Susi followed her dreams to Spain

Don’t put your dreams on hold.  The MiMove-blog met with Susi who followed her dreams and made Spain her home after tragedy struck.

I was born and raised in Germany.  When I was 17 my mum took my brother and me to Australia.  What was supposed to be a 6 months trip, ended up being the beginning of a nomads life.  I didn’t return to Germany until 12 years later.  Once you start traveling it is very difficult to stop.

I stayed in Noosa, north of Brisbane in Australia for about 4 1/2 years.  I finished high school and started studying.  Around that time the idea to perhaps return to Europe popped up in my mind.  I missed my friends back home and the European culture and architecture, so I made the decision to continue my studies in Europe.

But first I followed my mum once again.  At that point my mother was in Hawaii to train as a Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage therapist and I joined her there for three months.  I loved Hawaii, the surf culture, the lovely people and the climate of course.  But island life isn’t really for me, so I kissed my mum good bye and hopped on a plane to Europe.

Dreams of studying in Europe

When I landed on German soil I didn’t really have a plan or dreams of what I wanted to do but decided to let my heart steer me in the right direction.  One early morning, I caught a train and travelled through France, Italy and Spain to find my new study place.  I fell in love with Barcelona and decided to stay.  I enrolled at a university and finished my Bachelor in PR & Marketing there.

I don’t consider myself to be a restless soul but when writing this I guess it looks that way.  Straight after my graduation I got an internship in New York which lasted for three months and after that I went to London for my first real job in marketing.  I did actually stay there for one year but then my longing for less rain and more sun got too strong.  I love London, it is such a buzzing place, but it is also quite a hard life.  Rents are high, and everyone works really long hours.

I guess it didn’t take me too long to wonder if there perhaps was a better place for me somewhere else and in the end, I resigned from my job and booked a ticket to South Africa.  I loved Cape Town and ended up staying there for nearly a year.  In Cape Town, I did some work as a freelancer in the fields of marketing, copy writing and translation. I also did some event organisation.

Long distance relationship hard

During this time, I still had my boyfriend in Barcelona and the long-distance relationship was starting to take its toll, so I came back to Barcelona for him.  Unfortunately, we were not able to make it work and for the first time in many years, I went back home to Munich in Germany to be with friends and family.  I felt like a stranger in Munich and while everyone had their everyday life, I felt like I was only visiting.  After being away for that long, it didn’t feel like home any longer.  I suppose, I felt more like a vagabond by now; ‘wherever I lay my hat’ – kind of feeling.

Yet again, my mother inspired me.  She was going to Estepona in Spain to visit friends, so I went with her.  And that is how I discovered Andalucia.  I immediately fell in love with the people, the beaches and the lifestyle of Costa del Sol.  It has everything!  From skiing in Granada, to beautiful beaches, surfing, food, good wine, towns like Malaga, Cordoba and Seville, everything is just a few kilometres away.  It was perfect.  My mother decided she loved it so much she wanted to stay permanently and so did I.

Staying with mum

I found a job in sales and stayed with my mum for almost 1 year.  Unfortunately, the salaries in Spain are low and I couldn’t really afford the life that I wanted, so I told my mum that I would go back to Germany for 3-4 years, to work on my career and then come back and start my own business or find something that would allow me to live down here.  By now, I had found my place in the world, so now I knew what to work for.

Loosing my mother

I went back to Munich, found a well-paid and interesting job and created a life for myself there, while I was dreaming of Spain.  Then, what wasn’t supposed to happen happened: my mum got sick and returned to Germany as well, to be with us.  Not long thereafter, she sadly passed away, far too young.  It was really hard, she was my best friend and inspiration.

Her last wish was for us to return her ashes to the sea down here in Andalucia, so that is what we did, of course.  My brother and I organised a beautiful celebration of life in her honour on the beach in Manilva and made her last wish come true.

Don’t put your dreams on hold

Then, my mindset completely changed.  It was like my mums passing woke me up.  I realised how short life really is and that you need to make the most of every moment you get.  You never know how long you have.  I missed Estepona so much and promised myself to find a way to move back here, to be closer to my mum and live by the sea again.

Luck was on my side.  It didn’t take long before I got a good job offer from an online company based in Gibraltar.  I immediately signed the contract, quit my job in Munich and moved back home.  My mums friends were very helpful, supporting me in finding a lovely apartment by the beach and getting all the documents necessary to start my new life here.

Every day I drive for 30 minutes to get to the border between Spain and Gibraltar.  I park my car on the Spanish side and walk across the border and the airport strip to the UK.  That in itself is quite an experience.  Initially I worked as a customer relationship manager in the marketing department for the German speaking markets but have recently changed positions.  I now develop promotional web content.  It is quite a change and challenge for me, but I really enjoy it.  The company is great because it is such an international company.  They give you chances to progress with your career and look out for you.  I really do have the job of my dreams.

Estepona is home

I moved to Estepona and made it my home a year ago, and I have been so happy since.  It is really the home of my dreams.  I love my job, my life on the Costa and my new friends here.  Working in Gibraltar is great because it is an international environment with lots of expats.  You immediately meet new people and make friends quite easily.

Here in Estepona my life is good.  My mums old friends and my new neighbours have become like family to me.  I have a rich life and I consider myself very lucky.  I admit, my Spanish is not perfect yet, but I’m working on it.  I am glad, I got to see all the big cities when I was younger.  For now, I am happy staying in one place.

I do miss my mum every day, but I feel close to her here in Estepona and I am very grateful to have found home here.  Don’t hold off on your dreams, you never know when it might be too late to do something about them.