Moving from Indiana to Madrid

Hola

My name is Mike and am currently in the process of moving to Madrid (Alcobendas) in  the spring to be with my girlfriend, who is from Madrid.  I am hoping I can get some advice from expats about any possible schools to learn Spanish. I realize I'll learn this, but I want to be proactive.  I am also moving with a dog. While I figured out the paperwork, I wanted to know if there is anything else I should prepare for

Also, are there any good apps or services such as 'meetup' which will allow me to connect with fellow American expats in my area?

Thanks!!

Hello Mike!

First, for all bureaucracy concerns, I suggest you look on www.spainguru.es and join their Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/americanexpatsinspain 

Second, for expat groups, look on meetup.com - there are loads of expat groups in Madrid - https://www.meetup.com/cities/es/madrid/  - there are also many on Facebook, like this one - https://www.facebook.com/groups/MadridExpats/

Thirdly, for Spanish classes, there are many many many but best you do your own research to find out what location, price and schedule bests suits you. Some that are popular amongst the expats in Madrid are AIL, LAE, Spaneasy, Tandem...

I hope that all helps! :)

Good luck and happy new year!

Regards,
Carmen