1st NOVEMBER: DÍA DE TODOS LOS SANTOS, ALL SAINTS DAY

This week it seems that all kids around are getting ready to celebrate Halloween, you can even find parties for adults in certain bars.

We, Spanish, believe that any excuse is good for a party, so we are happy to adopt other cultures' traditions if they involve some fun. This is why we go along and are buying fancy dresses and loads of sweets. At present the "trick or treat" exchange has not yet fully become a tradition here, but it might happen in the future.

But in Spain what we really celebrate is the 1st of November, a national holiday called "Dia de todos los Santos", all saints day. We use this day to remember our loved ones by going to the cementery to pray and to bring flowers to our relatives and friends that have passed away. Flower shops' make a year earnings in one day.

We do not do it as the Mexicans' which will nearly have a party at the cementery, and we do not paint our faces, or we believe the world of the death is closer to the world of the living on this particular day. We just simply remember them and the majority of people will also attend mass, all a lot more serious than in other cultures.

It is quite clear that all those believes, however we would like to celebrate them, have a common ground: celebrate death once a year, instead of life. Bearing in mind a lot different cultures do the same on the same day (or night) makes me think there was some kind of pagan tradition than the different religions adapted for themselves, and nowadays people is adapting to our times, in a more fun way.

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate the next bank holiday, I hope you have a good one!

RENTING A CAR ABROAD AND THE POINTS SYSTEM

Have you ever tried to rent a car abroad? First time we tried to rent a car in UK we were asked how many points we had in our driving licence. Very proudly we answered that we had all 15 points. Therefore our request was declined. We could not understand why!

In EU we follow the points system, so surely we should be entitled to rent it! But of course each country can develop the rules on the way they see fit. So in Spain you start your driver's life when you get the licence with 12 points, and if you are a very good driver, they give you extra points up to 15. When you commit a driving licence offense the points get removed from your licence.

However, in the UK you start off with zero points, and the points are added to your licence in case of driving offense. So having 15 points in UK means that you are a very very bad driver, but having 15 points in Spain means you are an excellent driver.

Living in another country can be very confusing when you are not aware of this this one. Always do a good research of your country of choosing before you make some costly mistakes!

#relocationagent #movingtospain #livingthelife #happyliving

THE IMPORTANCE OF REGISTERING WITH THE PADRÓN

When you move to Spain, one of the first things that you are recommended to do paperwork wise is to register with the Padrón at your town hall. A lot of people can't be bothered, as you can get by without doing it. You have to register, but no one is going to start knocking on your door to see if you have done it or not.

But then something happens, like the fires that we experience every summer in the area where I lived. And people start complaining that there are not enough firefighters within the town to help with fire extinction, and that houses have been lost, etc. 

The answer is very simple: each town is equipped with the resources that they need based on the number of people registered as living there. If you live in a town/city and do not registered with the padrón as a citizen of that town/city they don't count you, which means the provision for firefighters, doctors, ambulances, local police, funding for the town hall, etc, will based on the actual number of citizens registered. 

In other words, if a town has only 5.000 people registered as living there but in reality there is 10.000, they will only have resources for 5.000, which means they won't be able to cover all needs for all citizens.

Picture from: https://zamoranews.com/provinciazamora/comarcas/item/1089-nuevo-camion-autobomba-paque-bomberos-bermillo

If you dont do your part and register with your padrón then you shouldnt complain about the lack of services. It is totally down to you. 

So PLEASE!, register with your local town/city hall padrón office to prevent disasters like this summer's fires.

WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY

There are times when you are in a dire situation and you need help. Everybody should be aware of the main emergency telephone numbers here in Spain. This is a small list of the most useful ones. Then each town/area will have their own for firefighters, local police, etc, but if you don't know those, you should call the main emergency line and they will patch you throught:

• Emergency (any kind of emergency): 112
• Guardia Civil: 062
• Policia Nacional/National Police: 091
• Sanitary emergency/emergencia sanitaria: 061
• Help line for women under duress, gender violence/violencia contra la mujer: 016
• Firefighters/bomberos: 080
• Emergency Local Police/Policia local emergencias (it will give you your local police number): 092

But in case of emergency, if you don't know what to do please call 112

LEARNING THE LINGO: BE CAREFUL WITH "FALSE FRIENDS" WORDS

After deciding to relocate to Spain many people decides to start learning the language too, so they can mix with the locals. And this is very advisable. 

Learning Spanish might feel a bit daunting, mainly because our way of learning the language is based in knowing grammar, and that can be tricky.

But also you need to be careful, as there are many words that are similar in English and Spanish and you can "make" them Spanish straight away, such us:

Potential = Potencial

Intention = Intención

Occassion = Ocasión

But there are others that sound very similar and you will be tempting to make them Spanish and you will end up saying something that you shouldn't, or just that the exact translation can't be used as it has a different meaning in English than Spanish. A few  very funny examples:

- To be embarrased = estar avergonzado. 

However people tend to say in Spanish "estoy muy embarazado/a". What you are really saying is that you are very pregnant. It is even funnier if the person saying it is a man!

- To be hot = tener calor

But be careful! If you look on the dictionary "hot" translates as "caliente". In Spanish if you say "Estoy muy caliente"  you are not saying that you are very hot, you are saying that you are very horny, which is not exactly the same. If you are hot you need to say "tengo calor", or if the weather is very hot then you say "hace mucho calor"

- Carpet = Alfombra, Vacuum = pasar la aspirodora. 
So if you are planning to vacuum the carpet, please do not say "voy a vacunar la carpeta" as what you would be really saying is "I am going to vaccinate to the folder"
Carpeta = Folder, Vacunar = to vaccinate.

