Citizen Expat: Sarah Wood González On Finding Community Abroad

In our series, Citizen Expat, Megan Murray interviews women across the globe about their expat experiences, including building community, connecting to a new culture, finding the best local spots, and the travel tips you need to know. This month, we speak to Sarah Wood González.

There are expats by design, and expats by accident. Sarah Wood González, a 28-year-old writer from Michigan, turned out to be both and has lived in New York, Barcelona and Edinburgh.

Before “romanticising your life” was a trending topic on TikTok, Sarah was a dreamer and since childhood has created vision boards to facilitate her hopes for a “big, beautiful life”. At the heart of this, since even the age of eight, has been a fascination with Latin culture thanks to her father’s upbringing in Mexico and his tales of long, languid lunches in colourful homes and plenty of sunshine, wine and friends. 

“I grew up All-American in a small, suburban farming town in Michigan,” says Sarah. “I was the dance captain at high school and couldn’t wait to be asked to prom,” she laughs. “But, I had this feeling that there was ‘a world’ out there and I wanted to be ‘out in the world’ in a meaningful way.” And so, the path was set for a move to Spain, planned for the nearish future and to be no-doubt filled with late-nights dancing, meeting new friends and hanging out on beaches. Everything you’d imagine from a couple of golden years abroad in your twenties.

What Sarah hadn’t pinned to her vision board was a swift U-Turn from Spain to Edinburgh; Scotland’s beautiful but cold, grey capital. After nearly two years in both locations, Sarah reflects on the differences in energy, pace and atmosphere, shares her advice on finding your community, and tells us why her hesitancy to move to Scotland ended up being the best thing that could have happened to her career, seeing her published in Vogue, Architectural Digest, ELLE, The New York Times and more, as well as launching her own talent and event agency, About Town.

Sometimes life takes us by surprise: this is Sarah’s take on how the wrong move can sometimes come right.

Your expat adventures began in Spain. Why? 

My dad was born in Costa Rica and grew up in Mexico City. I always felt so jealous of his earlier life. The Latin culture of long dinners and hosting generously, with an appreciation of beauty and vibrancy for life, appealed to me so innately that I always felt drawn to this Spanish side. My grandmother was an art curator and stylist and so, both her and his inherited love of design, had opened me up to this international sense of style that gave me such wanderlust. At eight years old I’d talk about moving to Spain and meeting a Spanish prince. While I went to university in my home state (which is less expensive), my sights were set on banking a semester abroad in Barcelona.

PIN IT

How did you know Barcelona was the place for you? 

Thanks to my long-term love of the culture I was part of the Spanish Club throughout high school and attended a class trip to the country. We visited a mix of cities over the course of a couple of weeks but ended in Barcelona and I totally fell in love with the city. Fast forward to my semester there and I was so happy that I was convinced I would stay, threatening to skip my internship at Goldman Sachs which was due to start in New York. My parents, of course, had other ideas and threatened to fly across the world and bring me back, so I vowed to put my Barcelona dream on the shelf and come back to it later. Something about me is that when I’m in, I’m all in, so I knew if I was going to move to NYC and be a ‘Goldman Girl’ I’d really go for it until the time was right.

When did the moment seem right to pick this dream back up again?

I had been working at Goldman for three years and by this point, the job had become my identity. I was a walking embodiment of this particular type of New York character: on the path to climb the corporate ladder, live in an up-market area of the city, and look into buying a holiday home. I was heading for a very polished, NYC life but, I was burned out and in all honesty, I didn’t know who I was. I knew I needed to walk away from the job that had given me so much confidence, but left absorbed in a certain version of myself, and work out my identity. It was my Eat, Pray, Love moment – I stopped drinking, stopped dating and just took a pause to understand who I am and what I wanted. Around this time, two companies offered me a job: one in a high-powered venture capital environment, and the other, a small start-up where I’d be the fourth person. The founder was lovely and I asked him if I could work remotely and quizzed him on how he would feel about me exploring more of my creativity on the side, with part-time writing and yoga teaching. His response? He didn’t care – as long as I logged on in my work hours, it didn’t matter where I lived or what I did in my personal life. So, I took the job, and moved to Barcelona.

