SPAIN - Expat Contests

Working Abroad

Working Abroad in Spain - My Experience

You can take the girl out of Nottingham.... When I made the move from Nottingham to Spain in 1998, I thought it was going to be a breeze. I already spoke Spanish at an A-level standard and had varied work experience. I was convinced that finding work in a busy city like Barcelona was going to be easy. On arrival to Barcelona, I realized...

Writing Contest March 2013

7 foodie treats to try in Gorgeous Granada

Here are seven scrumptious dishes to taste when visiting the magical city of the Alhambra palace! Most of these you can only find in Granada city or in the province of Granada. For starters. Broad Beans with eggs and ham. The locally produced baby broad beans are picked when tender, fried in local olive oil and topped with bite sized...

Education and International Schools

A Debate... in Spanish? Oh No..

A debate… solely in Spanish?? On sex education and gay rights?? I can hardly say “hola, ¿cómo estás?” most days, and now my teacher is expecting me to say words such as “sex” and “homosexual” in SPANISH? What in heck did I sign up for when I agreed to switch to a more difficult, “advanced Spanish conversation”...

Working Abroad

A Job Just Short of a Siesta

Even though I'm determined not to lead a career in a world of errant paper airplanes and ADD-riddled children, a world otherwise known as the public school system, this is where my first two years after college have been spent. Despite my strong desire to escape this world eventually(it will continue next year in Colombia...) I can't help but...

Writing Contest October 2012

Bursting Bubbles in Spain

“What ?”  My mouth drops open as I hear the very words that my mind had told me that I was going to hear but I had tried to convince myself that it wouldn’t really happen. Oh but it did. “To be named as a beneficiary on your social security, your husband requires a valid residency certificate.” Now, I need to pause even as I...

Writing Contest March 2013

Ditch the Solo Blues: 7 Ways to Meet People in Madrid

Being an expat can be lonely. You’re out of your element, trying your best to learn the language and keep from committing any major cultural faux pas while your friends and family back home email and call with we-miss-you´s and when-are-you-coming-home´s. Without a decent social network, it can sometimes be tempting to just pack up and...

Writing Contest October 2012

Dude - where’s my bathroom?

When I moved to Spain it was April Fool’s Day, I was 22 (about to turn 23), and had never been to mainland Spain before. A few months previously I had whimsically applied for some jobs in the sunshine whilst sat at my dreary London desk, listening to my cliché Ab Fab Gucci-clad boss screaming another hail of insults at one of my Public...

Education and International Schools

Education in Spain... Some questions to ask yourself!

One of the most important decisions you have to make, when moving to Spain and also when you are already living in Spain , with children, is which school to send them to.  Many parents start by deciding whether to enroll their children in a Spanish state school or a private international school. The availability of state schools and...

Writing Contest October 2012

On Our Way

The Mirador de San Nicolas will settle in the memory of many visitors to Spain as the emblematic moment of their stay here. At whatever time of day, but especially as night falls on the fortified citadel opposite, you can stand here and take in an exquisite view that hasn’t changed all that much for many hundreds of years; the Alhambra,...

Expat Blog Awards 2013

Our Top 10 Adjustments to Spanish Life

We live in a typical Spanish terraced home on a budget, so didn’t splurge for the American lifestyle while living in Spain.  With this choice, came a few adjustments in lifestyle that we would like to share with you.  We have lived in Southern Spain for 15 months now and we have adjusted to Spanish life just fine.  In fact, we almost...