Real life expat stories from all over the globe

Who are you?

My name is Lauren Covino-Smith 

Where are you from?

I was born and spent pretty much my entire early life on the beaches of New Jersey in the United States. 

Where have you moved to and how long have you been there?

My Family – myself, husband and three children – moved to Barcelona, Spain two and a half years ago. 

Why did you move abroad?

It was something my husband and I would always fantasize about but never really thought would happen. We also weren’t entirely sure we could HANDLE a move abroad. Until the opportunity came at my husband’s company. And it was then that we realized we HAD to do it, otherwise we would always regret it. 

What challenges did you face during the move?

The city of Barcelona is welcoming and full of families so certain aspects came rather easy. But the everyday logistics of Expat life were what we found the hardest in the beginning. Going from suburban life with a big home and front yard to a 5th floor apartment in a major city. Going from having two family cars to having NONE and attempting to get around as a family of five. Stumbling over a language none of us were confident in! Those are some of the early challenges that come to mind. 

How did you find somewhere to live?

Luckily being corporate expats, we were connected with an agency that provided support for finding a home. She took us all over the city! And it’s amazing how wrong we were about the areas we thought would be perfect to live in, like Gothic Quarter! She really educated us and we ended up settling on a great apartment in city center where lots of other expats live – an area called Sant Gervasi/Galvany. 

Are there many other expats in your area? Was it easy to make friends?

Barcelona is a city filled with immigrants and expats and it is fairly easy to find “your people”. Social media groups, meetups, language exchanges, playgroups. Specifically in the area where we live, because it is considered more affluent, there are many American expats so we find it easy to start chats at the park or cafes with others. However the majority of our expat friends and social circle come from having two kids in the international school where most families have moved abroad just like us! It’s been a wonderful way to connect with others in the same stage of life as we are. 

What is your relationship like with the locals?

When we first moved to Barcelona, we didn’t have many relationships with locals and simply tried to survive on basic Spanish skills. The Catalan people tend to be a bit exclusive and guarded probably because Barcelona has so many outsiders. But fast forward two and a half years and we’ve come a long way! We have some lovely local friends who appreciate our effort to speak their language and understand their culture. Not to mention, our third child is attending her first year of preschool at a Catalan school. That has really immersed us into the local society like never before!  

What do you like about life where you are?

Living in Europe has really opened my eyes to what true priorities look like. In the U.S. you have a lot of overworked, stressed people trying to compete with one another. The American culture embraces a “do more, be more” kind of mentality – and while I’m a go-getter at heart, I don’t always agree that “more is better”. By stark comparison, the Catalan people are…content. They value relaxation, patience, tranquility and family/work balance. That’s not to say everyone sits on the beach all day and drinks cocktails. But their idea of a life of purpose is a bit different than where we come from. And I like that! 

What do you dislike about your expat life?

I definitely miss some of the everyday conveniences found back home that don’t really exist here. For example, one-stop shopping like at Target! This culture hasn’t quite caught onto the idea yet. It typically takes me three days to complete errands which could easily be done in half a day back home. And as a mom of three, convenience and time efficiency is everything to me!! 

What is the biggest cultural difference you have experienced between your new country and life back home?

I suppose it would have to be our American personalities. In our family, we talk loudly, laugh a lot, are very sarcastic, outgoing and generally kind of wild hahah. Here, the whole “tranquil” thing I talked about earlier creates a little bit of a divide between our culture and theirs. We’re the loudest family at the park. We have the noisiest children on the train. I’m pretty sure our neighbors that live below us, hate when we’re home. It’s these things that make me realize no matter how long we live in Barcelona, we will probably always stand out as Americans! And I’m actually okay with that. 

What advice would you give to anyone following in your footsteps?

Oh my gosh, if I could chat with another mom/wife getting ready to move her family overseas, my advice would be to have PATIENCE! That virtue alone will make a huge difference in the success or failure of your expat assignment. Seriously! Have patience for the language learning process, the visa application process and even finding doctors in your new city. It all takes an incredible amount of time and getting frustrated along the way won’t help anyone! Give yourself a year to figure out your life abroad before you can start calling it home. 

What are your plans for the future?

As we speak, my husband is starting a new job with a new company here in Barcelona! We never thought this would happen while living abroad – but it did! Which means we will be expats for another two years or so. For the immediate future, we plan to enjoy as much of our life here that we can and take advantage of all that Barcelona offers. I’ll of course continue to blog about our life here during that time. In the long term, I suppose we will return back to the states and resume life as “normal”. But my goal is to continue blogging and sharing our experiences with the world…wherever we may be! 

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Thanks for following our family’s expat journey through every hectic,humbling and hilarious experience on The Expat Chronicle Blog. 

Lauren Covino-Smith is the creator and writer for The Expat Chronicle, a lifestyle blog featuring tips and tales about her American family's experiences living abroad. Lauren's hope is for readers to laugh at their mistakes, learn from their experiences and be inspired to also move abroad!  Her travel and expat articles have been published in The Expat Magazine, Triptipedia, The Expat Cast and several travel blogs.When she's not writing, she's usually taking photos, browsing interior design stores or enjoying sidewalk performers with her husband and three kids.

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