‘I'm an expat in Spain - this is the one aspect of life here that's just crazy'
An expat living in Spain has revealed the one part of life in her new home that's so different.
A woman living in Spain has shared one aspect of life that caused the most culture shock.
The expat, who runs the YouTube Channel Maddie’s Mundo, explained she had to drastically change her schedule as things were generally done "later" in the country.
This was particularly noticeable at meal times as Spaniards typically ate lunch and dinner later than she was used to, she said.
Maddie said: "If you go to Spain in the summer or in the hot weather, people tend to eat later. This is when the weather cools down and, just in general, it is a super late country.
"It's really normal in Spain to eat dinner at 10pm or 11pm. You go out and restaurants will be full at midnight. It is something that was really different for me."
She moved to Spain from the United States and said she was used to an "early schedule", making it a difficult change.
Eating later is common due to people often having longer breaks in the afternoon, known as a siesta, which means the working day is extended.
The slower pace didn't just affect meal times, however, as she said when going out in the evening, the night "didn't even start" until 12.30am.
"You wouldn't leave to go to a bar or club until 12.30am at the earliest and usually you would stay out until 6am to 8am. It is a crazy schedule," she added.
The expat said that sometimes it was "really fun" but she found the schedule "exhausting".
Spain was recently crowned as the most popular place for British expats to move to.
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Founder and managing director of Compare My Move Dave Sayce said: "We expect Spain to stay a popular destination for British movers throughout 2024, possibly even growing in popularity due to the stagnant mortgage rates in the UK and the mortgage interest rates in Spain being around two per cent lower than the UK.
"While the USA will still be very popular due to the cultural similarity between the UK and the States, the uncertainty of the election outcome could see fewer people planning a move there for fear of any change in immigration laws.
"I’d also expect the United Arab Emirates and Dubai to do well this year, continuing their increase in popularity.
"Throughout the top 10 places to move abroad, I think the number of movers will increase as more and more people look to living abroad as an option."
