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I am unsure if this is the correct forum, hopefully admin can move the thread if need be.
I recently moved to Bilbao to teach English. I lived in Spain for 1 year prior to this (a few years ago) and enjoyed the experience a lot. That was a small town in Catalonia. I returned to teaching after a few years in industry and moved to Bilbao to renew my Spanish adventure.
I regret it! This city is too big for me! I come from a small city of c. 120,000 people and found similar the first time round in Spain. Bilbao is 1 million-plus in the metro and I am struggling to find my way around. I was never good with directions and don't speak Spanish at any meaningful level. (I tried to learn it, I am just not good at languages).
Moving here, setting up, rent, etc has meant a sunk cost of about 2000 - a fair sum for me. I am stuck between just cutting my losses and returning asap or sticking around for a few months to recoup some of my losses by getting 2 paychecks. I am not contemplating staying beyond the winter holidays.
I am well educated and turned to TEFL after corporate life got boring. I enjoy the classroom (have worked as a substitute teacher in HS etc) but this physical environment is really trying. I have always been an INFP and never enjoyed big cities, but assumed I could handle this. I was wrong.
The alternative plan is to return home and commence PhD studies in 01/22. I have previously completed my research training.
How long have you been there? Do you have a teaching contract?
Other observations:
1) You lived in Spain for a year but didn't pick it up?
2) You're teaching a language but you're "not good at languages"?
3) What was your previous career in, and what PhD would you pursue? What opportunities would it afford you?
1. I obviously picked up a few phrases, but I didn't pick it up well.
2. I am good at teaching English, but always struggled in acquiring foreign languages. I do have a teaching contract.
3. I worked as an analyst both within Political Risk and Insight Analytics, the latter for the car industry.
My Ph.D would be in Political Science. I got my MA ages ago. I would hope to teach at the university level.
It sounds like you just got there. I suggest that you give it a few months to settle in and find your way around before you make any decisions.
A new area is always a bit stressful, finding out the best place to shop, how to work the road system, locating parks and recreation. Seriously, OP, everyone goes through a bit of disorientation in the new location, even those of us who have moved often to new places and different countries.
Bilbao is horrible, ugly, very hostile, very dangerous with extremely high political violence. Awful weather, always grey, cold, dark sky... why would someone choose to live in the terrible Basque region? The worst part of Spain by far.
Bilbao is horrible, ugly, very hostile, very dangerous with extremely high political violence. Awful weather, always grey, cold, dark sky... why would someone choose to live in the terrible Basque region? The worst part of Spain by far.
I know from football/soccer that Athletic Bilbao, always in the top Spanish league, does not allow non-Spanish players on the roster at all. And they prefer Basque players.
It's rare to see that kind of discrimination at such a high level in any field.
So it's easy to see how Bilbao could be unwelcoming to outsiders. But it looks pretty good in pictures, more attractive then most US cities anyway.
I think you should acclimatize to the city lifestyle. It doesn't seem like that at first, but basque people are very friendly. Take it easy and you will see how, day after day, people will welcome you, step by step but deeply, not like in other places that immediately show a beautiful smile, although maybe superficial because of a mere tourist commercialism.
The weather is not the sunniest in Spain, that's true, but I like it. I prefer 25/30 degrees (C) warm and pleasant in summer than the infernal 45 degrees (C) in other places that make you precisely to escape and hide from a burning sun that somebody seem to need so much. On the other hand, thanks to having fewer sunny days, the Basque Country has a greener landscape, less dry and arid than in other places of Spain. I do not agree with who says that the Basque Country is ugly, but I must to respect it. You know, "different strokes for different folks".
A hundred kilometres away, another Basque city, San Sebastián has often been considered one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Between the two cities, there are many towns worth visiting. The landscapes of the coast and its mountains, charmingly picturesque. After Hondarribia, the Basque coast enters France, between beautiful tourist villages and the foothills of the Pyrenees.
