Looking back at our first month in Spain. How has it turned out?
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31 Comments
We've had a very mild fall here in Missoula. I went bicycling yesterday. But the snow is supposed to return tonight. The bicycling there has anywhere in Montana, or most of the US beat, hands down. Enjoy, and keep those nice cycling videos coming. Best wishes getting through the paperwork. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
There are great sources of info for expats/immigrants on Facebook groups
Learning the language was much harder than I thought, despite attending a local college twice a week. At first the speed of conversations can be daunting but eventually your ear starts to define words you recognise. For the bureaucracy I found it easier and quicker to use an agency who are familiar with the system and its idiosyncrasies. We have lived here for 8 years now the positives far outweigh the negatives. For cycling it is perfect especially at this time of year, cooler and quieter.
My god, you are so American. Expecting a manual on how to move to a country with an older culture, a rich language and historically justified habits. Get off your high horses. You’re experiencing the world 🌍!
Try moving to India 🇮🇳 or Japan 🇯🇵. You wouldn’t last a week.
The best thing about what you're doing is that you have each other, doing it together. Nothing sweeter than that.
I really like the "real time" nature of these updates. Much better than reading a novel written 2 years later. Good luck as always
How about you start reviewing bike/components/parts again? Forget the boutique stuff for a bit: Decathlon Girona is your friend. 90% of Europeans shop for their bike parts there anyway. But good Van Rysel / Triban / Riverside product reviews in English are scarce in Youtube: that's your new niche!
There's a million gringos all over Europe vlogging about the differences of living in Europe vs USA. Boring. Expand your target audience. I'm not saying stop catering to the gringos. But you're in Europe now. Embrace the new market. You need to use your skills (cycling product reviews in English) and pivot towards more mainstream European products and price points. There's this guy who's the English YouTube king of chinese AE products: Trace Velo. But the crown for the Review King of Decathlon cycling products is still available. Go for it!
It's nice to see that you enjoy the freedom to roam freely even on private property. No farmer will come in Europe, and threaten you (or worse) because of some weird, outdated amendment.
Great video, and I laughed at the paper work problems as I been through it myself.
In time things settle, but there's never a time things settle if that makes sense.
Immediately recognized Barcelona. Love that city so much – unfortunetly haven't been since fall of 2019. 😞
What you're describing I think happens in any expat journey, and the truth is that the journey is always longer and more difficult than you think it will be. When I found myself in my second year teaching English in China (suddenly in a classroom of 2-year-olds and woefully underqualified, but that's definitely another story), I was still reeling from the bureaucracy there. In Spain, at least there tend to be less moments when it is necessary to engage with it, though they are always costly. But as with this and the Catalan/Spanish learning journey — don't sweat it too much. You'll get used to or adapt to the things you don't like, you'll learn the languages with time, you'll make lots of valuable connections even before you achieve mastery of either language, and you'll end up having had tons of incredible experiences you didn't expect along the way. Good luck and happy trails guys!
Good, honest vlog, think that you have to realise that you have moved to a very unique part of Spain and that you highlight a deep and long culture.i am not anti USA but I find that Americans always struggle when they have to do things differently, the old world is more complex but that makes it interesting. I would love to be able to shop in the way you describe, no dirty great Malls full of people wanting a convenience that comes at a cost not only to them, their communities but also the planet with over processed products and foods, and even meat. Sorry if this appears a negative at you but listening to parts was difficult and i felt highlights the reason why the rest of the world doesn’t “get” Americanisation. I am an avid watcher of your content but in the same spirit as your video, wanted to give you an honest assessment. I look forward to how you feel after 6months and suspect you will have become Europeans😊
Languagewise I know exactly how you are feeling! I lived 6 years in german speaking Switzerland. I speak/spoke a reasonable good german, and could communicate with other using that. But the swiss also speaks switzer dütch, which is really hard to learn. So moving to a dual language place is just very hard!
I really appreciate your channel and this new venture you taking on but after watching this videos i had to sit down and shake my head, had a good laugh and felt i should share some tips with you. I have grown up in Romania during the 70's ad 80's through the thick of communism, i live in the US now and visit family in Europe every year. i have relatives and friends all over Europe( Romania, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium) You have to adapt and be able to activate that switch between US and EU, the easiest way to learn quick is to make local friends, don't analyze and ration everything , stop comparing the life there with life in US, embrace the local customs , flavor and tradition. Growing up in Eastern EU is not the same like Spain or other country in western Europe neither is like US, whenever i travel anywhere i turn all my attention to what locals do and i copy as quick as possible. I recommend you do the same, You must adopt a emigrant approach, where the quicker you adapt the easier it will be , time is off the essence, failure is not an option you can always hire a legal firm and for a modest fee could educate you what is necessary and how to get around bureaucracy, lots of hospitality services, concierge and travel bureau have trained stuff do deal with people who just moved there. If your heart is into it , the process would be easy and full filling, after all you have all the modern tools to make it quick, imagine how people had to do it before internet, apps and youtube was around . There are many many schools and programs that offer language classes for the foreigners, you start there, make a lot of friends and benefit from the programs, most teachers there are extremely friendly and helpful..Don't act like you are from US, just act like you are not from there. Good luck
Imagine you are child and just moved there, your parents enroll you in school, have no friends, don't know the language but have no choice, few months later you have a new life , be that child and become twice the person you are today, moving to a different country doesn't mean you have to replace anything but to add to who you are, cycling if fantastic in EU, from the culture , tradition, passion and infrastructure there is no better place to ride .
