After 11 years in NYC, I moved my family to Maine. I wish I had done it sooner.

• My family moved from Brooklyn to a small town near Portland, Maine.
• We had been talking about leaving the city for a while, but the pandemic sped up our exit.
• Being surrounded by nature has been so beneficial for our three kids.

In 2010 I packed my bags and moved from Buenos Aires to New York City. I was finally living my dream, going to journalism school, and experiencing life in my all-time favorite city.

Fast forward 10 years later, I was married with three kids under the age of 3, two dogs, and packing our entire life into a truck to move to Maine.

I was introduced to Maine by my husband, who was born in Portland and left as a toddler. We had vacationed there together, and I fell in love with how easy life in Maine seemed. But we weren't ready to leave our dreams of making it big in the city - so much so that when our first child was born, we turned our walk-in closet into his room.

When we found out I was pregnant with twins, it was evident we couldn't make our tiny apartment work anymore. I suggested moving to Maine, and, in less than a second, my husband agreed.

Here's what has surprised me most since moving:

Making new friends was easy

Making friends as an adult is hard. Making friends as an adult in a pandemic, even harder.

But we've been able to make some deep connections super fast.

Our neighbors decorated our driveway with welcome signs once they saw the moving trucks pull in. Moms at our kids' school have been more than willing to share their contacts (babysitters included!). And we've been invited to birthday parties, for both kids and adults.

It's not shocking considering Maine has a reputation of having the nicest people.

There's so much space

Coming from NYC, where everyone's not only crammed in their apartments but also the subway, office, and streets, the first thing I said to my husband when we were house hunting was: "What do we do with all this space?"

Our house is almost five times bigger than our old apartment, and we still have copious amounts of the backyard to enjoy.

But it's not just the size of the houses. There's so much green everywhere and buildings (outside of Portland) are spaced apart.

Winters aren't that bad

Coming from South America, I was truly terrified of our first winter here.

Shockingly, it wasn't that bad. Yes, I still hate that days are super short, but that's no difference between NYC and Maine.

In fact, being in nature has allowed me to enjoy winter more than I did in the city. We spend our wintery days snowshoeing, ice-skating, or taking the kids sledding.

The trick is wearing appropriate clothes. In New York, I'd try to wear cute clothes to the office even when the temps were frigid, but here I can wear what I know is going to make me feel comfortable chasing kids in the snow.

The food scene has nothing to envy to big cities

Coming from NYC, we were a bit snobbish about what we were going to encounter in terms of restaurants.

But Portland didn't disappoint. The restaurant and bar scene is popping, and we've had some of the best meals of our life here.

Maine is known for its lobster rolls and oysters, which we've had plenty of, but we've also found authentic Chinese, Mexican, and Spanish restaurants which we love. I even found an Argentine who delivers homemade empanadas and curbs my cravings for food from back home.

Being surrounded by nature has had a hugely positive impact on us

We live on a lake (a thing I didn't know people did) and being able to go swimming, fishing, and paddleboarding whenever we want has been an incredible upgrade.

Our children are so much happier running around outside than they ever are inside. We're also a close drive to the ocean when we need a change of scenery. Hiking is our new favorite family activity.

Everything is less expensive

From real estate to groceries, living in Maine is way cheaper than NYC.

While this might sound obvious, I was shocked to realize that what we pay in childcare for three children here is still significantly less than what we paid for one in New York.