Lauren Jade has been documenting her life in Spain after making the big move from the UK around four years ago, and she says it has come with some unexpected surprises
Paige Freshwater Social Newsdesk Writer
17:42, 26 Jun 2025
She has been sharing her life in Spain on TikTok (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
A Brit living in Spain has opened up about the culture shocks she’s faced since relocating to the sun-soaked nation. Lauren Jade, known on social media as @laurenjadewaters, has been sharing her Spanish adventure and the unexpected twists it has entailed.
She’s noticed significant differences in the daily routines of Brits and Spaniards, including when they eat and how they greet each other. In a TikTok clip, she shared: “Spanish meal times, I can’t get used to it. They eat quite late here so their normal dinner time is maybe about 9pm or 10pm. I can’t get out of my English ways. I still eat tea at 5pm or 6pm.”
Lauren also noted that while locals might start their night out at clubs around 10pm, she’s already considering turning in for the night.
Another surprise for her was the early closing times of shops in Spain, with a lack of round-the-clock convenience stores unlike back home.
She recounted: “The amount of times I’ve walked to the corner shop at 9.30pm only to find it closed at 9pm. I’ve been here for nearly four years and I’m just not used to it.”
Additionally, she found it peculiar that some Spanish flats don’t come equipped with ovens, but she’s grateful for air fryers which have saved her from needing to purchase one.
Content cannot be displayed without consentREAD MORE: ‘Entitled’ couple ask to swap seats with plane passenger but instantly regret it
She highlighted the peculiarities of her flats in Spain, noting “came with a dishwasher, came with a bath, but didn’t have an oven” which she found odd considering British homes.
Moreover, she observed that Spaniards often greet each other with ‘adios’, meaning bye, as they pass by on the streets, a custom quite different from the British ‘hello’.
Acknowledging the practicality when people are simply walking past without stopping, she admits finding this Spanish custom a bit hard to wrap her head around.
Reacting to her observations, one viewer shared: “I’m a Spaniard and I moved to Ireland for a few years and got used to having lunch at 1pm and I’ve kept it since I returned.”
Another chimed in with: “Upside down light switch, gets me every time.”
Meanwhile a third user remarked: “If I eat at 10pm I will get the biggest tummy ache.”
A fourth contributor commented: “These are the first things you have to get used to in Spain.”
Yet another expat added their own experience, exclaiming: “No Ubers at all!”.