Before we moved to Spain, I had never considered living outside the US. While I knew it was always within the realm of possibility as a military family, we were never actively pursuing it.
Our move to Spain was unique because it would put us eight hours from the nearest base, fully immersed in the culture.
Well, almost fully immersed. I didn’t anticipate fighting the battle of living with one foot in America and one foot in Spain.
The military allowed us to move all of our belongings, except for major appliances like our washer and dryer. So, once our stuff arrived, inside the walls of our house felt like America, minus the bread drawer and jamon slicer in my kitchen.
The first few months, I fought to make my surroundings feel like I had never left America. Wal-Mart and Amazon shipments filled my pantry with peanut butter, Kind bars, Triscuits, and even Bounty select-a-size paper towels. We kept our online homeschool classes and piano lessons in the US, giving us afternoon and evening classes. We stationed multiple transformers around the house to use things like our keyboard, TVs, and Instant Pot. We bought what felt like hundreds of plug adapters for dual voltage electronics like our phones, computers, and sound machines (a necessity in every Monroe bedroom). Even outside of our house, we screamed “American,” driving the only Honda Odyssey on the streets of Valencia. The discomfort was tangible as we sought to squeeze our American life into our new Spanish reality.
As we began to meet other non-military Americans and ex-pats, I realized that our situation was unique. All of the ex-pats we knew rented furnished apartments, only bringing with them clothes and other essentials. They stepped off the plane and never got to escape into an American cocoon. I began to look at them with a bit of envy.
Living with one foot here and one foot there isn’t wrong; it is just my reality. While I do love my monthly Amazon shipments, there have been times it would be nice to not have to reach back to America for so many things to operate day to day. I have to order print cartridges, schoolbooks, printer paper (if I want the paper to fit in a three-ring binder), stamps, oil, filters, and parts for the cars. While we did buy some European items like a coffee pot, hairdryer, fans, and a space heater, I hit a point several months ago where I refused to buy anything else with a European plug. (Our nomadic lifestyle tendencies kick in as we start to look ahead to the next place, months before we actually leave.)
I wouldn’t change our circumstances. I’m thankful for the experience of being immersed in a culture. And I am grateful I could order my kids a box of cheerios to give them a little piece of home when everything around them changed so quickly. Nothing gave me the comfort of home when I needed it most than when my van arrived in Spain. However, some moments parking a European car into tiny spots would be far easier than my Odyssey. I love the oasis of our house in the suburbs, but I know my Spanish would be far better if we lived in the city and I had to interact with more people daily. Our kids being in school this year has at least provided more interaction and language skills for them.
One foot on either side of the ocean was what I needed for this move. We have adopted some Spanish ways, learned the language…all while eating off American paper plates. While we will miss so many things about our lives here when we move back to America, looking for a plug adapter when we need to charge a phone will not be one of them.
classic!
Just got around to reading this post and it was very interesting. Your organization skills are amazing. I admire the way all of you adjust to all of the situations of being a military family. Thanks for all that you do for the military to keep us safe.