The death of her spouse taught Leea that you can survive anything: “We dared to go to Spain, because the worst had happened”
A dream job took Leea Antila and her children to Costa del Sol for two years: “I told my kids that I absolutely had to apply for this job.”
Whenever Leea Antila thinks about her second home in Fuengirola, she feels both joy and a longing for Spain. She misses the sea, the sunrises and the sunsets, along with the easy, vibrant, and joyful way of life, and the sense of presence and peace.
Four years ago, feeling drained one afternoon, Leea was browsing online when she found what seemed like the perfect job—almost as if it were made for her. The Finnish school on Costa del Sol was looking for a teacher with qualifications to teach music in middle school and high school. It was exactly the kind of work Leea was doing at the time.
“It was an incredible match. I told my kids I just had to apply,” Leea says.
The worst possible tragedy had already happened.
Leea’s children Eemi and Seela were 11 and 13 back then. Their daily life was good, predictable, and stable. They had just dealt with a major source of grief that had upended everything. Leea’s spouse had passed away from brain cancer six years earlier, after nearly two years of illness, at only 37.
“The worst possible tragedy that could have happened, had happened. For six years, the children and I built a new kind of daily life and found our footing as a trio,” Leea explains.
Their solid family of four became a three-part harmony—different than before, but still whole.
Leea wasn’t really looking for anything new. She found her work as a classroom and music teacher rewarding and enjoyed it. Still, she had to apply for her dream job on Costa del Sol.
“When I unexpectedly got the job offer, we were confronted with a big question. Should we keep our comfortable, stable life or take a chance on something unique?”
So many details to figure out
The children’s hobbies mattered a lot to them. Seela did cheerleading at a national competition level and played violin in a music institute. Eemi played drums and soccer. None of them spoke Spanish, aside from Eemi’s very basic skills. They had never even visited Fuengirola.
And then there was Jussi. Leea had met him a couple of years earlier and fallen in love. They weren’t planning to move in together just yet, but it was clear to Leea that she wanted him in her life.
Our 113 square meters in Finland changed to 56.
Still, Jussi encouraged her to go, and so did her colleagues. The kids were eager to try living abroad. They had already gotten used to adjusting their hobbies during the pandemic. Seela had taken violin lessons online. In Spain she could keep practicing acrobatic cheerleading exercises outdoors all year. Eemi would easily find a good soccer team.
Leea carefully worked through the financial details. By renting out their semi-detached house in Vantaa, they could cover the mortgage. At first, Leea decided to pause mortgage payments to help with moving costs.
In Spain, her salary would drop by about a third, even though she’d be doing the same work as in Finland. Still, she calculated they could manage, with some savings left over. A key aspect was living in a small apartment. Their 113 square meters in Finland became 56. The kids each got a room, and Leea slept on the couch.
“I get excited easily. Once I saw that the finances worked out and the kids’ hobbies would be fine, everyone cheered me on, and my in-laws offered to take our cat, I found the courage to follow my heart.”
In August 2021, Leea and the kids stuffed their little Mercedes to the brim and headed off into the unknown. There were 4,500 kilometers ahead of them. They took clothes, some of Leea’s teaching materials, Seela’s violin, and Eemi’s soccer gear. They had a furnished apartment waiting for them, found through a friend.
“I entered our street in Fuengirola into the GPS, and off we went. Eemi rode up front with his teddy bear, and Seela sat among our things in the back.”
Tackling practical matters
Strict COVID restrictions were in place in Spain, and Leea started teaching first-graders wearing a mask. Every toy had to be disinfected after use, and students weren’t allowed to leave their seats.
With about three hundred students and some twenty Finnish teachers, the small community immediately felt like home to Leea, and she was warmly received.
Watching her kids on the soccer field or at the beach filled Leea with joy.
