Many people have this wonderful image of Spain that it is all sun, sea and sangria; everyone is happy, the sun is always shining and there’s nothing better to do than relax with a cold beer in hand… Of course that’s true if you are on a nice two week break on the coast in the height of summer, but as an ex-pat living and working here all year round, the reality is slightly different. I thought I would write this post from an honest perspective, as it’s easy for foreigners living abroad to paint this amazing picture of how their life is full of the above stereotypes every day, and it encourages others to head in search of this dream only to be disappointed when it isn’t exactly as it seems. I know that sounds ... read more

“Are you an ex-pat? On minimum wage and a temporary part-time contract? Thinking of renting a flat in Alicante? Well contact us now: Rejectionville estate agents, serving none of your needs all of the time” We excitedly started hunting for flats in Alicante as soon as we receive our first contract in Spain, not worrying too much about the fact it states we are only on a 6 week trial and legally were only working 5 hours a week each. Right now we are focused on the task in hand and arranging viewings for flats in the sought after area of Cabo Huertas and Playa de San Juan at the north end of the city. We decided to focus our searches there as we are already working in that area and so knew it ... read more

I can’t believe we are fast approaching the end of our second week here in Spain- how time flies when you are a jobless bum lol. It’s weird to think usually we’d be gearing up to fly home now and feeling tremendously sad about that, but instead we know we remain here indefinitely… (gosh that sounds a bit like we’re holed up in prison or something). Well it’s been a bit of an up and down week for us, but mostly ups. The start of the week has been very much job focused so we’ve spent a fair amount of time travelling around the Costa Blanca handing our CVs into training centres and giving them our best Spanish phrases (Greg) and best smiles (me). The problem we face at the moment is most places only tend ... read more

After a ropey night’s sleep feeling itchy and several trips in the night to the shared toilets at the end of the corridor, we get up for half 10 and repack the car for the last time. At least we know this is the final leg of the journey and tomorrow we can just sit and relax- it’s a very nice thought. Hungry for some breakfast, we stop off at another Autogrill service station and choose our new French favourite- chicken, ratatouille and rice lol (along with another rancid coffee to wash it down with). We power on through and after what seems like a lifetime, we pass the welcome to Spain sign, woohoo! There are a number of armed policemen at the border, possibly in relation to the recent terrorist problems in France so even ... read more

On a Cold, windy morning in January, we start loading charlie the clio with all our wordly possessions for our last road trip to Dover, across France and onto our final destination of Spain! I’ve decided to take charge of the tetris-style car packing so everything fits in properly (and I don’t trust Greg to do it) as at this moment I am slightly concerned how optimistic we are about how much a Renault clio can hold. It’s all going quite well until it starts torrentially raining (with a sprinkle of hailstones chucked in for good measure) meaning I get completely soaked – I’m sooooo glad I bothered to straighten my hair this morning. Lo and behold as soon as I finish packing the car, the rain stops. Weather 1, Nikki 0. Apparently our friends have ... read more