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Who are we?
In our family, there are five of us. Five pirates. Which is to say – five free spirits. Five inquisitive minds. And guaranteed fun! Two adults and three kids. Four female humans and one male human. One born in spring, two in autumn and two in winter. Two people who can’t stand the heat (20°C is stifling!) and three who are fine with it. Five people who love chocolate, four who love sweets, three who love avocados, two who love radishes, and only one who likes Brussels sprouts. 4, 8, 10, 39 and 41 years old when we leave, we’ll all be a year older when we come back!
And yes, we’re Belgian. All five of us. The adults among us are practitioners of surrealism and self-derision. The kids are catching up fast. And why “Las Piratas”? Well… because in Spanish “pirates” translates as “los piratas”, but at home, given the gender balance in our family, we decided to give it a feminine twist!
Why are we going?
…because we are seeking an eagle’s-eye view.
Well, in this case, let’s call it a condor’s-eye view! This means getting high enough up to see things differently, and get a broader perspective. It’s not about focusing in on your own life; it’s about looking around you and often, at the same time, becoming aware that our problems are, in fact, quite small and trivial.
…because how we live in Belgium in 2021 is not how most of the world lives
We want to show our children that there are other ways of living around the world, quite different from our own. Many people on earth live much more simply, and therefore with more respect for the planet. Others maybe with less. This is worth acknowledging.
…because we want to stretch our legs
Yes, we want to get out of our comfort zone, to see something different, to experience life. Because we love change, novelty, and challenges. We want to immerse ourselves in other cultures, other habits, other languages, other food. We also dream of proving to ourselves that Covid has not put an end to human relationships. On the contrary, it is all the more necessary to maintain and strengthen these ties.
…because we are a family
We want to spend more quality time with our children, to be fully present for them and for ourselves. This is how we will truly get to know our three little pirates. We also want to strengthen the link between the five us, to live something incredible and to build a family history together.
We want to show our daughters, future citizens of the world, that everything is possible; that we are allowed to be bold; and dare to do something other than what is expected of us.
…because life is simply too short not to do it. Now. Larga vida a las piratas!!!
Why South America?
Because they speak Spanish there and we can already speak a garbled and approximate version of Spanish. Because this continent has extraordinary landscapes. Because Nico’s family already have a history there. Because we have dreamt for more than ten years of going to Bolivia and Argentina. Because there are condors, whales, llamas, penguins and cariamas. Because the people seem lovely. To put it simply – because it is South America!