Emotional of the United States in Spain: the lack of culture of bustle was a relief

This also told test is based on a transcribed conversation with Katie Passarello, a public relations entrepreneur living in Cariño, Spain. The following has been changed during the duration and clarity.

Staying long after the end of food or drinks to sit around a table and share conversations is at the heart of Spanish culture.

The Spaniards call that “Sobermesa.” For me, it is one of the great experience in life And part of the reason I fell in love with the country.

I moved to northern Spain in 2021 and I never left.

I always wanted to travel

From a young age, I was interested in other cultures. I grew up in California and I had an incredible childhood. But I knew from the start of my life, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone.

By studying international relations at Boston College, I traveled to Italy to visit friends. Spending time with someone living in culture was so different from the visit of a tourist, and my desire to live the world grew up.

I was attracted to Europe because you could travel between countries and many people were multilingual. Being from California, I spoke a little of Spanish, so Spain seemed to be a logical place to consider.

My college program encouraged the study abroad, so I went to Spain in January 2020. Covid-19 hit Spain harshly, and I had to return to the United States in March. I had seen just enough to fall in love – on slow days and fascinating people made me look for my way.

I moved to Spain as a student and I never left

I applied to teach English in Galicia, a region of northern Spain, through the Fulbright Bourse, a one -year selective program for students traveling abroad after obtaining my diploma.

After a rigorous application process, I was accepted and moved to Cariño, a city in the northwest tip of Spain to teach.

When I started my new job, I taught English from the second to the fifth year as a teacher. A few weeks in the experience, I was already looking for how to stay in Spain. I immediately fell in love with incredible food, the magnificent country and the lack of agitation cultivation compared to the United States.

At the end of Fulbright, I started working on my master’s degree in digital marketing and strategy at a Spanish university. During my studies, whenever I headed too far in excessive lands, other students in my group said: “Hey, we can simply do what duty says and not blow it out of proportion.”

I was no longer in a place where the goal was to be the top of everything, which was a huge relief. When I visit California now, I’m immediately struck by the feeling of “am I enough? Am I saving enough? Do I progress enough in my career?” The answer is always “no”.

I do not feel the constant need to get ahead, or as if I still have late, in Spain.

Three months after my stay in Spain, my way overlooked with a man by the name of Miguel. I was attracted by his character and his work ethics – he is an engineer in a sustainable architectural firm. We have been together for over three years and plan to get married and build a life together. I also knotted unexpected and deep friendships.

They are not always tapas and siestas

It can be easy to fantasize that moving abroad will be all tapas and sies. Although it is true, like anywhere, he has his difficulties.

I was under a student visa during the program. There was a connection with my visa when I went from the Fulbright program to the program of my master’s degree. More problems arose when I wanted to stay in Spain for good.

I learned that slow bureaucratic processes are the disadvantage of living in a culture with a more relaxed rhythm of life.

I now have an EU residence. Miguel and I are “Pareja de Hecho”, which gives me the residence as a legal partner in Spain. With this status, I can work and live in Spain.

In December 2023, Miguel and I fell in love with an old apartment and bought it. The apartment cost 135,000 euros (around $ 152,000), we deposited a 20% deposit and invested at 85,600 euros (around $ 96,000) of our own savings to renovate it.

The project came with unexpected tests like “Carcoma” or Wood Ver – my new Spanish word the least favorite. In addition to that, it was worth living in a beautiful city with my partner.

Moving costs abroad

I started working and saving money in adolescence.

In summer before moving to Spain, I worked several jobs, because I knew that the Fulbright allowance would not cover my livelihood costs and the funny trips I had planned. I saved a lot.

These savings, more money I earned by working full time after Fulbright, Paid for my half of the apartment deposit and the initial renovation costs.

Now I work in public relations as an independent entrepreneur. I can visit the family, maintain customers in the United States and Spain, and work on a schedule that corresponds to my American roots and Spanish life.

The cost of living is lower than that in California, but wages, which were initially shocking. Working a lot and with us, customers means that I have a higher savings capacity.

I don’t live a lifestyle at high roll. I like to live modestly, save and have money to go home or invest in the house.

What the future contains

Five years after my first trip to Spain, and I built a life here.

I love cooking and hosting with Miguel, our meals sometimes merge Californian culture with Spanish food.

The pain of the country is real. It is a constant pain and a desire for what is familiar, for your old country, your family and your friends. We could go back there one day, but not today. I cannot imagine having children without my mother nearby.

For the moment, I am grateful for the original Spanish woodwork above my table, a loving partner and friends who join “Sombresa” in my beautiful new city.