The Medicine of Latin America: Surfing in Popoyo
Ouuuu! Just thinking about Latin American gets my heart racing. A piece of self-disclosure: I haven't been "functioning" that well. After my big move, starting a new job, grieving, integrating, processing; I was in a functional freeze. For me, this looked like going to work, being exhausted, repeat. A couple of other signs of functional freeze I noticed in myself: my "social engagement system" was offline, aka, I didnt have an ounce of capacity to make new connections. My "executive functioning" was also maxed out: decisions, tasks like unpacking, planning; were all impossible.
And then I had time off over the holidays. I used to be an avid traveller (31 countries and counting!), but it hasn't been as much a part of my life since COVID. I had been feeling the pull to Nicaragua for about 3 years. Despite the state I was in, I committed to going. I remembered all the previous winters that I promised myself I would go away, and the time I did, how much it improved my mental health. This helped me realize it wasn't just a vacation, but something my system was needing. So, I mustered up enough capacity to listen to myself and go.
Because I inevitably booked quite last minute, most places were full. I wanted to go to a surf camp - surfing, socializing, and enough structure so I wouldnt have to think! After much searching, I found one camp with space- Popoyo Surf Camp.
I spent two weeks in Popoyo- a few nights at a guest house, and a week at Popoyo Surf Camp. And let me tell you, it was just what I needed! Waking up naturally at 6 AM to the sun already risen and the sound of tropical birds. Stepping outside to people already buzzing around, some who'd already been surfing. Breakfast served right beside the beach. Then, of course, surfing. The perfect longboard waves of El Peñon, being so in the moment that I couldn't manage to think anymore. Just what I needed*.
Latin America is a special medicine for me. In my 20's, I went on my first solo trip, backpacking Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama. I've been to Peru, twice. For me, Latin America is like an energy shot to my heart. It wakes up my frozen, winter worn body; shakes up my frozen nervous system. I love the noise, that there are always people about and in your business, the extraversion and communal-ness of the culture... It's like a big, shining, open heart chakra.
I feel a lot better after my trip. Some of my vitality is back. I remember what makes me feel alive. And I'm dreaming up some future surf programming, including a retreat.
So what's my point here? One, to express gratitude to these places and cultures, and two, to ask you, is there something your system has been asking for that you've been ignoring?
*I’m not discounting the fact that Latin America, including Nicaragua, has an extremely complex history, with many residents living in poverty. Nicaragua was ruled by the Somoza family dictatorship for more than 40 years (1936–1979), a regime that was backed by the United States. In 1979, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a leftist guerrilla movement, overthrew the dictatorship. During the 1980s, the U.S. government opposed the Sandinista government and funded the Contra rebels, many of whom were based in neighboring Honduras. The U.S. provided funding, training, and weapons to the Contras. The history of Nicaragua is complex, and the United States and other colonizers have done extensive damage to Nicaragua and other Latin American countries.
Surfing in Popoyo, Nicaragua!
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