My Life Abroad: I turned my teenage dream of living in Barcelona into a reality

Curious what it would be like to work or study abroad? My Life Abroad is a column by Her World that gives a glimpse into the lives of women from Singapore who have pursued their dreams and ambitions overseas. If you would like to share your experience, please email us at magherworld@sph.com.sg with the subject “My Life Abroad” in your email header, and one of our editors will get back to you.

In today’s column, we speak with 34-year-old  senior growth and customer relationship management manager Chris on how she made her teenage dream of living in Europe a reality, and how Barcelona is now a place she and her husband call home.

I first visited Barcelona back in 2013 with a friend and really enjoyed my time here! I thought it was a lovely city with beautiful architecture, a really rich food culture, and a ridiculous dinner time of 10pm. I never expected myself to live here someday though.

Then in March 2019, my husband was offered a job opportunity from his previous manager, and we jumped at the chance to move abroad.

I've wanted to move abroad to Europe since my teenage years — quite open in terms of which city to live in. There was another opportunity with his then-company to move to Glasgow but Barcelona felt like a better choice both career and lifestyle-wise.

At that point, my priority was experiencing a different life. I was happy to go with the flow and lucky enough to be working in tech, so that provided me with a little more reassurance I would find more career opportunities abroad as compared to more corporate industries.

The first two weeks of moving here were tough.

We were living in a temporary flat with hardly any natural light and I was working from home most of the day – still employed by the same company as the one I worked for back in Singapore. Searching for a flat was extra difficult because we didn’t know any Spanish. From speaking on the phone and signing up for a mobile plan to dealing with rental and utility contracts, language is so prevalent in everything that we do.

We were lucky enough to have found a flat we loved very much within one month, where we lived for about two years before moving to a bigger flat with a terrace. Now, we live in a three-bedroom rental flat on the left-side of the city, which is still fairly close to the centre.

Barcelona is very walkable as a city and well-connected, so it doesn’t take much time to get anywhere.

Most of my single friends are renting a room in a flat shared with other flatmates while those attached are sharing rental flats with their partners. The cost of rent is considered high here as there are many expats who choose to live in Barcelona compared to other cities in Spain due to its close proximity to the coast. A decent two-bedroom flat in a central location will cost you at least €1,000 per month. Some companies cover relocation costs and the cost of rent for foreigners the first couple of months before you are on your own.

I didn’t know anyone here when I first moved, and it was lonely since I was working remotely and didn’t have many opportunities to socialise. Giving the Bumble BFF app a try, I met a couple of nice women on it – one of whom I still talk to on a regular basis these days. My friendship circle truly formed when I found a job here, as I got to know my colleagues and they introduced me to their friends. I was lucky enough to meet great people at work and they turned into my friends. The term “afterwork” is commonly used, which refers to grabbing a drink with your colleagues after work or staying in the office to socialise.

I think many people tend to lump all of Europe as one entity, so in thinking that Europe is expensive, they think Barcelona is too. But from a Singaporean’s perspective, Barcelona is very affordable for its vibrant night scene, eating out, grocery shopping, and public transport. There are cultural exhibits like live music, neighbourhood parties and flea markets going on every week. There’s something for everyone – the beach for anyone who loves to sea, mountains nearby for hikers, many parks in the city centre just to enjoy picnics under the sun, and all all these don’t cost much at all. The language barrier is less daunting these days too, knowing that people are very willing to help you along. You can still get by without being fluent in the language — I’m still learning!

A work day in my life

Credit: Chris

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I work three days in the office and two days remotely from 9.30am to 6.30pm. I commute via two buses as my office is located on the far right of the city, closer to the beach. It’s where many startups are situated – like a tech hub.

The work-life balance culture here is better than in Singapore, as people value their free time very much and work does not take precedence over everything else. Maybe it’s because we need less money here to get by. But it’s unlike in Singapore where you’re constantly pursuing more and more money, and the overwork mentality is considered the norm by many companies or even rewarded and treated as a good quality to have.

It’s usually 9.15pm by the time I’ve finished working out at the gym on weekdays. And I’ve gotten used to late dinners, which are a norm here.

A weekend in my life

Credit: Chris

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On weekend mornings, I usually join CrossFit classes at the gym nearby. After that, I like to do something outdoors if the weather is good, like hike or walk around the city while soaking up the sun. I’d check out any events which may be on during the weekend.

When I first moved here, I did more weekend trips away to neighbouring towns, cities and even the mountains for hikes and sightseeing.

These days I’m a little more settled here so I mostly hang out with my friends or explore the culinary scene in the city.

What I love about the culture

Credit: Chris

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One thing I’ve really been enjoying is the live music. There’s always a good electronic music DJ playing at a nightclub. I’ve seen many of my favourite bands here live and countless music festivals over spring and summer.

There are times when I feel like a fish out of water, and certain experiences are just not the same as they are back home. The food especially — oh my god, I miss Asian food! You can get it here too but it’s just not the same.

But as much as I miss my friends and family and the familiarity of the environment I grew up in, I think meeting new people from a completely different culture has helped me to appreciate different things in life and question what truly makes me happy or what brings me fulfilment. I’ve become more environmentally conscious – recycling more and being more careful about where I purchase things. I am also more appreciative of the outdoors thanks to the much better weather I enjoy here.

Whether I see myself staying here forever, I can’t say for sure. But choosing to move here has been one of the best decisions of my life! I’m much happier ever since I moved and should have done this 10 years ago. I highly recommend living outside of the country you were born in at least once in your life!