Workaway: My Experience as a Hostel Receptionist in Nicaragua

This winter I was able to volunteer at a hostel in Granada, Nicaragua as a hostel receptionist. After five weeks of making beds, memorizing the covers of almost every nation’s passport, becoming a human buffet for mosquito, and developing a fondness for rum, I must say that this experience is completely irreplaceable and I would totally recommend doing a work-exchange through the website Workaway.

What is Workaway?

Workaway is a platform that allows travelers to work for free accommodation in countries all over the world. Costing only $40, travelers are able to connect with hosts across the globe who need help working or managing their properties. Countries and cities almost limitless, you can find volunteer opportunities of any niche, from sustainable, organic farming to attending to guests on a sailboat.

Main Duties

Overall, the workload is very light. My first couple of days as a hostel receptionist was a bit of a mess. Having anxiety and being a perfectionist (and taking the job way too seriously because I desperately wanted to make it relevant to my resume), it took me a while to learn the booking operating system, Backpackers. For any future hostel volunteer, Backpackers is one of the most popular booking systems used by hostels, and on this system you are responsible for making, maintaining, and canceling reservations, entering sales, and keeping track of guest tabs. This was probably the biggest struggle I had during my volunteer time, but once I got the hang of the system, the rest of my responsibilities inside of the hostel were very relaxed.

Balancing the cash register at night in accordance to the operating system was probably the second most important aspect of the job after check-ins and check-outs. Nicaragua uses the cordoba currency (1 cordoba is 30 cents USD), but the rooms and items were in USD, so I would have to convert the amount before accepting payment. I don’t do math, but this was pretty simple. Luckily we only took USD and cordobas, so any other currency had to be converted by the payer.

Aside from signing people up for our tours to other parts of Granada, the rest of my hostel tasks were minor, such as mopping the bathroom floors and making sure the kitchen sink didn’t have any dishes inside (shout out to the people who cleaned their own dishes). I must say, my favorite responsibility of the hostel was controlling the hostel music. It was all Spotify #summervibes and Lana Del Rey, bih.

My hostel also had daily events, such as food tours and trivia nights. Every Friday we’d hold “Rum Night” where we’d sell discounted nica libres (coke and rum) and pregame with the guests before we went out with them. In Granada, there were only a few places to party at, and two of them were within walking distance, so we all went together. I worked the evening shift, and since the hostel closed the desk at 10 PM, I had to write down the names of every single guest staying that night to give to security. This was done in order to protect the hostel from letting in randoms.

Nicaragua: My First Ever Culture-Shock

Nicaragua is the first country that’s ever given me culture shock at first impression. My first day there, New Years Day to be exact, I was just walking around looking annoying as shit, and I was like, damn, they’re really out here speaking Spanish. The culture was completely different compared to what I’ve experienced in Europe. Granada, to me, is a little rough around the edges for first-time travelers when you factor in its proximity to the capital, Managua (please avoid at all costs) and the men who live for sexually harassing women. While sometimes I did fear for my life a little bit, meeting so many kind locals and fellow travelers made my time in Nicaragua one of kind.

The Canine Mafia

One thing that had me a bit shook– the wild dogs! I’ve been to Fiji where wild dogs that run amongst the villages are common, but I swear these dogs in Granada ran these streets better than any gang member ever could. During the day they were fine, but at night these dogs were out here doing doggy drug deals, organizing drive-bys, beefing with other rival packs…  I remember one night I turned the corner on an empty street with absolutely no one there except for a pack of four or five dogs. They all stopped what they were doing, looked dead at me, looked back at each other as if they were saying how we ‘gon jump this bitch? then began making their way towards me. I turned around so quick, I was not about to get got that night. But really, the dogs are harmless if you don’t bother them. Most of them are actually eatin’ good because of all of the tourists that feed them, and I KNOW they aren’t about to fuck up their meal tickets by giving rabies to all of these charitable white people.

