An artist of life at home in the waves of the world

Sustainability is not an issue at first. With PURE LINES he wants to change the image of surfboard repair in people's minds. Most importantly, access to such repairs used to be difficult and it was easier for people to simply throw away their broken boards instead of finding a suitable repairer and investing money. It is simply a lazy convenience to just buy a new board. "I wanted to change the image of a carefree weed-smoking guy who doesn't care that his surfboard is broken and doesn't worry about restoration," explains Cristobal, who is convinced that it's a valuable thing. He feels good if he can help nature as well as people a little and help to create a sustainable awareness. But what he realizes through his work and he grins all over his face: "I have saved so many surf trips for people whose boards I was allowed to repair. So much thanks, appreciation and the smiles of the people – that fills my heart. That's the best." Cristobal is at first the only surfboard repairer and shaper in the area around Popoyo. In a nearby village called El Limón Dos there is meanwhile another repairer, but for at least 2 years, Cristobal is initially the only one who masters his craft. Without really being aware of it, he has thus created a unique selling point. Through his work, Cristobal gains access to a variety of surfboards over time and is in his element: "I can touch boards, have access to various boards from all over the world – Australia, Japan, South Africa, the States, France etc.. I can talk to different people about boards all the time and swim with the boards in the sea. I feel like a dog in his territory. It's great. I feel like I really want to help people and I like that," he raves.

Finding the great love
Odile and Cristobal meet for the first time in 2012. She is a customer, wants to rent a surfboard. As he tells the story, his face becomes very soft and looks like a little raving and innocent boy. However, both are taken at that time. They meet every now and then purely by chance – even after years. However, nothing is being forced. Cristobal is too shy to approach her. It's a back and forth between coincidental encounters, until Odile seizes the chance to sit next to him one day at a sunset party – the end of the beginning: they kiss. Voilà!
As I listen to his stories, I think I understand his secret recipe: He doesn't seem to enforce anything in his life, even when happiness lurks right at the tip of his nose. He just lets things come to him, has no claims, no expectations. He simply walks with the flow of life and it seems as if everything automatically comes to him right then: when he doesn't want anything. Like a magnet, he attracts what his heart is really longing for: opportunities, jobs, people, surfboards, (surfing) possibilities, ideas and love simply come without being asked for. However, all this happens on an unconscious level. Is this due to the basic sense of trust? This year 2021, he and Odile will get married. Odile is half Nicaraguan, half French – a natural beauty who also indulges in surfing. She takes care of the small surf shop while Cristobal tinkers around in his workshop. You can feel their shared vibe.

Basic sense of trust, Covid and poverty
Covid is also leaving its mark on Nicaragua. Some tourists are stuck in the country during the lockdown and as a consequence borrow boards for over a month. Cristobal reduces the prices for this. Of course, he does not make a lot of revenue, but the business continues to run. The only concern: uncertainty. You don't know for how long the crisis will last and for how long you can fall back on your savings. The couple drives back one gear, concentrating only on the bare necessities, but always in confidence.
I learn that 2017 was the economically strongest year for Nicaragua. Tourism is flourishing. Economic growth does not stop even in remote villages. Many "Nicas" – as the locals here in Nicaragua are called – for example, ride bicycles. However, in the same year, the political crisis affects the country and its people – even more than the recent pandemic. Protests follow against a planned social reform and the suppression of freedom of expression. The uprisings are violently beaten down, hundreds of people die. Shops in larger cities such as Granada, León and San Juan close and many Americans leave the country immediately. Odile is worried about the pandemic, but Cristobal always encourages her. "We can do it. We are gonna make it. Don't worry," he tells Odile again and again. If he can lend one or two boards in one day, that's already a good day and he's grateful. "Don't focus too much on the media, on the bad. Focus on yourself, on the good. The people we love are doing well. That's all that matters. We are safe," he encourages his girlfriend. He refers to the community in Nicaragua where everyone supports each other. He is confident and feels safe as the locals know how to survive. Cristobal is annoyed by some Americans who think they know better and have ambitions to help the Nicas. He knows that the local population is not dependent on outside help. They know how to build houses, prepare pork or chicken, harvest beans as well as cook, go fishing and all that. In contrast to wealthy foreigners who do not have these skills and would simply be stuck. Cristobal has his own view of the term "poor" and we philosophize about its actual meaning. He comes to the conclusion: as long as there is a roof over your head and enough food is available, you cannot be poor as a result. In highly developed countries, he has seen much more poverty in the form of stress, depression, dissatisfaction, lack of time and loneliness. In his opinion, it is a one-sided view of people who travel to so-called "third world countries" and label them as poor simply because there are not enough resources. The people of Nicaragua just don't want more, they are satisfied. It's that simple. "If you talk about materials, you can say this country is poor. But if you talk about life, the people here are not poor at all: They eat enough, they have time for each other. There is a lot of love in the family, because the families are big here," he explains. Although there are significantly fewer tourists in Nicaragua than in the neighboring and economically richer Costa Rica, there are still a few people who emigrate here, especially Americans. I am curious and ask. Because it seems like you really can't do much here in Popoyo except surfing. "There are many expats who quit their jobs and move here to gain distance and relax. After a month, however, they are frustrated. They come here with false expectations. If you want to have a simple life, you have to adapt to simple circumstances. It's as simple as that," Cristobal explains.