Life quickly settled into a rhythm on Costa del Sol as well. Leea woke up at seven and walked less than a kilometer to school. Evenings were spent solving a slew of problems: Where to get a NIE number (the Spanish ID for foreigners)? How to find Eemi a soccer team, and how to transfer his soccer license from Finland to Spain?
“Things work differently in Spain than in Finland. You can’t just look everything up online—you need to know who to call, where to go, and when to be there so you can ask more questions face to face.”
Everything began clicking once the kids found their activities. Leea heard about a soccer team practicing near their home, which turned out to be a jackpot for Eemi. Through a classmate, Seela discovered a new passion for surfing. Sitting at the soccer stadium or on the beach, Leea felt overjoyed watching her children.
On weekends, the family explored Andalusia’s white villages, hiked El Saltillo Gorge, or drove an hour to Benahavís for a river trek that quickly became a family favorite. They swam in massive caves, and the kids leaped off cliffs into the water.
Everyday luxuries included lower prices, which meant they could eat out occasionally.
Leea also took up salsa and bachata dancing twice a week. Then a colleague asked her to join a three-woman singing group, and they practiced several times a week. Most days also included a one-hour walk by the sea.
The sun and social atmosphere gave her energy. Everyday luxuries like lower living costs meant they could sometimes go out for a meal.
“Because of the climate, life unfolds differently. Your surroundings become your living room. Sometimes I’d just spontaneously go out for a glass of wine or tapas with my colleagues,” Leea says.
Their home in Torreblanca was five minutes from the beach on foot. Leea loved the cozy building complex, its greenery, and the close-knit atmosphere. There were two pool areas in the courtyard and space for the kids to play soccer.
Little by little, she began thinking: What if she bought a similar apartment in the same complex? Could they stay one more year?
“I slipped notes into mailboxes, and in March a British neighbor got in touch.”
Along with work and rehearsals, Leea ran around choosing materials and keeping the renovation on track.
Leea decided to seize the opportunity again.
A Finnish lawyer, who knew both British and Spanish regulations, helped with the real estate process. Leea found Finnish companies to handle the interior design and renovation, though the workers themselves were Spanish.
“Everything went perfectly,” Leea says.
Still, a six-month renovation was a huge project, Leea recalls. Between her job and rehearsals, she was busy picking out materials and tracking progress.
“All the walls were torn out as soon as I bought the place, and sometimes we had mere millimeters to spare to make the space work as well as it could.”
Another home awaits
How wonderful it felt to be home! That’s what Leea thought in January 2023 when she and Jussi opened the door to her freshly renovated place.
Large sliding doors in the outer wall bring lush ocean views inside. Outside, the swimming pool sparkles—the same one they saw from the window of their first apartment.
The atmosphere at home is light, soft, and peaceful. In the 56-square-meter apartment, everything has its place.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Leea says.
When Leea first sat in the wicker chair on the balcony, she felt joy, accomplishment, and peace.
Settling into that balcony chair for the first time, she felt joyful, successful, and calm. Her years in Spain had been a dream come true for the trio—something so special they hadn’t even known to long for it.
“In that moment, I felt so grateful for having the courage to do all this and uproot my teens from everything familiar. Now they both have dear friends in Fuengirola, and it’s become a place we all love.”
Still, she felt a hint of sadness. Seela was about to start high school at Sibelius Upper Secondary, and it was time for the three of them to head back to Vantaa.
Luckily, their other home on the Torreblanca hillside is always there, and they plan to visit several times a year. Each day they spend there, Leea walks an hour along the beach, and the local Neapolitan pizzeria still remembers everyone’s usual orders.
Leea’s 3 tips for anyone dreaming of moving abroad
- Learn at least a little of the local language beforehand. Even a small amount of language skill helps you connect with locals.
- If you’re moving with children, look into possible hobbies in advance and be ready to invest time and energy into helping them adapt. When kids have friends and activities, everyday life is better.
- Build yourself a new local support network. Look for people through hobbies, jobs, studies, meetups, or language classes. A network is priceless when challenges arise.