Very cool
Enjoy each day
It is pretty cute hearing Americans enjoying the fact that walking is a viable mode of transport. It is the most basic form of transport and we definitely missed something as a species when we started building infrastructure in such a way that walking isn't a viable way to participate in society.
Welcome to Europe, I've been here in Holland for a total of 18 years, 10 years on my first tour now going on 9 years with my 2nd tour. I've been through it all when getting here the 1st time. The best I can say just go with it, it's part of life getting into the flow over here and if you have too, get back into your own vibe and tweak it a bit here and there to make things work for you and your other half. As for the narrow roads, this comes from way back when the cars were much smaller and is some cases still are smaller than what's in the U.S. But I feel sorry for the tall Dutch Population here they will cram their tall bodies into these compacts over here, also the street light are like almost right above you not as like in the U.S. where the street lights are on the other side, end game they need to hunch over their steering wheel look up to see when the lights will change, now many are now walking around hunchbacked. One thing I miss about riding in the U.S. where I lived there was a fair amount of mountains if I wanted to go over to the coast we had to ride over the Santa Cruz mountains, here in Holland, it's flat less of course the Southern part, there's some rollers there but that's about it. Enjoy your stay in Spain.
Simple rules that apply to self-integration in Great Britain, all EU and Eastern EU countries are: 1- Find a local pub of your choice (cycle pub, jazz pub, artist pub…not the tourist one!!!)) 2 – be regular and if possible daily, drink a cup of coffee or whatever and read the newspaper even if you don't understand it (it would help with the language!), go out and make friends, also with the waiters they are very important for networking, take your new friends out for dinner, bike ride, go to their parties and make new friends, make some appointments, let them introduce you to their city, and they will be happy to explain to you how the city and the government works, they can easily make a few phone calls for you or even personally guide you through the foggy administrative corridors! Don't isolate yourself (!). Europeans are still 'tribal' and the pubs are still the networking center and meeting point for the 'tribe', it is in genes. Let them know you, and if they trust you, they'll let you into the "tribe"!
Guys, this will sound strange. But take the helmet mirrors off for a week and see if people talk to you more. Nothing marks you out as USA like those mirrors. You just do not need them in Europe. If you want to meet a bike designer working on a printed gravel bike who lives right there, let me know. LOVE YOUR work – we followed you around the USA when we biked there years ago – our tent pegs were in the same holes!
It takes lots of time to settle in, I moved from France to UK and it took me 3 years to finally find myself comfortable in the country, you settle in after 2-3 months but it takes way more time to get all the culture and languages tricks. It's also easier for europeans to move from countries to countries, I would probably need a lot of time to adapt if I moved to the US too! Good luck 🙂 stay positive and take your time, settling in will happen naturally.
Something that blows my mind going on 15 years living in Spain is that in Catalonia there doesn't exist a single school—not one—in which a child can receive an education in Spanish as a first language. You can receive an education in English, German, French, I suppose Italian, but not Spanish. If y'all are up for a roadtrip go to Igorre in the Basque Country for a cross race this Sunday (Dec 10). Igorre is the cathedral of cross in Spain. You'd have to hustle but you can find footage of Nys & company racing there. It's grassroots and a cool scene. There are some other races around Valencia or further south. Locally, the race in Les Franqueses del Valles is also very good—and Vic—as far as the Copa Catalana.
The Big Diference is the Fútbol (Football UK). Not a soccer US. And fútbal passion culture. The very very Big impressive.
Same Road Cycling passions . And all Metrics, KMs etc, is a litle diferent from US
Weather C not a F.
Great to get the lowdown on alternative riding around that area. 👍
Hello "couple", I have been subscribed to your channel for a long time and now that you are residing in the "Península Ibérica/Iberian Peninsula" (Portugal/Spain). I am very curious to follow the process of adaptation of some "gringos" (I say it without malice, no offense, I hope you take it as an irony), who come from the "center of the empire". I always think, USA a land built by emigrants and that is for many "land of dreams", and the difficulty that the rulers of the "White House" put every day in their borders for them to enter to share that dream. For now money, always has open borders, human beings are not so lucky. I will be always attentive to your videos and with the wish that you are well on this earth, and with the wish that next Christmas and the entry into the New Year you will be very happy.
I’m sure the main market in Girona will have everything you need across its multiple stalls.
I may have missed it in an earlier video but which bikes did you bring with you to Girona or did you buy them there?
My condolences about your olive oil prices.
Is the digital nomad visa just for business purposes,do you have to start to trade and provide services?
The time it takes to shop or adapt to bureaucracy is only a problem if you’re feeling like you should be somewhere else, doing something “more important,” right? It’s important to clarify in your mind what you contribute to your new community as a priority over what the new community can/should do for you. Makes new relationships evolve much faster and become more satisfying.
What language did you speak in Montana?