Life in Spain: Expectations VS Reality 

We just moved here in September from the US and we couldn't be happier. What we love is how convenient everything is and how the Spanish have kept a lot of the traditions but also embraced the modern world. I feel like they are integrating old and new beautifully. We live in the city and walk everywhere. We appreciate the specialized stores: bakeries everywhere, butcher shops, fish shops, hardware stores, shoe stores, book stores, etc., all within walking distance. Some things have taken a bit of adjustment, but the trade-off is totally worth it. We were eating in a cafe the other day and people would walk passed and say, "Buen provecho". Wonderful manners, too. Cars stopping to patiently let people cross. We live in Asturias and are so happy here.

@@j.n.sloane I am curious and if you don't mind me asking, are you retired? because the 11-year average unemployment rate is 13.8% and I am wondering if that is being factored into your experience as I am considering moving up to northern Spain from the US. Thank you and I hope you keep having a wonderful time!

I always think Spain and other European countries have a less materialistic culture. My perception maybe really skewed because I live in California, which has many areas on the extreme side of materialism. Every year folks line up at apple to buy the latest and greatest, with perfectly good phones in their hands. Sure there are wealthy folks who can buy-buy-buy, but many are spending every penny on “things” not because they need them, but because they want them. Also materialism flows right into the car culture here. Folks here will spend a high % of their income on car loans and leases for certain brands of cars. Folks will put this lifestyle of ahead of other big life purchases, like home buying.

@@FurrKnight, I am retired and you're right, that does make a huge difference. I don't know what the unemployment rate is here in Asturias, but this region doesn't rely on tourism as much as other areas of Spain. I'm happy to answer any questions I might be able to help with.

@@janemarie150, I think that their materialism takes a different form. I feel like the American consumer has been trained to a "throw away" society and because a lot of products are designed to have short lifespans, we came to accept replacing things routinely. As James and Yoly said in the video, the Spanish do love their cell phones and there are many shops that sell just accessories for cell phones, but in other respects they are holding onto their own manufacturing and I find it easier to buy Made in Spain products or at least Made in the EU. I think that the US got used to all our space and seemingly unlimited resources so we aren't in the habit of being frugal; whereas, Europeans don't have that luxury of space so they are more particular about where they spend. Just my theory.

Oh, I have another one: coffee. When I was in the United States I had expectations that the coffee in Spain would be really good (It's Europe...Spain is so close to Italy and France...). In reality, the coffee in Spain is not very good -- quite bitter, torrefacto, cafeterias don't use fresh milk for the cafe con leche, etc. I'm still experimenting with different methods and brands to find something I like. Hilariously, I had the opposite experience on vacation in Italy last summer. The first morning in the AirBnB, I made coffee from the free grounds provided by the host in a ceramic jar. It was fantastic, exactly the thing I have been searching for in Spain. I asked my host what it was and he laughed a good laugh at the American: it turns out it was the generic brand from an Italian supermarket chain. I bought 3 bags to bring back to Spain. Hey, at least there is always fantastic inexpensive wine!

They have that in the states, at least they do in NYC. (Although as a foreigner living there now from Denmark, I’ve learned there are a lot of things in NYC that other states don’t have at all, so that could be it?) It’s usually called prix fixe. It’s like $35 and you get 3 courses and a drink.

@@farrahsinkey2082 hahah you were in southern Spain, isn´t it??? Because I am spaniard, from the north...and I didn´t know about the torrefacto coffee until I watched a video of an australian girl who moved from the south to the north, and she mentioned the torrefacto thing...in the north we use real coffee and real milk, in Andalucia, at least they drink the torrefacto

@@farrahsinkey2082 Ask for a "café americano" or a "cafe con leche" if you don't like strong coffee. It's a matter of opinion/taste.If you are making it yourself, just water it down. Milk in Europe is processed differently and comes in unrefrigerated boxes or bags for long term use. Guess what? It is coming to the US now. Maybe Italy catered to American tourists? But enjoy your café con churros!

