A Slow Day in Oviedo, Spain: Our Real Daily Life as a Filipino Couple Living in Asturias

Not in the tourist attractions. Not in the highlight reel. Not in the perfect Instagram story.

But in the little rituals that slowly become your life.

If you’ve been following us here on myjseven.com, then you already know we’re big believers in the slow life — the kind of life that doesn’t need to be loud to be beautiful.

So today, we want to take you behind the scenes.

Not the curated version. Not the cinematic version. Just the honest one.

This is what a typical day looks like for us as a Filipino couple living and working remotely in Oviedo, Spain.

Our Mornings Begin Softly

Our days don’t start with chaos.

No frantic rushing. No dramatic alarm clock panic. No immediate dive into emails or notifications.

We’ve learned to protect our mornings.

Because when you work remotely and when home is both your sanctuary and your workspace — how you begin the day matters more than people realize.

For us, the morning starts with a few simple rituals that feel almost sacred now.

The first is coffee. Not just any coffee. Moka pot coffee.

There’s something deeply comforting about hearing the gentle bubbling of a moka pot on the stove. It’s such a small sound, but it instantly signals: we’re here, we’re home, and the day is beginning.

Coffee is not optional in our household.
It’s a love language. It’s structure. It’s therapy.

Then comes lemon water — a small habit, but one that makes us feel like we’re at least trying to be healthy before life happens.

And before we open our laptops, we try to open our hearts first.

One of the most grounding parts of our morning is listening to the Gospel of the day. It gives us a moment to reflect, to pause, and to remember that not everything needs to start with urgency.

Before deadlines. Before content. Before responsibilities. Just stillness.

And honestly, that’s one of the biggest lessons Oviedo has quietly taught us:

Mornings don’t have to be loud to be productive.

Remote Work in Spain Looks Less Glamorous—And More Real

One of the most common questions we get is:

“How do you work in Spain?”

People often imagine remote work abroad as something super aesthetic — laptop in a charming café, flaky croissant on the side, sunlight hitting the keyboard just right.

And while that does happen sometimes…Our reality is much simpler.

Most of the time, home is our office.

And we genuinely prefer it that way.

Oviedo has made this lifestyle easier than we expected. One thing we’ve really appreciated is how reliable the internet is, even in regular residential buildings. For remote workers, creators, freelancers, or anyone building online, that makes a huge difference.

Because once the novelty of “working from anywhere” fades, what really matters is this:

Can you work somewhere that gives you peace?

For us, the answer is yes.

We don’t need to be productive in every café. We don’t need to force the digital nomad stereotype. We don’t need to prove we’re working from a pretty table outside.

Sometimes the best workspace is simply the one where you feel calm. And in Oviedo, that calm comes easily.

Oviedo Gave Us a Life We Can Actually Walk Through

One of the biggest reasons we love living here is how naturally walkable life feels.

Oviedo is one of those cities that quietly invites you outside.

Not in an exhausting way. Not in a “you should be doing more” kind of way. Just in a gentle, human way.

When we need a break in the middle of the day or when work ends and we need to reset — we usually step outside.

Sometimes it’s a short walk. Sometimes it turns into a longer one. Sometimes we have no destination at all. And honestly, those are often the best walks.

Twice a week, our routine becomes a little more structured because we head into the city for our Spanish classes at Cruz Roja. It’s one of the most meaningful parts of our life here — not just because we’re learning the language, but because it helps us feel more connected to the culture we’re now living in.

Learning Spanish in Spain has been humbling, funny, awkward, rewarding… and very real.

Some days we feel proud. Some days we forget the simplest words. Some days we survive on confidence and context clues. But every class reminds us that living abroad isn’t just about being physically present in a country. It’s about choosing to integrate, even imperfectly.

And when we want to stretch the day a little further, Oviedo always gives us options.

A walk through a park. A longer stroll through quieter streets. A weekend reset somewhere greener.

Sometimes we head to the Senda Verde when we want more nature. Other times, we make our way up to Monte Naranco, where the city opens beneath you in a way that always makes us stop and breathe a little deeper.

This city doesn’t demand movement. It simply makes moving feel beautiful.

Home Is Still Our Favorite Place

Even though Oviedo has lovely cafés, great food, and a social rhythm we genuinely enjoy, we’ve realized something over the past year:

Our favorite part of the day is usually coming home.

