Miki
England is always cold. I wanted something warmer and different. I needed a change and also to learn a new language. I really wanted to learn Spanish. I always was seeking an adventure, I still didn't have any kind of ties and I still have the freedom to do it so I decided to move.
My name is Miki. I am one of 3 brothers and sisters. My mom is from an Italian immigrant family and my dad was actually grown up in an orphanage. Their parents were Irish, but they weren’t so good parents, so they left him in an orphanage. And then they both moved to London, and they met up in an Italian youth club, even if my father was Irish and not Italian. It was a nice upbringing. I have a lovely family who I’m very close with.
I loved my life before leaving. It was very different, I was working in a hospital just outside London. Obviously working in a hospital during COVID-19 was quite challenging. So it was a very different life. But I lived with a girl that I worked with. We kind of shared and all of those things. We got through lockdown by cooking a lot and creating a sort of vegan Instagram page to distract us after work.
My favorite moments were probably just being with friends and family, going on winter parties, fires, a couple of lunches, wine, and all the classic things. Just being around people that I love and care about. But even though I love all these things – winter, fires, everything – I liked them just for two months of the year, and England is always cold. I wanted something warmer and different. I needed a change and also to learn a new language. I really wanted to learn Spanish. I always was seeking an adventure, I still didn’t have any kind of ties and I still have the freedom to do it so I decided to move.
Initially, I moved to France. I lived in France for a year beforehand, half in Paris and half in Bordeaux. I lived in a ski resort as well for 6 months just doing a season working there. I loved being in France and obviously, it was easier for me because I speak some French. Coming to Spain was more of a challenge because my Spanish is non-existent, but I think I chose Barcelona because I have been here quite a few times as a tourist and I just loved it, being close to the sea and the mountains, I love the lifestyle, eating outside, lots of wine and everything about it. So that is why I chose Barcelona
A challenge I met here was definitely not speaking the language. The biggest issue was to set up the house, set up the wifi, everything has been about one or two months without wifi going to cafes every day, it was just a nightmare. Definitely, those things are probably the key issues. Also just trying to maintain the lifestyle that you want whilst setting up the things in the house. It is just a lot.
What I like the most about Barcelona is the culture and the way that people are here, just very relaxed. It is very nice to be around, meeting different people from different places and being in a situation where you have to say yes to everything. So you do some weird things that you have never done before like random sports classes or meeting strangers. Saying yes and being open to everything is really important when you are new somewhere.
To answer about the future is a tricky question because I am not so sure. I love it here and don’t see myself leaving soon. I would love to learn Spanish, maybe even learn Catalan, but this is probably a bit of a push. I’m gonna stick with Spanish now. Maybe even work in the office here one day to meet more people from who is actually the city. Just get to a point where I got a feeling of being settled here. That would be fabulous.
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