Ex Pats deserting Spain

When I moved to France it was with the express intention of returning to GB at sometime in the future. Don't know when that might be, or if it will work out, but meanwhile I am enjoying life here. We've renovated a cottage, my husband teaches French (Profession Liberale), and we mosey along. Sometimes I think it's not a question of where you live, but how you live which matters.

I too sympathise with anyone whose plans haven't worked out, ex-pat or not. Whether it's in the Spanish sunshine or English rain, it's still a tough call.

I haven't been to Spain, but to judge by what people have posted, many ex-pats behave very ignorantly, - much the same, in fact, as English settlers in Wales, where I have been. I read somewhere that about 20% of the English in Spain learn the language; by my calculations, in Welsh-speaking Wales it's more like 10% or less.
It seems that all the centuries of conquering and ruling have done something to our heads which will take a long time to change.

Thanks, Marnie, for reminding us that it's VE Day today. Memories...........

Hi tanith
Can I ask where you saw the report and was it a balanced interview?
Hubby and I moved to Portugal (north of Lisbon) following early retirement. We have had a wonderful time out there and hope to return in the not too distant future (presently in the UK helping daughter out with childcare whilst she is looking for a job following a failed business venture)
With hindsight we would have bought a smaller house and a small bolt hole here in the UK but sometimes you just can't foresee all eventualities.
I am sure that there are people living abroad that need to return home for reasons not just based on bad planning or ignorance.

netgran I saw it on the BBC news webpages, I'm sure there are people abroad who are perfectly happy with their circumstances , they were interviewing people who were not happy, so I guess not balanced. I am just curious why they felt the need to lay blame with everyone else rather than their own decisions.
A bolt hole sounds like a perfect solution. Sounds like you were fortunate that you didn't have a mortgage in negative equity like so many .

tanith It was also a live report on the early morning news this morning about 6.45am it was on for a good 20mins interviewing the ex-pats.

Ah! I didn't see the whole thing then glammanana, must of been just the hi-lights as it were.. lol.. and thanks..
As a matter of interest did they interview anyone who was happy with their lot?

nainnainnain - but 100% of Spaniards speak Spanish, and only 20% of the Welsh speak Welsh (according to the census) so there did not seem much point in my learning it when 80% of my neighbours would not understand me!

Actually not 100% Greatnan - think of the Catalans and Basques!

tanith There where some who seemed to be just waiting it out for when the situation got better but I do not think that will happen in their lifetime unfortunatly,from experience the only way a lot of restaurants are still going are because they are Spanish and employ their relatives and they own the properties that they work from,we where very lucky to have sold to a Dutch gentleman who already had a restaurant in the next village,if my boys had fell for Spanish girls I can gaurentee that we would still be there now.We did not go for the big villa type living but a 3 bed apartment in a Spanish complex so there was no chance of us being taken for a ride as far as being sold a plot of land without planning permission,you would be surprised how many people buy these massive villa's without having the contracts translated then find out they have a problem unbelieveable but true !!greatnan so true about the Welsh language my mum was Welsh and spoke it fluently but when we used to go to Wales to visit relatives we where always talked about by people who didn't know mum could understand them she found it very insulting and unfriendly.

I have to say, Glam, that the only time I have ever felt unwelcome in a new area was when we moved to Mold. The other mothers at the school gate pointedly ignored any English mums. My four year old daughter came home very excited to say she had been invited to a birthday party. We duly got her in her best frock and bought a card and present and I walked her down the street. The Welsh woman who opened the door said, Yes , we are having a party but she's not invited'. What kind of monster does that to a four year old girl?
We were very quiet, well behaved neighbours - I was doing a B.Ed. in Chester and my husband worked at the Electiricty Council Research Centre. We kept the house and garden very neat and made no noise. What possible reason could the Welsh have for treating us so horribly - I am not responsible for what some English king did in the middle ages. I suppose they would say we pushed up the price of houses - well, it didn't seem to bother the Welsh person who sold us their house!
I am not talking about the odd bitchy person - this was a whole town, or so it seemed.

tanith I saw a shortish clip on the early Breakfast news today and made a few yelping noises as I listened to the Brits complaining about the Spanish economy. Are we meant to feel sorry for these people who have had so much fun in the sun? Or are we very slightly envious of the fact that they've had sunshine at all?!

I suspect those of us who've stayed rooted to the spot do feel a little bit jealous of those who have upped sticks for a warmer climate and cheaper housing, hence our lack of sympathy for them now that times are getting tough. But life isn't a bed of financial roses here either is it. The cost of food and fuel has gone through the roof, our savings produce little or no income and the NHS is in a pretty parlous state.

But at least most of us are established in our own homes here. It must be frightening to be an expat who wants to come back to the UK but can't afford to. So I am trying to be a little bit sympathetic - but only a little bit!

I know what you mean greatnan my tyde (welsh grandfather) was poorly and mum had to go and look after him for a week or two I went with her and when ever we went into the butchers it was like the parting of the waves as all the locals stood back and made a space for mum at the counter so they could see every single thing she was putting in her shopping bag and watched her pay for the goods,as we where leaving they continued to chatter on and never so much as asked how my grandpa was and he had lived in the town all his life so maybe it just wasn't your family that was disliked but ours as well Maybe they thought that we where going to move there when gramps died ?

