Roaming Brit
  • Blog
  • The Story Of Us
  • Other Blogs
    • Forever Enduring Cycles Blog 2015 >
      • Forever Enduring Cycles
      • Bipolarcoaster
      • Books For Sale
  • Gallery
  • Spain
    • First Month
    • Three Months
    • Six Months
    • One Year
    • 2 Year Anniversary
    • Spanish Views
    • Gran Alacant >
      • GA Advertiser
      • Gran Alacant News
      • LoungeD
      • No Wives Club
  • About
    • New Life
    • Wedding
    • 21 Years
    • Timeline
    • My Story
    • Australia 2016/17
  • Guest Bloggers
    • Penelope Wren
    • Debra Rufini
    • Claire Coe
    • Richard Guy
    • Optimistic Mummy
    • Julie Rawlinson
    • Letters Of Hope
  • Links
  • Contact
  • My Writing
    • Short Stories From My Youth
    • Verruca Almond
    • The Streets

From a new life in spain, to an old life in britain, 'roaming brit' documents uncertain times!

Picture

On 31st January 2016, my partner and I left Southampton to start a new life as Expats in Gran Alacant, on the Costa Blanca. This blog will document our journey, as we navigate the Spanish system, travelling a path untried and untested. With Brexit looming, political turmoil in Europe, and an unpredictable future, harsh decisions must be made. Illness, family bonds, and a Change of heart all make for challenging times in the life of a 'Roaming Brit!'

Picture

Settled!

4/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Picture
I think I can safely say, that this past week has been the one, where I have finally felt settled in Spain.  It has been a hard road, getting  here and in all honesty, at the beginning, I really did not want to leave Britain.  When you have lived in a place all your life, it can be extremely hard leaving. I have tried living in other Countries, several times before, and each time, it hasn't worked out.  I missed home too much and just wanted to go back.

There are many reasons why I feel far more settled now, in Spain than I have done in the past.  The circumstances that bought me and my partner to Spain this time, were extremely negative.  This was not initially a positive decision, something we chose to do together.  This was a forced compromise, advised by others in view of what had happened to us.  Under such strained times, the apprehension, revulsion and reluctance you feel, can be overwhelming and certainly not a positive step towards a new life.

Spain has worked for me, more than anyone else,  for many reasons. The last few days in Britain were terrible days for me.  People who I regarded as friends were not and they proved without a shadow of a doubt, just how dreadful they were.  The people I relied on, during the last year, were only really there, to gain what they could, out of our situation.  Once you come to terms with that fact and accept who they are, as shocking as it is, you really can move forward.  The sudden realisation, that you are leaving for good and never going back, is a great place to start. Once you have removed those stumbling blocks away from your future direction, the process does actually become quite liberating.  I had already removed the worst of the worst from my life.  I walked away from difficult situations, because I had too much self respect. Sadly for Darrell, he would bring the debris with him, at least for a period of time.  This made him ill and unable to cope, in the way I did.

​From the second day, I arrived in Spain, I began my own journey of establishing myself as a permanent resident of Spain.  I had accepted, that my life no longer existed in The UK.  I had accepted the advice I was given, by a Solicitor and others and understood the clear choice left for me, to heal the pain of the last five years.  I had to make my life count once again, take control of it and never allow anyone to control my very existence again.  To have someone, who you know very little about dominate your life, without you even knowing, is a hard thing to admit too.  After the denial, when the evidence was produced, of course, I had to accept what I could clearly see.

Having Jamie and Natalee with us, has been a great source of comfort for me at least. They are a link to the past, but both of them are a positive bridge to my life in The UK. They were the real support, during inauspicious times.  They both were the friends who made me laugh, even through the worst situations.  They make up for the rubbish that we so definitely and absolutely left behind.  They made my transition to Spanish life, much easier to endure.  Going anywhere new on your own, can be tough, so having ready made friends with you, can only help of course.

Today as I sit here writing, I feel much happier.  I have achieved all the steps necessary to be a permanent resident.  When I walk around the streets of Gran Alacant, I feel comfortable, at home and confident.  Only yesterday, as I walked into work three people passed the time of day, as they walked past and several others waved at me from their cars.  That was a real feeling of acceptance and self worth on my behalf. The people here are tremendously accepting of others, no matter who they are.  I have written before about the role the expat community have paid in helping us, but also others, in particular someone I work with, who has been a great source of inspiration and has gone out of her way to be there when we have needed it.

The community spirit has won me over, for the first time in my life. GA has a population of around ten thousand, but actually feels a lot smaller.  There is a small village type atmosphere, which I am not used too, but that makes for a much better sense of commonality and neighbourhood. People here, genuinely want to help.  The expat nature of the area, can be clearly seen through the actions of others and the survival instinct of life as a foreigner living abroad.  

