UNDER THE SUN AND BEYOND BORDERS
From the lush jungles of Costa Rica to the mountains of Nepal, the golden beaches of the Dominican Republic, and the Andean heights of Peru… My path has taken me to the four corners of the world. Between hosting travelers, volunteer teaching, and various missions, each experience has nourished my soul, inspired my novels, and shaped the free life I choose every day. ✨
Under the Costa Rican sun
In 2015, I left everything: job, condo, security... to follow the call of the sun. I headed to Costa Rica, where I had bought a house in the middle of the jungle, online — without having visited it, and without even having set foot in this small, warm country, beforehand.😅
This is how the famous Casa de Marilyn was born: a small tropical haven where, for several years, I welcomed travelers and readers from all over the world. Between two arrivals, I wrote, I lived, I savored this newfound freedom. Each day brought me a little closer to who I really was. ✨
When the cycle ended, I sold the Casa, put away my hostess sheets, and hit the road with my faithful four-legged companion, Monsieur. My heart wide open, ready for the next adventure. 🙏🏼
After the Casa, the breath of elsewhere
So, with my faithful companion, I traveled around Costa Rica for several months, savoring every moment of our nomadic life.
A trip to Quebec marked an important… and painful step: it was there that I had to say goodbye to him. 😢
With a heavy heart, I still took the plane alone, as planned, to Italy where we planned to settle.
Then, through encounters and enthusiasm, the road took me to Switzerland, France... and, a little later, to the mountains of Nepal.
Volunteering & missions abroad
Long before my great tropical adventures, while still at university, I flew for the very first time to work as a chambermaid in England. This first step outside my comfort zone planted the seed for what would become a lifetime of exploration and encounters.
Nepal 🇳🇵
After Europe, my journey led me to Nepal. There, I volunteered to teach English for three months in a small village school. Beyond the words and the lessons, it was the time and love I gave to these children that left the greatest impression on me.
In this kind of experience, the human value goes far beyond learning a language. The smiles, the games, the openness to differences... as much for them as for me.
Hawaii 🇺🇸
After the mountains of Nepal, Maui was supposed to be a peaceful interlude... but very quickly, the atmosphere became stifling. To breathe, I found refuge on a bench facing the ocean—my only escape—without knowing that this stop would become the starting point of Lost on Maui.
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
With the Youth Foundation for Sustainable Development , I then accompanied several groups of volunteers — often made up of my readers — who came to teach and experience their own immersion.
My role: to facilitate their experience, translate, explain local realities, ease culture shock... and sometimes, lend a hand in class, as in this photo.
Authentic moments of sharing that enriched us all.
Peru 🇵🇪
After my "return" to Quebec , which gave birth to Déesse des mal-aimés , among others, the wind carried me to Peru, where I took over the management of a lodge nestled in the mountains, in the heart of nature. A daily life punctuated by logistics, welcoming travelers, and this deep immersion in an environment as wild as it is inspiring. I learned patience, adaptability... and the art of living according to the unexpected.
Colombia 🇨🇴
Finally, Colombia welcomed me for a new mission: teaching yoga in Minca, in the heart of the jungle. After this enriching experience, I hit the road again and again... until I settled near the ocean, where I now pursue my writing projects, my dreams... and this free life that I carve out day after day.
What these experiences taught me...
Traveling like this, sometimes empty-handed but with an open heart, taught me the essentials: to listen, observe, and marvel. ✨ I discovered that openness to others transforms both the receiver and the giver. The smiles of children in Nepal, the discussions by the sea in the Dominican Republic, the calm mornings in the jungle of Costa Rica, the trails of Peru or the light of Colombia… each moment has left an imprint on me.
These encounters and these landscapes nourish my novels, whether they are Lost in Maui , Nomad or Illusion , to name just a few. Behind each page hides a piece of these crossed lives, these trodden lands, and this freedom that I cherish so much.
And the adventure continues…
These years spent traveling the world, losing myself in order to better find myself, are not just a past chapter of my life. They are the common thread of everything I create today. Each new country, each face I encounter, each sunrise nourishes this quest for freedom and authenticity. And as long as the wind calls me elsewhere, I will continue to follow this path… backpack, notebook, and heart wide open.
To continue following my adventures and projects, subscribe to my newsletter — see you soon, under the sun or elsewhere. ✨