Moving Abroad In The Middle Of A Pandemic

On September 12th 2020, I was moving abroad in the middle of a pandemic. Stupid? Maybe. Regrets? 0.

Why move abroad?

After graduating from uni, I had no clue as to what I wanted to do for a career or who I wanted to be. But something inside me was telling me to leave the UK for a while and get some new experiences. I thought about doing a master, but couldn’t really afford it so instead, I started looking for jobs.

I came across the role of an English Language Assistant, which could be done in China, Austria, France, Spain, Chile… the choices were endless.

In school, I did Spanish A-Level and wanted to hold onto that skill for as long as possible, so a Spanish speaking country it was. Although tempting, South America was a bit too far and scary for me, as I had only travelled alone twice.

Spain it was.

Of course, this decision making was all before things hit the roof. We had no idea what was about to happen. I applied in January, accepted to work in Madrid in July and started in October. My dad was adamant the opportunity was going to get cancelled but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

Arriving

Now at first, because of all the doubt around what was going to happen, a potential second wave, the possibility of virtual work, a socially distanced school, everything felt extremely weird; wrong even that we were out and surrounded by so many other people. However, because of the sunny weather, the excitement of being in a new country and the stress of having only seven days to find a place to live, the fact that I was moving abroad in the middle of a pandemic wasn’t the most stressful thing on my mind. 

One of the biggest differences between Spain and the UK, when it came to the global pandemic, was that it was a legal requirement to wear a mask at all times, except for in private residences. Even in restaurants, it was common practice to keep your mask on until you had ordered food or drink. I actually felt a lot safer in Spain during the pandemic than during the UK.

Many Madrileños had told me that this was the worst year to be experiencing life in Spain. Their life and culture felt extremely restricted. However, once the UK had gone into a second lockdown and life felt mostly normal here (bars and restaurants close at 12 pm), I could only feel privileged that I was able to have enjoyed so much so far. I would love to experience Spain’s in its true form: the nightlife, going to salsa classes, experiencing the Spanish double kisses, but in all honesty, I was grateful to have freedom. A luxury that my friends and family back home did not have.

Spain’s restrictions were eye openers

The only restrictions that I had, were that I could not leave the region of Madrid as other regions were closed to reduce transmission. I really wanted to leave Madrid and explore the rest of Spain (that was part of my initial plan). Instead, however, I learnt to appreciate what was around me.

I discovered places in Madrid that I did not know existed, there is way more to its region than just the capital. Including, its palaces, mountain ranges and communities. As cringe as it sounds, this really changed my outlook on how I viewed the world. I believed that cities were the best part of a country and that the suburbs and country have nothing to offer. In fact, I spent about 50% of my time in Madrid’s towns or suburbs (both working and travelling). The majority of the beauty I saw, did not come from the city. I learned a lot about Madrid’s history and culture, way more than I ever would have if I just travelled from city to city and I simply fell in love with it.

Now, I am excited to travel the world with a more open-minded view of the beauty of a country.