PIN IT

Barcelona and New York have very different energies – how did you find that change of pace?

My life came to a screeching halt. It was such an important, formative time because in New York I’d been burned out, drinking nine cups of coffee a day, and constantly surrounded by people. I was living with three flatmates and then suddenly, I was totally alone. Moving to a new city by yourself and doing everything: finding an apartment, deciding on furniture and figuring out taste, getting to know new people without a job to hide behind. It was a big exercise in self exploration. My mantra was: “I can do hard things”. I had an executive coach who I would moan to about everything, including all the boring stuff like understanding taxes, and he’d say: “It’s hard because this isn’t the normal path. If you want an extraordinary life, it’s not gonna be easy.” Which was the best advice.

How did you go about finding your community in Barcelona? 

I was very well supported by strangers and in general, it felt like Barcelona had its arms open to me. From my semester abroad, I’d been in a huge WhatsApp group for expats in Barcelona, and for years it was just on mute. Then, when I finally arrived, it was incredible because people were so helpful. Barcelona is also full of amazing initiatives and creative spaces. On my third day I walked into an astrology event by Muses of Now, which was a female-led collective in Barcelona, and there was a ready-made group of 25 women who I instantly clicked with. I’ve always used hosting as a way to cement a friendship and so, before I even looked for sheets for my bed, I was hunting for a beautiful table so that I could invite people over. When I later moved to Edinburgh, I also quickly became a host for & the table, as a way to connect to other women.

Do you have any advice for others looking to find their people in a new city?

You have to put yourself out there, constantly. I went out every single day and just put myself into spaces. I hardly worked from home, always in cafes; I went to yoga classes; I kept an eye out for events. But it’s not always going to be easy. Once, I saw an event at a vintage store on Instagram; I psyched myself up to go, walked in, and everyone was cool – just, the coolest kind of people – so I stood awkwardly on my own, panic-bought a shirt, and left. It was so uncomfortable. But, you have to do it – you won’t be the only one to fail at these moments, you just keep going. I even went to an ‘ecstatic dance’ workshop where you jump around and dance with a bunch of strangers. Through doing that a few times, I got chatting to a girl who then became a friend. You’re sowing these seeds that you hope bloom at some point (and they will!). 

You met your husband in Spain – how was dating in Barcelona compared to New York?

PIN IT

Dating in New York is very intense and I found it really negative – I actually took a year off dating because of my experience there. But, I think it was also about where I was in my life and it makes sense to me now that I didn’t meet my soulmate at that time, because I wasn’t the truest version of myself. In comparison, Barcelona was more relaxed and a good place to mix with different expats. I met my now-husband Gustavo on a dating app but was immediately skeptical because he was based in Madrid and that was too far away for me. But, he won me over, and while he was visiting a friend in Barcelona asked if we could go for a coffee. He was very handsome (which only increased my skepticism!) but seemed like a genuine person and sent me the loveliest message after we met, sharing how much he’d enjoyed talking and that he’d like to meet up again. That is Gustavo; he’s the most loyal, honest person and from the first date he deleted Bumble and was committed to getting to know me and seeing where we could go.

And, this is when the move to Edinburgh came about. How did you feel about that idea to start with?

When Gustavo got an amazing job offer in Scotland, my initial reaction was: “No, the dream was always Spain.” I realised then that I’d only ever done what suited me and never really had to think about anyone else in my life. So, this moment was about recognising that this was a real, important relationship, and that I was willing to do something selfless for the person I loved. I grew up in the ‘Girl Boss’ movement which is all about making yourself the focus of your life and not doing something for a man – so there was a part of me that was conditioned to feel that making this sacrifice was bad and actually, shameful. But, I thought about it: do I want my life to be marked by love? And, of course I do. It’s the bravest thing, the most beautiful thing you can do. Edinburgh was not a career move for me at all, but the ironic thing is that it’s been the best thing that’s happened to my career and for carving out my space in journalism. I think of it as a reward from the universe!

