Lanzarote Relocation

Archive for the ‘Down's Syndrome’ Category

Emily started the special school in Tahiche last week, she was a bit aprehensive at first, [not as much as me though] but has very quickly settled in with the routine of getting up early and catching the bus at 8am to get to school. Read the rest of this entry »

Where do I begin, we have been here for nearly 9 months now and life is good, we have settled in well and are enjoying our Relocation to this wonderfull Island.

Emily is working with us with our Villa Management business, she helps us with the cleaning side of the business, she hoovers, mops and dusts and everyone has excepted her at the villas, wether they be guests or owners, she brings happiness to whoever she comes into contact with.

Emily is now 18 and celebrated by going too Rancho Texas and watching the Carmen Carnival in the evening and having her first, yes first alchoholic drink, a Bacardi Breezer which she said she got drunk on, bless her, she was up and dancing with bottle in hand making everyone smile, trying to impress some fitties I expect, the hussy.

Well bringing you all up to date, we are now trying to get Emily into school here, we werent going to but it was offered and we thought it would be a good idea so she could meet more new friends, at the moment its lots of paper work and visits too Arrecife, at least weekly at the moment, she has to have lots of Medical checks and also 2 letters, one from her UK DR saying that she has, wait for it “Down Syndrome” and then we had to get one from her Spanish DR to say the same, mad or what.We have to get it all sorted by June so she can start a course in September, so fingers crossed it all goes well.We also have found a few groups for Special Needs kids and teens, one is a club in Tahiche, one in Tias which we hope to get her in and another in Arrecife which is on Mon, Wed, Fri, either 9am till 1pm or 4pm till 7pm, the fee is 30 euros per month, which is nothing, so we hope to go for the first time this Friday evening, lets hope she likes it and there are plenty of Fitties there’ HAHA.

Emily also has a new friend called Amber who has lived on the Island a long time, her nanna came over to speak to us in Kentucky last week and they were introduced, I think they will become great friends.

Anyway thats the latest and will keep you all informed of Emilys future at school and her new clubs

I would also like to make 3 public thank yous, 1 to Elle (Ed: You’re more than welcome honey!) for telling me about a great Hairdresser called Mandy in Calero, who has become a good friend and helped me so much with translation for Ems transission into clubs and school and has took me under her wing and made it her mission to get Em every oppurtunity she can have on the Island and also a 3rd thank you to Thea, Mandys daughter for helping us in Arrecife today, she was a star and Mandy should be very proud of her.
Big Hugs to you all from Em.

Caroline Crane.

We are always pleased to hear how Caroline and Emily are getting along. Thanks Caroline, for yet another lovely article!

You can contact Caroline by dropping us an email to info@lanzaroterelocation.co.uk

Down Syndrome is the most common form of learning disabillity. It occurs around the time of conception giving rise to an extra chromosone in each of the baby’s cells. Read the rest of this entry »

This week has been quite hectic, Emilys Dad came over for a few days as he hasnt finished his job back in UK yet, Em was very excited and made a sign for him to see when he came through the doors at the airport and hugged him nearly to death when he did finally arrive, she told him she missed him alot and she had been waiting a long time for him, bless her. Read the rest of this entry »

From the day Em was born she became my lifes ambition to make her as NORMAL as possible, I couldnt accept I had , had a Downs child and I became obbsessed with buying her everything to help her become a so called normal child, if it wasnt toys, it was clothes and boy did she have and still has alot of clothes, I dont think she ever wore many things twice, she had to be the preetiest and Trendiest Downs child alive.Everything was coordinated , from her clothes to hats to hairbands, she had to be perfect at all times.

Em was accepted at a private school at 2 years old and went there everyday till she was 3 and a half, where she then went to the reception class at a normal school where they had a Special class for special needs kids, this was the worst thing we did for her, we wanted her to be intergrated into normal school and in the end it didnt work and she had to go to a Special school at 9 years old which was very hard on me.You see for 9 years I had to fight to keep her in Normal school and all of a sudden it was taken away from me and I had to accept she was what she was and needed that much more help.

The first day of her Special needs school was awfull, we were taken to a class with other disabled kids in it and some were screaming and Em looked at me and said, “Whats wrong with that girl mummy”, that was it, I burst into tears and so did she and we ran out of the classroom.Em had never been with really disabled kids and that was my fault for trying to make her the so called normal kid of today, she eventually settled there and it turned out to be the best thing we ever did for her, she blossomed into a bright young lady with confidence and a sense of humour we should all have.It took many years for me to get over having Em, but I eventually did and am so glad I have her in my life, it has been hard, but the good times outway the bad ones and I would nt change her for the world now.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

When you are going to have a baby, its like you,re planning a vacation in Italy.
You,re all excited.
You get a whole bunch of guide books, you learn a few phrases in Italian so you can get around, and then it comes-time to pack your bags and head off for the airport-for Italy.
Only when you land, the stewardess says,
“Welcome to Holland”.
You look at one another in disbelief and shock, saying “Holland?
What are you talking about?I signed up for Italy”.
But they explain theres been a change of plans and you.ve landed in Holland, and there you must stay.
“But I dont want to stay, you say.
But you stay.You go out and buy new guide books, you learn some new phrases and you meet people you never knew existed.The important thing is that you are not in a filthy, plague-infested slum full of pestilence and famine.You are simply in a different place than you had planned.
Its slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy, but after you.ve been there a little while and you have had a chance to catch your breath, you begin to discover that Holland has windmills.Holland has Tulips.Holland has Rembrandts.
But everyone else is still busy coming and going from Italy.
They,re all bragging about what a great time they had there and for the rest of your life, you will say, “Yes, thats what I had planned”.
The pain of that will never, ever go away.
You have to accept that pain, because if you spend the rest of your life mourning the fact that you never got to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, the very loveley things that Holland has to offer.
By Emily Perl Kingsley.

That poem sums it up really, all kids are different and they are all good at some things and not others, we all need to accept what we have been given and enjoy it as best we can.

Recently Em made a new friend here in Lanzarote, she is a very sweet girl who is much younger than Em, but has become her friend, Ems new friend asked me why Em was like she was and I tried to explain she was different and the girl said well Im different as well, as I have brown skin and I cant do what older kids do.

That was that, she accepted it, why cant we all be like that little girl and stay like it, the world would be a better place if we could.

Caroline Crane- a very proud mother.

The following article has been very kindly donated by one of the newest additions to Lanzarote – Caroline, whose daughter Emily has Down’s Syndrome. Caroline is looking to meet parents in a similar situation in order for all to offer support, and swap stories and advice. To contact Caroline, contact us here Read the rest of this entry »