What it’s like to change 2 countries and have a baby in 2 years
Well, let’s just say it has changed my life completely.
I’ve always been traveling to Portugal (Lisbon) since I was a teenager because my best friend Leonor was living there. I loved spending my summers there and always imagined how it would be living there one day.
In 2012 I met Ruben in Lisbon, he was a friend of Leonor’s boyfriend. We fell in love and from then on our adventure started… I was still living in Frankfurt, in my last study year as a medical assistant, so we had a long distance relationship for one year.
Ruben and I. That was still in our long distance relationship times. We traveled to Berlin and back to Frankfurt to celebrate the New Years Eve.
One week after my final exams I gave up everything in Frankfurt and I moved with 2 luggages into a new life with Ruben. I had no idea what was coming, how it would be; it was the first time I was moving with someone and it was the first time that I left home for longer than weeks. But I just wanted to be with Ruben 🙂
I easily found a job in a German-speaking call center, where I’ve met amazing people and I was just overwhelmed by their open heart and mind. In Portugal, people are always happy and friendly. They welcomed me in a warm way that felt like home.
Just enjoying my new home Portugal. I came a lot to that place, spend hours there just watching the river Tejo and enjoy being there.
I really enjoyed living there. Waking up in the morning while the sun is rising up, enjoying the Portuguese food (which is so delicious) and after work going for a coffee or a swim in the sea. Portuguese Espressos are the best by the way 🙂
That’s one of my favorite things.
Driving trough Lisbon in that old trams 🙂
Lisbon
Beautiful Lisbon (what an inspiring place)
Oh Lisboa! In love with that city.
Discovering Portugal: Praia do Guincho.
I could spend hours just watching the waves and breathe the summer breeze of the ocean.
A year later, Ruben and me welcomed our little prince Luca. He was born on the 13.12.2014 🙂
Our baby boy is there 🙂
A few weeks before giving birth, Ruben got job offer and we decided to move to Spain. Another change, but now it’s not just Ruben and me. It is we as a family. So we went to Girona.
Beautiful sky over Girona
The streets of Girona
Immediately we quite felt the difference compared to Lisbon. People are a bit colder and sometimes we kind of felt like “immigrants”. We spent our first weekends alone, walking around or having a coffee.
My biggest problem has always been the language. Back in Portugal when I was learning the language, people always helped me. They gave me a smile when I said something wrong or correct me. Unfortunately that’s not the case in here. If you don’t speak Spanish, no one is going to talk with you.
It took us some time to find friends. But slowly we found some amazing people, who are helping us a lot and supporting us.
Another thing that was very new for us compared to Lisbon is that shops are closed on Sundays.
The city is empty on Sundays, which was really strange for us who were used to the big city life in Lisbon. People enjoy the family time a lot on the weekend; they go out to the mountains, hiking, biking, do fitness. We started liking it. Ruben already joined a group of runners, who are doing 10 KM runs on the weekends.
This is becoming one of my favorite places. It has a lot nice coffees.
This city has something magical
We love to do short trips to Barcelona, which is just 40 min away from Girona.
Magical 🙂
Now I found a job as a medical assistant in a German-speaking clinic near Girona, which makes me quite happy. I was very lucky to find a job in here, because without Spanish knowledge it’s not easy at all.
I do have bad days or moments where I really miss Germany, my friends and my family.
Everyone missed my pregnancy, they saw Luca just once and that makes me sad.
My little boy and I
But all these adventures, all the happy times and also the hard times just made me grow up and feel much more stronger and confident with myself than ever. What I’ve learned from all my travels and adventures: there is always a solution for everything. You just have to be open, patient and willing to do sacrifices.