Forging new friendships has been important in our success or not here.  I have made more attachments in the last five months than I could have ever imagined.  In fact I am making new bonds every day.  We have made some very close friendships, with some wonderful people.  These are the important ones, who help us maintain our life and give us reason after reason to stay in this harsh Country.  The people are everything. Spain is a beautiful Country, but without the people we have met, I have a feeling, we would probably not be here today.  Life in Spain, is nothing like it is in The UK.  Unless you retire with a fortune, you really have to spent time grafting hard, harder than I have ever done before.  That is unimportant to me, because grafting in a place you love, is much better than existing in a place you hate.

So life today is good.  I am personally feeling very settled and happy finally.  I am looking forward to where life takes me now.  Don't get me wrong, not everything is fantastic, but the things that are not, can and will be ironed out.  I do find it difficult to accept what happened to me over the last year, but it has been easier to deal with, knowing that we live in a wonderful place, surrounded by amazing people.  Spain truely is home now.  I am glad the past, littered with the unscrupulous and psychotic are becoming ghosts, part of the debris left behind and feel sure, that wherever life takes us now, it can only be better than what went before!



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    51-year-old Author and professional blogger. Expat formerly living in Gran Alacant on the Costa Blanca! Currently, residing in my adopted home of Perth, Western Australia.

    Picture

      Contact Luke.

    Submit
    Picture
    Click me & email for more information!
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    30th Anniversary
    Asia-2019
    Australia
    Australia-202223
    Bangkok & Chiang Mai 2023
    Bettys-revenge
    Bipolar
    Bipolarcoaster
    Britain
    Bullying
    Business
    Cancer Research
    Cats
    Characters-i-have-known
    Charity
    Charlatan-or-confidant
    Christmas Thoughts
    Claybornes World
    Coming-out-stories
    Cooking
    Coronavirus
    Croatia 2022
    Current Affairs Politics
    Darrell In The Uk
    Death Of Queen Elizabeth
    Dunbars
    Easy Horse Care
    Events
    Events That Shaped My World
    Family
    Fascinating-facts
    Friends Colleagues
    Gran Alacant
    Guest-bloggers
    Ibs
    Immigration
    Information
    Inspirational People
    Interviews
    Japan And Thailand 2020
    Jersey-2019
    King Charles III
    Lifestyle Break
    Lockdown-life-in-photos
    London 2022
    Lounge-d
    Luke-martin-jones-awards
    Marmite Watch
    Memories Of Fareham
    Memories Of Home
    Memories-of-home
    Memories Of Portsmouth
    Memories Of Southampton
    Memories Of Spain
    Me-too-oxfam
    Milestones
    Moving
    My Life
    My Writing
    Non Touch Toast
    Oxfam-sociopathy
    Penelope-wren
    Photographs-of-hope
    Picante And Marigold
    Pippa
    Pippa And Akira
    Platinum Jubilee
    Postcards From Home
    Quotes
    Rabs-world
    Remembering Gran Alacant
    Reviewing Gran Alacant
    Santa-pola
    Self-isolation
    Shopping
    Short Stories From My Youth
    Southampton
    Spiritual
    Taiwan 2024
    Teaching Jamie
    Thailand 2022
    Thailand And Singapore 2025
    The-darkness
    The-streets
    The Two Of Us
    Travel
    Verruca-almond
    Vietnam 2024
    Villa In The Sun
    Visits From Friends
    War In Europe
    Weight Loss & Health
    Year In Review 2015
    Year In Review 2016
    Year In Review 2017
    Year In Review 2018
    Year In Review 2019
    Year In Review 2020
    Year In Review 2021
    Year In Review 2022
    Year In Review 2023
    Year In Review 2024
    Zest

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Tweets by realtruthblog
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture


    Instagram
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    A place to call home
    Finally, a place we can call home.  A community of like minded individuals, who used to call Britain home.  Now Spain is our choice, an altogether gentler, happier, sunnier and safer experience!
            Luke Feb 16
    Picture
Picture
Picture

Telephone

+447999663360

Email

[email protected]
  • Blog
  • The Story Of Us
  • Other Blogs
    • Forever Enduring Cycles Blog 2015 >
      • Forever Enduring Cycles
      • Bipolarcoaster
      • Books For Sale
  • Gallery
  • Spain
    • First Month
    • Three Months
    • Six Months
    • One Year
    • 2 Year Anniversary
    • Spanish Views
    • Gran Alacant >
      • GA Advertiser
      • Gran Alacant News
      • LoungeD
      • No Wives Club
  • About
    • New Life
    • Wedding
    • 21 Years
    • Timeline
    • My Story
    • Australia 2016/17
  • Guest Bloggers
    • Penelope Wren
    • Debra Rufini
    • Claire Coe
    • Richard Guy
    • Optimistic Mummy
    • Julie Rawlinson
    • Letters Of Hope
  • Links
  • Contact
  • My Writing
    • Short Stories From My Youth
    • Verruca Almond
    • The Streets