After weeks of visitors, soccer camps, and juggling routines, we finally hit a milestone: our first stretch in Barcelona without extra hands. Just us five, figuring things out. Honestly? It felt like the training wheels came off.

In this episode of Tapas in Therapy, we unpack what life looks like now that we’re settling into our own rhythm:

• Parenting without backup: When grandparents left and Ro flew to London the same day, Sara was left holding down the fort—three kids, no car, and still no school in session. Survival mode quickly turned into quiet reflection about what “support” really means when you move abroad.
• The WhatsApp life: Forget text messages—here in Spain, WhatsApp is the operating system of life. From school parent groups to paddle tennis sign-ups, even your internet company prefers to reach you there. We talk through the pros, quirks, and little hacks we’ve learned (like running dual numbers on certain Android phones).
• New friendships, old connections: Starting over means flexing those “making friends” muscles again. It’s equal parts humbling and energizing. At the same time, we’re reaching back to old friends more than ever, using distance as a reason to reconnect.
• Weekend in Tarragona: A quick hour’s drive landed us at a nearly empty beach sitting beneath a 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater. It was one of those pinch-me moments—history and sunshine layered together, all for the price of a €5 ticket and €7 paella lunch. Oh, and yes, we’re slowly turning into beach people. Who knew?
• The car rental hack: Buying a car here is a bureaucratic headache, but renting one? Surprisingly cheap. We share what we’ve learned about day-to-day rentals and why a monthly car rental might be the perfect expat workaround.

As we wrap this episode, the kids are about to start soccer, school is just days away, and we’re even hosting our first barbecue with new friends. It finally feels like life here isn’t just a vacation—it’s our life.

If you’re considering a move abroad, or just curious about how families adapt, we hope our stories give you both a laugh and some practical insight.