Across the Atlantic: Our Move to the Azores

After months of planning, packing and repacking, the day finally came—my husband, our baby, and I boarded a five-hour flight from the U.S. to the Azores, ready to start a whole new life together. Even though it was a huge step for me (I’ve only been out of the country once before!), it was also a homecoming for my husband, who was born here.

I won’t lie—I was nervous about flying with a baby on an international trip. Thankfully, our flight was late at night our little one slept for most of the flight which was a big relief. Our son was blissfully sleeping while his dad and I were juggling excitement, stress, and about ten different forms of paperwork.

Once off the plane and happy to stretch our legs, we headed to immigration. My husband headed straight to the Portuguese citizens line—he was literally the only person from our entire flight who could use it. Meanwhile, I was mentally preparing for a long wait in the non citizen line. But to my surprise, the officers waved me forward and let us skip to the front since I had my baby with me. It was a small gesture, but in that moment it meant so much.

One of the biggest blessings of this move is having family here. I got to meet my mother and brother in law for the first time when they picked us up from the airport. Although my husband was born here, he spent most of his life in the United States. In many ways, both of us were experiencing the island of Sao Miguel for the first time.