move. But until you actually move to Spain and live here, you will not know exactly what it means to be an expat.
The term 'expat' (or expatriate) can usually mean someone moving away from their country of residence, where they are citizens. The decision to move to Spain and be an expat can be taken for a number of reasons: to find a 'place in the sun'; to find somewhere to live where you think the cost of living will be cheaper (it isn't really); to retire; to work for an employer; or just because you want a change of pace and Spain, with its slower lifestyle, to someone living in the busy UK or USA could look ideal.
But reasons and definitions of the word expat can not really sum up how you will feel as an expat in Spain.
Until we moved to Spain I never really gave the word expat much thought. It always seemed to relate to the affluent middle classes retiring to their Spanish villas, rather than a normal family moving to Spain to live and work. But after living in Spain for some time, I now realise that, like it or not, I am 'an expat'.
Being an expat in Spain means, that although you may try really hard to learn Spanish and all about Spanish history and try your very best to assimilate into the local culture, you will still often be at a loss, because you were not born in Spain. This does not have to be a negative thing, it's just that you need to realise that there are some things the Spanish take for granted that you will have to learn, most likely every day.
Until you actually move to Spain and have lived here for some time, all your Spanish language training will not have prepared you for the local dialect or special words and phrases people use in your village. In time you will pick these up, but for a long time you will be lost when someone tells a joke, not only because you probably won't know who or what they are referring to, but you will also be at a loss to understand the terms they are using to describe them.
Until you have lived in your local area in Spain for a while, you will not know the local customs regarding shop opening times, delivery times for bread and all the other essentials of daily Spanish life. You will not know where you can buy cheaper logs for your stove, or that the local market comes on certain days, but not when it's a particular stall holder's birthday. It could take you an age to find your local drycleaners or the cheapest supermarket. You may even have problems finding a good dentist, or the cheapest farmacia, because, helpful as they will most likely be, the locals in your Spanish village have grown up knowing these things; they don't think to tell 'new comers' until you ask them for their help.
As an new expat in Spain you will spend some time most days asking advice from your neighbours about things you took for granted in the country you grew up in. The good thing about this is that you will soon get to know them well, and in time you will even pick up more of the local Spanish dialect, or at least when the villagers remember to talk slowly enough for you to pick it up.
It is when you realise how little you know about the place you live in and are always having to ask questions, that you will feel like an expat.
Being an expat in Spain can have its advantages. For instance, when a Spanish salesman knocks on your door and you do not want to buy his wares, you can always say 'lo siento, soy inglesa y no hablo mucho espanol' (sorry, I am English and I do not speak much Spanish). He will usually not bother to push you any further (However, this will not allow you to escape a speeding ticket from the Spanish police; they are very used to this excuse).
Being an expat in Spain may also mean that the locals in your village think you are rich or mad. They assume you are rich because they saw you spending money getting your Spanish house renovated and they think you are mad to move to Spain when they have heard that people are so much better off in the UK or USA.
Being an expat in Spain and an animal lover could mean that your house will be the local children's first point of call when they have found a stray dog in need of housing. It will also mean that any 'foreign stranger' will be directed to your door because 'you are bound to know all the other foreigners in the neighbourhood'.
And being an expat living in Spain can be confusing, even exasperating at times and can also get lonely.
Even when your Spanish is fairly fluent, you will not be able to enjoy a completely meaningful conversation with the locals without having to translate in your head some of the phrases used and this can detract from the conversation. Some times you will just wish there was someone (apart from your family) who you could talk to in your native tongue.
And I think this is why so many expats living in Spain have regular meetings. They say it is to share advice, but it is often, I think, for the chance to speak English for a while in company. When you live in Spain every day, speaking Spanish can be exhausting. Speaking your own language will seem like a way to relax!
As an expat in Spain you will suddenly find other expats are usually very friendly. You will find yourself getting to know people who you would have been unlikely to meet in the UK or USA. Spanish expats come from all walks of life and all social classes. In their country of birth they may not even have wanted to know each other, but when living in Spain, they seem drawn together by circumstance.
However, the mistake some expats make is to stick together, rather than getting to know the Spanish people. Along the Spanish coastline there are whole enclaves where English is spoken as much as Spanish, and where the whole culture appears to have been taken over by expats. Moving somewhere like this isn't really about moving to Spain; it's more like moving to Blackpool, only with sun.
If you truly want to move to Spain and live the Spanish lifestyle you really need to get to know the locals. They are usually friendly and helpful, and as long as you ask questions, get to know the local customs and apologise if you get things wrong, then you won't need to live in an 'expat enclave'.
Nevertheless, the expat culture in Spain isn't all bad. There are friendly people, in the same boat as you and often willing to help you out. And just remember, when you think about moving to Spain, you are going to be an expat. It will be good to know that there are others in Spain feeling just like you.