Yes, we enjoy going out. We love meeting friends. We love sharing sidra. We appreciate the little moments of community, whether it’s a casual catch-up or events like expat gatherings that remind us we’re not alone in this journey.

But if we’re being honest? The deepest comfort still lives at home. Most evenings, MJ cooks. And that has become one of the warmest parts of our routine. There’s something about a home-cooked meal after a long day that no restaurant can fully replace. It’s not just about the food. It’s about what it represents.

Familiarity. Care. Routine. Love.

In a foreign country, those things matter even more. Dinner becomes more than dinner. It becomes a return to ourselves. It becomes the moment when the day slows down again.

Final thoughts

When people ask what life in Spain is really like, we could talk about beautiful architecture, amazing views, and the excitement of being in Europe.

But the truth? The real story is much smaller than that.

It’s in the coffee. The walks. The language classes. The homemade dinners.
The quiet evenings. The choice to live before we film. That’s what life in Oviedo has become for us.

Not a constant adventure.

But something better. A rhythm. A home. A slower, softer version of life that reminds us every day:

You don’t need a loud life to have a beautiful one.

Rest Became Part of the Plan, Not the Reward

One of the biggest mindset shifts we’ve had in Spain is how we now view rest.

Before, rest often felt like something you had to earn.

Something you were allowed to have only after being exhausted enough.

But here, we’ve been slowly unlearning that.

We’ve realized that rest isn’t laziness. It’s not wasted time. It’s not a sign that you’re falling behind.

Rest is what makes this life sustainable.

Some nights are productive. Some nights are social. Some nights are creative. And some nights? Some nights are just a movie, soft lighting, and the decision to do nothing more. And somehow, those quiet nights have become some of our favorites.

Because not every day needs to end with a grand story.

Sometimes it just needs to end gently.

Why We Don’t Film Everything

If you follow our YouTube journey, you may have noticed something:

We don’t upload every single day. We don’t document every single moment. We don’t turn every experience into immediate content. And that’s intentional. Because behind MJ & Seven in Spain, there’s no big team.

No manager. No assistant. No dedicated videographer. No editor waiting in the background. It’s just us. We’re the ones carrying the camera. We’re the ones framing the shots. We’re the ones editing late at night. We’re the ones figuring out the story after the day is already over. And because of that, we’ve built a rule for ourselves:

Live first. Film second. That rule protects us.

Because while content creation is something we love, we never want the camera to become more important than the life we’re trying to build. Not every beautiful moment needs to be recorded. Not every peaceful day needs to be turned into a reel. Not every memory needs an upload schedule.

Some days are meant to be experienced fully — without interruption, without performance, without thinking about thumbnails or retention graphs. That mindset has made both our life and our content better. Because when you stop forcing moments, the real ones become easier to capture.

Oviedo Taught Us That an Ordinary Day Can Still Be a Beautiful Life

That’s probably the biggest lesson this city has given us.

Oviedo doesn’t constantly demand excitement. It doesn’t pressure you to perform busyness. It doesn’t make you feel like every day needs to be eventful to matter.

Instead, it teaches something quieter: A meaningful life can look ordinary from the outside.

A slow morning. A good coffee. A walk through familiar streets. A Spanish class. A productive work session. A home-cooked meal. A peaceful evening. That’s not boring to us. That’s the dream. Because after a while, you realize not every day needs to be extraordinary.

Some days just need to feel safe. Some days just need to feel balanced. Some days just need to feel yours. And that, to us, is the real luxury.

Is the “Slow Life” for Everyone?

Probably not.

If you thrive on constant stimulation, packed schedules, nonstop city energy, and the feeling that something exciting must always be happening… this kind of life might feel too quiet.

Too repetitive. Too calm. Too simple.

But if you’re tired…If you’re craving space to think…If you want a life that feels less like surviving and more like actually living…Then maybe the slow life isn’t boring.

Maybe it’s healing.

Oviedo has taught us that life doesn’t have to be rushed to be meaningful. And sometimes the most beautiful days are the ones that don’t look impressive at all.

They just feel right.

Watch Our Full “Day in the Life” Vlog

If you want to see what this rhythm actually looks like beyond words, we shared it in our vlog:

Days in Our Life in Oviedo 🇪🇸

Watch here:
https://youtu.be/xT4fNYn5X0M

This one is especially close to our hearts because it shows the version of life that often gets overlooked — the quiet, everyday version that truly defines living abroad.

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