“Move to Spain” they said
Malasaña, Madrid
“Move to Spain” they said. So we did! Here’s what the first couple weeks were like - the good, the bad and the noisy.
Day 1 was rough, so was Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5. We were tired, we were homesick, we were actually sick, we couldn’t sleep and everything felt like so much effort. We walked, and walked, and walked and then, walked some more.
Kids had meltdowns, our puppy wouldn’t eat (or pee – country dog turned city dog overnight, didn’t know how to pee on the street!). We didn’t pack enough power converters, I blew out my hair dryer, and it rained every day. It was “everything,” and “all of it” at once.
We traded a quiet home, in the suburbs for a very noisy and busy (full-of-life) street corner in the barrio of Malasaña, in Madrid. Sounded fun at first, until we were left awake all-night listening to lovers, to drunken laughter or yelling, to garbage trucks that do 1:00 AM pickups, to ambulances: you name it.
Countless nights, I was up staring out the window at 3:00 A.M. crying and wondering if we had made the right decision. The deicion to completely leave everything behind and start a new life in Spain. It was during one of those late nights (also being sleep deprived probably made things much more intensified and dramatic, very much like a movie scene – think: “Eat , Pray Love”, laying on the bathroom floor crying type of dramatic moment, waiting for a little voice to say “Dani, go to bed” lol). Turns out the littel voice reminded me, that I needed to lean on my faith more and fully trust. I just needed to release pressure of everything working out or of having all the answers, and just start rolling with the punches and truly enjoying the experience – all of it: the good, the bad and the “very” noisy.
Fast forward to several days later, and day 1 seems so far away now, and we’re feeling a lot more adjusted and settled, and finding moments of fun and joy amidst the chaos and uncertainty.
We came with no residency visas, no place to live: just a dream and an Airbnb for 30 days. We came with eight suit cases, two little girls and a pupply. In the first few weeks, we were trying to adjust, while also dealing with opening bank accounts, getting new local phones, leasing an apartment, applying for schools, buying furniture, meeting with lawyers and most importantly getting our visa application submitted and approved. All of which was (and still is), full of challenges, delays and “fun” surprises.
Throughout this process, we have been fortunate enough to have been connected with some local friends – who have been our guiding light and an incredible support system. They call us ‘los americanos’ and we call them “our Angels on Earth.”
We are now on Day 25, in a rat race, with this looming countdown against time. We have 90 days – to make it all work. We have 90 days to get our visas approved. So, the journey this summer will either end with us settling in Madrid for a couple years, or us packing up our things and leaving at the end of the summer.
