An American mom moved to Spain with her kids and reveals why she cried when she left: “It will forever be our second home”
The absence of her husband led a mother to cross the Atlantic with her children—and in doing so, she regained her identity and found a new home.
Immigration is always a hot topic and often surrounded by controversy for different reasons, but every now and then it also gives us beautiful stories. The latest example comes from the experience of an American mother living in Spain, whose story moved thousands of people and went viral on social media after being featured in Business Insider.
It all began when the woman’s husband was deployed on a nine-month military mission abroad. Not feeling prepared to face such a long period of solitude at home, she decided to move to Spain with her two four-year-old children while she worked on her Ph.D. The first few weeks were tough—between endless administrative paperwork and helping the children adjust to their new school—but little by little, the family settled into their new life far from home. “I felt guilty for taking them away from everything they knew, I felt naive for expecting things to fall into place perfectly, and I felt uneasy about having time to myself again,” she confessed.
In Spain, she made significant progress on her research, returned to regular exercise, and generally enjoyed a healthier daily routine. Her children, meanwhile, learned Spanish, made many friends, and fell in love with the local food. Between work trips and family getaways, they shared experiences they will never forget.
Spain helped this mother feel like more than “just a mom” again
The mother says Spain became her “second home.” Her memory is filled with beautiful moments—afternoons at the beach, strolls through plazas, visits to historic palaces. “When it came time to book our tickets home, I burst into tears. My head knew we had to return to the States and be a family again, but my heart would miss Spain so much,” she recalled, visibly moved.
Today, the family is back living in the United States, and while she admits the decision to move abroad was a risk, she says it turned out to be one of the most important of her life. “I will always be grateful to Spain for being the place that gave me back a part of myself. It will forever be our second country, our second home,” she concluded.
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