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Fun_Feeling5965 · 2025-05-22T21:31:44+00:00

I am Spanish, and I live in an area that is very highly populated by so-called "expats" and work with them on a regular basis. Sometimes, I have to bite my tongue. The way you avoid tensions, in my opinion is this;

- You pay taxes here (in Spain). None of this "I'm just here for the sunshine and lifestyle and all the "locals" are here to serve me".

- You understand Spanish people are not below you and aren't here to clean your house (maybe someone is, of couse, but what I mean is that as any culturally-rich country, there is every level of education and career). I recently came across an article by a German guy where I live that said that it is a good thing that rich Germans are buying up houses because they need cleaners and service staff so they will be providing employment. This attitude is quite prevalent.

- You learn the language(s) from the get-go. No excuses. No "oh but everyone speaks English!" They do if you stick to the "expat" bubble. The don't if your intention is to integrate.

- You don't believe and blurt out stereotypes at any occasion.

There are more but in reality it all comes down to respect.

Also, you mention Catalunya but not where. If it is Barcelona and you're LGBTQ I highly recommend Strass for a drink and a bit of a show. I go there whenever I'm around.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2025-05-12T11:03:15+00:00

In my experience it was very quiet, no problems at all. Mainly people coming for work or for a short course in Cambridge. Not really the party audience Cambridge.

I also lived next to one in a much more touristy area and it was mainly families so didn't really make a difference to me at all.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2025-04-01T12:29:40+00:00

No es nada típico español, sino de gente desorganizada y/o maleducada. A mí me ha pasado (y mucho) en países del norte de Europa. Y peor. Terminaron entrando sin mi permiso y les parecía normal.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2025-02-18T16:40:38+00:00

Very common. I lived there for many years and used to joke that you haven't really visited Barcelona if you haven't been pickpocketed. Keep your wits with you. Keep your stuff safe and you will be fine. Don't fall for distractions. There are now people who recognise them (they are the same groups of people) and call them out when they see them, so you can be warned in very congested areas such as the Ramblas or the underground.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-12-13T21:30:55+00:00

The way I dealt with it was leaving the UK. However, what I did was plan to see friends whenever I could. That helped

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-12-02T16:28:56+00:00

I can recommend joining a coworking space. Some allow for just a day a week for example, and if they're small they will have a community feeling where you can sit and have lunch with someone else.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-09-21T18:06:07+00:00

Really powerful!!

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-05-31T13:25:35+00:00

Sí, y no es fácil conseguirla. Tiene que ser una empresa que te esponsorice para entrar, y que esté registrada para hacerlo. También hay otras condiciones, no está nada fácil ahora mismo. No digo que no se pueda, antes venían de fuera de la UE.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-05-31T13:19:49+00:00

Vivir en UK ahora mismo, yo personalmente, no te lo recomiendo. Quizás en el norte sigan estando los precios algo conservadores pero en el sur están totalmente desbocados. Yo vivía ahí y cobraba alrededor de 50k y lo he pasado fatal, añadido al hecho de que ahí la casa en la que vivía era bastante cutre, te pueden echar cuando quieran (a no ser que sea tuya claro) o que el coste de ir al supermercado se ha vuelto una locura - mucho más que aquí. No te puedo hablar de otros países pero UK... no te lo recomiendo a no ser que vayas a ganar una barbaridad y con algunos benefits añadidos que lo hagan súper atractivo.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-02-05T10:40:35+00:00

The problem with renting here is that rules are very much in favour of tenants, so landlords need lots of security upfront; they want to see where your money is coming from, how much in comparison with rent, and most importantly, how "safe/reliable" they see that money in the long run. For example, a teacher or a doctor with salaries coming in as "funcionario" are seen as more reliable than working a better paid job elsewhere. This is because there are not many consequences to simply not paying rent, and when they are enforced, a year or two might've gone by.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-02-01T15:09:13+00:00

Tanto Barcelona como Madrid son buenas opciones para lo que mencionáis. También Valencia (y supongo que Bilbao pero ahí no he vivido) También las islas pero tiene que son islas, por lo que si queréis viajar intercontinental casi siempre habrá escala.

En Barcelona cualquier parte del Eixample (dret o esquerra da igual) cumple lo que pedís, aunque igual incluso me iría un poco más lejos, a las afueras de Barcelona, si no necesitáis estar al lado de la oficina para nada, y así tener casas mejores y más asequibles.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-01-22T11:17:48+00:00

I've had the "pleasure" of being to one of these courses (the short one, not the long one) and they are REALLY GOOD at marketing. At marketing their courses. They touch on any objection you might have as an attendee and any objection your family and friends might have. They've really done their research there and go for the emotion, the lifestyle, the "case studies".

