How a Hostel in Nicaragua became my house for 6 months during Covid
How it started
Three years ago, I quit my long-term job in international Business in Paris, France and left friends, family, apartment behind me to go to America Latina on my own with a backpack seeking for more adventures and meaning in my life. I knew what I didn't want any longer, but not really what I wanted to do. The first 6 months were quite easy and fun. Miami, then Ecuador, Peru, Colombia. Pure happiness with this feeling of great freedom that never leaves you. Then the virus arrived and turned everything upside down. Here I was in Nicaragua, nearby San Juan del Sur, ready to accept a repatriation flight to France.
A decision to take
Hard to think otherwise, stress, anxiety were all around us. What if the worst happened or if I get sick, what if, what if? All the worst possible scenarios went through my head on a loop. How not to think about it, Nicaragua did not seem the most ideal country to stay in this weird period, right? And yet, the heart that squeezed at the thought of going home, my stomach getting confused like if I was sick. The last night before taking a final decision to leave or not, I decided to go watch the sunset on a beach bar at playa Maderas. There, I met a bunch of fellow travelers, fully decided to stay no matter what. Finally, the sign I was expecting!
I needed a sign
At that right moment, universe was showing me the way and my intuition was telling me, you must continue your adventure. Come home for doing what? Nothing was really holding me back in France and financially, I had enough on my savings to last for a while. Therefore, against all logic, I made the decision to stay by betting on: what if it goes well?
Followed 6 fabulous months in a magical setting on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. I booked a spot in one of the last hostels still opened in the area, “Hush Maderas”, and what a hostel, more like the last generation of boutique luxury hostel, with infinity pool, seaside view, amazing rooftop and beautiful communal areas. They were offering a special monthly price to people to convince them to stay, allowing them to keep their local employees. Nicaragua suffered a lot already in the past in the tourism industry and here again it was another hard time for them.
Life in a bubble
I settled myself there along with fifteen other travelers coming all from different places in the world, and we lived in community in a protective bubble, far from stress and anxiety. Days were spent at surfing, yoga, cooking for each other and other social daily activities. There were certainly some restrictions, I was no longer traveling much in the country. But here I was with fifteen complete strangers who became, over the months, my travel family. We even called ourselves “the Hush family”, amazing adventurers, beautiful souls with nomadic hearts and somewhat rebellious spirits, because at the end it took a bit of courage to decide to stay, didn't it? Keep trusting & manifesting that everything will be ok. An experience that changes me for life and was the first step of a new direction I took in my professional life after that.
And you, when was the last time, you followed your intuition?
Love, Flo
