A British mum who has relocated to Spain with her family has shared how there were certain moments which “altered her brain chemistry” when she moved abroad
A British mum who has relocated to Spain with her family has shared how there were certain moments which “altered her brain chemistry” when she moved abroad(Image: Becky Jones/ @bex_from_rain_to_spain on TikTok)
A British mum-of-two living in Spain has shared the biggest cultural differences she faced when moving abroad.
Becky Jones, 34, from Essex, expressed her surprise at the changes she experienced conducting everyday activities such as dropping her kids off at school or eating dinner when she moved to Alicante.
The expat said the busy routine she usually had in England to get her children to school on time could not be more different in Costa Blanca.
She said when she first arrived, she was not used to “kisses on the cheek from teachers” or “parents casually hanging around the gate with no chaotic morning rush.”
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Becky added that the lunch and dinner times were also a shock to her system when she moved, as she stated, “eating schedules made no sense.”
The mum said it is typical to eat lunch at 2pm and dinner at 9pm, which is a contrast with the usual eating times in the UK.
In addition to changes to her everyday life, she claimed the police’s role is not the same abroad as it is in England.
Becky said “the local police being at the school helping control traffic and kids cross the road everyday” was an unexpected experience which “altered her brain chemistry.”
Other cultural differences the Brit had to get used to were the “playground culture.”
According to the expat, it is very normal for children to go to the park at 8pm, which is not something you would typically see in the UK.
The final change the TikToker, who goes by @bex_from_rain_to_spain, noted was the number of carnivals which occur in the country, stating “there’s always a carnival to celebrate.”
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Other Brits who had moved to Spain also chimed in to agree with the travel content creator, with one explaining how they learnt to “slow down.”
They said: “I remember the first day rushing kids to school.
“An old man stopped us and asked, ‘what’s the rush?’
“We told him we will be late for school and he said ‘so what? will the world end?’
“Lesson learnt. Slow down.”