Posted on 04/17/2017 7:12:37 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
Because my wife wanted to be closer to her Grandchildren who live in England and we were looking to retire I decided to leave America and move to Spain in March 2016. Since I didn't know how busy it was going to be I left FR also but now that we are settled in I can afford to spend a bit more time on the site and share my impressions of the country. Spain has a lot of things conservatives would actually appreciate and I wish America would follow their lead.
The most admired thing there is no entitlement mentality here because there are no entitlements. If you work and are a citizen you get health care and a pension when you retire but if you don't work or get laid off you get a limited amount of unemployment then nothing. Immigrants get nothing unless they pay for it. Couple that with a high unemployment rate and the limited number of migrants who sneak in here from Africa keep right on going into France. If you don't speak Spanish or Catalan that's your problem. Because there are a lot of English speaking people here and they want them to understand the traffic laws they do have an English study manual for a driver's license (which you have to pay for) and the written exam is given in English but anything else you either have to know the language or pay for an interpreter. All government documents are in Spanish (or Catalan if you live around Barcelona). Of course you can find stores and services that operate in multiple languages but that is driven by Capitalism, not government.
It is fairly easy to emigrate to Spain if you either have a skill they need or the money to support yourself. People applying for a working visa must have a promise of employment in hand. Folks like myself and my wife must prove they have the funds to be self-sufficient and pay for a year's worth of health insurance in advance to be considered for residency. Deadbeats need not apply. There are some expats who bum their way around the country entertaining on the streets or begging in front of stores but the competition is fierce and it doesn't take long for them to figure out it isn't going to work. There are no jobs Spaniards won't do. Many of them work punishing hours at low wages. 15 hour days 6 days per week is not uncommon and they show pride in having any job at all.
Once you get past those hurdles you have a host of choices on where and how you want to live. They have everything from mountainous regions to the spectacular coastline to Europe's only desert, recognizable to any fan of Spaghetti westerns. We chose an area called the Costa Tropical because it is the only part of Spain where the mountains come right down to the sea. The mountains form a microclimate that keeps the area about 10 degrees cooler than inland in summer and 10 degrees warmer in winter. It averages 320 days of sunshine per year and never gets down to freezing. As an example of how much sun we get the area we moved from, Atlanta, gets 211 days of sunshine per year. For you gardeners it is similar to zones 9-10. The other big advantage is that because it is so hilly it is easy to find a place to live that has a fabulous view. From our terrace we can see the Mediterranean, the Sierra Nevada mountains and the whitewashed town. We even have a castle to look at. With all of that we are 600 meters from the beach but on a quiet street with no traffic. You've heard the expression "million dollar view?" Well you can get that view here for a fraction of the price. If you forsake the view and want to rent a decent 2 bedroom flat can be had for 300 Euros per month, even less if you move inland a few kilometers. The cost of living is low enough that you can easily afford to live well on nothing more than a Social Security check.
With all of those nice features, you still live in a Socialist country. The most obvious sign of that is gas stations. Where we moved from in Georgia there were half a dozen gas stations within a mile in any direction while here we have 2 stations for a town of 27000 people. Gas prices are set twice a day and it's scary expensive. The big workaround for that, ourselves included, is the motor scooter. We have 2 cars but they sit idle while our scooter is the workhorse. It costs 5 euros to fill the tank and we fill it once a week. There is no 2nd Amendment right to own a gun. Shotguns are fairly easy to come by but pistols are strictly regulated. They actually used to have a thriving gun manufacturing industry here but it died years ago, a victim not of regulations but a bad economy. There are still a small number of manufacturers but it is mostly custom shotguns. I had to sell my guns before I left the USA. The main weapon of self defense is pepper spray, which is legal. Tasers and stun guns are illegal. For me it took about an hour, a hacksaw, can of spray paint, a rubber tip and a handle from a broken umbrella to fashion a walking stick made from a piece of half-inch steel pipe I got out of a trash can. It's legal anywhere in the world and can break bones without scratching the paint. Not the best but better than nothing.
I did get to vote in the Presidential election. Registering was easy and I was told that even though I don't live in Georgia anymore if I (nod, wink) intend to come back some day I was also eligible to vote in local elections. Since I did register as a Republican I still have to be alive to vote. Nobody here talks about American politics. It's either local or Brits talking about Brexit. I prefer to stay out of it because it's disheartening to hear so many people willing to sell out their sovereignty in order to keep getting "free stuff."
