An Englishman Abroad?

 From my experience if you make an effort that is sufficient. They appreciate that all one is in their country. However it is difficult and the older one is the harder it is, I have a friend who is 66 , finds it very difficult but makes an effort and gets on well with the Spanish.

The secret is to do a little every day, a few new words, 30 min of Spanish television what ever, read the Spanish paper over a coffee. Eventually it starts to click. But you don't have to be fluent to be accepted and enjoy life, but you do have to fluent to feel integrated.

 Mac75 i do agree with you totally, what is it with the English abroad? Why do they think they can live in a foreign place and never speak even a bit of the language? I find with my travels around Europe that almost any person feels pleased if you at least try to speak a few words . People are happy that you have tried , and then they try to help you and tend to be considerste towards you.

But the thing is , and this brings me back to the original thread, how does someone live for EIGHTEEN YEARS in a country and never get a basic knowledge of the language??? Apart from the obvious dificulties this lack of communication creates, it must make living really hard to endure, and as you say, apart from the sun, what is the point of enduring residence with such a self inflicted disadvantage? 

On a slightly different note, but still an Englishman abroad, why does an Englishman who outwardly appears sane, depart to Spain and then do stupid things like buy a property on the nod of the head? They do not bother with a legal completion of the paperwork, then moan that they have been robbed by the Spanish when the transaction goes belly up? If they did a similar transaction in the UK the first thing they would do would be to consult a solicitor, so what changes in Spain?

I just despair of the attitude of English people abroad, just why do they do it?

Okay, my 2 centavos worth.

I've been sitting on the fence for some time now, deciding whether or not Spain is for me. I've been holidaying in Spain since I was a child and my parents had a holiday home for many years and now live their permanently, so I have seen and experienced many things. My Spanish is shaky but I can get by. Probably needs some work but I think I could do it. I'm on the mailing lists of several estate agents but so far anything I like seems beyond my price category, but still waiting.

My experience on some of the points measured here. Some Spaniards can be grumpy, true, but they are more the exception. My partner has observed, for example, that when going to a cafe or restaurant it's worth checking out the waiters. Male waiters (she says) are mostly competent and efficient whereas female waiters are rude, take far too long, and get half the orders wrong. Personally I never had that problem though, so maybe different types of people attract different types of behaviour?  

I do find shopkeepers to be invariably helpful, and some effort to speak Spanish is amply rewarded. That is whgy I much prefer to buy food in small shops and at market stalls than in big supermarkets. Also neighbours tend to be very open and friendly and always ready to help, but (some) can at the same time be friendly on the surface but be very distant and aloof in bigger things.

To fully understand it all may take many more years

 I may be speaking out of turn hear as I do not live in Spain YET, but I have been warned, several times, to beware of the Brits living in their little (or even not so little), communes who are very chatty to your face but talk about you behind your back. I wouldn't like that.

So is this another "face" of an Englishman (Brit) abroad?

Hi Robertt8696, 

"How English people seem to think that the rest of the world is maybe inferior to the English is just beyond me, and their subsequent attitude is just little more than reprehensible, and when you are living in a foreign country it is just worse"

Sweeping statements bordering on racist - regardless of the nationality of the writer. I'm not like the people you describe above and neither are any of the English (or Scottish for that matter) people I know in Spain. I have seen BRITS on the coast doing as you say, but you seem to want to insist it's an English thing - I've also seen Germans and other northern europeans behave in a identical way. All nationalities have their boorish tendencies, but it would be nice if you would take a more measured view rather than the blurt out tired old stereotypes - JUST A THOUGHT

 Otivar2010 maybe you might be an Englishman Abroad yourself? you state,

"I'm not like the people you describe above and neither are any of the English (or Scottish for that matter) people I know in Spain. I have seen BRITS on the coast doing as you say"

In your statement you first say you do not know anyone like that in Spain, then in the very next sentence you say you have seen BRITS (in Capitals) on the coast doing as i say. Well firstly is this "coast" not in Spain then? and secondly, by using capitals to make the point they are BRITS?, is this not your personal Racism of defining an English persons attitude? Maybe you should step back and reasess your view of "An Englishman Abroad"?