The term 'expat' (or expatriate) can usually mean someone moving away from their country of residence, where they are citizens. The decision to move to Spain and be an expat can be taken for a number of reasons: to find a 'place in the sun'; to find somewhere to live where you think the cost of living will be cheaper (it isn't really); to retire; to work for an employer; or just because you want a change of pace and Spain, with its slower lifestyle, to someone living in the busy UK or USA could look ideal.
But reasons and definitions of the word expat can not really sum up how you will feel as an expat in Spain.
Until we moved to Spain I never really gave the word expat much thought. It always seemed to relate to the affluent middle classes retiring to their Spanish villas, rather than a normal family moving to Spain to live and work. But after living in Spain for some time, I now realise that, like it or not, I am 'an expat'.
Being an expat in Spain means, that although you may try really hard to learn Spanish and all about Spanish history and try your very best to assimilate into the local culture, you will still often be at a loss, because you were not born in Spain. This does not have to be a negative thing, it's just that you need to realise that there are some things the Spanish take for granted that you will have to learn, most likely every day.
Until you actually move to Spain and have lived here for some time, all your Spanish language training will not have prepared you for the local dialect or special words and phrases people use in your village. In time you will pick these up, but for a long time you will be lost when someone tells a joke, not only because you probably won't know who or what they are referring to, but you will also be at a loss to understand the terms they are using to describe them.
Until you have lived in your local area in Spain for a while, you will not know the local customs regarding shop opening times, delivery times for bread and all the other essentials of daily Spanish life. You will not know where you can buy cheaper logs for your stove, or that the local market comes on certain days, but not when it's a particular stall holder's birthday. It could take you an age to find your local drycleaners or the cheapest supermarket. You may even have problems finding a good dentist, or the cheapest farmacia, because, helpful as they will most likely be, the locals in your Spanish village have grown up knowing these things; they don't think to tell 'new comers' until you ask them for their help.
As an new expat in Spain you will spend some time most days asking advice from your neighbours about things you took for granted in the country you grew up in. The good thing about this is that you will soon get to know them well, and in time you will even pick up more of the local Spanish dialect, or at least when the villagers remember to talk slowly enough for you to pick it up.
It is when you realise how little you know about the place you live in and are always having to ask questions, that you will feel like an expat.
Being an expat in Spain can have its advantages. For instance, when a Spanish salesman knocks on your door and you do not want to buy his wares, you can always say 'lo siento, soy inglesa y no hablo mucho espanol' (sorry, I am English and I do not speak much Spanish). He will usually not bother to push you any further (However, this will not allow you to escape a speeding ticket from the Spanish police; they are very used to this excuse).
Being an expat in Spain may also mean that the locals in your village think you are rich or mad. They assume you are rich because they saw you spending money getting your Spanish house renovated and they think you are mad to move to Spain when they have heard that people are so much better off in the UK or USA.
Being an expat in Spain and an animal lover could mean that your house will be the local children's first point of call when they have found a stray dog in need of housing. It will also mean that any 'foreign stranger' will be directed to your door because 'you are bound to know all the other foreigners in the neighbourhood'.
And being an expat living in Spain can be confusing, even exasperating at times and can also get lonely.
Even when your Spanish is fairly fluent, you will not be able to enjoy a completely meaningful conversation with the locals without having to translate in your head some of the phrases used and this can detract from the conversation. Some times you will just wish there was someone (apart from your family) who you could talk to in your native tongue.
And I think this is why so many expats living in Spain have regular meetings. They say it is to share advice, but it is often, I think, for the chance to speak English for a while in company. When you live in Spain every day, speaking Spanish can be exhausting. Speaking your own language will seem like a way to relax!
As an expat in Spain you will suddenly find other expats are usually very friendly. You will find yourself getting to know people who you would have been unlikely to meet in the UK or USA. Spanish expats come from all walks of life and all social classes. In their country of birth they may not even have wanted to know each other, but when living in Spain, they seem drawn together by circumstance.
However, the mistake some expats make is to stick together, rather than getting to know the Spanish people. Along the Spanish coastline there are whole enclaves where English is spoken as much as Spanish, and where the whole culture appears to have been taken over by expats. Moving somewhere like this isn't really about moving to Spain; it's more like moving to Blackpool, only with sun.
If you truly want to move to Spain and live the Spanish lifestyle you really need to get to know the locals. They are usually friendly and helpful, and as long as you ask questions, get to know the local customs and apologise if you get things wrong, then you won't need to live in an 'expat enclave'.
Nevertheless, the expat culture in Spain isn't all bad. There are friendly people, in the same boat as you and often willing to help you out. And just remember, when you think about moving to Spain, you are going to be an expat. It will be good to know that there are others in Spain feeling just like you.
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