Who Are We 

It’s hard to describe our family as one that is unusual, exciting, or unique.  Nope. We’re a typical family in the Bay Area with three kiddos: Ella (10), Maya (8),  and Kuba (6), mom (Ania) and dad (Rob). Kids go to the same school – Sun Valley Elementary, in San Rafael, CA.  We’ve lived here for nearly eight years after moving from London.  It’s our very first suburban experience – terrifying initially, but pleasant and comfortable over time. Marin is a hard place not to love. Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, it offers stunning views, the bay, the ocean, Mt. Tam, and so much more. It’s sort of idyllic if you’re into this type of stuff.   We’re somewhat outdoorsy types so spending time hiking, biking, going to the beach, kayaking, paddleboarding, and so on is blissful here with mild temperatures and sunshine nearly all year. Other than the cost of living, it would be perfect.

And so….we’ve decided to change all that!  Why? (read here) We’re heading to South America for a year (at least!) – starting off in Thailand (well…it’s kinda on the way). Buenos Aires in Argentina will be our home base (kids will go to spanish-speaking school there) but we’ll spend considerable amount exploring the southern cone during the next twelve months (itinerary).

Although for a split second there was some talk about whether to do Round The World trip (RTW) vs staying in one place, we chose to be stationary, coupled with extensive travel throughout the year. We want to experience a city as a local, get to know the neighborhood, language, culture, and make new friends. We haven’t spent too much time in South America so there’s lots to explore.  Our itinerary is a mix of some sorts.  You can find out how we chose Argentina below.

Why blog?  Primarily so that we can look back on this adventure for years to come.  This is our story. We also want a spot for our friends and families to follow along.  We’re not great writers, so please don’t expect magnificent masterpieces. We imagine sharing photos and stories, not likely in chronological order, but more around timing of our writing inspirations (which, let’s be honest, may be rare).  We have a small section on itinerary & logistics to share some tips. Kids have a spot to write their thoughts as well (this is likely to satisfy parents’ wishful thinking, and I’m guessing we will not see much action there). Finally, we’ve left some space to capture general thoughts about travel, family, schools, moving, etc.  It may remain blank for the duration of our year though, so I wouldn’t count on anything groundbreaking there either (we do have some initial thoughts though!)