Few people ever talk about how Hostels can be a life saver for immigrants who sometimes find themselves in the struggle of trying to achieve stability and settle in, especially in Europe. You see in this struggle, there comes a time when everything is so chaotic – no proper documenation, no work permit, no reliable stream of income, exploitation by employers, and a times no accomodation, yes, things are in shumbles that you even lack a roof over your head. The first time i stayed at the 2060 Newton Hostel at the heart of Madirid and a tourist district, was when i had found myself in a similar situation.

I was lost, homeless, depressed, in the middle of the night, in the heat of deep summer. It was during a long weekend(Puente, like the Spanish call it) , and Spain being a world tourist destination, alsmost everyone was here for vacation, all the affordable hostels booked up and full. I had walked around in the middle of the night asking – of course for the affordable ones – but nothing was coming through, only the expensive ones were available. Well, with the help of a good samaritan, i ended up in a quite expensive one, well out of my budget. At this point it didn´t matter to me spending upto the last euro i had in my bank account, i just needed a place to lay my head on.

The next day, this good samaritan boooked me at Newton Hostel for three nights, and that is how i found myself at this warm, lively, welcoming establishment. When i was finally there with my suitcase in tow, the cold water from the shower in the clean and well kempt bathroom took my worries away and made me relax, i felt a relief, i let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, i had been homeless for the past few hours, but Newton Hostel made me feel like i was home. People never narrate sufficiently what an ordeal it is to be homeless, far away from home. Apart from having to deal with intense winters, language barrier and culture shook, you may find yourself homeless anytime as an immigrant, things can quickly shift against you.

The staff at the Newton Hostel reception are very amiable, helpful and multilingual(last one very importnat). They checked me in into a nice, comfortable capsule bed, the rooms are air condtioned to relieve one of Madrid´s 40 degrees summer heat. Fellow guests at the hostel are very enthusiastic and vibrant , i mean there is something about travellers and explorers – they are social, these people know and recognize their tribe, the openness in interacting with people form around the globe, chatt, exchange of food, laugh etc, and the creme de la creme of all this is that the converstions are in Englis!(Anyone who lives in Spain clearly knows the difficulty of finding a community that speaks English, Spaniards love their language, and will rarely attemtpt to talk to a foreigner in a language the foreigner is more comfortable in, they will see you almost bite your tongue trying to converse in Spanish, but will not come to your rescue to speak to you in English, even if they know it).

Anyway, i digress, next are the night activities at the hostel – the bar crawls, the taco parties in Mexican Restaurants, the nights out dancing, honestly this place is just the vibe, it oozes energy and life, The morning coffee and Churos( on the house), gives one a lively start to the day( the establishment boasts of a fully equiped and clean kitchen where guests can prepare their own meals), and to crown it, in the evening, one is free to wind up their day by making their way to the rooftop bar where a variety of drinks are served. I have since stayed at the hostel several times and the colorful experience is constant. As i write this, i am planning a trip to Madrid for work, and my preffered choice of accommodation…your guess is as right as mine! Here, they envision and imagine the end of the world, presumably in the year 2060, but for me my affair with the hostel is far from ending!