# Spanish adventure begins today....



## tessscot (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi

I have been lurking on this site for a long time and gleaming a lot of helpful information, thank you everyone.

I now begin my adventure in Spain....today 

I have been travelling for 2.5 years, laterally I lived in Thailand for a year. I loved it but it is very far from the UK and my daughters so thought I would try Spain and I am so excited to begin this new chapter. I am 50 this year and living off my equity until my private pension kicks in (from 55 onwards)

I am in Malaga for two weeks, I'm booked into an over 50 Spanish course, staying with a host family. I'll then spend two further weeks checking out places and then plan to look for 6 month rentals.

Right now I'm thinking about renting in Malaga, Nerja, El Campello ....or anywhere that feels right on my little journey. I want to be near expats but also integrate, I'm looking for places that feel like there are lots of activities and a social scene, meet up for lunch / dinner etc. I know from my travels that joining group activities is the best way to make friends.

If anyone has any thoughts they care to share on rentals, meet up groups or anything else I would love to hear from you.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Hi and welcome!! As the summer season is nearing it's end now is not a bad time to find a long term rental. Nerja is very good for its expat community as are Frigiliana and Torrox. For an idea of what might be available try the portal 175,000 houses for sale in Spain from 2,500 real estate agents | Kyero.com as most of the main agents advertise through that site. Although it looks as though it is a sales site,, it also covers long term rental in great detail. My parents moved over to Nerja nearly 3 years ago. Now in their 80s their social life has never been so full. Mum's 81st today so we are having a party. They spend their time at parties, social events, the history society, bowls, petanque, trips to Gibraltar, Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Toledo, Madrid, visiting friends they've made all over southern Spain. I rarely see them!! In Nerja there is the International Club, an amateur dramatics group, in fact hundreds of clubs and societies. Hope that little snippet helps..


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## tessscot (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi and thank you Thrax. Nerja sounds great and from other info I've read its been in my top 3 for a while now. I hope to go to Nerja in 3 weeks and would love to catch up and check out some of these groups. Thank you for the link to the rental site, that's really helpful.


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## bellakem (May 20, 2012)

Hi and welcome! My husband and l have been in Malaga for just about a month now. I would love feedback on your experience with the school, as l am looking for classes for me. My Spanish is terrible and his is passable ..thanks..


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Cannot help with your chosen locations, 'cos I'm 900 miles away out in the Atlantic, but good luck with your move!!

Photos of where we live in the link below.


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## tessscot (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi. Bellakem. More than happy to give a review on the Spanish course. I definitely need to learn to speak Spanish, I had a lovely taxi driver but he did not speak any English and I felt like a right ignoramus! I know it'll take a long time and I'm sure to be a very slow student 
Thank you for your message Hepa


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## tessscot (Feb 9, 2014)

hiya
As requested, here is a short summary of the Spanish language school I am attending. The school I have attended is called Malaca Instituto, I have now completed two weeks Spanish lessons for 3 hrs per day. Each day there was so many things to learn both grammar and nouns etc. I found it very complicated as I don't speak any Spanish at all...nada 
The school seems very well run and organised, I am re-doing the beginners course for a further two weeks, but that is more about me being very slow.
I made many friends, but mostly they are "language course tourists" and travelling from Germany, Switzerland and Holland to learn Spanish. I was hoping to make friends that actually lived in Spain, so while it was great to meet new people, it did not really help me settle into a social environment in Spain. Also as the majority have German as a shared language, socially they spoke German a lot, although they were kind and spoke English for my benefit whenever possible. I hope this is helpful, if you want to know more about the school please let me know.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

tessscot said:


> hiya
> As requested, here is a short summary of the Spanish language school I am attending. The school I have attended is called Malaca Instituto, I have now completed two weeks Spanish lessons for 3 hrs per day. Each day there was so many things to learn both grammar and nouns etc. I found it very complicated as I don't speak any Spanish at all...nada
> The school seems very well run and organised, I am re-doing the beginners course for a further two weeks, but that is more about me being very slow.
> I made many friends, but mostly they are "language course tourists" and travelling from Germany, Switzerland and Holland to learn Spanish. I was hoping to make friends that actually lived in Spain, so while it was great to meet new people, it did not really help me settle into a social environment in Spain. Also as the majority have German as a shared language, socially they spoke German a lot, although they were kind and spoke English for my benefit whenever possible. I hope this is helpful, if you want to know more about the school please let me know.


Sounds like you're happy with the course.
As you say, the people you'll meet through these courses will not usually help you to make Spanish friends which is only to be expected really.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hi Tessscot. I'm so happy to hear that you're still in Malaga and planning on another two weeks. That's a compliment to Malaga, for sure. 

