We’re No Longer Figuring Out How to Live Here. We’re Figuring Out How to Live Well Here.
A year ago, everything in Valencia was new.
Every trip to the grocery store was an adventure. Every government office was a mystery. Every doctor’s appointment required a little extra courage. We were learning our way around a new city, a new language, and a new way of doing things.
Looking back now, it’s remarkable how much has changed. Or perhaps more accurately, how much has become wonderfully ordinary.
Most mornings begin the same way. I get up first, make coffee, and spend a little time reading the news before bringing a cup to Kristie. Then it’s emails, answering messages, and planning out my projects for the day.
It’s not that exciting, and that’s what I love about it.
A big milestone was selling the car. As Americans, that seemed almost unimaginable before we moved to Europe. Today, we walk almost everywhere. If we’re going farther, we take the Metro, hop on a bus, or grab a taxi. We don’t miss the car. In fact, we sometimes forget we ever had one.
Valencia turned out to be exactly the kind of city where walking isn’t a compromise. It’s simply the best way to live.
We’ve also settled into the rhythms of the neighborhood.
Every five days or so, we stop by Fermento bakery for a loaf of sarraceno y espelta, our favorite buckwheat and spelt bread. Their croissants are outstanding too, although we try not to let that become a daily habit.
We have favorite restaurants and favorite shops. We know which streets offer a little more shade on a hot afternoon and which route is nicest for an evening walk.
Perhaps most satisfying of all, we’re beginning to recognize people, and they’re beginning to recognize us.
It’s a small thing, but it makes a city feel surprisingly personal.
Our Spanish is steadily improving. Most of my day-to-day conversations now happen in Spanish. They’re not always elegant, and there are still plenty of moments when I search for a word or quietly hope the other person speaks a little English.
Fortunately, most don’t.
Kristie plans to continue with a new tutor once her current lessons are finished, with an even greater emphasis on everyday conversation. Like almost everything else about learning a language, progress comes one conversation at a time.
We’ve also become reasonably good at navigating the practical side of Spanish life.
The public healthcare system has been better than we expected in some ways and more frustrating in others. Our assigned doctor isn’t someone we’d choose if given the option, but we’ve learned how the system works well enough to see specialists and get things done. When time matters, or when we’d rather discuss medical issues in English, our private insurance has been worth every euro.
Taxes turned out to be less complicated, and a little less expensive, than I’d anticipated.
Our electricity bills, on the other hand, became a bit of a mystery as they climbed higher and higher. Fortunately, changing providers solved that problem almost overnight and reduced our costs by roughly thirty-five percent.
You win some.
We’ve made some friends too, although most are still fellow expats. That’s fairly common, I think. It takes time to become part of established local social circles, no matter where you live. We’re perfectly content to let those relationships develop naturally.
There are still plenty of things we’re discovering.
We’re still searching for the right sushi restaurant. I’m still trying to figure out where to find Szechuan food, although the hot pot restaurants in the Jerusalén neighborhood are on our list to check out. We’ve only made one real trip within Spain, to Madrid, and there are countless places we’d like to explore over the next few years.
In other words, we’re still discovering Spain.
But we’re no longer discovering how to live in Valencia.
That, perhaps more than anything else, is what this first year has been about.
When we arrived, nearly every question was practical.
- How does the Metro work?
- Where do we buy groceries?
- How do we navigate the healthcare system?
- Can we really live without a car?
Today, the questions are different.
- Which restaurant should we try next?
- Should we plan a getaway trip to Zaragoza? Or Seville? Or San Sebastián?
- Is it time for another loaf from Fermento?
Those are much nicer questions to have.
We’re no longer figuring out how to live here.
We’re figuring out how to live well here.