The Truth About Living in Spain

You know how people will post photos like “Instagram vs. Reality?” I don’t really see myself as someone who highly curates my image or digital presence, but to anyone who doesn’t talk to me on a regular basis, it may just look like I’m living the dream all of the time in Spain.

Which is totally true. This is my dream! But there are also lots of parts that aren’t easy; parts that are unglamorous and hard work, and I don’t talk about them much. So I wanted to share an inside look as to what it’s really like living in Spain. Here are my realities!

Reality: I love living in Spain and I couldn’t be happier to be here.

Like I mentioned, this is something I’ve always wanted to do. Now that I’m doing it, it’s everything I hoped it would be – and more. I know that the trajectory of my life has been changed for the better because I’m here.

Also reality: I get sick at least once a month (if not more).

The reason I’m legally able to be here is because I’m working as a language assistant in an elementary school. So I’m spending most days with 4-9 year olds. Who, I’m sure you can imagine, aren’t the most healthy and hygienic. No amount of seemingly-constant handwashing and dousing my phone with hand sanitizer can protect me from these stubborn kid germs. Normally I just get a cold, but I also got one 3-week respiratory infection that overlapped with my much-anticipated trip to Russia, and a super fun bout of tonsillitis. I suppose this is the price I pay for being here.

Reality: I love the school where I work.

Being part of a lot of Facebook groups for Spanish language assistants, I’m horrified by some of the terrible stories that other language assistants tell about their schools. My school, in a pueblo outside Madrid, has been nothing but wonderful and welcoming to me and Sarah, the other assistant, since the first day we arrived. The kids are sweet (too affectionate maybe? see above) and the teachers are always willing to go out of their way to help. We’re also always invited to parties and dinners with the staff. There are no ugly power politics at play, which unfortunately seems to be the case for many schools.

Also reality: I have a 1+ hour commute each way.

Okay, remember when I said my school is outside Madrid? I mean, really outside Madrid. By public bus, it takes almost 2 hours to get there. Despite this, I decided I’d rather live in the city than in the town of 1,800 people. Luckily, during the first week of school, the helpful teachers helped me find a carpool with one of the school’s secretaries, Conchi, who also commutes from Madrid daily. This cuts the travel time down to about 1 hour each way instead of 2. Which is still a lot, and it’s not something I love, but it’s manageable.

Reality: I only work 16 hours per week at my school.

Per the stipulations of my job contract and visa, I only work 16 hours per week at school. That’s two full days (9:30-4:30 with a 2-hour break) and two half days (9:30-1). I have Fridays off, which is pretty awesome. As you just learned though, you have to add a couple extra hours to each day when you consider travel time. But compared to the 40-hour workweeks I’ve had at previous jobs, I don’t have much to complain about with this schedule!

Also reality: I have two other jobs.

I could survive on the €1000 per month stipend, but with all the free time I have, I figured I could turn that time into extra money somehow. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, I have private English lessons/tutoring with a family in Madrid. There are three kids, between 10 and 15 years old, and I spend about an hour with each, helping them with homework, studying for tests, playing games, or just talking. I really enjoy it, but these are also my full days at school, so I go directly from school to their house and I don’t get home until after 9pm. Exhausting, but worth it. Also, at the end of October I got hired as an editor for a Madrid-based content platform for young journalists. I usually edit and upload about 10 articles for them each week. Luckily, I can do this wherever I want, whenever I have free time.

Reality: I’m improving my Spanish

One of my main reasons I wanted to live in Spain was the opportunity to improve my Spanish. Though I studied it all throughout high school and majored in it during college, in the three years after college I never used it. I’ve had a lot of fun practicing – like in the car every day with Conchi, driving to school from Madrid – and surprising myself with how much I’m able to communicate, but I still am far from where I want to be. I am able to look back and see improvement from my first weeks in Spain, though!

Also reality: Doing everything in Spanish makes life really hard sometimes

Applying for a visa to go to Russia? Spanish. Going to the ER because you have tonsillitis? Spanish. Going on a wild goose chase around town, desperately trying to collect the documents you need to stay in the country legally? Spanish. Everywhere. Sometimes you just want to be like “Okay, fun game, but, like, can you bring out the English speakers now? This is very important and I want to make sure I’m doing it right, but I don’t feel confident speaking my non-native language.” Unfortunately, even in situations where you really want it, there are very rarely English speakers. I guess in the long run it’s good because I have to continually test my language skills. But at the time, it just feels uncomfortable.

 

Overall, I’m really happy here, and the challenges just add to the multifaceted experience I’m having. They’re just part of life in another country. If anything I said surprised you, or if you have any questions, leave me a comment below!

-Cathy

Originally Published on February 17, 2019.