Taking The Rough With The Smooth..

It would be false if I were to pretend that everything about travelling is rosy. Extreme attack aside, there are plenty of uncomfortable things about travelling that we don't always share. We all like to paint the best picture of how much fun we are having on social media. Truth is, travelling is far from glamorous.

I've had long journeys on chicken buses where there is no space for your legs; you've run out of water and are dying for a wee! I have never experienced my clothes soaking in sweat before! Your clothes disintegrate when sent out for laundry, the copious amounts of rice and beans do strange things for your digestion and you share dorm rooms with strange people who sing in their sleep. I've also heard stories of people who have been given dodgy surfboards and mopeds and have been marched to an ATM and forced to withdraw cash when they break. There are many annoyances and pitfalls that can happen when traveling.

Inevitably you will discover taxi drivers who will rip you off. On arriving in San Juan Del Sur, I was so tired and disoriented I ended up paying $4 to be taken three blocks to a hostel because I couldn't find it on the map. My lack of Spanish certainly didn't help. $4, although not much, adds an extra cost to my daily budget that could have been avoided.

I have found sticking to $25 a day tough, and often impossible in some places. I came here to make the most of Nicaragua so i am stretching my budget. I've reasoned it's far more sensible to stay somewhere safe, secure and bedbug free, have enough money for a taxi if I feel lost or unsafe and enjoy a good meal rather than go hungry. Besides, my memories of horseback riding, surfing and scuba diving are priceless.

However, budget limitations have led me to local markets, fantastic street food and some of my favourite meals! Sometimes you can't beat eating fresh pineapple and mango for breakfast straight off a market stall. I’ve learnt to make  guacamole and various inventive dishes using only a hob and communal kitchen.

I had an incident last night at my hostel where they were adamant that I hadn't paid for my previous night's stay when I knew I had paid for two days in advance. I tried reasoning with them; they had some vague reference written down in their book next to my name. The language barrier did make it harder but in the end it didn't make much difference. It was obvious that we disagreed. For the sake of $12 it really was not worth the possibility of being thrown out at half 8 at night when it's dark or involving the police. So I paid up. I could feel the 'lone white female' sign flashing above my head and I have to try pretty hard not to feel disheartened by my vulnerable status when I am being shouted at in angry Spanish. My end thought was, a lot worse could have happened.

What travelling does give you is a 'ce la vie' attitude and resilience. You are grateful to yourself for dealing with these problems and continuing to keep moving forward. You learn to give more value to the good things that happen because complaining is pointless and self defeating - something you really don't have the time or energy for when there is a world of possibility so accessible to you. You need this determination to survive in somewhere that is unfamiliar and potentially dangerous.

The bad times and limitations become part of your experience, unwelcome, difficult but often important. You learn to problem solve in a whole new way. You learn how crucial it is to remain positive. It makes me question why is it that at home I can be so negative? Maybe it's because we get too comfortable, we pick fault because we take so much for granted?

I know that what also drove this year out was because I felt exhausted by medicine. I felt consumed by negativity. One day in twenty would be amazing, a reminder of 'yes this why I'm here!' and the other nineteen I felt I was swimming in shit. I postponed my studies because I needed a fresh perspective, some time to mature and appreciate the world and all it has to offer.  This year has been about learning to let go of insecurities and social comparisons and be happy and confident in myself. I honestly miss medicine, I miss that connection you have with people and I miss the excitement and possibility of the job. I have learnt so much this year. I have learnt so much in Nicaragua. I am learning to deal with obstacles and let go of what doesn't matter. I am learning to be positive, to problem solve, all skills that will be so useful in the future. So much can change in a year.

Imogen