On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

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linajeff
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On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby linajeff » Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:33 pm

Hallo guys. Well my Husband and i will finally be moving to Andalucia, we waited until my youngest child was old enough to read and write to make the decision. I know its going to be a great decision to move from the states to there, its just something we have always wanted!. I would love to get your general perceptions of Andalucia, would you rate the experience as average or would it be an absolutely amaizing rate of 10?. Of course nothing is perfect, but something can always be close to that :)
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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby costakid » Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:36 pm

Depends where you are going to live in Andalusia. If you asked me about the Albox area i would say 3 out of 10. If you said on the coast East of Malaga I personally would say 8 out of 10.
Others would give Albox 10 because you can get a mansion for what you get an apartment on the coast for.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby Free at Last » Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:52 pm

My reply must be qualified in that I didn't need to find work or try to run a business when I moved to Spain, nor did I have children's eventual career prospects to worry about - if I had, my view would probably be very different.

But as it is (and I live East of Málaga too) I'd say my rating would be 8, on the basis that nowhere is perfect and there are a few small(ish) things about life here that could be improved. I like the climate, the landscape, the Spanish people, the generally more relaxed pace of life, the way children and older people are treated, the lower cost of living, the good infrastructure and public services and the range of places to visit/things to do. The bureacracy can be frustrating at times, and people's environmental awareness, particularly with regard to litter, fly tipping and not picking up after their dogs, falls well short of ideal.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby scotty » Mon Feb 06, 2017 7:06 pm

I lived in Spain in the 90's. Came back to Ireland to work & educate my kids. My friend stayed on and his kids went to school in Spain. He feels the Spanish educational system is not up to speed. And then if you intend to work be aware that incomes are much lower than you are used to and permanent jobs are rare. But even with all that I'd rate Spain 8/10.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby Flexo » Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:25 pm

I live here for professional reasons. I would probably not live here if otherwise if that says anything. I think I have become a worse person since I moved to Andalucia, I have become grumpier, I expect less from people, I get angrier, it feels like I have to show anger and hostility in order to make people do their job properly and so forth. I have lived in four countries and been in most parts of the world and this is really not the best place I have been to.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby linajeff » Tue Feb 07, 2017 11:47 am

Okay, i guess the reviews are mixed..just like i expected. We will be moving to Granada at the end of Summer. Its too late to back out. Sometimes the risk can be worth it, sometimes not. We wil just have to see. My partner speaks quite good spanish "B2 level" as they term it. As for me, i am someone who cannot learn a language in a classroom but rather through interaction. Of course i already have the basics. Lets see whats in store.
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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby Pamela1 » Tue Feb 07, 2017 4:47 pm

Well you couldnt of picked a nicer city...Not too big and has everything you could want...Of course im biased because i have been many times in the last 35yrs and our house is only a 30min car journey into the city...I wish you well with your move.. :wave:

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby linajeff » Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:05 pm

Thank you. I will give you a shout out once we do. When everything goes as planned it would be nice to meet up :thumbup:
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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby markwilding » Wed Feb 08, 2017 7:20 pm

To give 10 out of 10 for any country is very difficult. I would give it 6.5.
Somethings drive me crazy but comparing the problems with your own country only makes things worse and anyway, no matter how much you complain, you will not be able change the way people here do things.
Much better to focus on the positives and accept the negatives as part and parcel of life here.
Last edited by markwilding on Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby HarryJ » Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:05 pm

It's all very subjective but as per thread title I would personally rate living in "Andalucia" an 8 out of 10. Other areas of Spain no idea but in all probability they would vary greatly.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby BENIDORM » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:43 pm

Well, That's a really difficult question to answer, but probably I would say 8 out of 10 on a good day..

We've lived in 3 different provinces in Spain and visited most others and they are all different,but generally I would say that we have been treated well in all of the places by the local people.
If you are going to live in Granada City or any of the near-by 'dormitory' towns then I would say that you've made a great choice, it's a bustling and lively and vibrant city, with something for everyone, and for me it's the historical aspect , every street and building has a story to tell.
To live in Spain happily I would suggest that you have to adopt a 'If you can't beat them it's better to join them' attitude, and be very patient and it doesn't matter how many churches you visit you won't experience any miracles . :lol:
I've been travelling the World for more than 50 years and travelled on, over and under the Oceans and visited many idyllic almost paradise locations but come to the conclusion that it is the people that you live amongst who make life great, and if you are a caring and compassionate person then you will soon settle in, because that is how I've found most Spanish people.
So may I wish you every success and I hope that your personal rainbow lands in the right spot for you. :wave:
Regards,
Gordon.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby Pamela1 » Wed Feb 08, 2017 11:49 pm

linajeff wrote:Thank you. I will give you a shout out once we do. When everything goes as planned it would be nice to meet up :thumbup:
That would be nice.. :thumbup:

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby masterob » Fri Feb 10, 2017 12:48 pm

We moved to Spain on retirement in 2004 and returned to the UK in 2014. At first the novelty factor of a life in the sun was very high - rather like an extended holiday. Dealing with illogical regulations and petty officialdom was a challenge. Eventually such things start to become a chore and an irritant. For us the penny dropped - " why are we putting up with things we wouldn't back in the UK?" A read through the topics in this Forum gives plenty of examples of such challenges!

