00:00I had never traveled out of the United States.
00:02I barely even left the East Coast.
00:04Laura and Jeff Apel and their six-year-old son moved from the U.S. for a new life in
00:09Valencia, Spain.
00:11We're absolutely so happy that we moved here.
00:13We feel much safer in general, day-to-day life.
00:16But it hasn't always been easy, from leaving family behind to getting by with limited Spanish.
00:22I mostly have to speak in the present and a bit, like, broken.
00:27In 2025, Spain was home to 76,000 people from the U.S., up 10% from the previous year.
00:35Many of them have settled in Valencia, Spain's third-largest city after Madrid and Barcelona.
00:41Laura and Jeff came to the Mediterranean city from the Washington, D.C. area in 2025.
00:49It just feels like a lot more alive, like you're part of the community,
00:55whereas, you know, a lot of times in the United States, you're just driving to a store and coming home,
01:01and that's your day.
01:03And we never actually walked anywhere.
01:06Like, even now when it's—even when the weather is bad, we'll go out and we'll walk.
01:09We don't even have a car anymore, and I don't feel like we need a car anymore.
01:16The Valencia metro system, it runs really well. There's buses, there's trains.
01:21You pay a lot in taxes, but you're happy to do it because you live, you see the day-to
01:27-day difference that it makes,
01:29whether it's, you know, healthcare or the public transportation system.
01:33Laura and Jeff sent their son to an international school because he was struggling with delayed speech.
01:39They hoped this would make it easier for him to learn Spanish, something that hasn't been easy for them either.
01:52He does more of the listening, I do sometimes more of the speaking, so together we're like one functioning human.
01:58You know, if we need, like, a plumber or something and they're speaking technicalities, it's a lot more difficult.
02:07It's important for us to learn Spanish here when speaking with the locals because, you know, we're living now in
02:13this society.
02:14Laura and Jeff live in a residential neighborhood outside the historic center.
02:19Jeff co-owns a design business, and Laura is a freelance graphic designer.
02:26Laura's Filipina heritage and the political situation in the U.S. under President Donald Trump were key reasons they decided
02:34to move.
02:37A week or so after the inauguration was when we were really like, things are changing.
02:43I don't think they're going to get better anytime soon. I think we need to leave.
02:48I had never traveled out of the United States. I barely even left the East Coast.
02:53The way the administration has been treating immigrants is very concerning. I am the child of an immigrant who moved
03:00to the United States.
03:02I don't look like, you know, your standard white American. I'm worried about me potentially being targeted.
03:11The prevalence of school shootings in the U.S. was another reason for the move.
03:15I remember dropping our son off at school every morning and, like, watching him walk into that building with this,
03:20like,
03:21this little body with this big backpack and being like, is this going to be the last time I see
03:26my son?
03:27Is it something that's actually going to affect you? Who knows? But why risk it?
03:32You know, when there's, you know, if you have the opportunity to live a better life somewhere, like, why are
03:36you going to not take that opportunity?
03:39Dining out is a bonding activity for Laura, Jeff, and their son.
03:46Lágrimas de pollo. Lágrimas de pollo. Lágrimas de pollo.
03:52Leaving family behind in the States has been one of the biggest challenges.
03:57Our parents do visit, but it's difficult being so far from them and knowing that they're getting older
04:05and soon they might not be able to travel anymore.
04:10Yeah.
04:12All along, their son's future has been their main concern.
04:16I think he'll just have a more adventurous, enjoyable life here.
04:20Knowing his education is going to be, you know, much more attainable here.
04:26That makes a big difference.
04:28Despite the challenges, Laura and Jeff don't regret their move.
04:31There's nothing here that has not been an improvement for us in our lives, our health, our...
04:39You know, I've stopped taking anti-anxiety medications.
04:43You know, it just is different here.
04:46Like, you feel just relieved.
04:51Could you imagine starting a new life abroad?
04:54What?
Comments