People often ask me where I come from. I tell them I come from a small town between Bruges and Ghent. I tell them I used to live in ‘the country’, as we call it in Belgium. But as I see it now, compared to Buenos Aires, my hometown was ‘mossel noch vis’ (mussel nor fish).

A city, like Capital, does not exist in Belgium. Ghent and Bruges are just small towns, and even our biggest cities, Antwerp and Brussels are nothing compared to the metropolis that Buenos Aires is. Neither do we have something that is even remotely similar to ‘the country’ as we have it here in Argentina. Driving for hours without seeing a house? Waking up in complete silence unless the birds have woken you up? In the Flanders there is no spot where you can’t see a house, and usually you can see the church towers of 2, 3 or even more villages around you. There is not a place where you can’t hear a car. Flanders is like one big suburb of a city that does not exist.

I suppose it is the same in every suburb. If you have a frog in your pond, you talk about it. If you see a heron stealing your fish you are proud to have this beautiful big bird so close to your house. And if you see a fox, well you probably call the news.

Living here in the middle of this metropolis made me realise I am a real city person. Although I love the beauty of nature, and I enjoy the silence. Going to bed with a frog concert and waking up with the singing birds is perfect for holidays, to come at rest. But in the long run it bores me. I definitely prefer the vibrant city life. But what is so great about Argentina, is that if you drive an hour outside of Capital, you can already feel nature. More nature then we have in Belgium. And the further away from the city you go, the more desolate it gets. On top of this, Argentina has nature in all its different types. Rainforest, desert, glaciers. Mountains, hills, or the flat pampas.

The pictures of these frogs are taken around Chascomús, about 100km from Capital, in the pampas. A perfect distance from the centre of Buenos Aires. There were hundreds of them in the lake, probably more, mating.More nature then we have in Belgium. And the further away from the city you go, the more desolate it gets. On top of this, Argentina has nature in all its different types. Rainforest, desert, glaciers. Mountains, hills, or the flat pampas.

The pictures of these frogs are taken around Chascomús, about 100km from Capital, in the pampas. A perfect distance from the centre of Buenos Aires. There were hundreds of them in the lake, probably more, mating. And how I enjoyed wading through the water in search of the the once croaking, as much as looking at the results when back in Capital, with the street noise.