@@farrahsinkey2082 As a Spaniard I have to say you are right about coffe, torrefacto is shit. But at supermarkets like Lidl I can say that I found pretty good coffe if you buy 100% arabiga, you will see it in golden packages, the brand is Gold, and works fine for me.

Adoro tu comentario, es lo que deberían hacer todos, molestarse en descubrir la cultura española en el más amplio abanico de la palabra.

This was a confusing post

@@alya3120 Mazmo Photo has been able to say a lot in a few words

​@@alya3120 seemed fine to me

Hoi, ik ben ook Nederlands en ben 25 jaar oud en ben van plan om naar Malaga te verhuizen. Zit momenteel in een mid-life crisis en hoop mijn geluk in Spanje te vinden. Zou u mij dit aanraden?

Spanierds dont idealize Germany and less the u.s

@@j.b.2263 Especially in Germany they need to work and the funny moments with friends is limited. 😉

@@huahinservice Spanish work more hours than Germans.

Sorry to say, no European idealizes life in the US, let alone Spaniards.

spaniards dont idealize germany and definitely not the united states. germany is too boring for us, and, well, united states is a mess, nobody would like to live in there. i live in valencia and im more than happy. people are friendly. food is good. beach is beautiful. job is great. rents are okay. flats and houses are beautiful. i couldnt ask for more.

And with a map the distance Cadiz - Las Palmas is a joke that we are in the same country, but french people have Reunion or New Caledonia even far away-

What about Andalusia?

@@Superinsanoguasa47 Andalucia is with a c not an s and is a sort of state having many major cities.

@@rodrigodemiguel8561 Andalusia is the english word

Once the pandemic is over and we can travel from the USA to Spain, we want to explore Galicia (A Coruña) and Asturias (Gijon, Oviedo) for our retirement. We like cooler weather, even the rain. Hablamos español pero nada de gallego. Puede ser, Asturias nos convendría mejor?

@@thomasmcdowell9057 Galicia and Asturias are two quite beautiful places. Nature is amazing in both but maybe more exhuberant in Asturias (which has more mountains). Galicia is culturally more different to the rest of Spain, it has two languages and a lot of celtic culture (don’t worry because in the cities most of the people speak in Spanish). And it has also more contrasts, because rural areas are more isolated but urban areas, specially A Coruña, are more cosmopolitan than Asturias ones. Both are great choices tho

@@thomasmcdowell9057 In Galicia we speak Spanish too. So you should not to worry about that thing.

@@thomasmcdowell9057 I'm in the same boat. I had to cancel my trip in March due to the pandemic... but as soon as we can travel again, I'll be spending time in Portugal (Porto and it's surroundings) and Asturias (Oviedo and it's surroundings). I'm hoping to figure out which one of the two places I like the best for retirement.

Friendly tip from a fellow non English speaking person. You don't need to put am/pm if you use 24h system. xx

How is Zaragoza? My wife, children and me are thinking about moving there from the Netherlands.

@@grazianolaudisio3644 I'm a Kiwi living in Zaragoza and I think it's a lovely city. It's not on the tourist trail which is great. I don't speak Spanish yet but people are kind and patient with me. I can't comment on the school system as our children are back in New Zealand at university and working. Summers are hot and Wnter is windy but with little rain. Much of Spain and Europe is accessible via train, plan or bus from Zaragoza.

@@peggymckenzie5290 I taught in Zaragoza, great city, I regret leaving!

Dang, I can't wait to leave the UK.

How hot are the summers? I'm in Australia - the summers here are sometimes unbearable.

@@thecosynovelist It gets hot in Valencia, it was up to 43c last weekend but the average temp for July / August is about 32c. It stays warm, up to 25 / 27c until the middle of November.

@@streetsofvalencia 32 sounds nice! I could handle a 32 kind of summer.

do you face any communication barriers? i hate spain because most people dont speak english and communication is a big factor for me

I would argue that Portugal is a better deal all around

@@newmoneymarcus I know Portugal and as I see it, there would be nothing to argue about my comment, sorry ...

@@rsnankivell1962 seems like you learned the lay of the lands a wee bit How do they compare? What about them are similar that you really appreciate?

