*Side note: I wrote this post two weeks ago and didn’t hit publish until today, so actually we’re down to THREE weeks to go!
And just like that, we’re SEVEN months into our eight month expat adventure! To say it has flown by would be an understatement, but that’s exactly what I expected to happen. I had been looking forward to our time in Barcelona for months leading up to it and it’s crazy to think we’re in the home stretch. But it’s not over yet, we still have about five weeks left to enjoy life in Europe.
I figured now would be a good time to check in and have a little coffee date with you and share the latest on life as an expat and what’s coming next. These are the most common questions I’ve been getting so I’ll answer them here. Let’s jump in!
Expat Life: All the Big Questions
How is it living in Spain?
To put it simply, it’s amazing. I love Barcelona, it’s a vibrant, lively and exciting city. When MM and I were here on vacation 6 years ago we said we could see ourselves living here and that comment was accurate. The city reminds me a lot of NYC. There are always tons of people around, there are a million restaurants to try, there’s just a lot going on. Oh and the food delivery here rivals Seamless (something I really missed when I lived in SF, they do not have their delivery game together). I also love how easy it is to hop around Europe. Flights and trains are incredibly cheap and it makes travel very accessible.
What do you do all day?
Sometimes I ask myself this same question. I’m not working and my days are kind of weird, but never boring! My day is typically made up of the following: going to the gym for about 60-75 minutes, taking Ollie on 2-3 walks (usually long ones when it isn’t so hot out), going to the market, cooking dinner, writing (on the blog or for other sites), exploring/wandering around the city and planning future trips. That’s the basic gist when I’m in town and have no visitors. We’ve had around 30 visitors throughout the seven months so when we’re hosting people I usually take them on a tour of the city and explore with them. The days fly by and I’ve rarely found myself bored. Honestly, last week was the first week where I felt a little bored and I think it’s because we’re nearly done with visitors, travel and our time here.
Oh and lastly, I launched an Airbnb experience that I host! I created a running, bootcamp and brunch tour around Barcelona and have hosted a few of those. It was super fun!
Do you miss home?
Yes and no. I miss my friends and family and little things like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Target. I also miss the ease of speaking English to everyone. But I don’t specifically miss America or a certain city in America. I think a lot of this is because when we move back, we’re not going to live to a city that feels like home. So I’m not really homesick because wherever we go next will be another settling in process. I think I’d be more homesick if we were moving back to NYC or a place where a lot of our close friends live.
How’s your Spanish?
Errr, not great. I took a Spanish course the first month that we were here and my only regret from our time abroad is that I didn’t stick with it more. I should have done some sort of continuing education but it was expensive, we were traveling a lot and I didn’t. Learning new languages doesn’t come easy to me but I wish I tried a bit harder. I practice a bit and can get by with the basics (ordering at restaurants, simple conversations, talking to other dog owners on the street, ha) but I’m not great.
That being said, when I traveled to non-Spanish speaking countries like France and Switzerland, it made me realize that I’m way better at Spanish than I thought. I literally have no idea what anyone is saying when they speak French or German. So I guess I can give myself a little more credit when it comes to my Spanish.
Have you made friends?
Um, kind of. I wouldn’t necessarily say friends, but I’ve met some nice people and had nice lunches/dinners/conversations with new people. Again, with so much traveling and so many visitors I barely had time to create new friendships. Also we’re here such a short amount of time that I didn’t prioritize it. It would have been nice to make more friends but honestly it’s tough. After two big moves I’ve found that it takes a couple of months to find your footing and feel comfortable. That’s when you’re ready to start forging new friendships. I feel like I’m at that point just about now, basically when we’re leaving. If we were staying longer I definitely would have prioritized it more.
Where are you moving next?
Great question! And I’m almost ready to answer it. We are NEARLY certain we know where we are moving. Our next move is dictated by MM’s job. He will be staying with his current company so we will be headed to somewhere that they have an office in the US. We’ve had many discussions trying to find the right fit for both of us. I’m almost ready to share the news and will get back to you soon on this 😉
And that’s the latest on life over here! So far, this expat experience has been a really special one. I’m so thankful that we have this opportunity. While moving to a new country isn’t the easiest thing, it’s worth every challenge. And really, the positives far outweigh any negatives that we’ve come across.
Any other questions you have about my expat experience? Comment below and I’ll answer them!
