Hello,
So back in April, I was planning on quitting my job, which I'm really not enjoying, and moving to Spain with my wife and 5 year old daughter. We are actually here now, for a week so far in the city of Valencia, and at this point my wife and I both strongly feel Spain isn't the right fit for us. Originally we wanted to sem-retire in Spain for two or three years, maybe have our daughter become fluent in the language, and meet new friends and enjoy the culture. I'll give the positives of our week in Spain about the city of Valencia, the people, culture, food and so on, as well as the negatives. Please note, I've lived in big cities in Asia (mostly China) for the last 18 years, so I'm not coming from a suburb in the U.S.
Pro's
People - Very warm, kind-hearted people. Helpful and friendly. They LOVE to chat, and incorporate that into food/drink in their daily lives, which is a nice change from some places where nobody really talks to each other anymore, instead sits in their homes looking at a screen.
Location - Easy access to the rest of Europe to explore. Also transportation like the roads, and also public transportation are excellent and not too expensive.
Cost - Clothing, food, housing and all inexpensive when you compare it to northern Europe or even the East/West coast of the U.S. 800 Euro's for a two bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown, where you can walk to everything.
City Life - If your into living in the city, Valencia is a great place to live. Its noisy, its somewhat grimy, but the size of the city is great. Its not too large and not too small. There are some beautiful tree-lined streets to live on where there are tons of bars and outdoor restaurants. Everything is easy to walk to.
Cons
Language - For those of you who speak Spanish, or at least a low level of conversation Spanish, Spain might be for you. If you speak 5 to 10 words like my wife and I do, well then its going to be a challenge. I walked all over the city of Valencia (Spain's 3rd largest) and I think once I heard someone speak English. EVERYONE is speaking Spanish. I don't blame them, and I'm certainly not saying people should be accomadating Americans or native English speakers, but the local language, as well as the culture and lifestyle are very strong and influential. As much as I'd love to learn Spanish and become fluent, I'm 40 years old, and I think that ship has sailed. Plus, I plan on moving back to the U.S. because I want my daughter to grow up and be educated in the U.S.
Culture Differences - As an American, the Spanish culture is very different to what I'm use to. As my wife and I are getting ready for bed at 10pm each night, most families here in Spain are cooking and having their dinner. Its loud, there's a lot of listening to people chatting and yelling at each other. Most restaurants don't open for lunch until 2pm, and then close at 4pm and open back up for dinner at 8 or 9pm. I just can't nor do I want to adjust. I like getting up very early, and going to bed early. Also, like I said above, EVERYTHING is in Spanish. Every movie at the movie theater is dubbed in Spanish, even if its a Hollywood movie. TV is all in Spanish. Its a great culture and I can totally see how people love it, but if you can't speak Spanish, your just going to feel like a tourist all the time. You'll be like those Brits who live in the Algarves or other beachy places in Southern Spain and Portugal who live in those British expat bubbles. That's not what I want.
Education - I don't feel comfortable sending my daughter into a public school in Spain, since she can't speak the language. We visited the American International School in Valencia, and over 90% of the students were simply Spanish kids who came from upper middle class or wealthy families and wanted to send their kids to a private school to learn English. My wife and I were not fans of it and felt our daughter's international school in China was much better and more diverse.
Overall, its a beautiful country and great people, but its just not for us. The people are beautiful. I've been to many Asian cities where the women were good looking, but in Spain, there is something in the water. The women (and the men) are amazingly beautiful. Even the older women in their 40's and 50's are beautiful and dress nicely.
If your young, single and interested in learning Spanish or already have a background in it, I can see young people wanting to move to one of the larger cities in Spain. Also, if your coming from living in the suburbs of the U.S. or UK, I can see people attracted to the walkability and cute neighborhoods of living downtown. Even single middle aged people, or people married but wthout kids, I can see Valencia or Madrid or Barcelona being a great fit. A 40 something year olf couple with young kids might be a different story, but it depends on what you like a value for your kids. Personally, I'm burnt out on living in a city now. I was in Ireland vacationing and rented a home in a small town. We had a huge backyeard with grass and my daughter ran around playing in the neighborhood with other kids who live in the area and she loved it. My wife had picnics with her on the grass and we played sports games as well. Its just something we prefer right now at this moment in our lives.
I'm going to stick it out another year or two in China, and then make arrangements to move to the U.S. with my family. In the U.S. I will semi-retire, and start up a real estate company where my wife and I together will restore homes and sell them for a small profit. I'm very interested in real estate, so doing that on the side as I retire from the corporate world at 42 years old will be enough, along with spending more time with my wife and daughter.
I'm very happy we checked out Spain. Its a beautiful country with amazing people, but its just not the right fit for me and my family right now.