Interview with Sara Kinge
What is your name, age and how long have you lived in Javea?
My name is Sara, I am 36 years old and have now lived in Pedreguer for six and a half years.
What nationality are you and your partner?
We are both British
How many children do you have and what are their names and ages?
We have one son, William and he is 6 years old. We are expecting our second child late August.
Do you work and if so what do you do?
I no longer work but I used to work in a computer sales and repair shop in Jalon and for an IT company in Javea
What was your experience of having a baby in Spain?
William was born just over a month after we arrived here in Spain so the experience was pretty daunting especially as he was born on Christmas Day, 6 weeks premature. During the months before we permanently moved here and after we arrived, I had all my antenatal care at Accuario in Beniarbeig and the service we had received there was excellent. However one thing they hadn’t told us was that if you have a premature birth you cannot have your baby at Accuario. On Christmas Day 2002 I was therefore transferred from Accuario to La Marina Hospital in Denia. The actual birth thankfully was extremely quick as it unfortunately was nothing like I planned, it was very clinical and no one had prepared me for the stirrups that they used! During my antenatal classes we were taught so many different techniques to help with labour, unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to use any of these. Because William was premature he suffered complications after birth and after a few days in the neonatal unit at Denia he was transferred to the General Hospital in Alicante. Despite the traumatic experience I had suffered, I cannot fault the pediatric staff at both Denia and Alicante. They were all excellent and although communication was difficult as we spoke very little Spanish then, the care and attention William received was second to none. We are extremely grateful and complimentary of the hospital staff at Denia and Alicante. My aftercare was awful but to be honest at the time I was not worried about myself I was worried about William and he was receiving excellent treatment so that was all that mattered. My experience however has made me extremely nervous about giving birth again in a public Spanish Hospital. However, that was over six years ago and I have to say that so far all my antenatal appointments at both the Clinic in Pedreguer and the new Denia Hospital have been superb. I am intending to visit the maternity unit soon and that I am sure will help me decide whether to have the baby at Denia or Accuario in Beniarbeig. Obviously though I know this time that if the baby is premature, I have no option but to give birth at Denia and this time at least I will be able to prepare myself for it!
What was your experience of relocating to Javea with children?
When we moved to Pedreguer from the UK we didn’t have any children although I was pregnant with William at the time. William has lived in Spain all of his live and it has been a truly exciting experience for us all. The people in Pedreguer have made us feel very welcome, we live in the town itself which I think helps.
How well integrated would you say you and your children are?
Living in a typical Spanish town has allowed us to integrate into the Spanish way of life and we are now able to have conversations with our Spanish neighbours. Although I must say we do feel William misses out on a lot of the activities children who attend Spanish school get involved in such as parades in Fiesta time etc. We have friends in Pedreguer whose children do go to the Spanish school and they are involved a lot more than we are.
What language do you speak to your children?
As a result of the complications William suffered when he was born, he is deaf. However we have been extremely fortunate in that he has a cochlear implant (he was implanted before his second birthday at Clinico Hospital in Valencia). Accordingly we speak English to William as that is the advice we are following from his consultants although he is happy to watch Spanish TV and listens when the Spanish ladies talk to him in the town.
What is your impression of childcare and education in Javea so far?
We have always been impressed with the level of childcare and education both from the Spanish state and the English International schools. Both have lots to offer. However, I do feel that there should be more special needs education for English speaking children who are unable to attend Spanish schools. I am aware that if in Spanish schools the special needs education is excellent but for some children such as William, who are advised not to attend Spanish school, more special needs education is needed in the English schools.
What school do your children go to?
William goes to the Firs in Javea
Why did you choose this school and are you happy with your choice?
As previously mentioned William is deaf although he has a cochlear implant and his hearing is almost the same as ours. As a result of his deafness and other complications he has some learning difficulties. We were advised by his consultant at the Clinico Hospital in Valencia and his neurologist that he should attend an English speaking school. Living in Pedreguer the nearest English schools are in Javea. When we viewed the schools in Javea Lady Elizabeth and XIC were not willing to accommodate William. However the Firs greeted William with open arms and have been extremely supportive with his education. They were happy to take William before he was 3 years old and he has been there ever since.
Where you live, how good are the facilities for children (shops, restaurants, activities etc?)
Unfortunately there are limited facilities in Pedreguer as it is a small town. However there are plenty of parks and we have the mountain walks at the end of our street. It is safe for children to play outside. During fiesta time there are always plenty of activities such as bouncy castles, clown shows etc all free of charge and open to all children of all ages. We often visit Denia which is our nearest town and there is plenty to do there. Most restaurants are always happy to accommodate children and there are plenty of activities for them to do. There are three ball parks in Denia, lots of outdoor play areas, the castle, the tourist train and of course the beach.
Are there any particular activities, groups, classes etc for children in Javea that you would recommend?
When William was a toddler we went to lots of mum’s and tots groups in Javea and in Denia. We went to a mother and toddler swimming group at Sawyers Gym in Denia which was always good fun although I’m not too sure if that still takes place. William has started attending an after school club but as yet we haven’t found anything else for him to do. I understand though that there are dancing, drama, golf, tennis and football activities for children in Javea.
Are there any particular service providers (doctors, dentists, babysitters, tutors etc) for children that you would recommend?
We have always used the Spanish Health system for William and I thoroughly recommend it. William used to have speech therapy in Benidorm and I can thoroughly recommend Cepteco Clinic and in particular Marina who was his speech therapist. William also sees a neurologist in Valencia, Professor Maximo who is a specialist in childrens’ neurology. He has been excellent with William.
Is there anything that you think would improve childrens lives living in Javea?
More indoor activities for when the weather is not so good. A large indoor pool with slides etc would be great! It would also be lovely to have a farm to visit, like school farms but open to the public.
What advice would you give anyone having a baby or thinking of relocating to Javea with children?
Ensure that you fully understand that if you are pregnant and you opt to have the baby in a Spanish state hospital you will probably not have the choices of how you give birth as you would if you were to give birth in the UK. Make sure you are fully aware that if difficulties arise you won’t have the option to go anywhere other than a Spanish State hospital. It is important to learn the language and try to integrate as much as possible. The Spanish will then always be willing to help you if you make the effort. Visit as many nurseries and schools as possible both English and Spanish and don’t be fooled by what people tell you, go and see for yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised!
What couldn’t you live without in Javea?
The sunshine, I must admit that when the weather isn’t so good, there isn’t as much to do here as there is in the UK
What could you live without in Javea?
The tourists! (sorry)
jan 09
