The lightning that struck the house opened the eyes of a Lithuanian: now life is reminiscent of a fairy tale

Živilė Pupinytė-Skiles says his trip to the tropics began in the United States. At the age of 21, Živilė was still studying communication at Vilnius University, but if she wanted to take a break from science, she went to Philadelphia with an “Au pair” program to work as a babysitter for a year.

“I really didn’t want to go to the United States, I would rather stay in Europe, but it turned out that only the United States had an annual program. I had absolutely no plans to stay, I just drove for a year and the plan was to go back and live in Lithuania, ”Živilė said.

However, the Lithuanian says that her stay was motivated not only by the love born in America, but also by the unexpected career of a jeweler.

“I started making jewelry for myself and wearing it. Philadelphia is a very artistic city, there are many good and professional artists there, art in general is highly promoted.

There are many stores where I can buy gems, stones, silver, gold, all kinds of things for jewelry. I just liked it, I never planned for it to become my profession. I started wearing my jewelry and people became interested, sometimes stopping on the street and wanting to buy ”, revealed Živilė.

“First Fridays” are popular in Philadelphia, when the city’s art galleries open their doors to new artists, their works and visitors on the first Friday of the month from morning until night. Živilė’s boyfriend at that time had an art gallery where she started selling her works. “It was very good, there was a lot of interest from the people.

Somehow it developed before I had my own brand, a studio, there were a couple of girls who worked with me ”, recalls the interviewee at the beginning of the business. After a while, the number of collections decreased to two per year, but Živilė chose more interesting places or methods for his presentations: they presented the collection in a theater or associated it with a performance.

Živilė jewelery was a good buy and when the demand for jewelery increased, he decided to create a mass-produced collection: “The collection, like the brand, was called Screwed Forever. These were rings, unisex style rings, friendship rings. By the way, I have made several wedding and engagement rings. The rings were simple, but they were very well received by people. However, that collection accompanied me until the end of my jewelry career, because it was interesting to me ”.

Živilė said that the decision to move to Nicaragua also contributed to the end of her career as a jeweler. There would simply be no demand for such jewelry in this country, and the jewelry created by Lithuania was not cheap either. However, the woman of this hobby did not give up at all: “Sometimes I still make jewelry, I have all the tools, I brought a lot of stones and metals here. They are still with me. “

One in a million

While living in Philadelphia, Živilė had another job. According to her, creating a good life in America is quite difficult: “All the time I lived in Philadelphia, I was dedicated to jewelry and I worked as a waitress in restaurants. America needs a lot of work to live and even more work to live well. This was life: he was a jeweler during the day and worked in a restaurant at night. ”

The trip to Nicaragua was different for Zivile and her husband than usual. The couple planned to visit Honduras with another friend, but he left earlier and was discouraged when he returned. “He is from Honduras, he was born there. It was he who told us that it was very dangerous there. We still wanted to go to Central America, so we searched online for the safest country, although we never have. We have traveled a lot in Europe and other countries, we have never even considered seeing where it is safest, ”said Živilė.

The decision to move to Nicaragua was also helped by the fact that Živilė and Mike lost their home after the fire. Lightning struck during the storm ignited the roof of the house. However, Živilė can also see something positive in that. She says the idea of ​​spending more time in Nicaragua or even moving has been on her mind for some time. “After that fire, we visited again and decided to build a house here. When nature takes everything away from you so naturally, you realize that very little is needed, only health and life are paramount.

It may seem banal, but in reality it is the most important thing, and everything else is just things. Even feelings, photos, albums. That, of course, was the hardest thing to lose, but in reality, everything sticks in memory. Even after many years, the photos fade, ”Živilė shared his memories. A new house appeared on the site of the burned house, only this time it was for sale.

When they arrived in Nicaragua, they suddenly found employment in a small hotel. Živilė and Mike remembered only a few Spanish words from high school lessons, so Google translate helped them communicate. Even though most Nicaraguans don’t speak a word of English, Živilė says he didn’t feel the language barrier: In general, people here are patient and understand that they are trying. They are very forgiving, because we make a lot of mistakes ”, joked Živilė.

