Imagine having a newborn baby and migrating to a foreign country! I don’t think I could have done it! Today, I am having a yibba yabba with Teresa, a beautiful Columbian mama who moved from Spain to Australia with her baby boy, Mathias!
Yibba Yabba Mama: Teresa, tell me what brought you to Australia?
Teresa: My husband Marcos and I were living in Spain. I was an architect and my husband a civil engineer. Spain’s economic crisis was worsening, so we knew we had to leave and get jobs elsewhere.
YYM: Could you speak English?
Teresa: No! We went to Bristol in England to study an intensive English language course. Most of the students were a lot younger than us, but it was good fun for us.
YYM: When did you move to Australia?
Teresa: Myvhusband was offered work in Australia. I was six months pregnant when he left. I stayed in Spain while he worked here. I missed him so much.
YYM: Was your husband with you for the birth?
Teresa: Initially he told me he couldn’t come home for the birth. My mother had come from Columbia so I thought it would be okay. But on the day of my son’s birth, my husband surprised me, he flew in to Spain! Just in time to see his Mathias born! I was so relieved to see him!
YYM: How long did he stay with you in Spain?
Teresa: He stayed for two weeks, then he had to go back to Australia to work. I missed him so much. I had my mother with me and I was living with my in-laws so I had very good support.
YYM: When did you come to Australia?
Teresa: When Mathias was three months old we moved here. It was three flights, seven hours each! Mathias was very good on the plane, he slept a lot.
YYM: Mamas are always tired, but did you suffer from jetlag?
Teresa: Yes!!! It was so hard! It was difficult to feed Mathias and get him into a new sleep routine and also get myself used to the new time!
YYM: You are now living in Longreach, an outback town in Queensland, very different from the city of Saville in Spain! What were your first impressions?
Teresa: I thought it was a very small town! I couldn’t believe how big the back yards and houses were. In Spain I was used to many shopping centres and late night stores, nothing like that here, but actually, I am quite used to this now.
YYM: How did you feel at first, as a new mama living in a new town, in a new country?
Teresa: I was very scared! I didn’t want to go out by myself. I was so worried about the language barrier, I was worried no one would understand me or that I couldn’t understand other people. My husband kept encouraging me to go out and meet people, but I was frightened.
YYM: How did you overcome this?
Teresa: I had to go to see the community health nurse, to weigh Mathias and get some advice about his reflux. The nurses were wonderful! Such lovely ladies! They told me about playgroup so I decided to go there. I have met other mothers now. I think I made myself go out because of Mathias; otherwise I would have probably stayed home and not gone anywhere!
YYM: What has been the most difficult part of moving here?
Teresa: I miss my family and friends so much, I had such good support from them, but I do phone them and I use facetime to show them how much Mathias has grown. The hardest part is using English. I really want to become more fluent. Sometimes it is hard to join in conversations because I cannot understand everyone.
(Yibba Yabba Mama thinks Teresa is doing a fabulous job with her English!)
YYM: What has been good about moving here?
Teresa: The weather here is very nice. The people are very friendly and the animals are so amazing and interesting!
At this point, I did try to offer Teresa some Vegemite! She wasn’t keen at all in trying it!
YYM: Are there any foods you miss from home?
Teresa: I miss cured ham and good olive oil! I am still exploring all the different things in the supermarket!
YYM: Do you have any plans to travel and see more of Australia?
Teresa: Yes. I have visited Sydney, very nice. I also want to see The Great Barrier Reef and lots of other beautiful places.
YYM: Where to next?
Teresa: Who knows? We will wait and see! We do love Australia.
Isn’t Teresa a brave mama? I think she is wonderful, beautiful and amazing for managing so well!
Thank you Teresa for allowing me to interview you! Your English is just fine! I love having a yibba yabba with you! Welcome Teresa, Marcos and Mathias to Australia!
If are or know of an interesting mama, please let me know…I would love to interview her!
Yibba Yabba Mama 