Moving to Spain with Family: Life One Week Before We Leave for Spain

In just one week we will be moving to Spain with family. Living not only in a new country, but on a different continent. While our last year has been pretty untraditional at best, these last several weeks have been nothing other than next level.

What Life Used to Look Like

Our life in Vermont was amazing. We had settled into a very predictable routine with four busy kids. Packing school lunches and school drop off in the morning, working during the day, and then in the evenings a push to get dinner in bellies before heading out the door for several hours of activities.

Weekends were spent at the soccer fields or in the soccer arena. In the winter, we spent many Saturdays and Sundays at the mountain enjoying skiing and hanging out with friends. Summers were enjoying swim team with daily practices and biweekly meets. There was nothing wrong with the life we had, but we were always wondering what if…

What Life Was Like During the Last Year Worldschooling

Moving to Spain with family will be a completely different experience than what we have gotten used to over the last year. As a worldschooling family we had everything but routine. I look back to our first post and it is wild to think that was only a year ago. We would travel to a new city, unpack our carryons into whatever furniture was available, and then venture out to explore. Every day was unique, unpredictable, and exciting. Days were also very exhausting – communicating in a different language, trying new foods, walking, ascending so many stairs…. We were constantly navigating from one place to another while making decisions about our next steps. We were (are) all about the pivot and got really good at being flexible and knowing that it would all work out…eventually.

What Life is Like Now (For Me and Jay)

We are the definition of nomads right now, spending time between our parent’s homes & our good ol’ friends at Marriott while at the same time trying to prepare for the big move. We should call it the Davis Triangle – Vermont, Kansas and D.C. are the three “homes” where we have spent the most time between sleeping on couches, air mattresses and squished into spare bedrooms. Recurrent errands to check out our PO Box, visit our storage unit to switch out items, the bank and the post office kept us busy during each stay. We have consistent communication with our immigration lawyers as they walk us through step by step – keeping us on task and on our toes to make sure things are moving forward as they should.

We are spending money in a whole new way, and all at once. School registrations, health insurance, rent, etc. I can confidently give you the current dollar to Euro conversion on a whim at this point. It’s exciting because it means we are getting close to moving to Spain. It also means more time on the computer than I’m used to. It means phone calls (and waiting on hold) that I dread. It means watching the mail like a gamer waiting for the release of GTA VI. Like an elementary school kid waiting on teacher assignments for the next year. Like a baker waiting for their sourdough starter to be just right. You get the point (but I had fun with that!). There is so much waiting and watching. Most of what we wait for is impossible to track so it’s all blindly trusting in the USPS (ha!) and the US government (HAHAH!).

Every visit with family and friends feels like it needs to be special, like it’s The Last Chance before we move to some other planet. This is a feeling that I’m trying to prevent because in reality we will be back and they will visit! The pressure I put on myself to make sure to see everyone is probably not healthy and right now I am not sure how to fix it. We are so grateful for everyone’s excitement and support during this long journey and hope to be able to return the love by sharing some of our new lives with everyone in some sort of way and welcoming visitors with open arms.

Google Translate is a permanent fixture on my computer and phone to use for incoming emails, research, and prior to signing documents. There is a certain amount of trust that comes with this whole process because there are so many possible loopholes or mistakes that can be made with the language barrier. Spanish podcasts and lessons have taken the place of my favorite true crime stories during my walks and when they let me, the kids watch familiar shows like Peppa Pig in Spanish for practice.

The lists have gone from To Do to To Bring. What do we bring on our first flight over? We know the limited space available in our apartment so prioritizing is important. Is it worth loading a big suitcase only to have to figure out where to put the dang thing on the other end? The most exciting category for all of us is clothing – we are very much looking forward to having more variety and tossing some of the well-worn items that we would be happy to never see again! The comforts of home that we have missed are on the list as well – special blankets, momentos, and books (in English) will take first priority. Once we’ve lived in the space for a bit we will decide what else we would like to bring over. At this point, we can’t think of much that’s in storage now that we want to bring to Spain. We can barely remember what is in there at all – that says a lot about the importance of things doesn’t it? That being said, a reassessment of our inventory will be due once we are settled in Spain and have more space in our lives to make those decisions.

How The Children Feel About Moving to Spain

Moving to Spain with family is no small task, especially when managing the very real emotions of 4 children. Nobody is at their best right now, and I don’t blame them. We’ve been wrapping up worldschooling, talking them through the current but ever-changing plan, and keeping them as informed as possible about what life will look like on the other side. Having nailed down our living situation has helped a lot as they can now see photos of their future home. We’ve also shared with them pictures of their schools and told them what we learned and saw on our last trip to the city. We are doing the best we can to make sure they feel seen and heard. The important thing for them to know is that we are all doing this together and nobody will be alone.

Edward is very chill about the move. He is looking forward to being in a structured school environment and to making friends that enjoy the same things he does. He is in dire need of feeling like a “real” high schooler and we are excited that is not far off for him. Fiona is quite the thinker. She is great at looking at things from all angles and because of that she is finding things to be excited about (like being “the new girl”). Of course she is also mourning Vermont and her friends and family there. She is regretting not making the most of our land and our home in Vermont. She wishes that she played more outside and took in the beauty that Vermont is. Harriet is processing it all very quietly. I can see her brain churning and her feelings about it all go both ways. She is excited about the experiences her new school will offer her (exchange program in Austria being one of them!) and for making new friends. She can’t wait to find a stable where she can ride horses and hopefully a studio for ballet as well. Like Fiona, Harriet is mourning Vermont and feeling it with all her heart. The great thing about being a twin is that Fiona and Harriet have each other. I know they have long talks at night about what things will be like and how they feel at the time. They are so fortunate to have that built-in friendship! George says he doesn’t want to move to Spain, he wants to move to France because he likes croissants and baguette. I don’t blame him for being intimidated by the unknown. There is also no doubt that he’s right – you cannot compare a French croissant to anything else, even from neighboring countries! He is taking advantage of Jay’s time at work and spending his nights in bed with me (which I love). George is very excited to play organized soccer again and to make new friends. He has lots of plans for watching live futbol while in Spain and can’t wait to get his very own Spain kit (uniform) that we’ve promised him upon our arrival!

How I’m Feeling About Moving to Spain with Family

Right now I have my head down and am feeling emotionally disconnected from everything. I didn’t realize that until my fingers just typed it out, but I would say that’s the best way to explain it. I have a list and I’m focused on getting things crossed off. I’m focused on being there for our kids as much as I can, listening when they need an ear, and keeping them busy with a summer of fun just like every other child enjoying summer vacation. When I allow myself the time to feel, I’d say the predominant feeling is excitement now that we’ve recently traveled to Zaragoza. We were reminded while there why we love the city so much and are even more excited now that we have a place to call home. We have come so far and it feels like we are finally turning the corner to that last sprint to the finish line.

I keep coming back to WHY we are doing this – to open our children’s eyes to the world around them. To give them experiences that many adults don’t have the access to in a lifetime (and to be able to recognize and be grateful for that). To meet people from all around the world and to learn about how differences are what make us so special. We have so much growing to do, and what a better way to do it than to take a big leap together!

In one week, we’ll be living in Spain. We can’t wait to tell you everything.

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