Destination: spain
‘Madrid is a vibrant and beautiful city’
Debbi Christophers, 48, works in Madrid during the week and spends her weekends in picturesque chinchón.
Back in the 90s, my boyfriend (now husband) and I had visited Madrid for a long weekend. Chris and I both loved the city – it was vibrant and beautiful but not crammed with tourists. At the time, we were both fed up with work in London. I was facing redundancy from my arts admin job, so it felt like the right time to do something bold.
We decided to up sticks and move to Madrid, with very little Spanish and few preconceptions of how life would be. Before we left, my former employer had offered to pay for a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, so I was able to start teaching in Madrid. At the same time, I began to write for an English-language magazine, waxing lyrical on the latest restaurants and cool places to shop. I had always wanted to write and now I had the courage to try it. When you move to a different country, no one has any preconceived ideas about what you can achieve. It’s incredibly liberating.
I soon started to sing in a band and write for other publications, while Chris worked as a chef, DJ, and painter and decorator. We managed to buy a rundown house in a stunning old town called Chinchón, 50km from Madrid.
After six years, however, it wasn’t feeling quite right. I was working from home while Chris was doing long hours as a chef, and I felt isolated. So we returned to London. But as time went on we missed Spain terribly. Three years ago, we returned to Spain permanently.
I love the attitude to life here. people don’t necessarily have a lot of money, but it seems to matter less. Life is more about appreciating what you have.
We rent an apartment in Madrid where I work for the British Embassy and Chris writes from home. So we have our vibrant city life during the week – then at weekends we head out to Chinchón, where we have finally managed to do up our crumbly old house. Life takes on a different pace there. It’s a wonderful contrast and now I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
Debbi’s tips
✢ If you yearn to move to a different country, just go for it. after all, there are always reasons not to do it. You can always come back if it doesn’t work out.
✢ Get stuck in to learning the language. I learnt by talking to people in shops and restaurants, and just going about my daily life. It’s not as hard as you think.
‘It’s been incredibly liberating – no one has any preconceived ideas about you’