Interviews
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Interview with Yvonne Davidson
"There are a lot of well organized activities for children of my daughter’s age in Sitges. She has taken up swimming and music as after school activities. I have found a wide choice of restaurants to suit all needs from a family night out with the children to a romantic meal with my partner. Since my favourite food is fish, this seems the right place to be. But I wish there was a large supermarket, as I find the supermarkets in the Sitges small and very expensive in comparison to Zaragoza where I lived before" (YD)
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Interview with Amy
"I had Andrés here in hospital Sant Camil in Sant Pere de Ribes. The whole experience was so much better than in Bristol where I felt like I was on a conveyer belt. The hospital is a busy one but the atmosphere was so calm and the staff could not have done more to help me feel comfortable and relaxed. I was induced and had an epidural. After the birth I was taken to a private room where for 48 hours I had the full support of the nurses day or night. The only downer is that a health visitor does not come to your house afterwards and you have to go the doctors.."
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Nina Onsrud on her homebirth
"I would like to mention that in order to do a homebirth, one has to get in touch with midwifes right from the beginning in order to get to know each other , and to build up a relationship , to let them know about your fears and your desires, so that the birthing experience can be all that it should be. I think that the advice for mums to be in Spain is to be very clear with their Gynecologist about what kind of birth experience they would like. And if they do not feel that they are getting the attention that they need, Change gynaecologist. Ask a friend for a referral. It is your right to choose how you would like the birth to unfold."
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Interview with Susanne
"The days after birth until I went home, I had a nice single room with mountain view and could hear the birds sing in the morning. That sounds like kitsch but that is what it was like. However, since the Hospital Els Camils is a public hospital, you can’t choose the obstetrist that will attend you and it is somehow a question of good or bad luck who you will have to deal with. My personal experience was very good and I recommend the hospital. Most of the women from Vilanova have their children in Barcelona. I wouldn’t. Depending on the traffic, Barcelona can be very far, especially during rush hours and the public hospitals usually are full. For women who chose a private clinic I would recommend to look for information about the number of caesareans done there. I would not recommend a “programmed” delivery under normal circumstances since I think a woman’s body knows itself when the time has come."
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Yolanda Potman
"Belén and Dunee go to Agnes de Sitges and we think that we are very lucky. The teachers are very helpful and caring. The school itself actually realizes that there are many people that do not understand Catalan and so they take measures accordingly. Our youngest started at 2, so that’s very early (in Holland we start at 4). But now, after 3 months she skips to school. My oldest was allowed to celebrate Sinterklaas with her schoolmates. Ferd and a Dutch friend explained the whole story of the man who, after all, is a Spaniard!"
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Interview with Lorna
"Going to the international playgroup was great but often all foreign parents were in the same boat so I discovered that you really have to throw yourself into it and find out for yourself. Choosing any type of care for your children is such a personal choice that you do need to visit nurseries and schools yourself as well as trying to find people who already have children in school here."
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Interview with Melissa
"I had lived abroad before I came to Sitges so I understood a little of the transient way the people live here but I wish I had explained it more to my children who make friends only to find two years later their parents contract has finished and they move on."
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Interview with Karen
"The main reason for moving here was to have more time with our kids, and we certainly have. Our life here is much less stressful and we are much more a family here than at home where we both worked a lot. So all in all we never one day regretted moving here."
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Interview with Emma
"I cannot lie, I found the first 6 weeks awful!!!!!! I had a 12 week old baby & I was moving from the UK with a great support network of Family, health visitor, friends etc to come here to NOTHING I had to look for everything, Doctors etc"
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Interview with Ally
"We have put the kids into the local Catalan school and are trying hard to fit in. The kids are learning the language fast so are making friends - both English and Spanish. I have a couple of Spanish friends although they are new to Catalunya also. I wouldn't say I have integrated yet. Maybe once I can speak Spanish to the mums at school then it will get easier."
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Interview with Claire
" I'd say the prenatal care is very thorough but once the child is born the Spanish philosophy is to cut you loose and let the family rally around."
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Sonia Dominguez Ziegler
"I have seen a few Kindergarten in Sitges and I was a bit disappointed at first. I am comparing them though with the only other kindergartens I know from Australia. All the Kindys there are amazing, with lots of green areas, separated rooms for different ages, areas to sleep, dining areas, etc. "
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Interview with Carolin
"Sitges is like a big village in beautiful surrounding and therefore perfect for families....."
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Nicole Hofmann
"It is a fantastic experience to meet all these people from all over the world with totally different backgrounds and different reasons for being in Sitges. A disadvantage might be the lack of Catalan language skills."
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Interview with Bridget
Bridget Nelson, founder of Sitges Playgroup and Planet English, has kindly given us her time to share her experiences of education in Sitges, the options available to parents, how to apply for schools and how to prepare for that first day.