Yes of course there are good things about living in Spain but, on balance, life in the UK has far more to offer not least, less stress. Proper infrastructure meaning no power cuts, adequate drinking water, no endemic bureaucracy etc etc. I can honestly say we have endured far less stress since we have been back!

Against that background I would rate living in Andalucia at no more than a 5 out of 10.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby country boy » Fri Feb 10, 2017 3:41 pm

To answer MasterRob's post with an alternative view: I would say first that we retired down here in 2000 and would echo everything that Rob says in his post about the downside of living in Spain (not just Andalucia). It is frustrating and at times just ludicrous, incompetence is rife and very hard to accept....but.....on the other hand, the weather is glorious, living is cheap and provided you are sensible you can do pretty much whatever you want. All I would advise is the you really need to be able to "chill" otherwise it is not a happy place to be. You need a sense of humour and a lot of tolerance, you need to be able to walk away from situations which you can never win. The Spanish have a "Shrug" which appears when all is lost, you need to adopt the shrug mentality yourself, if you can't you will definitely not be happy here.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby GerryinCajiz » Fri Feb 10, 2017 5:31 pm

country boy wrote: The Spanish have a "Shrug" which appears when all is lost, you need to adopt the shrug mentality yourself, if you can't you will definitely not be happy here.
After almost 15 years of shrugging my neck hurts!
Gerry

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby ebbnflow » Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:23 pm

I'm assuming you are USA citizens from your statement "moving from the states"?

For example, the majority of members here are from other European countries and will, therefore, have quite a different take on life in Andalucia than you may.
For example, members from the UK are used to a national health system which exists in Spain as well. Opinion seems to be divided on the quality of health service provided by the Spanish system but one thing is for sure, it's more expensive than the UK's. However coming from the states this will probably be a new a wonderful thing!

Will you be working for a company/boss or running your business? I have a business concern in Spain and another in the UK, the one in the UK is by far the more clear cut and easy to run as far as officialdom goes. There always seems to be another change in the rules or new rules or new cost blah, blah, blah, to the extent that I often seriously think of closing the Spanish one down despite its profitability.

I would therefore split my opinion into two categories;
Life in general in Andalucia, 8/10
Running a business, 4/10

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby elusive » Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:19 am

Health service only excists here if you are paying in though.so not toally like the uk one which is resident based

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby Wicksey » Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:43 pm

I would say 8 out of 10 but then I don't have to work here. I think that is the thing that causes much frustration with the foreign residents here.

I don't feel like I am on an extended holiday but it is just home to me. Giving Andalucia a marking out of 10 naturally means that you tend to use your original country of origin as a comparison, so it depends on what your life was like before/where you lived/ quality of life you had before, and also whereabouts you live here as some areas are a lot busier than others.

Although we had a nice home in a small country town, when we go back to the UK for our yearly 5 day stay we hate it there. I cannot ever imagine wanting to go back as it is now so busy everywhere (I love the empty roads and Sunday closures here) and we also hated the short days of winter. Not knowing what part of the States you are based, you may already enjoy longer daylight hours in the winter which is one of the main reasons why we initially moved here.

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby knowal » Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:11 am

SEVEN!

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Re: On a Scale of 1 to 10 how high would you rate living in Andalucia??

Postby linajeff » Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:26 pm

ebbnflow wrote:I'm assuming you are USA citizens from your statement "moving from the states"?

For example, the majority of members here are from other European countries and will, therefore, have quite a different take on life in Andalucia than you may.
For example, members from the UK are used to a national health system which exists in Spain as well. Opinion seems to be divided on the quality of health service provided by the Spanish system but one thing is for sure, it's more expensive than the UK's. However coming from the states this will probably be a new a wonderful thing!

Will you be working for a company/boss or running your business? I have a business concern in Spain and another in the UK, the one in the UK is by far the more clear cut and easy to run as far as officialdom goes. There always seems to be another change in the rules or new rules or new cost blah, blah, blah, to the extent that I often seriously think of closing the Spanish one down despite its profitability.

I would therefore split my opinion into two categories;
Life in general in Andalucia, 8/10
Running a business, 4/10
My husband will be working, i not, well due to personal reasons. One of them includes my health, i am not yet fully recovered to start working. But i really thank you for your answer, it def has some very good pointers!
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