So… we’re moving to Spain!

We are?! 

We are. 

Never in a million years would I have thought I would be making this move at the age of 39.  

Long, long ago, I had some dreams of traveling the world and teaching in different countries. When we were first married, Chris considered a job in Switzerland, but we ended up in San Francisco.  That was a lovely little adventure for just the two of us.  But once we started our family, we changed our minds.  We spent a decade building a life near our families in Virginia. Then something shifted for me. Once the intense work of parenting little ones was ending, I started to feel this familiar desire for an adventure.  It was almost like an old part of me was waking up from a deep sleep.  

Will needed a different location to pursue a higher level of soccer, and I didn’t want to return to Northern Virginia.  I had spent most of my life living within driving distance of my childhood, and I wanted new experiences.  Colorado was an excellent place for all of us: access to nature, skiing, great weather, and more resources for homeschooling.  I loved the Boulder area immediately.  People are laid back, friendly, and active.  I’ve found that I’m extremely affected by my environment, so I choose to place myself in locations where I can become a better version of myself.  Boulder invites you to be outside more often, pause and appreciate moments of beauty.  It’s a beautiful life we’ve created for ourselves here. 

Which is why I truly surprised myself last fall when I unexpectedly fell in love with Barcelona.  

I felt parts of my brain coming alive that had been dormant for years. I only took a few years of Spanish in high school, but all of a sudden words were appearing in my mind like magic. Even Chris noticed a change in me (and if you know Chris, it takes quite a bit for him to notice) and he said, “Your brain is activated here. Who even are you?!”  I was able to suddenly navigate metro stations with ease, something that causes me great difficulty in my own hometown. Maybe I do have ADHD after all, and I’ve been sort of bored for a while. Either way, something awakened in me.  I started to think: What if we could live here?

Chris and I often have these conversations when we travel.  This time, when I considered the pros and cons, I actually felt quite sad.  Because I was convinced my kids would never go for it. They would have to learn a new language, leave behind wonderful friends, and go to school! Why would a kid ever choose that?

But the idea kept nagging at me, literally keeping me awake at night.  I slowly started to let myself entertain the idea… Might it be… a little bit… nice for the boys to go to an international school and learn another language? Could that even be a wonderful opportunity for them? Will would be in the best environment to pursue his dreams of being a professional soccer player.  Yes he’s only 9, but who am I to literally stand in his way and not encourage him to pursue his dream?! What if there is a small, secret part of me that wants to relinquish some control and not be their only teacher? What if I COULD learn Spanish, even at 39? Think of all the places close by in Europe I could explore! As soon as those thoughts took hold, I immediately would squash them with thoughts like: No way, the kids will never go for this. You’d never make real friends because no one can overcome language barriers and know your true personality.  You’d have to navigate a new medical system, transportation, groceries, bills—everything would be different.

Colin actually brought up the concept of moving there with me as we were driving to drop off Christmas donations for a family in need.  “Grampy says learning a second language is really good for job opportunities” he said casually.  “You know Mom, we’ve already had a bit of a different childhood. And I still keep in touch with my Virginia friends, and I made new friends here.  Who knows what friends could be there in Spain?”  My jaw fell to the floor.  This 11 year old is more brave than most people I know, myself included. Chris and I continued the conversation with him, urging him to really think about all the cons: learning a language is REALLY hard, we wouldn’t know anyone, you’d have to go to SCHOOL! He had answers for everything.  He was ready to go to school, and ready for an adventure.  He gave me the confidence to start dreaming about this as a legitimate possibility. 

We thought Will would be an instant YES because soccer is what he lives and breathes daily. He looked so happy when he got the opportunity to train with a local club last fall.  He’s a bit more cautious about the entire idea, but still open to trying.  After we went for a second visit to Barcelona recently, he’s definitely excited about the move.  He jumped into pickup soccer games more than once, introducing himself in Spanish.  He said, “I can’t wait until I’m fluent.”  

The fact that these boys are open to even trying this blows my mind.  As a second grader, I was so scared to move 2 miles from my first home. On our recent visit to look at neighborhoods and schools in Barcelona, they were making jokes with us about language learning, and trying all of the new Spanish food.  I hope that as we’ve grown together as a family, they’ve learned that home is portable.  As long as we’re together, it’s going to be a beautiful life.