Dear friends,
Today’s article comes up a little later than usual (not because I’m Spanish :-) ). I spent almost a week in Germany working as a translator at an international fair. That’s the main reason. And guess what it was: cold, cold and more cold!
My flight was Alicante-Amsterdam-Cologne. It was like jumping from our Spanish April to December in a few hours. The return trip was the other way around, like travelling from the North Pole to Hawai in a short time.
I was prepared though: winter jacket, gloves, hat, and warm cloths. Those five years in the state of Illinois, near Chicago (the windy city), taught me some good lessons. Aren’t we lucky to have this weather in this area of Spain? More than 300 days of sunshine. Wonderful. Isn’t it?
Well, it’s been raining for the last few days, and the forecast says that will rain a bit more in the next few days. No problem. It will probably go away until October or November!
If you are not living here, and live in a cold area, I truly encourage you to visit us. Come to Spain. Bring the whole family, including pets. Move to the Costa Blanca south, in particular to the Torrevieja area, and enjoy our good weather, beaches and relaxing life (I’m kind of good at Spanish marketing, right?).
Anyway, today I’d like to share with you all an interesting article written by Ian Komaskey where he shows how life is in Spain through Irish eyes. I’m already preparing Norwegian, German and Scottish versions. What nationality are you from? Would you like to share how you see Spain through your eyes? Send me an email please and let’s talk about it.
All the best,
David
[hr style=double-line margin_top= margin_bottom=]LIFE IN SPAIN THROUGH IRISH EYES
I´ve lived and worked on the Costa Blanca since 2002. I met my wife here, had our baby here in 2011 and have set up my home in La Zenia.
I personally feel La Zenia and the Costa Blanca in general is as Irish or as Spanish as I want it to be.
Let me explain… I wake up in the mornings and listen to RTE radio. I open my computer and read the Irish times (and sometimes even the Westmeath Examiner). Wi-Fi makes it so easy to keep in touch with home and it’s very important to me.
I watch Irish TV at home most evenings, and very much enjoy the quality of the sports coverage in particular- Its only when you are away from home you realise how good Dunphy, Hook and Cahill really are.
My baby wears his Ireland Rugby top, we drink pints of Guinness, go the St Patricks day parade and eat Soda bread. So, are we in Ireland?
Well, on the other hand this morning I walked Messi, our dog, on the beach at 8 am in my shorts- could not do that in Mullingar!
I play Paddle in an almost exclusively Spanish club in Pilar de la Horadada with mostly Spanish people- it’s a big change from my squash days and most of my Irish friends still struggle to get their head around the idea that it’s like tennis with a glass wall surrounding the court. Would I ever have played had I not left Ireland all those years ago – of course not.
A couple of times per year I go to see a La Liga game- most recently I took a train from Alicante to see the Madrid Derby- Cheap tickets, cheap hotel and one of the biggest derbys in the world- all only four hours away.
My little man goes to Spanish Nursery where he is totally immersed in the language- his teachers speak no English and apart from the odd Russian, German and English speakers in his „class” he is speaking or babbling at least, Spanish all day. I love the fact that this for him will be normal.
We start our work day with a coffee in the sunshine around 9.30. We never mention the commute to work, the terrible jam on the roads or the fact we had to leave home at 6,30. In fact, I walk the 8 minutes to work most days!
So, Spain though Irish eyes- yes its Irish, yes its very Spain- Do we have the best of both worlds? Quite possibly.
——————-
Article contributed by Ian Comaskey, director of Comaskey Properties La Zenia.
Credit image: Mike Young
My new two services are almost ready to be introduced: Websites that you will fully manage + online marketing strategies to attract more potential clients and generate more money. Are you ready to invest in your business and generate more profits? If not, that’s fine, but remember: no action, no reaction!
In the mean time, as usually, don’t forget to register and download “Why are we always late in Spain?” at no cost.