What were the big differences between moving to Barcelona vs Edinburgh?

In Barcelona, I found it very easy to make friends, but in Edinburgh, I struggled. I was unhappy for a good half a year because I was doing my usual playbook – going to cool yoga studios, working in coffee shops, finding events – but it just wasn’t working and I couldn’t figure out why. But, I kept at it and things started to change. Once I began hosting a lot of dinners and clicking into the creative communities here, things took a turn for the better. Edinburgh is artistic and intelligent, but you really have to go at it with a jackhammer socially – it feels like people already have their set friendship groups. Sometimes, meeting that one incredible networker is what you need. For me, that was Hugo McDonald from the interior gallery, Bard, who opened my eyes to the world of Scottish design, which in turn led to my first byline in Vogue – a piece on the intersection of Scottish and Scandinavian design – and kick-started my writing career. I’ve since written about Scottish culture (and other topics) for the Financial Times, Architectural Digest and US Vogue, as well as starting my own talent and events agency, About Town. In the end, this move and connecting with UK-based creators, writers, designers and creatives has been astronomically influential for my career.

Could you share some highlights from your time in Edinburgh?

PIN IT

Embracing and committing to living in Scotland was a real choice. For me, this looked like throwing myself into learning about Scottish culture, travelling all over, and gaining an appreciation for the fashion, design, history and architecture, all of which made the experience so much more profound. I learned so much about things I knew very little about – for example, the food scene in Scotland is incredible with such a focus on sustainable, seasonal produce done in such an authentic way. 

What does the future hold for you – will you continue to be a serial expat?

Definitely. I see travel as a big part of my future. Marrying Gustavo means bringing two cultures, and two families together, and after spending so much time in Europe, we’ve moved (back) to New York. I imagine our family life to be heavily influenced by Latin American culture and, once we have children, I’d love for us to spend more time in Spain or even Venezuela, if the climate allows. I don’t think we’ll ever really stand still.

Between Edinburgh and Barcelona, we’d love to get your favourite places to eat, drink and do?

I have so many favourites! Here’s a list of must-visits for both. 

Barcelona

You can’t have a bad meal in Barcelona. My top three favourite restaurants have gorgeous interiors and amazing food. I love Fiskebar (right on the water), El Japonés Escondido (sushi), and La Balabusta (Mediterranean). I also have to include the beautiful terrace at Les Filles, as this is where Gustavo and I had our first date. 

For vintage shopping, I miss the Dels Encants furniture flea market more than I miss anything! I used to go twice a week at least. For vintage clothes, I also loved Los Feliz (some of the wardrobe for The White Lotus was sourced here). 

Frizzant is a yoga studio and healthy food cafe that is bonkers-good with the loveliest owners. 

Edinburgh

Bard is an interior gallery highlighting Scottish makers and artisans, right next to the gorgeous Custom Lane building that holds great exhibitions and has a lovely coffee shop, Williams & Johnson Coffee Co.

Stockbridge is the best neighbourhood to take a long mooch. I loved to grab a coffee from Soderberg, Fortitude, or Cowan & Sons and wander through the independent bookstores and shops. Treen, Kestin, and Dick’s are my favourites for clothing, and Rare Birds and Golden Hare are two bookstores that can’t be missed. It’s also worth queuing for a pastry at Lannan Bakery.

For hill walking, Arthur’s Seat, the Pentlands, Dalmeny Estate – without going too far out of Edinburgh (maximum 30 minutes or so by bus) you can get out into the most gorgeous nature. I find the rolling green hills to be so calming. And if you don’t want to summit the hills, all the places have flat trails so you can observe them from a distance.