@@VincentGonzalezVeg Nope! I haven't learned anything anyone else can't learn, I'm not so arrogant ... nor do I compare anything, I'm not so rude, all countries have good and bad things. They're just sensations, feelings: I can't explain why Spain's my favourite place in the world.

@Slaf Nankivell which part of Spain do you live in and have you lived in different parts of Spain.

Pero supongo que te enseñaría a hablar español??

@@27GLA y por qué lo presupones? Acaso tuene que hablar español? Le das al traductor y punto

In most of Europe we do enjoy more vacations than people in the American continent, not only the USA.

The pace its more related to regions. Its not the same in the Basque country than in Andalucia. About the bureaucracy... well thats an extensive topic. I lived in California and it took me way too much (literally months and like 5 visits to the office) to have my social security number that i needed for everything haha ironic.

I would add misinformation and not being on the same page between government bodies or banks.

@Bob el Silencioso Not to mention that the públic administration has improved a lot since 2007 with the electrónic administration.

@@Alejojojo6 I wish it took me only several months to get/renew my Tarjeta de Extranjero every year.

San Francisco is shit compared with Valencia.

Si 300 años

Gracias

Thanks Deanne! I appreciate that. And we really appreciate all your support - it means so much!

@@spainrevealed I didn't think there was anything "bad" about your lighting before... content is king!

Thank you Gina -- and yes, I'm sure it's the lighting jeje

And you can actually get fined for making noise during those hours. No grass cutting, no drilling ect allowed.

Yeah, i'd say the same

I don't know of anyone that works in an office and have that time to relax in the middle of the day. Not saying that no one does, but I don't think is common

@@afasico9669 I don't work in an office, but my work allows me to take a nap everyday and it's the best part of the day!

Maybe at the weekends, but no-one I know has the time to take a siesta on a weekday, and most eat at work/school from their tupperware/lunchbox. Personally the people I know who are my age will only take a nap if they slept really poorly the night before, mostly on weekends since they can't do it on weekdays. Oh and maybe on a hangover Saturday or Saturday 😅

You didn´t learn that in your first year of studying Spanish? We learned refranes, and one was about Madrid ¨seis meses invierno, seis meses infierno¨. The number of months varied with the teller.

Love that Paul - so true. There isn't one single Spanish lifestyle. Though a lot of people think there is.

I was in Getxo one year ago and it really bought home to me how it was a completely different life to poor parts of Andalusia. A recent ex-U.N raconteur did a survey of Spain and concluded that the gap between rich and poor parts are akin to different countries. i can attest to this. There are people in the wealthy parts of Catalunia, Pais Vasco and Castile that have no idea about the South and have never been there apart from maybe a coastal holiday.

@@welshtoro3256 I'm sure that is true.There are poor people in the north too but when I lived in Catalunya I found a lot of regional mistrust and ill feeling. Partly it was a holdover from after the civil war, when Franco relocated a lot of people from the south, his home turf, to the north in order to disrupt his opposers and provide work for his supporters. There are still a few narrow-minded people in the north who call Andalucía Africa. Its still a great place to live.

@Plus Ultra Quite right, he was from Ferrol in Galicia, but his main support came from the poor people in the south. It was the north that held out against him the longest and after the war he was determined to change the demographic, in Catalunya particularly. They still remember the brutality of the Guardia Civil, used for oppression. Sadly, the wounds of the civil war are still felt in some places.

@@Outspoken.Humanist sorry friend, you are really wrong about Franco's support, initially an small part of Andalucía (mostly Sevilla and half Córdoba, and only the Granada city in Granada), and Galicia, North Castilla, Aragón, Navarra and the Vitoria province in Basque Country, and the city of Oviedo and of course the Canary Islands and Palma de Mallorca on the balearic ones....so his support was mostly from the North of Spain

Congratulations!!!

Just up the road!

That's exactly right -- the work life balance can often be very hard here.

Definitely. I lived in Spain for 5 years and boy did I ever freeze in Cordoba around Christmas time. No heating except for the electric brasero under the table....and I am Canadian. Brrrrrr frío!