The Basque language and culture are unique and very attractive, and the gastronomy is excellent. Their popular fiestas (the "Semana Grande" in Bilbao and San Sebastián, the "Blanca" in Vitoria and the "Sanfermines" in Pamplona) have always been an example of participation and socialization.
On YouTube there are many videos made by Americans that testify to it.
The Basque Country has always been in the best positions of Europe in terms of safety, and more since the political conflict was resolved. I don't understand how there are people who still lie about political violence in the Basque Country. Everyone knows that political violence totally disappeared more than 10 years ago.
The Athletic Club de Bilbao and the Real Sociedad de San Sebastián have a policy of promoting footballers from their lower categories, and not by buying them through astronomical contracts with world stars. For this reason, it limits its contracts to players who have been trained in their initial categories, even if they were not from Bilbao (in the case of the Athletic) . In my opinion, this is something to support, not discrimination. I wish other clubs would do the same. Soccer would be better if there were not so much business in the purchases and sales of players.
It has been a pleasure to give you true information about the Basque country.
Best regards.
Someone explain to the mostly americans on this forum difference between Spain and Basque, because it is very important to know. My older relative visited Spain few times see if maybe go live there and had an incident happen re Basque put foot in bigtime and lucky old age counts there to avoid.....
I am unsure if this is the correct forum, hopefully admin can move the thread if need be.
I recently moved to Bilbao to teach English. I lived in Spain for 1 year prior to this (a few years ago) and enjoyed the experience a lot. That was a small town in Catalonia. I returned to teaching after a few years in industry and moved to Bilbao to renew my Spanish adventure.
I regret it! This city is too big for me! I come from a small city of c. 120,000 people and found similar the first time round in Spain. Bilbao is 1 million-plus in the metro and I am struggling to find my way around. I was never good with directions and don't speak Spanish at any meaningful level. (I tried to learn it, I am just not good at languages).
Moving here, setting up, rent, etc has meant a sunk cost of about 2000 - a fair sum for me. I am stuck between just cutting my losses and returning asap or sticking around for a few months to recoup some of my losses by getting 2 paychecks. I am not contemplating staying beyond the winter holidays.
I am well educated and turned to TEFL after corporate life got boring. I enjoy the classroom (have worked as a substitute teacher in HS etc) but this physical environment is really trying. I have always been an INFP and never enjoyed big cities, but assumed I could handle this. I was wrong.
The alternative plan is to return home and commence PhD studies in 01/22. I have previously completed my research training.
Please advise!
Lost
'Been there, done that'. Sort of. My wife and I planned to immigrate to Europe; my wife is Norwegian and so made it doable in a number of ways. I had some projects to complete with my employer, and so the wife and kids made the move before me.
We went to Spain, but the kids and wife became bored in the small town we chose to live in. People were very friendly, but that did not extend to 'outsiders' once school let out, and on the weekends. So we made the move from Spain to Norway before the 180 day period set in, else we would have been considered taxable residents in Spain.
Looking back on it, I think we made the right move to get out of Spain when we knew/felt it did not suit us, and so that is what I suggest. You know, or your subconscious knows... listen to/obey it and you'll do just fine. Good luck!
Someone explain to the mostly americans on this forum difference between Spain and Basque, because it is very important to know. My older relative visited Spain few times see if maybe go live there and had an incident happen re Basque put foot in bigtime and lucky old age counts there to avoid.....
It is not a fair comparison, but is the closest illustration I can come up with. It would be like for a Brazilian to land in Quebec thinking that because he or she arrived in Canada, they all speak English (which they do..but not all are open to it). The Basque region of Spain is the most insular and protective of its culture (specially their dialect). The region is beautiful and its people are great. But for an expat can be difficult if no previous due dilligence and knowledge of the region is done before landing in the country. Even for Spanish speakers understanding a Vasco speaking Spanish may be a challenge. If you are American, any Spaniard regardless of the region of origin would be a challenge simply because most Americans are familiarized with the sound of Spanish speaking from Mexican and other Latin American immigrants in the U.S.
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Basque Country: I don't know a better place.