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't met Spaniards close up yet. Hopefully you will over the next two weeks. I remember Hepa recommending to someone to go to a local bar or café and just sit there to meet Spaniards. Sometimes sitting alone is uncomfortable, but it might be something you become comfortable with, if you're not already.  Or you can just go for a walk-about in the shops and speak to the Spanish store keepers. If you have any Spanish neighbours, that's another way to meet Spaniards. Being in Spain, Spaniards are all over the place, and you don't have to look far to find one. 

If you need anything, please let me know.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Hi Tessscot,

If life gets too hot in the summer months down Malaga and Andalusia, you could
do - what a number of ( temperate climate ) Expats in Spain do, and that's split
your time between Southern and Northern Spain.

That is 6 month rental in Asturias from April to September ( to get away from the
40C and above down south ) then 6 month rental down in Andalusia, Malaga way
from October to March / April, when it's pleasant but not stiffling down south.


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## tessscot (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi

Thank you for your helpful ideas.

That's well worth consideration, I was wondering whether to rent for 6 or 12 months in Nerja, maybe 6 there and then 6 further North. I love the heat, having lived in Thailand for a year, where the constant year round humidity really got to me. The only doubt I have is if I wanted to stay I might find it difficult to get a long term rental for 6 months from April in Nerja. 

I am very lucky as I am living with a Spanish lady in Malaga, she doesn't speak any English, I also get out and about to shops and cafe's so if/when I get the basics I will have the opportunity to practice Spanish. Its more that I was hoping to make friends with expats, who could become friends in Spain and wanted to do activities, meet socially and also learn Spanish. I do love Malaga, its a beautiful and interesting city, but I think I will feel more at home in Nerja. 

Its all very new and exciting.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

tessscot said:


> I am very lucky as I am living with a Spanish lady in Malaga, she doesn't speak any English, I also get out and about to shops and cafe's so if/when I get the basics I will have the opportunity to practice Spanish. Its more that I was hoping to make friends with expats, who could become friends in Spain and wanted to do activities, meet socially and also learn Spanish. I do love Malaga, its a beautiful and interesting city, but I think I will feel more at home in Nerja.
> 
> Its all very new and exciting.


 Sorry, I misunderstood you. I thought you wanted to make friends with Spanish people. Statistically speaking, since you're in Spain, you're more likely to find a Spanish friend. However, I've heard on the forum that there are lots of expats in Nerja, so perhaps your chances of finding an expat friend in Nerja are high. I see you have another thread asking information about renting in Nerja. Perhaps you can ask in that thread about the expat community? Perhaps you can ask specifically for an expat region of Nerja?


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Tessscot, I'm wondering if you can help me out. When I lived in Canada, I saw a lot of people coming to Canada and not wanting to make friends with Canadians. What they wanted to do was come to Canada and live amongst their own ethnic community. When I asked them why they would come to Canada if they didn't want to integrate, they said they had to leave their country because of wars or serious political unrest, but in fact they didn't really want to leave their home - they had to. To me, that makes a whole lot of sense.

So I'm confused with your position. Scotland is not at war, although I understand from the forum that there are serious separatist problems there. So I wonder why you want to come to Spain? If you come to Spain and you want to learn Spanish, why would you not want to be friends with a Spanish person, since they would be your best Spanish teacher? You may consider learning Spanish with an English person could be like the blind leading the blind. 

So when you say you want to live in Nerja because it feels like home, I'm thinking it's because you're looking for a very specific expat friend (that being an English-speaking expat). Why not just take a Spanish course back home and you'll find lots of English-speaking people there? 

So I'm confused as to why you want to be in Spain. 

I hope you're not offended by me asking this question.


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## tessscot (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi

Not offended at all and more than happy to clarify. You seem to be very mistaken about my position.

I absolutely do want to integrate, I'm not sure where the suggestion has come from that I do not want to integrate, I believe it is because someone misinterpreted a review of the school I attend. (I was asked for a review of the Spanish school). I am attending Spanish school as I want to learn Spanish, as I want to live in Spain. I want to communicate with Spanish people in Spanish. 

I am also living with a Spanish lady who speaks no English, as I want to integrate and learn Spanish.

I also want to meet with expats, so that I can have Spanish friends and expat friends. I would like to make expat friends who also want to learn Spanish and integrate with the Spanish people.

I am a guest in Spain and as such I totally believe that its an important first step to learn the language and culture of the country that I am a guest in. I am investing a lot of time and money to learn the Spanish language as it is important to me if I am to stay for a year in Spain.

I have lived in Thailand for the last year, I had many Thai friends that I met daily, I also had expat friends. I learnt Thai to be able to shop and make Thai friends.