My main source of news is Fox News, which is shown on our local cable channel. Because of the 6 hour time difference I watch reruns of Tucker Carlson, Hannity and Bret Bair while at noon Fox and Friends comes on live. Other than that I have BBC News and RT. Most days it's hard to tell which channel is more anti-American.
Anyway, now that we're settled in I'll have more time to pay attention. Even though I'm in another country I still want what's best for America.
And get rid of it.
Once addicted to entitlements, withdrawal is nigh impossible. And we have a plethora of addicts.
Great post. I too am interested to hear more details of their healthcare system.
“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain...”
I love Spain - it’s hard not to after visiting Barcelona touring the southern part of the country. The people are also, for the most part, very friendly.
Thanks for your post.
They had a great time, until the week they were to be leaving for a flight back to the States. On a car trip from Madrid to the east coast, they were robbed by Romanian gypsies. Didn't harm them but stole their money, credit cards and camera and bag containing the film of their entire trip.
It's is pretty safe in Spain but, like anywhere, there is crime.
I had a TA in college from Spain. He wanted to go to college in the northern US so he wouldn’t be confused with a Mexican.
We stayed in a hotel for a few weeks when we first moved there before finding a place to live. The hotel dining room served "tortillas" it said on the menu.
What I got was an egg omelet. I learned that Mexican food is Mexican, not Spanish.
But the food in Spain is great. I love the country.
My wife and I were quite shocked to see women walking carefree through the streets at all hours of the night in Barcelona - and no, they were not prostitutes.
Mexicans are looked down upon in most of S America
Right. I have friends in costa Rica and Columbia who really detest Mexicans.
I lived in Mexico for almost 3 years and will never go back. I do speak Spanish at every opportunity because I enjoy it.
BTW, it was the worst roof job I'd ever seen when finished. I think high school students could have done better. The contractor that sells you the job is American, but he hires who he wants. 90% of all roofers at that time were illegals. The pool of workers was so depleted they went from $8-$10 an hr up to $15 overnight. I'm sure they were cooks and waiters a month before the storm.
It sounds like you are living the grand adventure, and it sounds wonderful.
I have always thought that if I get to retire I’d like to do it someplace else, but never thought of another country. Please keep us updated.
And get rid of it.
Not sure why I should see a doctor and what I should get rid of, but I reread my post and it could have been taken to mean I was being contemptuous of Spain and the Spanish people. Quite the opposite. I put Spain and Spaniards in quotes for a reason. I was referring to Mexico and the invading Mexican illegals. Having to explain sarcasm kills the sarcasm, but sometimes you just have to do it because it doesn't come across.
I have always liked Spain, been there probably between a dozen times between my time in the USN and my honeymoon (went there twice since then).
I lost complete respect for the Spanish when they pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan following the subway bombing.
If they had said at some random point they were withdrawing their troops, I could have accepted that. The fact that they completely bent to the will of the terrorists and did exactly what they were aiming for was inexcusable.
I hope you are enjoying it there, always seemed like a good place to me, apart from the politics.
I loved the Philippines when I lived there as a kid, really liked the people and the country. I was sorry to see the relationship between our countries go off the rails, but...I recognize the mechanisms of that.
I had some barongs I wore for many years, but they eventually wore out, and I have not been able to find some that kind of looked the same to my eyes. Very comfortable shirts in hot weather.
Given the low wages, hardworking people, no sense of entitlement why do you think the economy is doing so bad there? Seems like those are ingredients for a booming economy.
Okey dokey
We stayed in a hotel for a few weeks when we first moved there before finding a place to live. The hotel dining room served “tortillas” it said on the menu.
What I got was an egg omelet. I learned that Mexican food is Mexican, not Spanish.
Having spent time in both Mexico and Colombia, SA, I can tell you that ‘Mexican Food’ isn’t Mexican either.
My morning walk takes me through the middle of the dairy. Since I speak Spanish, I talk with a few of them on a regular basis.
I asked them where they eat when they go out. They all said Mexican food.
Not too many Guatemalan restaurants around. :-)
Back in the 80’s we had some friends that had a small family-run chain of Mexican restaurants in Texas and California.
A family member moved to Bogota, Colombia, SA and opened a Mexican restaurant there, which was a big hit.
Mexican food in Colombia was like Chinese food in the US, completely new and different.
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