After spending a year working at the hotel Živilė and Mike not only learned Spanish, but also realized that they really did not want to have a hotel, and the guest house “Balta varna” established by the couple appeared unexpectedly: “I am a yoga teacher and when we bought the land we built a yoga platform. It was our first building. Then we came up with the idea to build my own house, I started teaching yoga and hauling bands that were mostly from the United States.

Then we came up with the idea to build a couple more cabins so that small groups could stay here. We started by organizing several seminars, short trainings, inviting different people. The workshops are related to wellness, but not necessarily yoga. These include healthy eating, massages, essential oils, various movement workshops. We wanted to be able to accommodate guest teachers. Thus was born the idea that we should have a couple more houses, and “Balta varna” appeared, recalls Živilė at the beginning of the business.

The name “White Crow” is not accidental either. Živilė says his father encouraged this choice. According to her, Dad constantly emphasizes that she does things differently, more interesting, rather than traditionally. “A name like that means ‘one in a million.’ After all, there are very few white crows in the world, ”Živilė said.

“My life as a vacation”

However, Živilė is resting from work: he spends most of his time with his son, who is almost half a year old. The woman says she spends the day on yoga platforms, hammocks, gardens, visiting friends on foot. At night, the whole family descends into the sea, which is only a few minutes away. “Since I have not returned to work after the birth of my son, my life is like a vacation. Well, of course, a lot of work with the son, but it’s such a nice job, “said Živilė.

The city and the wave of Popoyo attract countless tourists and surfers, many are fascinated by the incredible nature or the warm climate of the country. Živilė said that the lowest temperatures are present only in the mountains, but on the Pacific coast the temperature column rarely falls below 23 degrees and generally reaches 30 or 32 degrees. Warm seawater is something that occurs daily for the residents of Nicaragua, and during the green season, when the country is bathed by tropical rains, amazing vegetation enters.

“Tropical plants grow, a lot of palm trees. Many beautiful flowers, cacti and tropical fruits grow everywhere. There are many beautiful birds, different species of parrots, many fish in the sea and in the ocean, whales come, there are iguanas, monkeys. There is a turtle spawning coast nearby, which is one of the largest in the world, ”Živilė said about the country.

However, local businesses have been slightly affected by the pandemic. According to Živilė, tourism has decreased significantly, although almost 7 million cases of the virus itself. Nicaragua, with a population of just under 10,000. “There are very few diseases here, we have no restrictions, there is no quarantine here. Yes, we wear masks when we go to the store or to the banks, but in any case, without restrictions, tourism is the one that has suffered the most ”, revealed Živilė.

Lithuania is still at home

The pandemic that hit the world for Živile and his family had other consequences: Živilė, who returns to Lithuania every year, was unable to do so this year. “My parents, two sisters, their husbands, my daughters, nephews. We miss you so much. Maybe that pandemic is sitting now because we cannot return to Lithuania, “revealed Živilė, hoping to visit his homeland already this summer. Živilė also joked that he urgently needed Lithuanian bread in Nicaragua.

Živilė recalls that while visiting Nicaragua in 2013, there was only one hotel with an Internet connection, and in some towns the electricity went out only 10 or 15 years ago. Although the power supply is sometimes cut off even today, it usually doesn’t last long – it only takes a few hours to be without power. Even though Nicaragua is still fighting poverty and lagging a bit behind the world’s innovations, health care is available here.

“Here, where we live, there is a clinic very close, 20 minutes away. knee. The medicine here is very good, the best in Central America, many people come here for treatment, which calms me down. Having a child changes a lot, I didn’t worry so much when I didn’t have a child. Medicine we trust here more than in America. In the United States, treatment is inconceivably expensive. In Nicaragua, even in the best hospital, in private, many times cheaper than in the United States. “

Živilė, who has spent a lot of time in three countries, says there are more differences. In Nicaragua, people are active, spending most of their time on the patio and resting during lunch due to the high temperatures and tropical climate. However, according to Živilė, a big difference can be seen between Americans and Lithuanians: “I think Americans are warmer and more open people, but some are not very sincere. Lithuanians are cooler people, it takes time to make friends with a Lithuanian, but when you make friends, it is probably for life. You can befriend an American in about 5 minutes, but you’ll only find out what’s left of life after a few years of friendship. “

Nicaragua has already become Živile’s home, but he reveals that Lithuania has not been forgotten: “Now Lithuania and Nicaragua are my home, but in the future there may be a third.”