Ronda Viva: Living As An Expat In Spain

Choosing to live abroad is a brave decision, yet one that more and more people are choosing to do. Many British and German people have resettled in Spain, sometimes raising their families here, other times choosing to relocate after they've retired.

However one of the most difficult things to come to terms with is the feeling of being disconnected or a long way from home in a society you may not understand completely. Fortunately a lot of expats manage to soldier on and eventually integrate in their new community, being loved and respected by their new neighbours.

Here's an example from Ronda Viva; In 2004 Vicky's husband Joe finally retired from work he'd been looking forward to his retirement years to potter about as if every day was a weekend. His wife had also been looking forward to his retirement, but not for the same reasons. Vicky wanted to relocate from the UK to Spain.

Being a list fanatic (she had been nicknamed Schindler by her work colleagues), Vicky wrote a detailed list describing her idea of a dream life in Spain. The list included sunny weather, spanish food and culture, cheaper cost of living, and of course cheap flights back to the UK to see family.

Joe wasn't convinced and retaliated with a list of his own, they don't speak Spanish, there are too many flies, and moving house isn't something he enjoys doing. To this day nobody knows quite how Vicky managed to get her way, although nagging might have been a distinct possibility.

Five years later, Vicky and Joe had endured being the new English neighbours in a small Spanish town, their removal truck had destroyed the village fountain, they reluctantly became chicken farmers (despite being retired), and the village ladies took Vicky under their wing and taught her to cook Spanish style.

To celebrate their first five years in Spain, Vicky wrote her first book, "Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools" a hilarious autobiography of her and Joe's time in Andalusia, complete with rib splitting descriptions of the local characters, Andalusian animals, and their exploits in Spain.

We meet the Spanish neighbour who enjoys a couple of fingers of brandy in his morning coffee, the friend who is way too large and owns ten dogs, her 85yr old sex kitten mother, and a bevy of odd and assorted characters who make their presence felt.

Vicky's book is released in October 2009, and has been reviewed on Ronda Viva, a lifestyle magazine on the web for expats in Ronda and on the Costa del Sol. An autographed copy of the book is being given away by Victoria Twead and Ronda Viva to celebrate the launch of the book, you only need to email them with your reason why you should win the book.

Books like these are some of the ways expats in Spain can help each other, and of course they're usually swapped from person to person as well. Living in a foreign country brings expats closer together, and new communities develop. Magazine websites like Ronda Viva keep them informed.