British expat David's initial plan to stay for two years in Spain got quite an extension; he's now approaching his tenth year of living in Barcelona. Here he describes what for him are the ups and downs of living in Spain, his thoughts on speaking Spanish and Catalan, his business and travel plans, and his observations about Barcelona's people and lifestyle.	David Brydon

-Where were you born?

Bishop Aukland County Durham, UK

-In which country and city are you living now?

Barcelona, Spain

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I'm married with 2 kids - Jack who's 3 and Sophie who's 1 & 1/2

-How long have you been living in Spain?

Almost 10 years! (which wasn't the plan - Barcelona is a hard place to leave!)

-What is your age?

I'm 31.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Spain?

After I finished University (English in Liverpool) I didn't know what to do, so my cousin suggested a TEFL course, and that's how I ended up here. I wanted to learn another language, and Spanish seemed to have the appeal. The original idea was to stay in Spain for 2 years (a year in Barcelona then a year in Madrid, Seville, etc.) and then go back to England, but I'm still here!

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

Nope. EU citizen, so it was all taken care of by the school I first worked at.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Being young-ish, I never even thoought about that, but the first time I fell ill (quite seriously) I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend to help with the paperwork and got social security/NHS medical cover which was much better than I expected, being in a foreign country.

-How do you make your living in Spain? Do you have any type of income generated? 

When I first arrived, I didn't have a mobile or internet connection, so I went to the local library and trawled the yellow pages for English Schools. I suppose I arrived amid the boom as I got 5 interviews within the first week, and got all of the jobs, so just decided on the best working hours (I ended up doing 16h till 22h). I then branched out into an apartment rental agent (meeting and greeting tourists in rental apartments) which is part of what I do today. I have also recently set up an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) firm here in the city, as I saw a gap in the market after being duped by someone here, too.

-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language? 

After almost 10 years here, I'd be an idiot if I didn't speak Spanish, but I don't speak Catalan, although I understand it. I think it's very important for foreigners living here to try and adapt and learn the language, as it helps to integrate yourself and become part of the community.

I remember once having a coffee outside with a friend when I first arrived and although I ordered the coffees in English (apologetically), I said "Gracias" (even thogh the majority of people think that would be a lame/half effort) and the waiter was really chuffed. It's surprising that if you make the effort then it's appreciated, even if you think you might sound daft.

Other Barcelona ex-pats have posted on here that sometimes it's difficult with Catalan, as they are a very proud nation, and I can totally agree with that - I still often get replied to in Catalan, despite it being obvious that I'm a foreigner speaking Spanish, but I'm cool with that - as long as we undertand each other, then it's great! On a personal note, it's funny to hear my little boy come home from school (all national institutions are in Catalan) singing songs in Catalan, that I have no idea about!!

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favorite recreational activities there or those that are available.

Of course I miss my family and friends, although it's usually them who come and visit me from various points of the UK rather than me venturing home! The local geography of Barcelona is great in that you can ski, beach, camp in the countryside and hike in almost a 1 hour radius. Plus it's usually hot most of the year ;o)

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Tough one considering we're in the middle of a recession. As long as I can keep our heads above water then I'll be happy. I'd like to see the growth of my SEO venture in the coming 12 months as online advertising is huge especially as so many traditional methods are falling off the map (in no way disrespective there, quite the opposite, as I've been a victim!). Travel - I'd love to go home more often, especially as I have young kids, and my wife is Peruvian, meaning it's difficult for her family to get visas, etc., but we'll see!

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

I was fortunate enough to buy an apartment with my wife just before we married (2003) but since then the repayments on the mortgage have rocketed through the roof, and Spain has the current un-enviable total for number of people on the dole in the whole of Europe, which makes things even harder. My mortgage repayments have gone up around 700 Euros since January 2008, and that's minimum wage in Spain.

It's odd, as these kind of things I look at more nowadays more than before. Sometimes local stuff is very cheap (like if you go to a supermarket in England the tomatoes are almost always from Spain, hence here they're twice as cheap - my parents notice this kind of thing!) and then you get the odd kind of retail/outlet shop, but for a big European city, I suppose it's normal prices. The one thing I will say (but not harping on) is that the cost of renting/buying your place is ridiculously high in comparison to minimum wage and there are frequent protests about this in the city. A very high percentage of over 30's still live at home in Spain.

From a strictly personal point of view, it's hard to break into a group of friends here, unless you're invited. Once you're "in" a group of friends, they'll bend over backwards to help you out in any situation, but that initial step is often hard to take and I've still not been able to put my finger on why.

Barcelona has a load of immigrants, so "locals" can mean a different thing here. The absolute locals often get annoyed at the tourism invading their territory, but tourism is the major income/industry for Spain and won't really go away, so they have to accept it. That said, I've always felt completely welcome here, and even before I spoke Spanish (I didn't speak a word when I first arrived) I never felt like the stupid English bloke who couldn't communicate!

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Spain?

Climate is obviously the big one (being an Englishman) but also the location of Barcelona within Europe itself - it seems to be so central and there are so many low-cost flights in and around Barcelona that you can be almost anywhere in Europe from Barcelona in around 3 hours or less. Plus wat I mentioned earlier about being able to experience all different aspects of nature within such a small radius is great.

Negatives - well anything to do with adminsitration or paperwork always takes aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages, but if you can live with delays, it's no biggie.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Spain?

The Spanish (and Catalans) are very laid back in comparison to other cultures where I've lived, so be prepared for delays on anything you need to do and try and plan anything major (like a wedding!) well in advance! Also, it's a great help to try and learn a bit of the lingo before you come  - it's NOT what I did, but I think maybe I would have got a better head start if I'd've known a bit more how to communicate before I got here, as people would have taken more notice.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Spain? 

Obviously I'll say my own sites here!

http://www.bcn-rentals.com is the apartment agency.

My blog is http://www.barcelonasights.blogspot.com (I recently won thebloggersguide Best European Blog Award, and have qualified for the final to be the best city blogger!)

My other site is http://www.barcelona-seo.com.