Living in Barcelona? Why Barcelona? Because in my twenty-something-year-old mind, it was the Rio de Janeiro of Europe. It´s not as stupid as it initially sounds if you think about it – a cosmopolite city with a beach, nice people, good food, mountains and contrary to Rio, on the same continent as my hometown, Bucharest, Romania.
I honestly never planned to be living in Barcelona and leave my country. I moved for what I thought would be a year-long master in Barcelona. That was 8 years ago… The first year was very hard, a lot of work as I had a full-time job working in the marketing department of multinational in Spain and then ran to my classes in the evening. Sounds exhausting just thinking about it now. And since I was so exhausted all the time, I really didn´t enjoy the city that first year. The money wasn´t great either which comes with its limitations so it just seemed like a big effort for little return. Which is why after the first year I decided to move back to the comfort of my home, family, and friends. Felt a bit like an easy way out but I thought I knew my limits.
How 1 year abroad turned into living in Barcelona
Well, the city without a doubt but I´d lie if I wouldn´t mention this new flatmate that moved into my
shared flat… We got on so well that he ultimately became my husband 7 life-changing years later.
But Barcelona just doesn´t let you go that easily. I heard so many stories about why people ended up staying in Barcelona and it goes anywhere from “I came on vacation and just got a waiter job and stayed” to “I came for an exchange program and never went back” or the never-boring “I fell in love” stories.
It has a beach, the weather´s good pretty much all year long, the food is delicious (it´s home to the best restaurant in the world) and there are a lot of romantic spots which I love! The people are diverse and the locals are reserved but nice, plus a booming start-up and tech scene. And if you´re not convinced yet, the Costa Brava with its turquoise waters is just 1.5h away by car.
So, in the end, why not Barcelona…
