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Original poster

Living in the in the sun is making me mad!

26 replies

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 10:58

Why do people think they can move to Spain with a tiny budget and then get upset that they can only find little houses? They complain about everything they see and it is usually, the house is too small the bedrooms are too small [spanish houses are small unless you are loaded], the floors are hard [they are marble, Spanish houses have marble floors]. The other thing that winds me up is that they have no concept of where they are moving to. Today a couple said they will get a job in Gibraltar[ just because Gib is English speaking it doesnt mean you will walk into a job}

Sorry Im ranting but having lived here for 2 years I know how hard it can be and these people are like lambs to the slaughter. They seem to think that they can just move to Spain and everything will be rosey. They dont seem to know anything about the country they are moving to. I have seen so many people move here with very little money, no real plan or back up plan and most of them are gone within the year. Back to Uk but considerably poorer. Of course I was niave and things arent as I expected but at least I had done some research and had some idea of what I was going to. Sorry rant over!

OP posts:

Feistybird · 23/01/2006 11:00

blimey, did you get out of the wrong side of the bed this morning lucy?

milward · 23/01/2006 11:04

Grass is always greener.

Saw this prog last week & they generally complain about the house being dark - feel like shouting - it is because it's v. hot outside so small windows equal cool house plus stone floors are great for this.

Also on beat the baliff today a young couple with debts were thinking of moving to france to open a b&b!! yeah - like france is so cheap & easy to live!!!

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 11:05

Yes I'm feeling fiesty today. I dont know why I watch this programme.

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Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 11:22

My uncle calls it doing a geographical. Moving and taking your problems with you. I see it all the time here. I knew a woman who had €10,000, moved into rented accomodation put her 2 kids into an international school costing €7,000 a term for the two. How did she think that she could live? She lasted 5 months and is now too skint to go back to Uk. She has had to movein with a friend and take the kids out of school and pput them into Spanish school, which would be fine if one of her kids didnt have special needs and was struggling in her own language. Why would anyone do something so risky especially when they have kids?

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MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 11:35

We moved abroad 8 months ago but we already owned the house, just got it a bit fixed up for the winter, knew the school, my husband worked on the internet and I worked in schools in England.

Some things have been hard but so difficult but we knew where we were going, having been coming for 20 years, spoke Italian and had transportable work. If one of things hadn't been the case life would have been awful.

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 11:41

I just dont understand how people can make such life changing decisions without really thinking about it.

OP posts:

Feistybird · 23/01/2006 11:42

because some people never think past their nose.

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 11:44

Gosh i am being really self righteous this morning.

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MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 11:45

What thought we gave our move was generally the wrong questions. Some things are just so different its difficult to know what the questions your should be asking are

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 11:53

yes, how we thought our move would be was totally dfferent to how it was. Even though we had been coming to visit before we moved. it just worries me how many people I see here getting it so wrong. It's almost they are blind to reality. If you havent got financial security or the chance of getting it it doesnt matter where you live, but its a damn sight harder out of the Uk. I knew that we would be ok because we had had a good house sale in Uk and I am a teacher, so I knew I would find work.

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MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 12:00

Lucy we are the same, didn't sell out house so always have somewhere to go back if we want. The house in Italy is family owned so rent free. I am a teacher and my husband works using the internet so same money still coming in BUT the things I thought might go wrong didn't and the things I thought would be no problem are problems. There you go though.

Blu · 23/01/2006 12:07

I must say, I worry that those programmes encourage people to do unwise things.

Did you see the one recently where a woman in Spain was having electricity installed to open a acfe? Given 3 quotes, she accepted the cheapest, from an English electrician.

Once he had made off with the money she discovered that he was not qualified (and knew before he started that he was not qualified!)to give a certificate for it which enabled her to hook up to the main grid / meter. She then stood there, slagging off the Spanish system, how they were decades behind, and give her the LEB any day!

MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 12:08

But she employed an English man, its his and her fault not the Spanish system, she didn't understand the system!

beatie · 23/01/2006 12:20

I caught this programme this morning as I was feeding dd2. I always want to know more details about the people. They always seem to be uneducated people who don't look as though they have won the lottery or just come into an inheritance. I want to know how they expect to support themselves.

That speed dating woman calle dherself a business woman Did you hear how she spoke on that microphone to the first lots of speed daters? Hmmm, great business head on her shoulders - I think not!

I too think these programmes probably make a lot of people make stupid drastic decisions. It can never be that easy.

Blu · 23/01/2006 12:42

MaryPOp - exactly!

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 12:48

The speed dating woman was awful, how does she expect to do well if she talks to her clients like that.

The electricity woman how thick! Alot of people here think just because they are not Spanish they can do what they want and wont be found out.

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cutekids · 23/01/2006 12:52

Yes, I can see everyone's point-especially after this morning's episode but you have to admit it does look so tempting to move to to the sun. How long have you been out ther Lucy5-if you don't mind me asking?

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 12:52

Theres a great arrogance amongst the expat population here, not only the brits. Some think of Spain like a third world country. " In my country we....." Well you are not in your country, so start finding out how things work and stop complaining about or go back home!

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Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 12:53

Ive been out here 2 years now and it has been a real emotional rollercoaster. I dont think these programmes convey just how hard it can be.

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MaryP0p1 · 23/01/2006 15:32

Agreed, some, probably most you feel you live in the best place in the world and everything great and some days things feel like you have to climb a huge mountain.

I started my first job today in an Italian school and I was so nervous, which is stupid because I've done the work for year I just have to do it with Italian children. The kids were great and it was lovely and went so quickly.

Lucy, do you work? What do find the hardest/most difficult thing to get used to?

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 20:16

Im a teacher to, I have just left my job at an international school. Unfortunately most of the schools down here are very corrupt and I couldnt put up with it any longer. Im taking it easy for a while. Probably going to start something of my own, to be honest I've always preferred teaching adults but it doesnt fit very well with dd.

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SenoraPostrophe · 23/01/2006 20:20

lol!

run a website about spain and you would not beleive the emails I get which say things like

"I want to move to spain to retire. i have 30,000 what property can buy? do you think the change will be enough to live on?"

"I want to move to spain with my 15 yr old daughter. will she be able to take GCSEs in a public school?"

Posey · 23/01/2006 20:23

The thing that always gets me when I watch those move to another country programmes is the fact that very few of them bother to learn even a basic bit of the language. They just assume that people will be able to speak English. One of the first things I'd do if planning a move abroard.

Original poster

lucy5 · 23/01/2006 20:47

Sp you are so right! I had an email from a friend the other day telling me she was moving to Spain and asking for advice. She told me that she would teach English {she has never done this before), where do these people think they are coming to? Hoses for under 30 grand and teaching opportunities for non teachers. Ive got a bit of a bee in my bonnet today, must be a full moon

OP posts:

MaryP0p1 · 24/01/2006 15:27

I've had my second day at work and 8 months off teaching has made me forget just what hard work it is? I've got another busy day tomorrow and need some rest tonight.

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