Hi, I live in the NYC area, am recently (3 months) widowed, with 2 small children. I have lived in Spain, on and off for the past 20 years, most recently in 1998. My late husband and I went to Spain in April of this year, and it was our dream to relocate there in the near future. We spent a month traveling around, but fell madly in love with Barcelona and decided that’s where we’d end up.
Now, as a single parent, I still have the dream of making the move—though I question the logistics of moving with 2 children alone. I have friends in Spain, but most of them live in the interior (Madrid, Salamanca and Valladolid), and I’d rather be on the coast, if I had a choice. I won’t be needing to work, though I would like to eventually, once the children are in school. My youngest is 10 months old and my oldest 2 1/2. I am fluent in Spanish and my oldest has a working knowledge, though she doesn’t say much. I have worked as a visiting professor at the University of Valladolid and have an advanced degree in Spanish-English interpreting.
So I have a couple questions—-like many who have gone before me—I’m currently weighing Valencia versus Barcelona. I have never spent an extended period in Valencia, but I think it could work for us. My intention is to rent for a while and see how Spain works for us and then eventually buy something.
Do any of you have knowledge for how one might be better than the other for a single parent?
Also—what about nannies or domestic help (between caring for the children, I really don’t have a lot of time to devote to upkeep of the house and it gets overwhelming)—how much does that run? Would it be possible to live on say—an overall budget of 25-30,000 EUROS a year in either city for a family of three?
Any words of wisdom? I really appreciate any and all insight you might be able to provide. As for schools, I would be open to a Spanish school for the children, though—ideally—I’d love something that offered English as well. Catalan is not a problem—we’d be open to learning!
Thanks.
