Angela and Mandy
Angela Johnson first traveled thousands of miles from her home in Latin America to Scotland in 1986 to work as a teaching assistant. She loved the country and the people so much that she returned 5 years later to study at university on a British Council scholarship. She later married and now has three young children.
But despite Angela’s passion for Scotland – ‘the Highlands are just like home but without the sunshine’ – she is a long way from home and her large extended family:
“Even though I’ve been here many years I don’t think you ever really get used to being so far from home. I save up each year so that I can go back and visit my family for Christmas. I do feel very isolated.”
From personal experience my concept of family life differs from the perceived norm of the ‘nuclear’ family. My parents split up before I was born so our family life was complicated and stressful but in the end the strong family bond held us together. So, I suppose, what family life means to me is taking the ups with the downs and learning from the past to help create a happy family in the future.
The past two years have been particularly challenging for Angela as she struggled to cope with two-year-old Amelie, who was born with Downs Syndrome, and then discovered she was pregnant with Rachel.
Volunteer Mandy Gray started visiting the family shortly after Rachel’s birth when, because of Amelie’s disabilities, Angela felt she almost had two newborns.
“She obviously needed some practical help but also someone to talk to,” says Mandy. “Her family is so far away and it was a very emotional time. She needed someone to be there for her. I understood her situation because I also have a son with disabilities.”
For Angela, Mandy’s support and friendship has made her much more relaxed about life: “I teach part-time during term time and Mandy will collect my eldest daughter, Laura from school one day a week and help with the other children. Sometimes we just drink tea and talk.
“The best thing about Mandy is that she gives me the kind of help and support that I know my family would give me if they were close.”
Photographer: Richard Scott
