The “In Between” Phase Nobody Talks About When Moving to Spain

When people imagine moving to Spain as a language assistant, they usually picture the exciting parts first. Booking flights, finding an apartment, meeting new people, travelling on weekends, sitting in sunny plazas with a coffee, and starting a completely new life abroad. And honestly, those moments do happen. There are days where everything feels exciting and cinematic, and you suddenly realise you’re living the kind of experience people dream about for years.

But something that surprises a lot of assistants is that living abroad does not feel exciting all the time, especially at the beginning.

There’s a strange phase that happens after the initial excitement wears off but before everything starts feeling comfortable. You’re no longer a tourist, but you don’t fully feel at home yet either. You know where the nearest supermarket is, but maybe you still panic slightly every time you need to make a phone call in Spanish. You start building routines, but everything still takes more mental energy than it would at home.

And weirdly, this is often the phase nobody prepares you for.

Social media usually shows the best parts of moving abroad. The beach trips, the tapas, the weekend travelling, the pretty streets, the friendships, the “main character” moments. What people don’t post as often are the quieter moments that are also part of the experience. Feeling exhausted after spending all day speaking another language. Missing small things from home that you never thought you’d miss. Feeling awkward introducing yourself to new people over and over again. Standing in a supermarket trying to figure out which product is actually milk. Getting frustrated with paperwork. Having days where you suddenly wonder what you’re even doing there.

And the thing is, these moments are completely normal.

Moving abroad sounds exciting because it is exciting, but it’s also mentally overwhelming at times. You are rebuilding your life from zero in a completely unfamiliar environment. New language, new routines, new social rules, new schedules, new expectations, new systems. Even small tasks can suddenly feel difficult simply because nothing feels automatic yet.

A lot of language assistants quietly worry they are “bad” at living abroad because they struggle during this stage. They think everyone else is adapting faster, making more friends, speaking better Spanish, or enjoying the experience more than they are. But in reality, almost everyone goes through some version of this adjustment period. Some people are just better at hiding it.

The funny thing is that growth rarely feels dramatic while it’s happening. Most of the time, it feels small and unnoticeable. One day you realise you understood an entire conversation without translating it in your head. You stop checking Google Maps to get home. You successfully deal with a situation that would have terrified you a month earlier. You begin recognising people in your neighbourhood. You develop favourite cafés, favourite streets, favourite routines. Little by little, the place that once felt completely foreign starts feeling familiar.

And that shift is one of the most rewarding parts of the entire experience.

Because somewhere between the uncomfortable moments, the homesickness, the confusion, the excitement, and the chaos, you slowly become more confident than you were before. More adaptable. More independent. More comfortable with uncertainty. You realise you’re capable of handling situations that once seemed impossible.

Most people apply to become language assistants because they want adventure, travel, or international experience. And they absolutely get those things. But many assistants leave Spain with something much bigger than just memories or photos. They leave knowing they can build a life somewhere unfamiliar and survive the uncertainty that comes with it.

And honestly, that kind of confidence stays with you long after the year abroad ends.