Fri, 10 February 2012
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Do you, expat, take thee Spain to be your adopted nation and promise to love and to cherish; until death do you part?IT’S a question I get in equal measures from my family and friends in the States and my international friends here in Spain:
Are you going to stay in Spain forever?
I have yet to come up with the perfect answer, and the big para siempre throws me for a loop each time it’s asked. It’s a question that I think only expats can truly appreciate.
When someone in the States buys a new home, no one asks, “Will you live here forever?” at the housewarming party.
The purchase is simply a step in the person’s life; a place where he will live for the foreseeable future.
When a friend starts a new job, he is not asked, “Do you think you will work here forever?” It would be absurd – a thousand conditionals factor into these kinds of big life decisions.
And of course it gets me thinking – Will I stay here forever? Do I have to make this decision now? 
At the ripe old age of 25, can I really say that I’ll do anything forever?
My family asks, I think, because they want to know if and when they can expect me home to start procreating merrily.
Maybe the new people I meet ask because they want to know if it’s worth the time to invest in a friendship, given the transient nature of the expat community.
The Spaniards I meet usually smile with kind-hearted patriotism when I stutter, “Pues, no sé… pero estoy muy a gusto aquí.” And I am. Check back in two or 20 or 50 years – I may still be here, I may not.
How long is forever, anyway?
text by Kristen Bernardi
The writer, Kristen Bernardi, is a blogger with Expatica Spain and contributes to a fortnightly blog on alternate Fridays. She is running a little late this week as she is constantly bogged down by people asking her: Are you going to stay here forever? If you share similar experiences with Kristen, please help her out by telling her how you answer this tricky question.
Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.
Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.
A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.
Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.
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