Rachel Anne, American Influencer: "I was born in Texas, but I think Galicia has the best quality of life in the world"

Her strong American accent contrasts throughout the conversation with her fluency in Spanish. This is also reflected in her content. Rachel Anne (Texas, 1996) uses her camera to show how she views Spain in general, and Galicia in particular, through American eyes. These are eyes that didn’t grow up watching Xabarín while snacking but find things as quintessentially Galician as octopus in the supermarket both new and fascinating, a vision she shares on Instagram, TikTok, and especially YouTube, where she has 170,000 subscribers.

But how does an American end up making videos about tortilla de Betanzos or Galician hydrangeas? This is a multi-chapter story, with the first set in southern Spain. After spending a month living in Granada during her studies, Rachel knew she wanted to see more of this country. So, right after graduation in 2018, she returned to work as a language assistant in a school. Her plan was to stay for a year — "which at the time felt like forever," she clarifies — but the plan quickly changed, and she's been away from Texas for six years now.

Her love for Spain was one reason that motivated her to stay, but not the only one. Along the way, she met a Galician man who helped her make the decision. Her partner’s family lives in Galicia, and that’s where Rachel spent the pandemic: "From the first time I visited, I fell in love with the Galician lands, but during lockdown, we really solidified our relationship," she jokes. "Now, I also have friends there, and it feels like my second home — though I wish it were my first!" she adds.

She visits Galicia about once a month since she currently lives in Madrid. "Unfortunately!" she jokes, as her dream is to move there one day: "In the future, I see myself living there 100%. That’s why one of my hobbies is browsing real estate websites to look at apartments and houses," she says. Why Galicia? "I think it has the best quality of life in the world," she states firmly. "It includes everything: traditions, food, landscapes, lifestyle... Galicia calidade (Galician quality) isn’t for nothing."

Lugo is still on her list to visit — "Galicians are going to kill me!" she exclaims. A Coruña, Costa da Morte, and Rías Baixas are her top three favorite spots, though when it comes to food, she’s clear: she picks zamburiñas (small scallops) almost before the question finishes. And as for celebrations? Here, too, she has a favorite: food festivals, not music festivals. "Food festivals are the best thing in the world, my favorite tradition: wine, cheese, seafood..." she lists.

Social Media as a Career

She started working as an English teacher, but now Rachel works exclusively on social media. There, she shares her experience as an American living in Spain and her travels worldwide. Although she's also active on TikTok and Instagram, she remains loyal to YouTube, one of the earliest platforms.

She believes she’s found her “purpose” in life, and she explains the ultimate goal of her videos: "The intention behind my content is to show both Spaniards and foreigners how incredible Spain is. There are things here that you can’t find anywhere else in the world," she says.

And the reception to her content has exceeded all her expectations: "I don’t have haters; people are really kind to me, and I don’t get any hate on social media," she says. She admits that this is rare for public profiles of her kind: "It’s curious and very special. I’m very grateful, because I’m not sure how well I’d handle it otherwise," she confesses. She attributes this uniqueness to two factors. On one hand, her content: "I think if you send out a positive message, you’re more likely to get the same in return," she suggests. On the other hand, her platform of choice: "YouTube is my main platform, and I think people there know and value you more." "People who watch your videos on YouTube spend 20 or 30 minutes with you. I think that makes it harder for them to throw hate at you compared to, for example, TikTok, where they see you for 10 seconds," she adds.

One of her most popular videos involves exploring a Spanish supermarket and explaining what stands out to her as an American. In this regard, there’s something in Galicia that left her amazed: "I’d never seen an octopus in my life until I went to Galicia, and when I saw it in the supermarket, I was shocked," she says. But that wasn’t all: "I was also surprised by the sheer variety of canned goods, cheeses, and wines. That’s unimaginable in the U.S."

But it wasn’t just the supermarkets that shocked her upon arriving in Galicia. The first thing that struck her, she says, was the landscape: "When my boyfriend showed me the area for the first time, I couldn’t believe it could be so green and beautiful," she recalls. While she hasn’t fully adapted to the rain — "I’d have to get used to it!" she notes — she was pleasantly surprised by the temperature of the sea: "I love Galician beaches. The water is crystal-clear, and people complain that it’s too cold, but I think it’s amazing; it’s a sensation that makes you feel alive," Rachel defends.

Another thing that caught her attention, though not unique to Galicia, is the meal schedule. A cultural shock her parents recently experienced firsthand: "They came to visit me at the end of summer, and one night we had dinner with my boyfriend’s relatives at 11 p.m., and my parents were floored! It felt so strange to them," she says.

What she’s certain of is that all these differences have changed her as well. She insists she’s not the same person who left Texas with a suitcase to spend a year abroad: "Moving here has completely changed me as a person," she says. "I used to have different goals, like working for a big company or making a lot of money. Now I see life very differently; I want to live in the present and enjoy people, travel, and discovery. I think that’s more of the mindset here in Spain," she concludes.

And, as she always ends her videos, this interview concludes with an enthusiastic “talogo!”.

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