In this new blog series, some of my blogger friends share their experiences of their life in lockdown in other countries around the globe. This week, Peace Bailey, of Baileys in Spain shares with us how life has been in lockdown for her and her family living in Spain.
Life in Lockdown in Spain, by Peace of ‘Baileys in Spain’
We’re the Bailey family, a husband and wife with two young boys aged 5 and 4 years old. I come from a tiny country in East Africa called Rwanda but I was raised in the UK. My husband is from Devon. We used to live in Bristol until October 2018 when we moved to Spain.
Like many people we had a dream to live abroad but watching A Place in the Sun and
wishing we could be there wasn’t enough. We really wanted a different lifestyle for our family which we hoped to find here.
The lockdown started in March. Within a few days absolutely everything changed for us. Schools, restaurants, businesses were all closed. We live on a complex by the beach, they closed the communal garden, tennis courts, playground. We were only allowed to be at home or on our terrace. At first we just thought it would be for a few weeks then everything would go back to normal, how wrong we were.
What was the most challenging part?
The most challenging part was trying to explain it to the children. We are an active family that loves being outdoors. It’s one of the main reasons we moved. On a daily basis we are either walking, cycling, playing at the park or the beach. In other words we only come home to eat, rest and sleep. We told the children what was going on, saying there is an awful virus that is hurting people but we can’t see it, have no idea what it looks like oh and we can’t touch it either. Being a Christian family that believes in an invincible God helped them to understand a little bit more about corona.
Another issue was telling them why they could no longer use their favourite place, the huge garden right outside. We live on the ground floor. You walk out the door, go on the terrace, walk down 5 steps and the garden is right there. All they could do was play inside or use the terrace space. This was something completely new.
I would say that the lockdown wasn’t easy for our family, being confined for 6 weeks without being able to take the children out was tough and unfair, the only people allowed outside were dog walkers. Adults could go grocery shopping or to the pharmacy so at least we left the house once or twice a week.
Since last Sunday we’ve been given permission to take children out for one hour per day which has made a significant difference, they are much happier now they can run
around and exercise. I believe that’s essential for their well being and mental health.
They miss their friends, going to school and just doing all the things they love, their lives have changed significantly yet they have coped extremely well. We are so proud of
them.
How are you coping?
It’s not clear when “normal” life will be back but we’re choosing to stay positive and hopeful. We’ve learnt to appreciate each other, what we’ve got, where we live. As a couple we’ve had to work as a team even more than before, share the load. By the end of the day we’re exhausted, this homeschooling and having the children with us the
whole day isn’t easy but it’s been a blessing. When will we ever be in the house together for 6 weeks in a row again?!
Our children have amazed us with their tenacity, ability to adapt, positivity and choosing to still have fun despite all this change. They are the superstars that need recognition and a lot of treats for coping so well throughout this pandemic. It’s our pleasure to be their parents.
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