Ex Pats deserting Spain

People abroad do fall into two groups. There are some who feel happy anywhere and others who are terribly homesick. I fall somewhere in between. We are in a group of people, all in mixed marriages altough a few members have now died. We Brits definitely don't dislike our native country and we all love the BBC and Radio4 and books from amazon.
My children and grandchildren are German and so you get the feeling with them that your homeland doesn't exist for anyone else.

I like England but DH will only go over in the car every 3 years so I fly to my family in Yorkshire on my own once or twice a year. I know that Joan would love to do that. My daughters are not very interested. Germany has 9 borders and all the lovely European Culture and the Alps are just a couple of hours away.
I also live in one of the most beautiful small market towns in South Germany and we get lots of tourists from the UK, and even before they open their mouths I can spot them in a crowd. They just look English and that makes me feel a bit homesick to see them and I often wonder how I might have developed if I had stayed there.
I think the expats who end up in Germany are not following any kind of life style dream. It is for most, a chance of a better life, or a better job, which brings people here and as a retired gran I have no idea how they feel about it.

Your area sounds lovely, Margaret - I have only driven through Germany on my way to Austria with one daughter and two little grandsons. We stayed overnight in Cologne and Ulm, as the boys were only 2 and 4 and I did not like to drive for many hours with them. I intend to do lots more exploring before I emigrate to New Zealand - I will probably drive through Switzerland from my home just South of Lake Geneva. Perhaps I can contact you in due course to see if you can recommend any other outstanding historic towns or villages.

Yes, you're right Margaret, I would love to take regular holidays in Yorkshire but distance, dog and money (lack of) make it impossible! We never even considered moving to another part of Europe back in 1979, because my husband finds learning a foreign language almost impossible. Now I wish we had considered it - he'd have managed in the end, because his need to argue and analyse and state his opinions would have ensured he managed to learn!!

Still, like I said before, blue skies and warm weather make up for a lot.

I have never tried arguing in French - I save it all for forums! I did have a long chat with my hairdresser today and she was very kind about my French, although I have forgotten almost all the grammar. If I can't think of a French word, I just put in the English and hope that the context makes it obvious!

Joan this is how and why I learnt English so quickly - just had to talk and exchange views, ideas, experiences (no argument as such) - it worked

OH though is not a natural linguist - definitely got a scientific mind. But he really made the effort to learn French - as he (and I) truly think that it just a basic form of respect to learn the language of a country you choose to move to. He is always shocked to see other Brits just shout louder and louder in English to make themselves understood. On the French and Swiss expat Forums, some of them have been here for years and still expect the plumber, carpenter, dentist, vet, doctor and all, to speak English and get all uppity when they don't! Just rude and disrespectful ioho.

Oh dear, I would have thought the loud shouting to make yourself understood would have died out by now! I feel that even if you can't learn the language, you still need to learn a few polite words. such as hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and sorry.

I spent one day in the office of a sister company when I visited relatives in France in 2001. I'm OK at reading and writing French, but hopeless at understanding what is said to me. But in that office, after that ONE day of having no help at all - it was converse in French or not at all - my skills improved 100%. Admittedly, I soon learned that 'merde' after every other word helps you fit in. (The entire firm was undergoing nasty changes that eventually left all of us, all over the world, jobless)

I especially remember talking to the girls in the staff canteen, though canteen does not really convey the meaning, it was more like a 5 star restaurant. Anyway, I was telling them about how my husband and I shared all the housework and cooking evenly and they asked if they could book him to train their own husbands and boyfriends! They said no Frenchmen do anything like their share at home, in fact most never lift a finger.

For anyone thinking of emigrating my friend runs a magazine and shows downunderlive website - they are friendly and help people with jobs and visas and information before you make your decision to emigrate. I hope this helps. Lyndie

My father used to claim that if he could order a beer in the language of whatever country he was visiting, he would survive. Not difficult, as it's very often a variant of - or actually - 'beer', in Spain. But, being a very courteous man, he would also learn the words for 'please' and 'thank you'.

There are several mentions of people not speaking the language. You mean to say that there are countries where people can move and send their children to school, use the NHS etc and everything won't be done to provide them with lessons and all documents written in multiple languages, what a shame!

Don't think beer is beer in Spain - it's thervaythath!

Alison!

Mamie, something went missing in my post, I meant to say, except in Spain.

That's OK Annobel, I need to have a few before I can say it properly!

Cheers! Mamie - I'll have a cerveza with you any time!

Last time we went to Spain we had Bonka coffee in the Ars cafe. I kept the napkins. I also like the Bimbo bread.