You are reading a Global Native Case Study!
10 years on.2019:
This is the third of a short series of case studies we published to celebrate our ten-year anniversary. We want to showcase a few families who joined in our very first year and what became of them. |
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Best gran ever!
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Sofia was born in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay, in 1948. She studied maths and chemistry in Montevideo and became a teacher. A major turning point in her life was meeting Matias, a Spanish law student, at a dancing competition. They married in 1974, moved to his home town Salamanca and are still a happy couple after 45 years.
Sofia and Matias wanted children, at least three, but Sofia never fell pregnant. In August 1980 they adopted Ana, one of Sofia's students, after both her parents had died of AIDS. Ana was 11 years old. Two years later they adopted Paolo. He was 25 months old and had lived with a foster family until then, his parents were unknown.
With Ana and Paolo they were a family and felt complete.
Both were good kids, keen students and eager to know about the rest of the world. Sofia decided to take up English lessons when she realized that the world her children would live in would require them to be multi-lingual. She wanted to keep up and, what's more, she was eager to understand the manuals and books she used to improve her IT skills. |
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Matias and Sofia did their best to be role models. They never stopped learning. They never stopped being curious.
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Ana decided early in life that she wanted to be a teacher too. In spring 1995 she married her colleague Tomas, they both worked at the same school.Their first child, Álvaro, was born on Christmas day the same year, his brother Daniel a year later to the day.
For the next five years, Sofia spent half the summer taking her grandsons to partner families in Germany, France, Canada and - yes! - Uruguay. And the other half hosting, teaching and entertaining their partner families' kids.
Álvaro and Daniel are self-confident and cheerful grown men today, they speak four languages and enjoy their time at university, one in Barcelona, the other in Vancouver. |
Paolo first met Maria when they both applied for the same job for the summer holidays. They were fifteen and wanted to work at the local cinema, picking up the litter and tidying the seats after every show. It was love at first sight and when the lady who was ready to interview them saw the way the two looked at each other she decided to take them as a couple. They've been inseparable since.
Mobile gran, take two: |
Maria and Paolo became parents of Bennie in 2010, Alan was born 2012.
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2016 they spent their first summer in England, Sofia took them to Torquay in Devon, South West England. After three weeks at the beach and on the playground with Hannah and Ellie, also six and four, the lads could make themselves understood very well and Sofia was thrilled how quickly they could pronounce every new word. They will go back to Devon for the fourth time this summer and Sofia will host Hannah and Ellie for the fourth time too, their Spanish amazes everyone!
Sofia was our first travelling gran and she's in our hall of fame!
Of course we do not know details of every exchange in our community, we can only record what is reported back to us.
So, to the best of our knowledge, Sofia is clearly our famillage champion! She only missed out once in the summer of 2015.
Sofia is 70 by now, in excellent health and still full of beans. She has travelled extensively, enjoyed it tremendously and has done her kids and grandchildren an amazing service.
So, to the best of our knowledge, Sofia is clearly our famillage champion! She only missed out once in the summer of 2015.
Sofia is 70 by now, in excellent health and still full of beans. She has travelled extensively, enjoyed it tremendously and has done her kids and grandchildren an amazing service.