Why Anne is still living in Valencia after five years!

From four weeks to five years

I left the Netherlands five years ago because I wanted something new in my life. I quit my job, moved out, and came to Valencia to learn the Spanish language. That was my only plan when I came here: a four week intensive language course. I found accommodation pretty quickly and met a lot of people in the beginning. I lived with two Spanish girls and that helped to deep-dive into the culture, and they made me feel at home as well. Then I thought: “Why wouldn’t I stay?”.

“Just go! You won’t lose anything by trying.”

Do I regret moving abroad? No, definitely not! It really enriched my life. I wouldn’t want to have missed out on this opportunity. I mean, I grew in my career and I grew personally. I’ve met so many amazing like-minded people, you make friends easily when you just go with the flow and open your heart for new people. I am aware that some people are in doubt about going abroad because of the lower salaries abroad. But I can honestly say that the cost of living here is lower, like when I go to a restaurant and get a meal. So, it’s not really fair to compare it, because in my eyes it’s still a good deal.

For everyone who has doubts about going abroad, just go. Just go! If it isn’t how you imagined it to be, you can always go home again. You won’t lose anything by trying. Living and working abroad gave me a second family: there are so many new people that I care about here. I’m so happy about that! It was totally worth it, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on this. 

For others settling in a new country, I encourage you to just throw yourself in the culture, be with the people. Make sure that you live together with the people from that country, in my case Spaniards. It will help you so much in learning the language quickly, but also to understand the culture, and to get to know the traditions of the country. It is difficult in the beginning, but it also makes you take steps quickly in learning the language and embracing the culture.

An international career

I learned a lot of skills from working abroad, like working with different cultures and all the different people we have here in Valencia, they are from all around the world. While working together, you sometimes have to modify your tone a little bit or the way you approach people. From living abroad, I’ve also learned things. In Spain, definitely the amount of patience that you need to learn here! I love the work-life balance; there is a whole life after work, at five pm. You go out, meet up with friends, the quality of life feels higher here.

I was looking for a job in Valencia, because I believe your career is very important. My motto is ‘work hard, play hard’. I want a good job, but also to enjoy life. Then I came across Yobbers and saw they were offering a lot of different positions in various companies and countries, which I liked. Yobbers connected me with several companies that I’ve worked for, so I would definitely recommend it to others. I’ve learned to work with people from all over the world, which also helped me a lot in my international career.

“I love the work-life balance here; there is a whole life after work.”

To be honest, I really liked my life in the Netherlands as well. However, I enjoy it more here and I wouldn’t go back at the moment. It’s way sunnier here, which gives me more joy. I enjoy every moment: waking up on Sunday morning, the sun is shining already, it feels like spring all the time. After living here for five years, I can proudly say that I bought my own apartment in Spain. I never thought that would happen, I imagined myself staying for a year, but not this long. It has been an amazing experience and I cannot wait for all the other memories that I will create!

Inspired to move to Valencia after reading Anne's experience? Check out our vacancies abroad and start writing your own story!