Totally Connor --- it's true, I remember being freezing in Malaga one winter, because the apartment wasn't properly insulated. It seems even the locals sometimes think Malaga is warm all the time!

Funnily enough I and my Spanish friends from Granada and Jaen wouldn't dream of ordering tapas as a meal - tapas are something simple served along with your round of drinks, varies from round to round and is free (or included in the price of the beer, depending on how you look at it). They are appalled that in Sevilla bars charge for a meal referred to as tapas.

Yes, facetime is important. Though there is a trap where people stay at their jobs too long because the boss thinks if they're not at their desks, they're not working. As you say, WFH could really solve this and show boss that employees can be trusted!

Gracias Jonny!

Thanks ma!

Mrs. Blick: You should be very proud of your son and daughter-in-law. They are both lighting the path to countless people that could use the guidance and information to maneuver a lot easier while visiting/living in Spain. They are both such good-hearted and caring people. It shows through their videos.

¿Y cómo es el carácter de los latinoamericanos? 350 milliones de personas ( o más) , 20 y pico de países....¿Quieres reemplazar un estereotipo por otro?

De hecho, muchos estadounidenses que viven aquí nos consideran unos sosos.

I'm sorry to say that, but you are wrong. Most people under 35 year old are not religious in Spain.

Gracias!

@Bob el Silencioso Totalmente 🤨👏👏👏 , a ver cuàndo nos quitan este horario desquiciado, ¡nos toca tener la hora GMT! Los hosteleros de Baleares prefieren mantener la hora berlinesa por razones obvias, pero en Asturias y Galicia (màs aùn) es sangrante 😰👍

Glad it gave you a little escape Miriam! And yes, walking here is does indeed have a lot of stimuli

its not acceptable to nap-healthy people should be up and about-i only nap when sick

gracias¡

Conversation about politics in European countries may be intense but afterwards everybody clinks glasses and continues to be friends. In the USA it is understood to never talk about politics or religion in a social setting unless everyone is already in agreement, because it causes enmity among friends. My European friends often ask me -- well what can we fervently discuss then? Wouldn't the evening become boring?" Let's have a beer now.

Do not worry, politics discussions can be heated, but will cause no enemity, at worst they will think on the insides that you are a bit of an idiot for your ideology, but not the enemy. Even politicians of parties with oposite ideologies that are insulting each other of horrible things in the parlment will proceed to have drink a beer or a coffe together and laugh after at a bar.

@@dagmarv.1957 Not true. Right now some political subjects make even family members stop talking with each other in Spain.

Hey, if a internet friend is enough i am an Spaniard living in Valencia, and i happen to be very fluent in English, written English at least, so i can express myself in either language if you want to practice. if you want you can contact me with my email aitor.rosell.torralba @ gmail . com

@Plus Ultra you didn't get it

Let me know if you do decide on moving, I been thinking about the samething!

Cualquier rincón de España que elijáis vais a acertar. Y seréis bienvenidas. :)

Yep. If you have a good job with a good salary it's great, otherwise it's not. Long working hours and poor family/work balance, if you have kids there aren't enough kindergartens and the Government doesn't help families enough. But if you love the "Spanish way of life" so much, it can be worth it to move there. It all depends on your priorities. There are Spaniards who have emigrated to other EU countries, received a better salary there but weren't happy overall, and those who could returned to Spain.

That's true...

Cryptocurrency is a gamble. But everyone should be investing on....

@Judith Cheryl But anyone who is not investlng now is missing a tremendous opportunity.

@@maryamsuleeman3232 Yes. It's better to take risk and make sacrifices than to remain poor or settle for less..

lnvestlng in financial_market is what all rich people do. This is not a living but to grow our portfolio.

jeje - couldn't bring myself to use the actual language. Next time!