Pasjonat – Oddany – Profesjonalista
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podnieś swoją obecność cyfrową z avada business –podnieś swoją obecność cyfrową z avada business –
Pasjonat – Oddany – Profesjonalista
osiągnij swoje cele z zamiarem i strategią
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Before we get into the paperwork, I’ll briefly talk about “the Spanish Triumvirate”.
In ancient Roma, a “triumvirate” was a form of government composed of three people.
The Free Dictionary states that:
<< First Triumvirate was formed in 60 bc by “Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey”>>
<< Second Triumvirate was established in 43 bc by “Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian”>>
Fortunately, I’m not going to go any further with boring dates and weird names.
DEFINITIONS
If you look in Cambridge Dictionary it describes triumvirate as:
“A group of three people who are in control of an activity or organisation”
The Spanish Triumvirate is a concept I have made up, which I define as:
“A group of three essential documents that will control three important areas of your life in Spain”
I know, it sounds like the George Orwell’s 1984: “Big Brother is watching you”, doesn’t?
(It could be real, but life goes on…)
Well, don’t get scared… it’s that bad. Anyhow, you’ll need the documents!
PAPERWORK: THE SPANISH TRIUMVIRATE
All right, let’s get serious :-) No need to extend the mystery any longer.
Here’s my Spanish Triumvirate (expected publication date next to the name):
• Padron (Sunday 28/09/2014)
• Foreigners’ documentation (NIE – Sunday 05/10/2014, Spanish Residency – Sunday 12/10/2014, Visas – 19/10/2014)
• Spanish Health Card (Sunday 26/10/2014)
(Official logo of the Spanish Government)
The three areas that the Spanish Triumvirate will control are:
• local residency
• national residency
• health care
I will speak in depth of each of them in the following weeks, as this is the first article of a series of six articles.
FOR WHOM IS THIS?
I have written these articles thinking on three possible sets of readers (European Union citizens or non):
• Residents – people who live in Spain all year long or big part of it. These articles will refresh what they know already or will give them more knowledge about the topics I will cover.
• Non-residents – by this I mean those who have properties (or not) in Spain but don’t live here permanently. It’ll definitely be a good guide in case they decide moving to Spain.
• Newcomers – those thinking on moving to Spain having little or no knowledge on the basic legal documents they will need once here. Newcomers have not visited Spain yet as tourist, or perhaps have been already here a few times.
(„A happy life consists in tranquility of mind” – Cicero)
A LITTLE ADVANCE
Whether if you have lived already in Spain or not, this set of articles will give you an insight of the three procedures (covered in 5 articles).
Anyway, I consider them “essential procedures” to reside legally in Spain and be covered by the health system (or even work or do business).
The following list is a little advance of what I’ll be talking about:
• Padron = it’s an official certificate that states the address and city where you live in Spain.
• NIE number = It is a fiscal number to carry out legal activities (purchase properties, pay tax, get employed, register a business, etc).
• Spanish residency = It is a card stating your name, surname, address, nationality, as well as a NIE number. You must apply for it if you are going to live in Spain for more than 3 months (for European citizens or non).
• Spanish visas = it’s a legal permission to stay in Spain for a determined amount of time. There three types detailed on the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Spanish Health card = It is a card used to receive health care services at Spanish medical centres or hospitals.
FINAL THOUGHT
Unless we live on the mountains away from cities, towns or any other form of concentration of human beings, our lives will always be ruled by “paperwork”. One way or another.
Yeah, in Spain it can be a bit annoying when it comes to collecting this and that for whatever procedure (including how long it will take to have the final document).
But I can tell you that I really doubt there’s a single country on the earth where you get everything at no time or economical cost.
I know that certain processes are faster in other countries than Spain. As in Spain there are things that cannot be found / done in those countries.
There has not been any perfect country.
There is no perfect country.
There will never be a perfect country.
It’s all about how much good / bad you get in general, rather than how long it takes.
