Tom Ewart Smith
A WOMAN from the US has found a new lease to life after packing up and relocating to Spain.
Shawna Lum is a 31-year-old from Los Angeles who has permanently lived in Spain since 2016.
Speaking to Business Insider, she believes it was the best decision of her life and she hasn’t looked back one bit.
Shawna first arrived in Spain, in 2015, to complete six months studying in Bilbao as part of a year abroad.
The American immediately ‘fell in love with Europe,’ particularly due to the ease of travel from country to country.
She found the geographical mobility ‘incredible,’ as well as the sense of community and social life.
Shawna found that going out for dinner and drinks ‘was so affordable compared to the US,’ and she embraced the ‘walking culture’.
The need for a car in the US frustrated her and she felt more restricted.
“Living abroad makes me feel freer. The weather, the greenery, and the greater safety as a woman are all amazing,” she says.
Another frustrating aspect of US life for the expat was the capitalist nature of everyday life.
When she lived across the pond, she noticed a ‘toxic culture,’ and that ‘everything revolved around money, even healthcare’.
Shawna and her husband, Dan, have found bargain property prices in Barcelona, unheard of in the big US cities.
They are currently renting a one-bedroom, one-bathroom duplex for €300, just outside the city centre.
Shawna believes that, in Spain, people are happier with their lives, and she even has many friends back in the US taking antidepressants.
Her experience in 2015 completely changed her, hence why she permanently moved to Spain in 2016 after returning to the US for a year and a half.
Shawna decided to switch from Bilbao to Barcelona, and continued to study, this time pursuing a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation.
After finishing her studies, Shawna worked in digital marketing while ‘doing side hustles,’ but she didn’t want to work for someone else, so she launched a web design agency.
However, the American could never shake off the difference between life in her new home and the US.
Consequently, after the pandemic, she set up Move Overseas Now, a business that helps people relocate from the US to Europe and Latin America.
Many of Shawna’s clients believe things such as ‘more freedom, less stress, and a better quality of life,’ are unattainable in the US.
One of the main reasons her clients move abroad is affordability.
For many, it isn’t possible to live comfortably on their Social Security check in the States, according to the businesswoman, and her claim is supported by data.
The OECD found that, in the US, minimum wage workers have to work 80 hours a week just to escape poverty.
Those hours are more than triple what would be expected for a UK employee (23 per week), and more than double Spain’s figure of 32.
Every other country within the OECD dataset is below the US.
Living contently with her partner, along with greater affordability and quality of life, means that Shawna doesn’t plan on returning to the US.
