Ismael Palacín: "Having endless time to spend together is a luxury."
The director of the Jaume Bofill Foundation yearns for his first summer with his three children and his partner, the children's mother.
BarcelonaIn summer, the days are endless, there's more time to discover new places, and it's warm. These are some of the reasons why Ismael Palacín, director of the Jaume Bofill Foundation, is in love with this season and fortunate enough to have many fond summer memories. From childhood and as a summer instructor, to his first trips as a teenager, when he discovered Europe via Interrail, to his first love, to some distant trip. You had the whole day to play the father, carrying your children in your arms, sweating, tired but happy to see them amazed by everything. The generous era, the poem by Joan Margarit where Life is fueled by generous days. Giving and protecting.
The formula was simple: time to explore, discover, and be bored, time to repeat days with few obligations where caring was a priority. He remembers packing a picnic lunch in the morning, eating out, and returning home at night. Ismael admits he likes the outdoors and finds this nomadic life, the feeling of abundance, of endless hours, unparalleled. He is convinced that summer is an oasis in our way of life: "Having endless time to spend together is a luxury." That summer, like all the other summers, they spent 15 days in Viu de Llevata, his father's village in Alta Ribagorça. A village without a shop, where they, the members of Casa el Mestre, lived with their uncles and brothers, as if they were in a summer camp.
The following two weeks, they did what has become a classic: a home exchange with a European family. Here the five of them are, with no other family or friends. These are days of family intimacy, discovering another country and the life of another family. "It gives us a lot of play and develops empathy for the children because they take care of the house, the toys, the cats, the bikes... and everything belongs to other children, who also leave us messages and advice, just like we did for those back home." There, they had their own routine, preparing baths, meals, and going to bed in a time of boundless love.