LOCAS MUMS: FROM SPAIN TO AUSTRALIA

Whenever we talk of emigration, we think of students, expats or perhaps work contract in the destination country. In my case things are different…

The main reason why we chose

The Parks are WONDERFUL

Australia is because I was born here; I have always been proud to be Australian and Spanish.

Then there are other life circumstance which make you think about things…

We came to Australia and we were so naive, it was a dream

In 2006 the fifth of our children passed away when he was only six months old. This was a very hard period of our lives. Though we have always accepted the will of God, it was from then on that I felt the need to leave Spain. This was not for any reason in particular: we were happy and much supported by our family and friends but then… something had changed us, our concept of family was not different.

We then decided to come on an adventure with our seven children; I now tell you how life has changed and is changing us here.

Upon arrival we were like a dream or a different holiday, we came with blind illusion and that's what made us have the strength make so many changes to our lives. Thank God that my sister-in-law is here and when we arrived we had a beautiful home, with a full fridge, pantry and even a car.

Everything was fine until our Nanny how had been with us for 4 years returned to Spain.

My life as a housewife started! Now here are the challenges I first encountered!

I feel identify, I don't know where to begin.

Things are no longer arranged for you and NOBODY is going to arrange them for you.
You have to give food to your children and husband who goes to work
Children are only yours when you are with them they take priority; If you're in a park you find it hard to talk to anyone because your child may walk off!
I found the house at that time: huge! And I wanted to have it perfect every day! I was exhausted!

Little by little I realized that the happy mother who was disappearing, was not getting me to achieve my goals.

At first the problem was the language: Australian English is a particular language! My English was getting there but my husband Manolo who is from Sevilla (Imagine the accent!) needed time.

Then every day was something new: going to a supermarket, going to school, maintaining a conversation with people…

We missed a lot our family back at in Spain; We realized that we were alone here but that took time. Then within three months of being here I fell pregnant. This meant I needed to re-organize my life so that the family was okay.

Part of my family in Spain, is a great family!

Now we have been here for almost four years and the changes I can see in my family life are incredible:

The children now clean their rooms, their clothes arready the day before (not all the kids are ready but then… some things never change)
Each kid has a daily task: vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom, setting the table… etc. This was previously impossible!
I have learned how to cook and making a weekly menu has made my life much easier.
I clean the house but now I do not overwhelmed if it is not perfect,
I have leant to be much more open with people: here in Australia our friends are now also my family
I have learnt to appreciate and love people differently: people who are very different to me and my family.

I never thought that you can actually do so many things in a single day, but if you do not worry then life is taken with more realism.

We've all changed and I guess to better appreciate other things such as our family, and above all to enjoy the kids!

Celebrating my birthday a very special occasion for the whole family! Not a Picnic!

Regarding quality of life, (for now, although long-term will be better): it's worse, but we appreciate everything so much more: a romantic dinner, an excursion, an anything little is now enjoyed much more, as they are usually exceptions.

So after four years, the weighing of the scale is positive despite the effort invested. I am now expecting my number 11 which is the fourth girl (a true miracle). The best thing has been the people we have met: Australians or no Australian we have met fantastic people and I 'm sure we'll be friends forever: Lebanese, Asian…

Great friends and my only family here, my sister

The children are bilingual, and the whole family has grown as people. We have all fought a lot (each our own battles) and I think that for this alone it has been and it is worthwhile being here.

This Country is noteworthy for its children-friendly environment: aid to families, parks and outdoor activities for children, the order of things, job opportunities, etc. Otherwise explain to me how a family of 11 can go forward starting from 0 in a different language! Unbelievable!