I want to live in Nerja as its a small town, when I was there I spoke Spanish at every opportunity. I will continue to study Spanish and speak Spanish as I will be in Spain.

I love to travel, learn languages, learn about different cultures and meet people from these countries.

I hope this clarifies and that you are clear.

Where are you living in Spain? Why are you living in Spain? Do you speak fluent Spanish? Do you ever speak with expats? There are so many interesting stories about why we travel and I don't believe there is an absolute right or wrong way. But I do think it is important to learn the language of a country but at the same time I will also speak to anyone, Spanish, Scottish, English, German, Canadians etc


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

tessscot said:


> Hi
> 
> Not offended at all and more than happy to clarify. You seem to be very mistaken about my position.
> 
> ...


Yes, I'm clear now. Oh, I'm so relieved you weren't upset. I feel it's a minefield navigating the forum, not having met anyone, and not knowing anyone. It's hard to get a grip on who a person is without seeing them, you know?

But that's what I thought you meant at first - that you want to integrate and find Spanish friends. But then you said you're looking for English-speaking friends. Then you said you want to go to Nerja, because that feels like "home," and I assumed you meant because there are expats there. So that's the source of my confusion, and I'm not asking you to clarify anymore by saying that, other than explaining my source of confusion. 

Another thing that confused me was that you did indeed seem intent on integrating by learning Spanish and going about the shops, living with a Spanish lady, etc. So that contradicted what I was thinking. That's why and when I asked for clarification because I didn't understand you. So my question was to get on board with your thinking.

So I hope we're clear now, and what I first thought - that you want to integrate - is in fact what you want to do. Thank you for being so gentle with such a sensitive question. 




tessscot said:


> Where are you living in Spain? Why are you living in Spain? Do you speak fluent Spanish? Do you ever speak with expats? There are so many interesting stories about why we travel and I don't believe there is an absolute right or wrong way. But I do think it is important to learn the language of a country but at the same time I will also speak to anyone, Spanish, Scottish, English, German, Canadians etc


 I'm living in the Centro District of Malaga.

I'm living here because I fell in love with Spain as a child and it has always been my dream to live here.

No, my Spanish is quite bad actually, but I have a knack for languages. Also, when I was in my teens I spoke Spanish with my father, and that is very quickly coming back to me. So it's in my brain, but just has to come out.

Yes, I speak with expats. But I have decided not to do language exchange with expats because I don't know if I can stay in Spain, reason being that I'm applying for disability pension and if I don't get it, I can't afford to live in Spain. So I'm focusing my social energy instead on socialising in Spain, rather than using my social time to simply learn the language. My one best friend here is an expat from Venezuela. He's bilingual English-Spanish, which is most helpful. We're scouting out a flamenco show this week. 

I agree there is no right or wrong way to travel, as long as you are not hurting anyone else. 

I agree learning a language is helpful in enjoying your travels. But not everyone can or wants to, for whatever reason, and I respect that.

Thank you again for being so gentle with me in your response, so that I can understand where you're coming from.

Again, if you need anything, please let me know.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

P.S.

Tessscot, it just dawned on me now, after writing what I did about my Venezuelan friend, what you mean by _"Its more that I was hoping to make friends with expats, who could become friends in Spain and wanted to do activities, meet socially and also learn Spanish."_ That's exactly what I'm doing with him, and I feel so grateful for that. The fact that he is bilingual is a mega bonus, eh?


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Tessscot, I just thought of something that may help you out in learning Spanish. This may be of use to other people who are learning Spanish. This is a list of links that I use for learning Spanish. But for Google Translate, all of these have been provided to me on the forum since I joined last year. I have these all saved to my favourites. So here they are, in no particular order:

For the video, there are many similar Siesta Show videos on YouTube.






BBC - Languages - Spanish - Mi Vida Loca

https://translate.google.com/#es/en/

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary - Letter A

Intro2Spanish.com Home Page (Sub-Domain of The Language Learning Playground)

Intro2Spanish.com: Spanish Verbs: Master List Regular AR Verbs

Linguee | Diccionario espa?ol-ingl?s

Spanish Translation | Spanish to English to Spanish Translator

Spanish Idiom Dictionary | Language Realm

Spanish Slang Dictionary | Language Realm

Spanish Verb Conjugation - ir

Spanish Verbs: Master List Regular ER Verbs

Spanish Verbs: Master List Regular IR Verbs

Spanish-English / Español-Inglés - WordReference Forums

BBC - Languages - Spanish - A Guide to Spanish - The Spanish alphabet

I hope you find at one of these helpful in your journey of learning Spanish.


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