I thought I wanted the American dream. Moving to a small city in Spain changed my mind.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kevin Schreck, a 33-year-old from North Carolina who moved to Spain in 2018. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I was pursuing a master’s in Spanish when I met my husband, who was also working on his master’s. He’s from Valencia, so when we finished our programs, I thought, “He’s lived here for a couple of years, why don’t I go ahead and try Spain?”

I applied to a Spanish program that places native English speakers in public schools as classroom language assistants. I got really lucky and was assigned to a school in Valencia.

At first, my plan was to live there for a couple of years, improve my Spanish, and then return to the US to become a language teacher. I imagined having the typical American dream, you know, a house with a big yard and all that. But I fell in love with Spain.

I have so many fond memories of my first year in Valencia. I was this guy from Wilmington, North Carolina, learning about a new culture, trying new foods, meeting a ton of people, and going out with my husband and his friends.

I know I’m lucky, and not everyone has that experience. It’s easy to get disillusioned when you’re in a new country and don’t have a community. But having my husband with me allowed me to immerse myself. It gave me an advantage, an easier way in, and that’s something I really appreciate now.

Now I’m getting my Spanish citizenship

Moving abroad was pretty easy. The teaching program provided me with a student visa, so I didn’t have to figure everything out on my own or work with lawyers.

I was earning €1,000 ($1,146) a month through the program. It wasn’t an amazing salary, but it was fairly typical and enough to live on. At the time, my partner and I rented an apartment in a decent area for €700 ($802) a month, which we split, so I could cover my rent and bills and still save a little.

It took me three months to receive my first payment. I was a recent college graduate relying on my savings, so that period was really stressful. But in the end, it all worked out.

I stayed in the program for a couple of years, which also made it easier to renew my visa. Afterward, I was able to apply for permanent residency, and now I’m working on my citizenship.

There’s a lot to do in Valencia

There’s a lot to love about Valencia. It’s usually sunny, and it isn’t a huge city. With just under a million people, it feels much less overwhelming than Barcelona or Madrid — especially for someone like me who comes from the rural South.

But I think the biggest thing for me is the culture itself. Spain isn’t a monoculture; the North and South are totally different, and several languages are spoken across the country. I really connected with Valencian culture, and I’ve been able to make friends and feel like I fit in pretty well.

I live just outside the city center in a fairly small neighborhood, but I really like it. There are a couple of nice little squares, along with restaurants, bars, cafés, and green spaces.

Valencia is really accessible, and I think that’s important for quality of life. It takes me less than 30 seconds to walk to the grocery store, and if I want to meet friends, I’m usually no more than a 10-or 15-minute walk away. I live really close to the metro, too, and can get to the airport in about 20 minutes.

My family back in North Carolina drives 45 minutes into town just to go to a restaurant. Now I think about that, and I’m like, “Oh my goodness.” I really don’t miss it.

Daily life is affordable in Spain

About four years ago, my husband and I bought a 592-square-foot flat for about €150,000 ($172,317). Our mortgage is €604 ($692) a month. We got really lucky because it happened right before the big housing boom. Housing here is definitely much more expensive now.

Life here is affordable. For groceries, we probably spend between €80 and €100 a week for two people. We usually go out about once a week, maybe on a Saturday, and it’s not a super expensive place to eat. A decent dinner is usually around €25 per person, so I’d say I spend about €100 a month on going out — maybe a little more if drinks are involved.

Healthcare isn’t expensive here either. Spain has a universal healthcare system, and that makes a huge difference in my life. Because I’m in the public system, I don’t have to worry about getting a bill or whether it’s worth going to the doctor because of a copay.

Of course, nowhere is perfect. The hardest part — and this probably isn’t unique to Valencia — is learning a new language and culture and adjusting to a different way of life. You have to rethink the things you once considered normal in your hometown.

In Spain, there are a lot of unspoken rules. It’s not something you learn in the first six months. You slowly catch on as you get better at the language and meet more people. It definitely took me time.

I don’t plan on moving back to the US

For my friends and family, the idea of my moving from North Carolina to Spain probably seemed pretty crazy. Because I’ve always liked to travel, I think they assumed I’d be there for a year and then come back. I don’t think anyone expected me to stay permanently.

But I’m really happy to be living in Valencia, and I definitely don’t intend to move back to the US.

My life has really blossomed in Spain. I’ve become a travel advisor, and my husband and I are in the process of adopting a child.

While I don’t think the education system here is the best in the world, I think raising a child here feels safer; we don’t have to worry about things like school shootings. Also, this is a bilingual region, so our child would also have the opportunity to learn several languages. As a big language nerd, I find that a huge plus.

While I do miss things about the US, especially my friends and family, I think this is the right place for me.

It’s funny to think back to 2018, when my plan was to just be in Spain for a while; now my life looks completely different.