My Very First Mugging

The second week though I was like, nope, get me the fuck out of here, when I almost got physically ROBBED. One afternoon I was walking to another hostel to use their pool when I thought I heard someone trailing behind me. I turn around, no one is there. About twenty seconds later I’m suddenly in the grasp of what looked like a damn teenager no older than 15 trying to snatch my iPhone from my hands. For some reason my dumbass didn’t think to scream at first because I was still in shock since this was my first attempted robbery ever, but after about a minute or so of trying to snatch my phone he let up and ran away. It was such a traumatic experience at the time, I remember going inside of the nearest hostel, in complete tears telling the workers that I almost got robbed, and they were kind of just like… oh.

Now that I look back I could have completely fought him if I wanted because he was literally my size, my height, but damn. All I wanted to do was go to the pool and get my iced coffee, but that ‘lil kid HAD to ruin my what was supposed to be chill afternoon. At first I was mad and tried ignorantly categorizing the whole city, the whole country as thieves, but if you’re in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and see obnoxious tourists walking around with their fancy cameras and smartphones while your family is living in poverty, what would you do? I still ask myself this very question, and while thievery is wrong and sucks for everyone, you have to keep an open-mind wherever you go and understand that not everyone has the same amount of financial privilege.

How I Almost Got Kidnapped

It was probably 2 or 3 AM. After a night at the local Irish pub O’Sheas, a ten minute walk from the hostel, I decided to head back. As a woman it’s a risk to walk by yourself anywhere, but after getting used to the area and knowing where things were, I stopped being afraid to walk to and from places in Granada, even at night. I don’t even remember why I ended up walking home by myself or why I decided to take a taxi to get back to to hostel that was literally right around the corner, I did and flagged the first one I could see. Hostal Azul, I remember saying, tired and ready to just go to bed. I have the tendency to space out, even while sober, so it took me a while to realize that we were suddenly passing by places with trees… trees that were definitely not in the center.

“WHAT THE FUCK? HOSTAL AZUL. IT’S LITERALLY IN THE CENTER. TAKE ME TO THE YELLOW CHURCH THEN,” I started screaming. Homeboy was acting like he didn’t speak of lick of English when we both knew damn well that the square can literally fit inside of a shoebox.

I then knew what it was when he kept calling me ‘guapa’ and started touching my leg. All I could do was nervously laugh and ask myself why I’m in this dumbass situation. Hostal Azul, Hostal Azul, I kept saying. My smile and lack of (outward) panic made him less aggressive. He continued to drive in circles, away from the center, until he finally parked. Hostal Azul, I said again, this time more softly, as I returned his advances and started cringingly touching his ugly shoulder and lowered my voice to ask him to please get me back to my hostel. He began to touch my thigh again, and suddenly remembered how to drive back to my hostel. I guess that was his scam… preying on women and forcing them to give sexual favors to get them out of the car. I wanted to just be out of that situation so badly, I didn’t even think to get his license plate number, but the men are so hyper-sexed and gross, I doubt anyone would have even cared.

I’m so lucky that nothing happened, but regardless, I hope this man gets in a car accident, damages his only car, and can never transport people ever again. Also I hope his dick gets chopped off and ravished by mosquitos. Dude probably wasn’t even a real taxi driver. Which brings me to…

My Coke-Snorting Taxi Driver

On my way to Treehouse, a super cool hostel about forty minutes outside of Granada that is literally a treehouse in the middle of the jungle where they throw ragers every day of the week, I called a taxi to transport me since I had missed the 9 PM shuttle there. In Nicaragua you have to confirm the price of the taxi before getting in, or else they’ll switch up and try to charge you triple at the end of the ride. We agreed upon $5, which was the normal price to get from Treehouse to Granada. Taxis are used to driving tourists there, so there were no objections and I got in the car.

As mentioned, Treehouse is in the middle of the jungle, so the drive is basically you dodging trees as you bumpily drive along a dirt path for almost an hour. Everything was going fine, I was making small-talk with the driver and the two other guys they had picked up after me, when suddenly he stops at a gas station to ask for directions. No biggie, I thought. At least he’s committed to getting me to the turn up . I don’t know what was being said, but he came back to the taxi and continued driving. Ten minutes later, we’re in the jungle, he stops again and pulls out some fucking coke, talkin’ bout y’all want some????