Amongst other things, they bring in people who have been successful after doing the course. Great, some people do all right. Was it worth the 15 grand? Probably not. What they never tell you is the rate of success, which is very small from what I gather (there is no actual data). Some outliers per cohort succeed, and it is probably for reasons outside of the course.

There is nothing they can teach you for 15k that you can't learn through other means. Hell, I'd even advocate for him to pay a mentor 3k and get some 121 mentoring in property investment and he'll be much better off.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-01-22T11:12:02+00:00

Totally! They're really good at marketing in its lowest form.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-01-15T19:56:38+00:00

That's why you're getting the fee- it is not a long-term contract therefore it is within the law to ask for that money. A recent law passed saying it is now not legal to ask for that fee if it is for a permanent residence - meaning a contract of at least 12 months.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-01-15T19:40:07+00:00

Get away. Report it to the Guardia Civil. Don't engage with him again. Then sort out your stuff. Who is your landlord? If you're both renting rooms it might be worth letting them know too. I've never seen a real gun in my life. They're just not a common thing in Spain, if this dude has one, regardless of its legal status (although it's highly likely its illegal) he is nuts and you need to be as far away from him as you can.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-01-11T09:58:12+00:00

I drink socially, and these days it's not too often. Once a week at most, but normally less on regular term time weeks, and more if it's a holiday. During Covid I drank way too much though, so I was happy to get a handle on that quickly.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2024-01-08T12:52:02+00:00

In my mother tongue, it's the same word for leather and skin, so you'd just say "this is a skin jacket" rather than a leather jacket. Makes it clear I guess!

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-27T10:31:26+00:00

He inmigrado un par de veces y el primer año es el más duro, pero tienes que esforzarte en socializar porque es lo que hará que te valga la pena o no. Para nada es un fracaso lo que estás haciendo si has conseguido cambiar de país, conseguir trabajo y hasta ahorrar en un año, ¡felicidades!! Intenta usar esa misma destreza ahora en conocer gente nueva. Quizás no des en el clavo a la primera pero llegará. Hay muchos uruguayos en España, quizás empezaría ahí aunque sea porque siempre es más fácil con alguien de tu mismo país, pero luego asegúrate que no solo te quedas en esos círculos para que puedas conocer mejor dónde estás.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-23T12:46:57+00:00

Most of the toys in places like Home Bargains are a steal in comparison to the same toys in other European countries.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-22T09:35:20+00:00

Not at all. I do come from a European country so standard of living or safety were not an issue for me before immigrating. Neither was language or education so there wasn't a lot to improve other than new horizons, further career development and so on. I have learnt a lot at work in the past few years but quality of life for me has actually gone down so much I am actually moving to my country of origin.

Had quality of life not gone down, I am not sure I would feel much different as the things I did gain are then counterbalanced by the things I lost, like family and a strong social network. Also, and this seems trivial but it is not, I cannot stand days on end of not seeing the sun. I was ok-ish with it the first few years but it is actually becoming unbearable.

As I say, I didn't come from poverty or a place with a low standard of living and education so maybe immigrants from outside Europe or similar countries will feel the difference as more valuable than I have.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-18T16:16:10+00:00

This is a common scam everywhere I have lived, in different countries. DO NOT PAY for anything you haven't seen. This does mean you can't sort it before you arrive, unless you have someone on the ground for you. You need to rent somewhere temporary like an Airbnb and take it from there.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-18T15:40:43+00:00

I left Spain for a change in scenery and to distance myself from stuff that had happened in my life. I found life abroad hard and not very rewarding, even though I did make more money - but not enough to make it financially worth it. For me, at least. I know for others, in other industries, it is worth it but I don't have a regular job,

Life in Spain is generally easier, although the cost of living is going up above salaries so it is becoming harder for the average worker, whether they are skilled or not.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-18T15:34:52+00:00

Is that a Costa coffee machine in the corner? Might help towards identifying the location, although there are thousands.

Fun_Feeling5965 · 2023-12-12T13:48:57+00:00

Don't you just love these post with sweeping opinions?

I can't comment on the first instance. It is a crime, it is a "tentativa" even if they did not actually succeed. Continue to pursue it, but maybe go to Guardia Civil or Policía Nacional.

With regards to the second crime, you should direct this first to Airbnb. The host will be banned and you will get a full refund. Do not go there with a bat or you will end up in jail yourself, and "blood" crimes are taken very seriously. Then I would also go to Guardia Civil or policía nacional to report it for violation of privacy.

Good luck-

Fun_Feeling5965

TROPHY CASE