poco a poco

poco a poco

Andalucía

I Stopped Scanning for Exits

How moving to Spain shifted my family’s daily anxieties.

Jen Cook's avatar
Jen Cook
Sep 12, 2025
∙ Paid
body of water near city buildings during sunset
Photo by kortney musselman on Unsplash

When people ask why I left the U.S., the answer is layered and complicated. It’s never just one thing. But the undercurrent of violence was part of it.

I’d be lying if I said the political divisiveness and increasing violence in the U.S. weren’t a part of my desire to live somewhere else — somewhere away. It wasn’t t…

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