# The little things in life Spanish style...



## Streetglide (Jul 11, 2012)

This is my first post and thank you all in advance on any help you could kindly offer.

I live in northern California, where I grew up. But for 20 years ending in 2008, I lived in Tokyo. Worked at NHK television and taught at Tokyo Woman's Christian University -- a top college there.

I must continue in my government job for three more years and then I can retire on a small pension and American social security. I’ll retire at 70. My questions are petty but...

In the evening, and you are too tired to go out, what do you watch on the television? I ask because I became used to Japanese TV and enjoyed much of it because it became "normal." I was a broadcast announcer for Sumo in English for many years on NHK television and became familiar with parts of Japanese culture my ex-pat friends knew nothing about.

Second question.: I have cats and a dog that are my family. They are all rescue critters, some from Japan others from the streets of Sacramento. Has anyone brought a pet to Spain with them and was it difficult?

I know these are small questions but it is the little things that can either put a spanner in the works or make life great.

Thank you,

Streetglide


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

In the evenings, you do whatever you feel like doing. In the summer its warm in the evenings, so sitting out on terraces, BBQs, visiting bars, restaurants, wandering around the shops (which stay open fairly late due to closing for siesta during the hot afternoons)... or staying in watching TV - you choose. 

Your pets will need pet passports, which involve visits to the vet to get the necessary jabs, microchips and checks. 

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

If you have all the required paperwork for your pets, you will have no problems bringing your pets.
I help run an animal rescue charity so it's good to hear you have rescued pets..
As for tv....you can get English-language satellite tv as well as Spanish tv. We have British Sky satellite tv bit of the hundreds of channels only about four are worth regularly watching, apart from news channels. We prefer to read and chat.
I think you would enjoy life in Spain as much as I do. So far I have found very little if anything to dislike and every day I am becoming more of a miserable old sod.
I put it down to my age...


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

In Nerja there is an International club which attracts members from many countries although predominantly UK. The age group it attracts is around 50 - 80 and they have a huge social life with trips, meals and topical events organised several times each week; I am sure there will be other such organisations in other parts of Spain so when you are here it is worth looking out for them. There are always many Japanese tourists here so you would feel quite at home. We receive Hong Kong news channel but nothing in Japanese I'm afraid although that doesn't mean it is impossible!! However, much of southern Spain enjoys outdoor living so for most of the year you probably won't be watching TV but just sit outside enjoying the balmy evenings. We let our Sky + box record everything and then when it is full we delete it!!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

We brought our two cats over, but because we live in a village full of stray dogs and disease-ridden feral cats they were not allowed out of the house. They didn't mind ... they were 16 years old and slept most of the time.

We watch movies and American TV series on regular free-to-air Spanish TV. You can turn off the irritating Spanish overdubbing. There is some good home-grown stuff too, once your Spanish is up to speed (a good way of improving it).

We also download programmes using bit-torrent software and play them back on the TV via a USB in the DVD player. This is very convenient and you don't get all the adverts.


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## Streetglide (Jul 11, 2012)

Thanks all for your kind replies. I'll keep plugging along at this job and count the days, months, years until I can meet all of you. :- )


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

I like watching Spanish TV as it gives me a little more of an idea about the culture (not just the so-called 'real Spain' culture), what is going on in wider Spain, and because it improves my Spanish.
(But I do watch English and American programs with the dubbing switched off).

If we don't want to go out far afield in the evening (which is most of the time as we have a large number of rescue dogs...), we sit on the wall and chat to the neighbours, or visit the bar in the next street which has a wide age group of patrons, from teens to nineties (and children running about as well).

Sometimes we visit friends for a beer (not wine strangely enough - must be our particular friends  ). They are usually Spanish or a mix of Spanish and with the odd English or Scottish spouse thrown in.
Apart from that, when asked, we help the local kids with their English homework and my husband likes sitting in with the local rock band, just listening really (although the whole village can hear that, but never mind,  ).

Keep on plugging away at that job and counting the days Streetglide.
And I hope you can make it here, as I think you'll enjoy it.


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2012)

"The evening" here is much later than you might be accustomed to. Dinner at 10:30 ending sometimes at 1ish...the most difficult (not that difficult) thing is getting on Spanish time. I've often invited friends for an early dinner (8ish) and they say fantastic idea but first let's take a walk...and at 10:30 we eat..jajajaja

We still have a hard time getting to the local shops when they are actually open so we end up doing a lot of window shopping. I'm starting to think it may be better to just buy online.

As for Spanish TV...I find it difficult to watch as the US programs predominate and rather than mute the English, you can hear it in the background...my brain still wants to pick out the English...so I just don't watch it unless it in one language of the other.


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## Streetglide (Jul 11, 2012)

Thank you Sol. I played guitar, dobro and and pedal steel guitar for a living for many years. Played witha bunch of famous dead people... -L- and I play the Cajun 10-button accordion as well. Was kind of wondering what the music scene is there. My four years of school Spanish will have to be unearthed from under the Nihongo though. Buenos Dias! Ogenki desuka? That sort of problem...


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

folklore said:


> As for Spanish TV...I find it difficult to watch as the US programs predominate and rather than mute the English, you can hear it in the background...my brain still wants to pick out the English...so I just don't watch it unless it in one language of the other.


Really? Are you using the TV audio settings to select the language? We can't hear any dubbing on ours!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Really? Are you using the TV audio settings to select the language? We can't hear any dubbing on ours!


there are one or two programmes where this seems/seemed to happen - Ultimate Survivor was one (don't think that's a US one though :confused2 but it doesn't seem to happen now

you would be watching in Spanish but be just able to detect the English in teh background

if you switch it to English though, it's problem solved....


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