 This and a couple of other threads this past week have provided me with much food for thought, and a great deal of it has fed into tonight's blog post which is again about "home", how ex-pats use the word "home", and what makes us able to call Spain "home".  It's at  http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/tamara/7713/19---defining-home.aspx  if anyone's interested.

Tamara 

What is this: 'Meet local slags' advert that came on below DonLochnagar's post? Or did it just come up on my computer?  Is pimping allowed on the site?  Whatever the case, I'd ask that the EOS team remove it immediately.  It's sexist and infuriating - if I see that kind of thing a few times, I won't be bothering with the site again.  I assume the site is meant to be inclusive and not offensive to women; well, I find it offensive.

I don't see it eggcup, it's got to be your computer.

Glad to hear you're not involved in the oldest profession Don.  Nos da. For the linguisitically limited, this means 'Good Night' in Welsh - the language that pre-dates English on the British Isles.  Just saying.

 Not on mine Eggy or Don either ..................................

Well I never, Gerald.  Your 'do unto others' is one of the many mantras by which I aim to conduct my life.  Chwarae teg (fair play to you boyo).

Eggcup, I once sent my wife out on the streets in the UK when times were hard and she came home with £80.50.  "What git gave you fifty P", I asked her, "they all did" was her reply!

 Brilliant!!!

 thank you eggy (you ain't filled in your profile so other than being Welsh - nothing).

Gerald is a Welsh name of  course "the carrier of the spear".

My other belief is, "efficiency is an intelligent man's laziness".

Robertt8696  - a slightly odd post in that it makes little sense. Guessing what your point is from the jumble of words, then yes I am English and against the casual racism and lazy stereotypes trotted out by some against english people generally.

My point is that there is no such thing as a typical english, scottish or welsh person and they should be judged individually. You are more likely to see poor behavious by northern europeans (not just english people) at the bigger expat coastal areas because these people are less likely to have integrated or may be casual visitors who aren't interested or don't have time to do so.

Where we are (Granada province) the expats are less than 5% of the population and we all have spanish friends, as well as one or two dutch and other nationals. We attend the fiestas and other celebrations, some attend the village church and in return for all the fruit, veg and home made wine the locals give us, we bake cakes for their families and buy small gifts for the children at Christmas/birthdays etc. This year we helped with the Nispero harvest and were invited to the end of harvest communal paella and free wine celebration in the square.

So as I said, if you could bring yourself to keep the casual racism/demonisation/and lazy stereotypes of english people (and others) to a minimum, that would be nice.

 Otivar, you seem to be missing my original point completely, as i said in my ORIGINAL post starting the thread,

"Maybe i am being unfair (and i am sure there are many more people who are completely happy with Spain than not) but just what is it with the people who moan and complain continually about Spain? "

Please note the words, "Maybe i am being unfair" and in the brackets, "(and i am sure there are many more people who are completely Happy with Spain than not)" so i feel your parting comment of ,

" if you could bring yourself to keep the casual racism/demonisation/and lazy stereotypes of english people (and others) to a minimum, that would be nice."

Is rather descriminatory in itself, so are you an opinionated person who cannot recognise what was originally said? If you read the post as it was written , and meant, i did not generalise that all English people are of a certain type, shown by the quote above in the brackets from my original post.

To put the original thread in perspective, i am talking of what is most likely a MINORITY of English people who have moved to Spain, and who obviously have trouble accepting Spain as a foreign country, and are not prepared to integrate with the inhabitants of that country, and have an attitude which seems peculiarly English. It seems by your latest post you are nothing like this, and are making a fantastic life in your adopted country, which is as it should be, shame more English are not living like you!

 Sorry, wrong site.

 Bobaol, have you been out in the sun too long?

 Re Eggcup's point about adverts:

They seem to be random, or maybe every tenth post.  Ironically your post about the ads had four ads attached to it, mostly about property in Spain plus one about investing in Brazilian forests.

I can't see the sexist one.

I thought the ads were all focussed to each of us, like it is on Facebook?

But clearly not if you are seeing prostitute ads!!!