One Year Into Our Decision To Move To Spain

It’s been a little over a year since my last entry, announcing our intent to move to Spain. Since then, there has been a flurry of activity.

We made our first exploratory trip to Spain in March, as planned. We met with realtors and relocation specialists all along the way. Turns out, research-loving nerds that we are, we may have been a little overprepared, if one can be said to be such in the face of such a massive endeavor. In any event, we came away from the trip feeling much more confident in our decision to move. We visited three different areas, and ultimately decided on Malaga. More specifically, the Axarquia region just east of the city of Malaga. That’s not to say this is where in Spain we will finally settle, but it seemed the most comfortable place for us to land and get a good start in our new country.

When we got back home, we did more research! lol Then we started earnestly sorting through all the STUFF. We were lucky enough to fetch decent prices for much of the stuff we were hoping to sell. We still have a little ways to go, but the task is nowhere near as daunting now that we’ve made so much headway. I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Our storage unit is starting to slowly fill with pieces of furniture that are going to Spain with us. Boxes are piling up around the house. Everything is whittling down to almost manageable.

At the end of March, having returned from our exploratory with renewed energy, I started my father on the wildest ride he’s had since he retired. I’m no longer in New York, where I was born, but he still is. So, I had him gather documents for me. I’m talking about birth and death certificates, as I would like to be able to trace my family back to where we originally came from, in Asturias, once I arrive, as well as have everything I will need to get my visa. I asked him to use the long form so the documents were suitable for international use, which, at the time, I didn’t know included something called an apostille, which is a whole separate step from obtaining the certificates. The certificates come from vital records, but the apostilles come from the state department. Here it is, into the new year, and I finally got the documents in my hands, apostille and all, on the last day of January. Almost 10 months later. That’s a big one to cross off the list! Yay Dad!! 😀  Now to get all those documents translated!

The rest of the year has just been plugging along trying to get things sorted, sold and packed, slowly but surely. My friends have had a chance to recover from the shock of the announcement of our intent to leave the country. The ones who were angry that I’m leaving them have made their peace with future plans for a European vacation, accommodations covered. I thought they might come around to my way of thinking. 😉 Social demands have spiked, as people want to spend as much time as possible together before I’m gone. I’m definitely feeling the love, but it’s exhausting trying to juggle a more active social schedule with trying to get everything we need done. I do occasionally take advantage of a healthy back around the house, though.

In a couple of weeks I will be starting a course to become certified to teach English as a foreign language. Mostly this is just a safety net, a Plan B, if you will, in case things don’t go according to plan. Let’s face it, especially given the current state of affairs here in the US, anything can happen. I mentioned we seem to be a tad overprepared, right? Cheap peace of mind in my book.

Once I finish up the class and finish up with the house, we can finally put the house up for sale and start applying for our visas. We’re getting there. The goal is to be in Spain by the end of this year. So far, we’re still on target.