sofias-storiesWhile the winter has arrived in Denmark, I am currently chilling in Nicaragua. I travelled here in january/february 2024, and am now back for two months where I work and live in a surfhouse. In this post I will show yo u a bit of my life paradise and talk about what I do here, how it is to be a volunteer and what a typical day looks like <3
Summary
Early sunrise, "buenas dias" and 30 degrees is what I currently wake up for every day at the moment. Tukasa Surfhouse is my home for two months, and it is not a lie when I say that it actually is pure paradise. Our surfhouse is a stone's throw from the beach, and we are surrounded by tropical nature. We have more or less 20-30 guests distributed in three dorms and five private rooms. (which you can book here!). We are a team of three volunteers, four managers, four kicthen ladies and three maintenence guys. This Tukasa Family is amazing to be a part of, and since many of our guests stay here for longer periods, its inevitable not to become bff's. At the moment we have many guests from France, Germany, Switzerland and also The Netherlands and Canada.
How did I find Tukasa Surfhouse?
When I was travelling for six months I stayed in a LOT of hostels - therefore I also met a lot of volunteers. I loved the concept of volunteering, and while I was travelling I did really want to do it. However, I had a lot of places I wanted to see, so it just did not make sense to volunteer on this trip. One day I knew I was going to. And when I sat in my bed at home wanting to travel again, I knew exactly where to. Popoyo.
A pearl on the west coast
Popoyo is a little coastal city in the west of Nicaragua, and it ended up being the last stop on my trip. At this point in time, I had been travelling around Nicargua for a month, and my trip home was coming to an end. The plan was to stay here for 4 days and then go to Granada. But like everyone else, I fell completely in love with this little town. I loved the people, the nature, the vibe, the waves, the beach - everything. The climate is amazing and everything so unique. The cows, horses and pigs walk freely on the roads, everyone walks barefoot, surfers drive the motos with their boards and the roads are dirtroads. And we have the most beautiful sunsets here. You don't really need much more than this <3
When I was here back in january I met two guys from France, who had just opened a surfhouse. They told me to come by, so I went for a walk to see this new surfhouse - safe to say I was so impressed. I got their Instagram, so when I was at home, it did not take a long time to write an email. Only a few days later, I spoke with Bastien on the phone, and not long after that I had bought flight tickets to Nicaragua. It was very sudden, but it felt so right. I knew where I was going, I knew the area and had already met the owners. I couldn't wait to go!
My work as a volunteer
I feel so lucky and privileged to be here, and I enjoy every day to the fullest. It does not even feel like work, but below I listed the deal as volunteer in Tukasa:
- 5 days of work a week, 5 hours pr. shift
- 2 days off
- Shifts are either 7-12,12-5 or 5-10
- My primary job are checkins/outs, activities, help the guests, serve beers/smoothies in the bar.
- Included bed in a volunteer dorm
- Included breakfast every day + our family dinners 3-4 times a week
- 50% on the menu
- Good deals in other hostels in the area
My colleagues
Volunteers
We are three volunteers at the moment. Marie from Germany, Stephanie and I. When I first arrived it was two other girls, but since they both had been here for two months, they left. We stay in the volunteers dorm, which is so nice! The beds are amazing, so its very easy to relax here after a shift. There are 5 owners in total, but currently it is Ben who is here - so if we have any questions, we go to him.
The locals
The rest of the team are local people from the area. We have the kicthen/cleaning staff which is Gloria, Mey, Olivia and Lady, as well as the maintenence staff Hugo, Diego and Michael. Some of them are even family - so cute! All of them are such sweet people. They only speak spanish, but for me - who is trying to learn spanish fluently - its good practice. Every day I learn new words, and even though we sometimes don't understand each other, everything can be solved with some hand gestures and smiles.
Our weekly activities
A chat about money
As a volunteer you can keep your spendings pretty low. In my case, I actually don't spend that much money. The majority of the days, I spend less than 15 dollars, not because I try to save money, but because I don't need to spend more than that. For 15 dollars I can easily make a smoothie, buy lunch and drink some beers with my friends. My bed is paid via the work I do, and breakfast and dinner is included.
I chose to buy a surfboard for my stay here, because it is the best financial thing to do. I am still learning how to surf, but I figured it made sense to invest in a surfboard I could really get to know. And lets be honest - renting a board every day for two months would easily be 600 dollars thrown away. Here I have my own board to 300 dollars, which I can use anytime I want. As of now, I may try to sell it again when I go home, but I might also take it home, I don't know yet.
What does a typical day look like?
Kl. 06-07: Wake up
In Nicaragua the sun rises at 5:30am every morning, so I always try to wake up early. That way, you get most out of every day, and most people are up early anyway. Some mornings I have the 7-12, other days I surf in the morning.
Kl. 7-12 Work
On this shift I am in charge of serving the breakfasts. Guests can choose between three different ones - Nica, Granola Bowl or Pancakes. I also have to do the checkouts - making sure that the guest paid their tab and took their belongings out of the room. If people want to extend they do it at breakfast too, so that I also do. Some mornings are very busy, others more quiet, but I love the morning shift because all guests come at some point. When breakfast ends at 10 I write on the board which rooms need to get ready for new guests. The rest of the shift usually is very chill. I always have a book or watercolors in the bar, in case there is nothing else to do.
Kl. 12-14: Chill + lunch
When I am done with my shift I change into my bikini and hang out. I maybe have some lunch and I also update my diary which I write every day. Sometimes I nap in the couch or if the weather is good, I go for a walk, jump in the pool or keep my tan up to date:)
Kl. 14-17: Surf!
Depending on the tides, weather and waves I put on my surf suit, SPF 50 and take my board to go to the closest surfspot. Sometimes we go together, other times I go by myself. One month into my stay here I know a lot of people in the water, cause I see them every day. The walk to Beginners Bay is 30 mins., so a perfect warmup:)
Kl. 17-19: Chill + activities
Once I return from surf I take a shower and see if anything is going on that specific day. Sometimes we go to the nearby restaurant to have dinner or have family dinner. It changes every day, but our event board includes movie nights, beach volley or open mic. The evenings are when we all connect, because we surf during the day. It is a good time to chat and talk about the following day - checking the weather, wind and tides.
Kl. 19-21: Bedtime
Because we wake up so early and have a long day, everyone is tired by 20/21. That way we have a good nights rest before waking up again at 6.
Tak fordi du læste med <33
I hope this post gave you some insight to how it can look like being a volunteer - maybe you want to do it?
Seeya soon,
Sofia xx
English 
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