Lockdown in Spain by Peace Bailey

We’re the Bailey family, a husband and wife with two young boys aged 5

& 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.

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.

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.

You can read more for the Bailey family at their blog and on their instagram.