I've Welsh blood in me from my Maternal side , South Wales which I have always found to be quite normal and friendly , but in the North they are not so nice.. my sister lives near Tenby and all her children were taught Welsh at school . I believe it was compulsory, not sure if it still is though.

I'm sorry but I know I am going to get a backlash here but hey ho. I do not have any sympathy for anyone coming back to Britain from Spain complaining about their hardship. I cannot help but notice how many expats are on Gransnet and I think there could well be a difference of opinion because of the dynamics involved.

What is the difference between someone loosing their home in Britain because they have no employment to someone in Spain. What is the difference between someone in Spain finding their money does not go as far as someone in Britain. I don't get it.

If you choose not to live in Britain that's your choice. What you no longer do is support the economics of Britain by spending in the shops, paying taxes such as V.A.T., paying road tax, council tax etc., generally keeping the economics of Britain going. You never had the love of the country to stay put and as in my sister-in-laws case repeatedly informed me life was so much better in Spain than crappy old England. Now she wants to come back because of finances and expects the family to provide, she can't understand why nobody is keen to help.

As the saying goes 'you make your bed, you lye in it'.

Yes Tanith Welsh is compulsory in Welsh schools from the age of 5 untill GCSE exams.
I have lived in South Wales for more than 20 years and have nfound the people here to be friendlym and welcoming. I have heard about the north not being so friendly but it also extends, I believe, to Welsh people from the south.

Some of us made a 'positive' move abroad, not a negative 'rat escaping sinking ship'. Even with the best of planning, it is not always possible to account for everything. The exchange rate for the £ against the Swiss Franc means we have lost 50% of our income since we arrived here 3 years ago- we knew fluctuations were likely, but never ever on this scale. Fortunately we live in a very cheap part of non-touristy Switzerland (the Jura mountains) and right next to the French border, so we can do part of our shopping there.

We would never expect others to bail us out, and if we do have to go back, or choose to go back, to UK - we would expect to be welcome. With great family and friends there, and our grand-children, I know we would be. Part of my heart will always be in England

(of course for us it is different- as I am Swiss despite spending all my adult life in England).

POGS - you sound very bitter. What a shame. Incidentally, I pay tax in the UK on my two government pensions (Civil Service and Teachers).
People move abroad for all kinds of reasons - health, work, family, adventure, a challenge - I don't know why you assume this means we have no love of Britain.

Feel I need to explore Nth Wales to do some research! Are there no Nth Welsh GNers to explain/disprove /defend /pooh pooh the comments?

Perhaps because the language is such a minority one (though I believe growing again) the communities are keen to protect it and they see English speakers as a threat, though that is not an excuse to be rude and unpleasant to individuals

I had no preconceptions when we went to live in Mold. In fact, we had holidayed in North Wales for many years. (Mind you, I was once charged a shilling (5p) many years ago for a glass of tap water so my daughter could take a tablet, even though we had paid for a meal for four. I am merely reporting the facts as they happened to us, so I don't see how anybody can pooh-pooh them. Why would I make them up?
I am a very out-going person and have had no problems in settling in with my neighbours in other countries.

It is odd that the Scots are traditionally regarded as penny-pinching - in fact, I have had some wonderful holidays in that beautiful country and found the people warm and welcoming

The Snowdonia National Park is undoubtedly very scenic and there are many very good beaches, but I think I have to echo Dylan Thomas - 'Land of my Fathers - and my fathers are welcome to it'.

Greatnan, Bitter is a harsh word and I was responding to the question with honesty, nothing more.

As for family not being too keen to help, maybe that has been self inflicted by the years of listening to how wonderful life is not living in Britain by the person wanting to return. If you call Britain crappy why would you want to come back here?

'By all means move on socially and geographically, but don't romanticise the place you have left - it if were that bloody good you would have stayed!'

Greatnan I know you made this statement in another context about celebs & I got your meaning wrong then...but it seems to contradict your thoughts here or have I got it wrong again.

I can see why POGS feels as she does due to her particular experience with SiL being smug about her 'better' life in Spain and now expecting a bail out!

I don't romanticise either Britain or France - they both have their pluses and minuses. Does that lay that particular remark to rest?

I am happy to report that I have no intention of returning to Britain as my family are now mostly in New Zealand, but there are very many areas where I could live very happily. I hope I will never need to rely on benefits in any country as I am fortunate enough to have been in two contributory final salary pension schemes and live a very frugal life. Just in case anybody thought I might be complaining or planning to become a burden on the British tax payer!
However, I feel sympathetic towards anybody, wherever they have chosen to live, who finds themselves in worsened circumstances through no fault of their own. Who could have predicted that greedy bankers would ruin the world's economy - the 'experts' certainly didn't.

Greatnan I think that your sympathies are fair when many of these expats find themselves in a situation not of their own making.

I can spare a bit of compassion for people who have just been naive and thoughtless as well. It is not a crime to be a bit gormless and they are paying a very heavy price.