Family day at the zoo – Angelman Syndrome Belgium
Family Day at the Zoo in Antwerp
By Inge, (Mum to Merle)
We were hesitating to go or not to go to the Zoo, an activity organized in September this past year by the Angelman Syndrome of Belgium. From Poperinge, our hometown, it is a travel of about 2h 40 min by train which is quite a long time for Merle, our Angelman child. She can be quite unpredictable. Anyway, we decided to go for the adventure. ☺
Finally, we arrived somewhat later than the other families. In the morning we explored the park and during our walk through the park we met several other families with an Angelman child. Some children we recognized from Facebook; with other families it was a first contact.
For us, quite a special kind of day. We still have no confirmation that Merle has the “Angelman syndrome”. So for us it is mainly an observation and …sorry for the word … comparison, and search for recognition.
In the afternoon, we were offered a lunch in the restaurant of the park. The soup, sandwiches and drinks were very tasteful. The lunch time was an interesting moment to observe and to get to know other families.
In the afternoon, the day took a special turn: we were expected at “Lints”, a bakery pastry shop in the heart of Antwerp, which closed its doors to receive us. Together with their son who has as well the Angelman syndrome, we were invited to have delicious cakes and coffee.
Thank you to the organizers of this family day, we’ve all enjoyed it and were truly glad we took the effort to go!
