Last October, we started paying rent in Girona Province, Cataluña.
We moved from Wicklow Town, County Wicklow, to La Bisbal d’Empordà in Girona Province, Spain.
And it’s been a journey, as they say.
As you would expect, there’s been the tough stuff and the good stuff.
The challenges have mostly involved the added bureaucracy that being married to a non-EU citizen brings (but even that hasn’t been as bad as I feared). When I remembered to take things day by day, without looking at the multitude of hoops we’d have to jump through, life in Spain actually became a balm to the whole process. Now that we’re settled in and my husband finally has his residence papers and his self-employed work papers, as I do, we are exhaling a little more each and every day.
After five years of renting in a very expensive country, we now have the freedom to slow down our pace of life, which is most welcome at our ages (60 and 78!). We never planned to be renters, but when we decided to move back to Europe, closer to my family, we lost our chance at being homeowners. Being self-employed makes this difficult at any age, and even harder over 60 (in my husband’s case, over 70). Overcoming the idea of being renters first involved overcoming a certain degree of pride. I have to say this is much easier on my ego in continental Europe, where it’s normal to be long-term renters compared to Ireland, the US, or Canada (where we owned homes). The first sigh of relief I experienced after moving here came with signing a long-term rental agreement.
I have absolutely no regrets, but there have been some tough days, mostly due to living in an old house (built in the early 1900s) with stone walls. The character of the house is wonderful, but the horrendously high electric bills in the winter left us breathless! I do think that “living on the edge,” as my husband Bob and I like to call this less secure lifestyle (in favour of following our hearts and dreams), has kept us young, even if the stress from the lack of financial security has sometimes reared its head.
We never chose to become renters, but if we were going to live where we wanted to, in a climate and environment that matched our real values (close enough to my Irish clan, great food, beautiful architecture and countryside, lovely people, warmer weather but not too warm, etc.), then this was the sacrifice we had to make.
Living a life that matches my values has always been more important than anything else. And there’s something about choosing to live where your body feels most at home. Incidentally, about 10 years ago I did my DNA testing and found that amidst all that Celtic blood from Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, were traces of “Iberian Peninsula” genes. I had a mentor for almost 30 years who used to say that your body knows where it belongs and feels it the moment you step off the plane onto “home” ground.
So What Have The Benefits Been?
As I reflect on the past eight months, more settled now after this major transition, I can honestly say that I’m grateful we took this (calculated) leap because:
- It really feels like my health and my husband’s health have improved because we’re being more true to ourselves in our lifestyle choices.
- As I tell my friends, family, and clients, the only way to gain confidence is to take some risks in following your heart, and I feel my confidence is more solid than ever.
- I really love the diversity of cultures here and the variety of income levels in my neighborhood. We are all part of the rich tapestry of life on this planet in these times, and I love that we get to experience the microcosm of this on my very own street!
- I get more time to myself to write, explore, and hang out with friends and family now that the basic survival stuff has been addressed.
- I love being international, trilingual, and having contact with many others who are also “Global Citizens.”
- My creativity levels are beginning to soar, which was one of the big reasons for moving at 60. For one thing, my Interior Designer persona is thriving!
- Vitamin D/sunshine really and truly makes a difference. Even when it rains here, people are SO happy (compared to Ireland, for example) because it also means we get to keep eating wonderful produce at affordable prices.
- I cannot stress enough how AMAZING it is to be able to walk everywhere to all the shops. One really exciting day was when we bought a fancy version of one of those shopping carts everyone has here, and to cycle into the countryside to nearby villages for delicious tapas in sunny terraced rural restaurants.
I have it on good authority we’ll be seeing more of our friends and family from all over the world now that we live in such an agreeable place.
Main – Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