- Preservatives = Conservantes

Please do not confuse it with "preservativo" = "condom". Imagine that you are dictating a recipe to someone and you would like to tell them what you use to preserve the food, but what you are really telling them is to put a condom on the food ... I don't think anybody is going to ask you for a recipe ever again.

- Card = tarjeta, as in credit card. Do not confuse it with Carta as that means letter. Also do not confuse "letter" with "letra" as that means the actual letters of the alphabet or writing.

So your credit card is not your carta de crédito. "Carta de crédito" actually means that your bank is lending you money!

And what you receive in the post are "cartas", not "letras"

 Copyright: Alban.Beg

- To choke = ahogarse.

Not to be confused with "chocar" or "to crash". If you are choking on your food, or with water you are "ahogandote", you are not "chocando", as you will be saying that you are crashing against something. It will be bad enough to be choking, you don't want to also be crashing!

- Delito = Crime, Delight = Delicia

If you would like to report a crime, please do not tell the police that you are there to report a "delicia". They might not take you seriously.

- To stretch = estirar, alargar. 

Again, my daughter when she wants to say "these trousers stretch" she says "estos pantalones estrechan"

Estrechar = narrow, to make it smaller. So instead of telling me the trousers can become bigger, what she is telling me is that the trousers are getting smaller, so I think we need to go shopping!

- Grocery = tienda de comestibles. 

However "Groseria" = rudeness, coarseness, impoliteness. 

If you are on and about on the street and ask someone "¿dónde está la grosería más cercana por favor?" do not get surprised if you get a bad answer, as you will be asking "where is the closest rude, impolite, crude, coar place, please?"

- Rope = cuerda. Ropa = clothes

If you are sailing and you need a rope, do not say "pásame la ropa", as your sailor might give you his clothes and get naked.

This are just some examples, but I am sure you have encounter plenty more. I would love to hear them!

THE JOURNEY TO HAPPINESS

I have lived in many places in my life, in Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona, Basingstoke, Bristol, Sabinillas, Toledo, Ronda, Huelva, and possibly someplace else that I cant remember now.

I have moved twice to UK and twice back to Spain. I know quite a bit about the difficulties of starting over in a new place, making new friends, getting used to the place, dealing with bureaucracy (which by the way is bad in every country, not just in Spain), learning a new language, trying to understand Spanish in different parts of Spain (gosh, it can be quite tricky these one), so I would say I was cut off for this job. 

I started recently the new adventure of being a Relocation Agent, which basically means I help people with anything and everything related with their move in order to make the whole journey as stress free as possible.

And what I have realised is how different we are. And I dont mean Spanish vs English. I mean families in general. What I think is normal is strange for other people. There are so many different needs to be covered, so many things to think about that I had never considered before just because I live in another way.

I am proud to say that it is possible to put all differences aside and work and live together. Because there is something that unites us all: we all want what is best for our families and loved ones. So, it doesnt matter what other people tell you, if you think it is right for you and your family you ought to try it.

Nobody is saying it will be easy, or pretty, and you might not even like it. But if you dont try you will never know.

Just do it and be happy. I know I am. And I want the same for you.

The rest of your life starts today!

BE REALISTIC WITH YOUR BUDGET

I know that on a previous post I told you that it is paramount that you research the area first and start looking at properties online after, but now I am going to tell you to do the opposite. And it is not because I have totally lost it, it is all due to you being conscious of what can you get for your budget on the area that you would like to buy.

It is very important that you are realistic about what can you actually do with your budget. How many times have you been watching A Place in the Sun on telly, and they are showing an amazing property right on the town where you would like to buy, with a zillion rooms, and a gazillion bathrooms, with private pool and garden, 5 minutes’ walk from the beach and amenities. All for a stupidly low amount of money. And you find yourself thinking: I can buy that! I have exactly that budget! How lucky am I?!

But you fail to realize that the program was recorded in 2013, when prices were rock bottom in Spain and the £££ was really strong comparing with €€€. Circumstances have changed a lot, and so have the market, which means that nowadays it is more difficult to find bargains, and although you are still able to make a cheeky offer, it will not be so easily accepted as before.

Once someone asked me if I could help them find a townhouse or villa with 4 bedrooms, private garden, no more than 5 minutes’ walk from the beach, pet friendly, in Marbella and their budget was 100.000€. After a quick peak at the market I had to inform them than a townhouse with those characteristics had a starting price of 225.000€, and that was most definitely not 5 minutes’ from the beach.

So, what I would like for you to do now is the following:

•  Go to any of the property search engines that you can find online (fotocasa, idealista, etc).
• Type the name of your favourite spot, and then on the “extras” area add all that you can from your wish list: number of bedrooms, bathrooms, garden, swimming pool, how close to the beach and amenities, etc.
• Click search.

If the search comes back as “0 properties found” it means that you have some of the following options:

• You might need to up your budget.
• You might need to lower your expectations. I don’t mean you need to make compromises, because that will mean that renouncing to something you will gain something else. In this case you need to review your wish list altogether.
• You might need to change your search to another area of Spain where prices are still low.
• You might need to wait a few years.

Once you have found an area where you can afford to buy, then STOP looking online at properties and START visiting that area. This way you will avoid a lot of disappointment, and potentially some money on visiting trips to areas you are not going to be able to afford.