A half-empty flat. This is our last night here. Our belongings have been sold, given away, or left with relatives for safekeeping. In less than two weeks we will be in Lima, Peru. For the next year, our entire life will fit into two backpacks.
I’m filled with strange emotions. On the one hand, I already miss the sunsets from our eleventh-floor window, my journey to work, and the rhythm of everyday life. I’m beginning to realise that all the little habits built up over several years will no longer matter. On the other hand, there is a wonderful sense of excitement about the unknown. We are moving to South America, after all!
Freelancing and a midlife crisis at twenty-six
I have everything I need for a happy life: a great job, the respect of my colleagues, a roof over my head, and, of course, a loving wife. Why should anything need to change?
I think my boss once explained the answer to that question very well:
“When we first arrive at a new job, we have no idea what is going on. We expect that at any moment someone will berate us for being incompetent or simply fire us. As the years pass, that feeling fades and we begin to understand that we are, in fact, doing the job—and doing it rather well. We are needed; not merely needed, but almost irreplaceable! Because we have so much energy, we can accomplish a great deal and work like horses to race up the career ladder. That is how we become professionals. We have reached the summit!
The logical question that follows is: ‘What now?’”
For Undīne and me, this was the moment in life when we had to decide whether to remain where we were or expect more from ourselves. What is “more”? Everyone will have their own answer. For some, it will be the next rung on the career ladder or a business of their own. For others, it might mean starting a family or simply taking up a new, meaningful hobby. This stage of life can be decisive: either you shape yourself into the person you want to be, or you don’t.
In my case, I’m lucky to have a job that does not tie me to a particular place. With a laptop, I can work even from the Amazon jungle, provided there is electricity and an internet connection. Most of my communication with colleagues in Latvia and clients abroad happens over Skype. With circumstances this favourable, my wife and I decided that this was the right time to become digital nomads. A huge thank-you to my workplace, Diatom, for trusting me and supporting this mad adventure.
By deciding to move to Latin America, we are embracing uncertainty. Life no longer looks like a monotonous road, but like a path splitting into countless directions.
The plan and how we will make it happen
The cheapest tickets we could find to South America happened to be to Lima, so we decided it would make a perfectly good starting point for our journey.
The flight leaves from Amsterdam and has three legs: Amsterdam–London, London–Miami, and Miami–Lima. Altogether, we will spend nearly twenty-four hours in the air and at airports.
We will fly from Riga to Amsterdam with AirBaltic.
Arequipa will be the first place where we plan to stay for a while. The city lies in southern Peru at the foot of three volcanoes. For now, we expect to spend about a month there, learning Spanish and heading out into nature for hikes at weekends.
Our plans for which country to visit after Peru are still taking shape. There are several possibilities, with plenty of room for improvisation.
What can you expect from this blog?
Above all, this blog will be a record of our adventures and everyday life. We want to keep our family, friends, and acquaintances up to date. And if we happen to inspire someone to pursue an idea that is both wild and brave, we will be delighted!