Interviews with Mums in Barcelona
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Interview with Jane
"I can only speak as an individual here and so much in the beginning depends on how well you speak Catalan and Spanish which I am fine with now but 5 years ago floundered badly in getting the information I needed, but to be honest from the things I know of the UK and US systems it’s a huge challenge to educate a special needs child whatever system you are dealing with and the Catalan EAP is as good if not better in many instances as any other public health and Education system I have dealt with." (JDR)
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Interview with Eugenia
"Having a baby is the most amazing experience! I am one of those who now thinks why didn’t I do this before, why did I focus so much on my career? Having a baby in Barcelona is obviously great for me because it is my home town. Although my parents both died young and mum is not there for support “HELP what do I do with the baby?” I feel comfortable in the city and find it’s quite child friendly, except when you need to get on the Metro" (EB)
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"I would recommend every woman who wants to have kids or already has them, to take a private insurance, for yourself and the baby. There are many specialists and hardly any waiting lists”
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"In a way we live in a bit of a bubble. I have given it a lot of thought and I feel that if we stay we will integrate more as Luca grows up and starts school. I definitely want to learn Catalan so I can understand his (Luca’s) culture. Being bi-cultural ourselves we know it’s important to make an effort to stay connected to your children’s culture, especially if it’s different from your own".
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"In my opinion children who grow up with two cultures and two or more languages have the potential to be more open-minded since they see that there are several ways of looking at things and expressing themselves from an early age. On the other hand, as children get older one thing that could become a disadvantage is the struggle to balance these two cultures and languages. I feel that we international parents really do need to make an active effort to preserve these things while at the same time allowing our kids to develop their own bicultural identities"
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"There is massification of childcare, and though it seems we pay a lot of money for it, the workers are paid a pittance. That's why there's a lot of turnover of workers at private daycare centers. I've been happy with two "normal," Catalan-speaking, private daycare centers in Barcelona--my two babies loved the activities, ate better at the nursery than at home, and had fairly good carers."
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"Having experienced private, concertat and state school here I am very impressed with the state system. It has its faults but on the whole I have had a really good experience with the girls school and friends with children in state school have had similarly good experiences."
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"My daughter was 3 years old when we came to Barcelona. I had taken her out of nursery so we could spend a year together before she started school. Initially I was surprised by how few children we met during the day...then I became aware that most children are in full time school by the tender age of 2 years! Fortunately I saw an advert in Metropolitan magazine for a mother and child group. We met some wonderful people there and 6 years later they remain our closest friends."
Click here to read an interview with Julie -
"Dont worry if total strangers constantly comment on your baby child theyre well-meaning but sometimes their advice is not always wanted, especially when youre a new mum and your babys crying and the old ladies are telling you that the babys cold, hungry, angry etc. Just ignore them if you can. Most comments are in fact nice and its very child-fiendly here."
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"One thing that I really appreciate here is the fact that the teachers with the best pay and conditions are without a doubt those who work in state schools and that is reflected in the educational standards. Even the 'concertadas', state-assisted private schools don't usually get such good results as in the state system".
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"We didn't really plan to move to Barcelona. We were living and travelling on a boat and needed somewhere to give birth to Max. Barcelona seemed like a good place and we never left."