LIVING IN BULLAS
by Lisa Hodgkiss*
April 2006
My family and I arrived in Bullas in June 2003, almost 3 years ago. We were the first British family in Bullas and my children (then aged 7 and 9) were the first British kids to ever go to Obispos García-Ródenas primary school here in Bullas. As you can imagine, for the first few months, they were treated like celebrities!!!
We registered at the school in the May of that year as I think this is the deadline for applications for new intakes for the following September. We also had to register at the other school in Bullas (just in case they couldn’t fit my children in) but we got the school we wanted in the end.
One of the first things that surprised me was that the school year in the UK runs from September to August, whereas here in Spain it runs from January to the end of December. For example:-
John is 10 yrs old and he will be 11 in November 2006
James is 10 yrs old and he will be 11 in the following February 2007
In the UK, they would be in the same school year but here in Spain, John would be “older” than James and would be one year ahead of him. This is because John falls in the year for January 2006 – end December 2006 but James is in January 2007 – end December 2007.
Also, in the UK, it is compulsory to have religious lessons in school. Here in Spain, it is not. We were asked if the boys wanted to do the religion classes or to have extra Spanish lessons in place of them. We chose for them to have extra Spanish lessons. The second year in the school, we felt that the boys were old enough to choose themselves and they both opted to take the classes (I think mainly because they never get any homework in Religious Studies!!!). The choice is yours.
I have found that the teachers in the school are far less “formal” than in British schools. For instance, they often hug the children and the whole atmosphere in class seems to be more relaxed. That is not to say that they don’t learn anything!!!! The standard of education in Spain has risen in recent years and now is of a good standard. My kids often come home with homework and my husband and I are stumped!!! And do not worry about them learning the language (we did) because within MONTHS they are fluent and speak with a Murcian accent (or in our case, they are called Bulleros – from Bullas). The parents and teachers tell me that apart from them being blonde and not looking Spanish, when they speak it is the same as the other children in this town. Quite amazing!!
One of the subjects at the primary school is Conocimiento del Medio – this is a mixture of History, Geography and Science all-in-one. Conocimiento actually means “knowledge”.
Education is free in Spain and they do not usually wear a uniform unless it is a fee-paying private school. However, you do have to buy all books and materials and it can be quite expensive if you have several children. Last September, the Ayuntamiento (the Town Hall) in Bullas subsidised the three main books – Matematicas, Lengua and Conocimiento – for a couple of the school years and my youngest qualified. The only stipulation is that the books are handed back at the end of the school year (June) so they can be handed down then to the next lot of children. I think it was a great idea and saves a lot of money.
There are lots of sports opportunities for your children even though Bullas is not a big town. There is La Rafa – a camping site with restaurant, outdoor pool and separate children’s pool), tennis courts, football pitch, running track and a gymnasium. My boys both joined a football team here and play for the Federation and love it. There is also a football pitch where both child and adult teams play games – it even has a little bar!!
There are no half-term holidays in Spain. The schools start the year in September, break up for Xmas and New Year (going back a day or two after the 6th January), break up for Easter and then break up near the end of June for the long summer holidays. Don’t forget all the fiestas throughout the year, too!!!
Three years ago, there was NO information anywhere about Murcia so I started up a magazine in November 2004 called The North West Murcia Gazette and there is a website to accompany it – www.nwmg.info. It is a free monthly magazine in English. If you go to the website and click on the “Did You Know?” button, you will find lots of articles – for example, how to apply for an NIE number, buying a car and understanding the many different lottery games here in Spain!!! You will need to scroll down the pages to see the older adverts but new ones are being added all the time. There is also a lawyer’s article every month, fiestas for the Murcia region, up-to-date national and regional news, web links to other sites of interest in the region and business adverts. Check it out!!! Please also feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.
Living in Spain is socially different and it can be hard to get used to everything closing down at 2pm and no B&Q to browse around on a rainy Sunday!!! However, if you really try to mix with the Spanish (as well as the Brits), not only will you learn the language more easily but when you befriend a Spaniard, you will be invited to meals, drinks, days out to the beach, etc, and they will go out of their way to help you.
I do not regret my move to Spain at all and have never been homesick for the UK. There are more and more Brits moving to Murcia either from the coast or direct from the UK. There are now English food shops, satellite installation companies, garden furniture shops, a mobile hairdresser, electrician, welder, web site builders, second hand furniture shops, estate agents, a hotel, B&Bs, apartments for rent, pubs, restaurants, walking groups, salsa dancing classes and the list goes on!!!
I would like to welcome you to Bullas and hope that you, too, find it a wonderful, friendly, safe place to live and raise your children.
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* Lisa is Sam and Bailey's mother, two pupils at our school