I have spent the last few months writing a series of articles defending my decision to move to Spain, as soon as next year, with my partner.
Over the course of these stories, I developed a couple key points:
- I go to Spain with zero sense of general or cultural entitlement. In fact, I’m moving there because I want to be part of Spanish society. I don’t expect it to bend to American norms, customs and ways of life. Many of which I’m not particularly fond of to begin with.
- I could move to any number of global locations for less expensive or flat out cheap housing. We’re choosing Spain because … see bullet point #1.
As an urban planning student from 2002 to 2008, I got the bug real bad for pedestrian-oriented built environments — and the public space and public life they facilitate — long before I first set foot in Europe.
I knew that once I experienced what it feels like to be in a place like Spain (or Italy), I’d want to live there. Because we simply don’t have the types of urban settings they have —ones that prioritize people over cars — in the United States. Not even in the places we put forward as some of the world’s greatest cities.
It was a long time coming, but the second I arrived in Europe in 2022, I knew I wanted to live there. The experience blew away my expectations. You can’t say that about most things in life. Especially things you spend years imagining and, subsequently, hyping.
So I’m done defending my choice. You’re not going to see me flaunting my move on House Hunters International.