Things definitely do change, and that holds true no matter where you are.

I spent some of my childhood in Nairobi, Kenya. It was a big city, to be sure... but you clearly were aware that you were in a developing country. Central Nairobi today is a bunch of glass and concrete skyscrapers you could find in any major city...

Once my parents' apartment sold, I really had no more ties to the Costa del Sol. A friend from my school days still lives in Gaucin. Another friend had an art gallery in Marbella for many years, but she moved back to Sweden some years ago to be with her aging parents.