Surviving in Spain

6 Golden Rules for surviving in Spain

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Not being able to adjust to change is the one of the most common reasons many expats give up and go back home. We have taken the experiences and advice of different people adjusting to life in Spain to produce this simple survival rulebook.

Rule 1: Don’t lose your temper:
This will be the first rule you will break. Don’t worry, that’s normal. The Spanish are an expressive people. You might see what appears to you to be aggressive body language in a discussion between the best of friends. It’s OK in a social setting, but when it comes to getting a public servant or employee to help you, keep your cool. Getting angry will often mean the person you are talking to is less likely to be helpful. It might be the case that the person doesn’t have the authority to sort out your problem or the ability to let you speak to a superior.You can shout, scream and bang desks, but this will probably not solve your problem. On the phone you will get hung up on you. This will probably make you even more frustrated. You phone back and try to make an official complaint that you have been hung up on. Companies like Telefonica or Jazztell will then tell you to send a fax with your complaint; mmm, do you think that this is really going to help solve your problem?

Rule 2:  Be patient and use emotional intelligence:
The best way to get anything done is to appeal to the human side of whoever you are talking to. Be nice, call them by their name and make them happy to help you. Whatever the rules are, Spain is a land of exceptions and people are used to negotiating backwards and forward to get things done. Follow their example. You need to find out how to fix your problem and then convince someone to help you do so.

Rule 3: Plan at Spanish speed :
When planning things, leave plenty of room for manoeuvre. If you are told it will take two weeks to get a phone line, plan for four. Things tend to take time to happen in Spain and the concept of fast customer service (or sometimes any customer service) is lacking in many companies. I asked a Spanish person why everyone puts up with it and was told – with a shrug – “¡Es lo que hay!”, that’s just how it is. Back home, if your ADSL provider messes you about, shout, change provider and get them on a TV consumer programme. In Spain, you can be assured they are all as bad as each other, so changing may leave you even longer without working Internet…

Rule 4: Sort your Spanish out
If you plan to live in Spain, you need to speak Spanish. There are of course many foreigners with hardly any Spanish. And yes, many people survive OK with just the basics, but in our experience those who make the effort to get fluent and comfortable with the language enjoy life a lot more. It is hard, but everyone can learn a language and the benefits are big. No more excuses, just get on with it. It will be very frustrating at times and you might feel you are never going to express yourself properly, stick with it – you will get there.

Rule 5: Spanish Bureaucracy always wins:
Yep, you have no choice but to comply with the rules. There is a lot of paperwork that needs to be done and very few short cuts. Don’t put things off, make sure you find out what you need to do and get it done. Otherwise, you might rapidly find things getting even more complicated than they should be and that just creates more work.

Rule 6: Keep cool and don’t loose your temper:
Yes, this might look a lot like rule 1, but it is surprising how many people forget this one!One of the most common comments we hear from expats everywhere is, “it’s not like at home!” Try thinking about it the other way; the reason you are probably there is because it is not like at home. Everywhere has positive and negative points, once you accept the downsides to life in Spain and stop getting frustrated, you can go back to enjoying all of the great advantages this country offers! Oh, and remember to learn more Spanish. ¡Que tengas suerte!

By Simon Lynch
www.justlanded.com