«Happiness travels with you:» Puberty in Portugal

We parents look at each other and say: «We'd actually be travelling on now, wouldn't we?» The weather forecast announces two weeks of rain and storms. 300 kilometres further south, the sun is shining.

We still live in our «Dicker» caravan. It has now been given an extension. We can no longer escape the vagaries of nature so quickly, so we had to get an additional roof. A terribly unpretentious awning that provides wonderful protection when the rain is pouring horizontally across the pitch and the wind is blowing hard.

Settled with an escape option

Because the Lisbon region is so popular with digital nomads and other high-earning foreigners, rental prices for flats have risen to absurd heights, even by Swiss standards. You don't buy a property overnight either.

Our campsite is conveniently located directly on the Atlantic Ocean with a sea view. All the girls need to do to surf is put their boards under their arms.

So far, everyone is getting on very well with it. It's just the camping washing machine that's making its presence felt. When we ask the children how much longer they can stand it in the caravan, the answer is a relaxed «oh, a long time!». After all, «Dicker» is our home.

Living in the caravan also allows us to retain a bit of our travelling identity. We have the feeling that we can re-couple at any time and continue our journey, even if the pegs are now anchored a little deeper in the ground.

A school made for us

The fact that a school would be our first anchor came as a surprise. The youngest saw no reason why she should ever attend an educational institution again. The self-determined learning and endless flexibility of the caravan school were too good.

She also couldn't imagine being separated from her sister. The two of them have become close allies over the last two years. We also used to joke that we had to find a school on a cliff so that our asthma-prone daughter would have endless fresh air.

It really does exist, the school right by the sea, where both can go together. The school model was founded to give young people more freedom and personal responsibility. They can work individually on their learning programme and design their own timetable. Three months of holidays are freely selectable. The transition back to institutional learning could not have been smoother.

Heated debates among the young people

We work with the British curriculum in English. Young people from all over the world make the learning centre an exciting meeting place. It also has other siblings, which gives the school community a family feel.

The range of cultural backgrounds extends from the arch-Catholic Portuguese woman, who sees homosexuality as a sin, to «they», non-binary from Austin, Texas. So the debates among the young people can sometimes get heated. However, the general mood is one of mutual respect and enjoyment of cultural diversity.

From zero to 500 messages. Has the time now come when both daughters need their own mobile phones?

It is easy to feel comfortable in an international context where many are trying to find their way in a foreign place.

Our life in Portugal has many advantages: fresh fish, fruit and vegetables, a marvellous coastal landscape and friendly, courteous people.

Becoming part of the local community, however, will take some time. There are some peculiarities that cannot be understood without effort. These include, among others, the beautiful Portuguese language, the local government system and bacalhau (dried, salted cod).

We didn't completely lose our German-Swiss punctuality while travelling. In the past, the children often complained that we were always the last to arrive at meetings. Today, we are usually more than five minutes late and wait another twenty minutes for everyone else. Time agreements seem to be more of a non-binding recommendation.

When parents get red ears

There's another kind of culture shock that concerns us much more. Our journey began with two children in tow. Our contact with youth culture was limited throughout the entire journey.

From this still somewhat innocent and sometimes playful world, we meet a colourful group of young people ranging in age from 12 to 18.

We practise composure. We don't want to undermine our confidence in being able to tell ourselves everything by overreacting.

After two years of camping, other aspects than comfort and practicality suddenly play a role again when it comes to clothing. To feel well integrated into the group, deodorant spray and WhatsApp suddenly become indispensable.

From zero to 500 messages. The caravan mobile phone is glowing. Has the moment come when they both need their own mobile phones?

We hear about secret TikTok and Instagram accountsthat other parents don't know about, and the slang on certain chats gives us red ears. The stories come home completely unfiltered. We practise calmness. We don't want to undermine the confidence of being able to tell us everything by overreacting.

We have to consider whether the twelve-year-old can stay overnight with the sixteen-year-old together with the fourteen-year-old. The sixteen-year-old says reassuringly that her mother has also left.

For the time being, the «sleep over» remains with a family in which there are no unknown factors. The continuous negotiation of good agreements has officially begun.

What would it be like if...?

«Are you lonely without us»? The big girl asks when she comes back one afternoon. «Of course....», we say «...not!».

We are getting on very well and are delighted with the positive social network that is developing. It was just the right moment for the girls to immerse themselves in a more sociable life again.

With its international character, the school has also put new fleas in our ears. New places of learning are emerging all over the world.

Is it absolutely shameless to dream of further journeys now that Corona is no longer holding us back? All eyes are shining: What do you think of Tokyo, Vancouver Island or Yellow Stone National Park? An embarrassed look falls on Maila the dog... or maybe the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland for a start. Dicker would be ready.

The itinerary at a glance:

Find out in part 7 how the family finds a new home in France and how an unexpected piece of news turns everything upside down. This will be published at the end of February.