arrived and gone home

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:18 am

Oh dear..well as some of you know,i have been helping a new family (that arrived in Spain on the 5th Jan from UK)...They rented a house here,paid deposits,husband started work etc..and have now gone back to uk,with the dog,and the car full of stuff that they came with.
They came here forever,their dream home in the sun...the usual story..
Anyway,they have now gone back after less than two weeks,saying"it just wasnt for them"
Another pair of rose tinted spectacles smashed to pieces..and 4,000 pounds lighter ..most expensive two week holiday of their lives..
Surely they couldve stayed longer than two weeks,I dont think two weeks is long enough to know if you want to be somewhere or not...
So as well as posting this on here,I would like to say thanks to everyone who replied my questions about insuring uk cars,amongst other questions i posted on their behalf,but your time and effort has been completely wasted,and so has mine.

costakid · Postby **costakid** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:47 am

PP, such is life. Dont lose sleep over it. Jan probally wasnt the best time to move over. They probally thought it would be 80 degrees everyday.

WCAUSE · Postby **WCAUSE** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:42 am

Hi folks...why did they give up so easily? my wife and I are comeing over in March, and have innitialy given ourselves 4 months to acclimatise and have a good look around...any good news about???

TH · Postby TH » Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:51 am

How can this have happened?

Did they do a reccy beforehand? Did they even try learn Spanish beforehand? Were they expecting it to be mini-Britain?

I came over for a few days in October visiting long lost family and I have never felt so isolated in a country purely down to the language and my lack of Spanish. Did it put me off? No way, when I got back I got hold of Rosetta Stone and started learning.

No criticising by the way, just putting across my own experience.

JAKE M · Postby **JAKE M** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:24 pm

princess peach, it wasn't something you said was it ?

dido72 · Postby **dido72** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:43 pm

TH I have to say that my Spanish is pants and I have never felt so welcomed anywhere before, most Spanish people that I "speak" to couldn't care less if I understand them or not

Good on you for not giving up at the first hurdle, there will be many more of them but if Spain is really where you want to be you will jump one and face the next one head on with a big smile on your face

DecorDiva · Postby **DecorDiva** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:06 pm

So many people come here and have decided to 'give it a year' to settle in. I think you need at least 3 years to really feel at home.

I have seen many come and go but you have to love it and realise that the same problems will be around no matter where you are

BENIDORM · Postby **BENIDORM** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:26 pm

Settling in period...?
In my case the first 20 years have been the worst. but I'm prepared to give it another 5 years ...at least

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:33 pm

I really havnt a clue why they went..said it was like battersea dogs home here,and the scooter noise at night,she had had enough..

Welcome to spain!!!!

I do feel fed up,as i went totally out of my way for them,thinking they were here long term...and then they announce they are going back..
I think 6 months wouldve been a reasonable time to settle...
still off they go back to sunny birmingham..best of luck to them all!
I know i wont be helping any other people coming from UK again...
I feel like a right mug!

JAKE M....i dont know if it was something i said..perhaps it may of been when she had a slight problem with hubbys week in hand from UK(he only got paid half)and i said(when she started to cry)"believe me..you had better toughen up,if you are getting upset about that,cause things get a lot worse...that didnt go down well...
never mind..you live and learn..

DecorDiva · Postby **DecorDiva** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:25 pm

I would give it at least another five years otherwise the lights of Birmingham will be calling you too! Horrendous thought. Sounds like it was something you said

bob · Postby **bob** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:07 pm

Shades of Julius Caesar: I came, I saw, I left.

Postby **gerryh** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:23 pm

DecorDiva wrote:So many people come here and have decided to 'give it a year' to settle in. I think you need at least 3 years to really feel at home.

We've lived here now for nearly 4 years. After we been here for a year we went back to the UK for a holiday to see family and friends we hadn't been there long when we both thought "I'll be glad when we get home" i.e. Spain.
The UK is a far distant, foreign country to us now. Spain is home.

Cheers
Gerry

julian · Postby **julian** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:37 pm

sounds absurd to me, how can you expect to settle down in 2 weeks, the mind boggles !!

daisylulu · Postby **daisylulu** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:06 pm

2 weeks

how very odd and what an expensive 2 week holiday!!