I was like NOOOOOOOOOO, just get me to Treehouse please!!! He snorts some, gives some to the guy in the front-seat, and then looks at me with this seriously scary expression and goes, “twenty dollars.” The guy sitting in the backseat started talking to him, explaining to him the directions again, trying to calm him down. Me and the guy in the backseat (who was probably like 35 years old) were practically BFFs because he was explaining to me how he is gay, but he is Catholic and how he can’t come out, but really wants a boyfriend. I was like ya dude, come to Treehouse, plenty of cute boys there. But once again I was sitting to myself, asking the literal Lord how I end up in these situations when all I do is mind my own business. After about fifteen minutes, he starts driving again and we make it to Treehouse. I hopped out of that taxi so quick. And what’s funny is that all of them tried to follow me up to the treehouse, but I was like nope, G2G. Mind you, this was an ACTUAL, legitimate taxi, so to anyone in Granada, please be careful because the taxi drivers are on some bullshit!

Balling With No Budget

Despite all of my misadventures, I truly enjoyed practicing my Spanish, eating bomb ass gallo pinto almost every day, and haggling with merchants at the markets for a cute, mini dresses and fake Ray-Bans. In Granada anything more than 5 dollars is way too expensive, which gave me even more culture-shock going to Costa Rica because OMG, the outlandish prices due to gentrification was real. Nicaragua is a cheap country– the poorest country in Central America to be exact, and it is evident when you head a few miles outside of the main square, where people are living in literal shacks. In the center you’ll see children begging tourists for food or money and it’s heartbreaking, but for those traveling you must resist, as I learned that giving them substance-rich food, as opposed to their usual rice and beans, not only fucks up their diet, but feeds the pockets and drug-habits of the adult ringleaders forcing them to beg on the streets.

Overall

I am thankful for my experience. The two biggest outtakes from volunteering at a hostel, and being in Nicaragua in general, were to stop being a scaredy cat and to just go with the flow. I almost got physically robbed twice, I lost my favorite wallet, I accidentally made friends with a cocaine dealer who claimed to be in the cartel, I almost drowned, but at the end of every day the day, I was smiling. Nicaragua taught me to toughen up a bit, especially if I want to continue traveling around the world. But little did I know that Nicaragua would turn out to be one of my new favorite countries!

 

Tips

1. Communicate Mucho: I worry a lot prior to departing on my trips, but simple communication between you and the host about your expectations will save you in the long run. Do not be afraid to ask questions because your happiness is just as valid as your host’s.
2. Don’t Stress: If your first host doesn’t work out, there are literally hundreds in the area, and finding a replacement can be super easy. Workaway also has the “last minute host” option, so if your plans fall through and your stuck in a random ass country, there will always be hosts desperately needing helpers immediately. Workaway is extremely safe and almost all of the hosts are verified and rated with honest feedback from workers. 
3. Learn the Area: I’ve never been to Nicaragua prior and had done absolutely no research whatsoever, so when people would ask me what was the best way to get from San Juan del Sur to Leon I would just be like IDK, use Google maps? Explore your city, actually look at the map of the country before you leave, or if you can, travel around a bit before you start.
4. Meals Matter: Luckily Nicaragua is cheap as dirt just like I am, so my ramen and rum meals didn’t cost much in the long-run, despite my only free meal from the hostel being breakfast. But if you’re going to a more expensive country, make sure to budget for food and drinks because you will be eating, drinking, and going out a ton.
5. Be Open-Minded: I originally wanted to volunteer in Panama, so Nicaragua wasn’t even on my radar. But now, after being in Nicaragua and getting the opportunity to explore the beautiful country, I’m glad I didn’t give up after not receiving responses from Panamanian hosts. In my experience, the places you least expect will surprise you, and if you keep a positive attitude you will have a wonderful time no matter where you are!