David
Credit Image: Urban Snaps, sd, Wikimedia
[hr style=double-line margin_top= margin_bottom=]
Please, like me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/torreviejatranslation
And don’t forget to „share the knowledge” :-)
Pasjonujący – Oddany – Profesjonalny
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Dear friends,
Today’s article comes up a little later than usual (not because I’m Spanish ). I spent almost a week in Germany working as a translator at an international fair. That’s the main reason. And guess what it was: cold, cold and more cold!
My flight was Alicante-Amsterdam-Cologne. It was like jumping from our Spanish April to December in a few hours. The return trip was the other way around, like travelling from the North Pole to Hawai in a short time.
I was prepared though: winter jacket, gloves, hat, and warm cloths. Those five years in the state of Illinois, near Chicago (the windy city), taught me some good lessons. Aren’t we lucky to have this weather in this area of Spain? More than 300 days of sunshine. Wonderful. Isn’t it?
Well, it’s been raining for the last few days, and the forecast says that will rain a bit more in the next few days. No problem. It will probably go away until October or November!
If you are not living here, and live in a cold area, I truly encourage you to visit us. Move to Spain. Bring the whole family, including pets. Come to the Costa Blanca south, in particular to the Torrevieja area, and enjoy our good weather, beaches and relaxing life (I’m kind of good at marketing, right?).
Anyway, today I’d like to share with you all an interesting article written by Ian Komaskey where he shows how life is in Spain through Irish eyes. I’m already preparing Norwegian, German and Scottish versions. What nationality are you from? Would you like to share how you see Spain through your eyes? Send me an email please and let’s talk about it.
All the best,
David
[hr style=double-line margin_top= margin_bottom=]LIFE IN SPAIN THROUGH IRISH EYES
I´ve lived and worked on the Costa Blanca since 2002. I met my wife here, had our baby here in 2011 and have set up my home in La Zenia.
I personally feel La Zenia and the Costa Blanca in general is as Irish or as Spanish as I want it to be.
Let me explain… I wake up in the mornings and listen to RTE radio. I open my computer and read the Irish times (and sometimes even the Westmeath Examiner). Wi-Fi makes it so easy to keep in touch with home and it’s very important to me.
I watch Irish TV at home most evenings, and very much enjoy the quality of the sports coverage in particular- Its only when you are away from home you realise how good Dunphy, Hook and Cahill really are.
My baby wears his Ireland Rugby top, we drink pints of Guinness, go the St Patricks day parade and eat Soda bread. So, are we in Ireland?
Well, on the other hand this morning I walked Messi, our dog, on the beach at 8 am in my shorts- could not do that in Mullingar!
I play Paddle in an almost exclusively Spanish club in Pilar de la Horadada with mostly Spanish people- it’s a big change from my squash days and most of my Irish friends still struggle to get their head around the idea that it’s like tennis with a glass wall surrounding the court. Would I ever have played had I not left Ireland all those years ago – of course not.
A couple of times per year I go to see a La Liga game- most recently I took a train from Alicante to see the Madrid Derby- Cheap tickets, cheap hotel and one of the biggest derbys in the world- all only four hours away.
My little man goes to Spanish Nursery where he is totally immersed in the language- his teachers speak no English and apart from the odd Russian, German and English speakers in his „class” he is speaking or babbling at least, Spanish all day. I love the fact that this for him will be normal.
We start our work day with a coffee in the sunshine around 9.30. We never mention the commute to work, the terrible jam on the roads or the fact we had to leave home at 6,30. In fact, I walk the 8 minutes to work most days!
So, Spain though Irish eyes- yes its Irish, yes its very Spain- Do we have the best of both worlds? Quite possibly.
——————-
Article contributed by Ian Comaskey, director of Comaskey Properties La Zenia,
Credit image:
My new two services are almost ready to be introduced: Websites that you will fully manage + online marketing strategies to attract more potential clients and generate more money. Are you ready to invest in your business and generate more profits? If not, that’s fine, but remember: no action, no reaction!
In the mean time, as usually, don’t forget to register and download “Why are we always late in Spain?” at no cost.
Pasjonujący – Oddany – Profesjonalny
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