Though I never thought this day would come… we actually made it!

On Thursday we finished 8 weeks of intensive therapy and officially said goodbye to the therapists/teachers and other students at the Feuerstein Institute.

While we were here I felt immense pressure knowing that Milla will be scrutinised when we get home to see what changes (if any) have occurred and I feel like if they’re not enough or not what we’d hoped then this is a reflection on me. I know that this isn’t rational or logical as Milla has worked as hard as we could have possibly hoped (she’s absolutely exhausted right now!) and if you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ll know how much she’s achieved and how proud I am. I suppose my 2 biggest concerns right now are: will these changes be noticeable when we get home and how do we maintain the momentum?

Regarding the changes being noticeable: these changes have been so profound in the way she interacts, responds, demonstrates understanding and communicates back that I don’t believe this will just disappear. Her therapists/teachers for the last 8 weeks are experts in this and see students attend each week and they are truly excited about her progress, so I believe that this must mean that it is significant. Additionally, my aunt has essentially come on this journey with us and has seen these big changes so again they must be there and not a figment of my imagination!

Maintaining the momentum is a much harder concern. One of my biggest challenges during our time at the Institute was getting the required support. Before leaving home we were sent a template of what our week would look like i.e. how many hours of each therapy. Part of this was also 2 x 1 hour sessions for the parents to be guided in the Feuerstein methodology, and once the theory was completed these sessions would have been perfect to discuss how to apply this all back at home. However, one of the Institute’s biggest failures is their organisation and unfortunately we did not receive all that was promised. I was supposed to receive 16 x 1 hour sessions and in total received 2 – and that was after following up, chasing, begging, pleading and threatening. Though this is not ideal for any family visiting the institute, I feel it was even more difficult for me as I was doing this alone so not only did I need to essentially teach myself the methodology, I also need to be able to share these learnings with Mr V in a meaningful way that he will also be able to apply back to everyday life. This is quite frankly a massively daunting prospect and a huge disappointment that the management cannot support the families who make the trip half way across the world.

Though things didn’t necessarily always go to plan I can truly say I am so pleased we made the journey. I am proud of Milla for everything she is and how much she achieved. I am surprised that during the really hard times I didn’t pack up and go home! I am blessed to have such an amazing support network – my aunt here has been our rock and our friends and family back home have always had our backs. I am even more optomistic about the future – Milla has shown how smart she is and how eager she is to learn, and now I’ve been given tools to nurture this and to best support her.

After this crazy tough period we are now in Tel Aviv having a night at the beach with my aunt before our flight leaves tomorrow. I will miss my aunt and this incredible country… but I have never been so excited to get on a plane before. I miss Lulu more than words can express – it is totally unnatural for a mother and child to be separated for this long! I miss my husband and am excited for him to see everything we’ve achieved here.

Next stop, the reunion!

J x