Agree 100%

USA - ESPAÑA En relación a la economía podría decir que aunque parezca que en España los salarios son más bajos que en USA, puedo explicar algunas cosas. Son diferentes formas de medir. En USA hablan de salario Bruto, y no NETO. Es decir que de ahí le tienes que quitar tasas, seguro de salud y otras cosas. Además hay otras muchas diferencias: En USA un SEGURO de carro cuesta como 300$ al MES. En Europa 350€ al AÑO. En USA el servicio de transporte público es básico o inexistente, con lo que requieres 1 coche por cada persona en la familia. En Europa el servicio de transporte público es excelente y perfectamente puedes vivir sin carro. En USA un seguro de salud que te de el servicio que te da el seguro de salud en España puede costar 800$ al mes. (España tiene el tercer mejor sistema sanitario del mundo) En USA los medicamentos pueden ser hasta 10 veces más caros que en España En USA hacer una carrera no baja de 50.000$ y hasta 200.000$ mientras que en Europa es gratis o como en España de 2.000€ al año (amortizando la inversión realizada, deberías quitar una buena parte del salario en los primeros años de trabajo) Un viaje en avión en USA no baja de 300$ cuando en Europa viajar entre paises puede costar 30€ a 100€ ya sea avión o tren de Alta Velocidad. En USA lo mismo que un profesional gana mucho, cuando contrata a otro profesional le paga mucho. En USA un abogado puede costar 200$ la hora.. y en España 50€ la hora. En USA los alquileres son mucho más caros. En USA no hay parques públicos como los hay en España (Público solo están los Mall) En USA el coste de la comida puede suponer el doble que en España En USA las casas de protección oficial son barrios invivibles, y en Europa muchas son de muy buena calidad. En USA las vacaciones no están pagadas, y en Europa tenemos un mes de vacaciones pagadas y más días festivos pagados. En USA no hay permisos de paternidad pagados, y en Europa te pagan 4 meses de salario para que cuides de tus hijos. En USA no hay servicio de cuidado de niños, y en regiones como Madrid tienes guarderias gratis hasta los 3 años que el niño entra a la escuela. Hay un soporte de días libres, ayudas a niños con problemas, a personas con pocos recursos, servicios gratuitos, subvenciones, conciliación laboral, integración social etc que no existe en USA. www.telemadrid.es/programas/buenos-dias-madrid/Comunidad-gratuidad-escuelas-infantiles-publicas-2-2111208859--20190409073245.html En España dan ayudas y descuentos para que las personas mayores viajen con precios muy reducidos.(IMSERSO) www.20minutos.es/noticia/3566652/0/que-es-el-imserso/ En España un profesor gana en torno a los 2.000€ al mes. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cN0oVi1A4Mw.html Otra diferencia es que la jubilación en España para un profesor con 35 años de trabajo sería del 100% del salario y con TODOS los derechos Sociales anteriormente mencionados y en USA se jubilaría con el 50% de su salario.
 Y así podríamos estar explicando las diferencias un buen rato. Si dos personas trabajando , con dos hijos, dos vehículos, podrían necesitar 6000$ mínimo al mes para vivir en USA. Llevando a sus hijos a una guardería, los gastos de los dos coches, viajes, alquiler, gastos, etc prestamos para pagar la carrera, necesitarían pagar facturas de al menos 8.000$ al mes o mas en USA. En España podrías tener la misma calidad de vida por 2.000€ Todo lo demás lo aporta el Estado. Vacaciones, seguro sanitario, viajes subvencionados, medicinas subvencionadas, guardería gratis, etc. Un barrendero gana 1.800€ al mes, con 4 pagas extra, y trabaja 7 horas al día Un bombero gana en torno a los 2.000€ al mes Un policia en torno a los 1.800€ al mes Un profesor en torno a los 2.000€ al mes (salarios Netos, descontando todo)

@@TheRaul45tosavia el nivel de desempleo de españa es alto y la economia es muy inestable, estoy de acuerdo en mucho de lo que dices pero el seguro de autos depende de donde vivas, yo pago solo 140 al mes por 3 coches, las casas aca en USA son mas baratas que en España, creo que el sistema Americano tiene mucho que aprender del Europeo pero no todo es horrible.

@@TheRaul45 de acuerdo en mucho que has comentado, pero no está tan fácil encontrar un trabajo hoy en día en España, ojalá yo me movía a España ya. Otra cosa, lo que comentas de 🇺🇸 depende mucho de donde vivas, no todos los sitios son tan caros. Saludos