RichardCoeurdeLion · Postby **RichardCoeurdeLion** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:17 pm

DecorDiva wrote:I would give it at least another five years otherwise the lights of Birmingham will be calling you too! Horrendous thought. Sounds like it was something you said

Eh up.. What's wrong with Brum. It's great. Got the two best football teams in the country
I.e. Aston Villa and Aston villa reserves.

The newly refurbished town hall is pretty fab too.

lola2 · Postby **lola2** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:52 pm

I have seen loads of them come and go. They are usually the ones who have the most help too from kind people like yourself. It is a shame because it puts you off helping people.

I had no help when I arrived here everything was a complete struggle. I would have been over the moon if I had had someone to guide me through everything.

WCAUSE · Postby **WCAUSE** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:03 pm

Awww/Princess..dont say that, you have helped me already..and I dont arrive till March..x

MarkF · Postby **MarkF** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:46 pm

2 weeks!

How can even get to know the immediate neighbourhood in 2 weeks? Frankly, it's pathetic.

Princess, I am sorry that you had your time wasted and that your good intentions were wasted. To twist it round, I was asked by a friend to get a job for a Polish guy 2 years ago and I did, in a Leeds bakery. He did not have a bean, I lent him money, got him a bedsit, opened a bank account (not easy) and what he did he do, buggered off back to Poland as the work was too hard. Here he was clearing £200 a week, in Poland he has nothing, some people

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 8:25 am

I really dont understand why they even bothered to come myself..I really do think they thought it was going to be marvelous..dont think it helped that their *beep* was in season,and a little dog from down the road had its wicked way with her,so they may get a little piece of spain took home with them..who knows.

I didnt have anyone helping me when i arrived,I didnt know about this forum either..didnt even have the internet come to think of it..You do get by..you have to.
She did ask me what i thought about living here(i have been here nearly 5 years)..and i was truthful,i told her..somedays when you get a bill or letter through the door..and you need to sort things out..its very difficult..and frustrating..and i used to get very upset..I think Spain hardens you to life..you HAVE to cope.
I have learnt that there is always someone willing to help you out.If you smile(as my spanish is o.k..but limited)and are friendly,they are more than happy to assist you..
WCAUSE-you will have nothing to worry about if you are renting a property-only the rent and bills money to find...im sure you will make lots of friends-you seem a nice person.So you look forward to starting your life in Spain..you have been given plenty of negatives...there are much more positives..take everything in your stride,and most of all keep smiling..It really does help.I will help you if i can,as im sure we all will on here.

MarkF-seems we are too nice-no money was mentioned-she informed me they only had 30 quid to last the week(but i expected that already)and informed her quickly(before she asked)im sorry but we only have enough to last us..otherwise i would lend you some..(saved her asking)

I really will not be took for a fool again..I even looked at two houses for her to rent,and i had only spoken to her via email..never even met her...
got the odd..."dunno what we wouldve done without you" comment...

complete and utter waste of time...
I say i wouldnt do it again...but i know i would,i hate to see anyone stuck..and like lola2,i struggled with all the papers,and had to pay someone to sort it for me...I even hand wrote/translated all their residence forms for them to fill in..3 pages of papers (all handwritten)about info i got from here..ref:taxing the car..etc...bloody waste of ink!
I feel a right mug!

Fraggie · Postby **Fraggie** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:09 am

Princess Peach, don't let people like that put you off being the helpful person you obviously are. My husband and myself have only been here since the end of November and have had loads of problems with getting deliveries etc. Unfortunately we speak little Spanish (but intend to rectify that by taking lessons in Spanish) and that hasn't helped but no way has it put us off. At times I am sure we would have been very grateful of your help or from members of the forum (but we have only just managed to get the Internet set up). Fortunately for us we met a lovely couple who have been over here 4 years and have been very helpful and we have learned

a lot from them.

Perhaps we were more prepared however for problems, as moving to live in Spain was something we had thought about for several years, and I had tried to do a lot of research by reading books, watching t.v.programmes etc. I am sure like a lot of people once you move you think you might have done things slightly differently but I am sure this would apply if you moved in the U.K. to another area as well.

Even with the problems we have encountered we still think the view we have from our apartment beats the view we had from where we lived in Birmingham any day and the only visits we will make there are to visit family and friends.