5 Years Nomad - Chapter 1

Hey there! It’s Aymeric, founder of Agence Nomade. We’re celebrating 5 years of Nomade this month!!

A whole lot of beautiful things have happened since then!

We decided to put together a little memory album to show you where we started from and where we are today!

I’m taking the time to look back a bit to trace the standout moments and the steps we’ve gone through over the years!

Chapter 1

January 2019

I arrive on the Islands for an initial stay of a single weekend to cover needs at the multi-clientele unit (UMC). We know a little about agencies at that point, but not much more.

I got a wonderful welcome from Karène, who is a charge nurse (ASI), and I’m able to quickly show that I know my trade to earn my colleagues’ trust from the very first rounds. That’s when I learn that the first impression is really important with your colleagues, because it dictates whether they’ll trust you quickly or keep a closer eye on you.

On the Islands, the patients are family members of the staff, or friends, or acquaintances. A misstep won’t go unnoticed, and that’s perfect that way. It’s a good reminder to stay sharp at all times!

Even though the UMC offers a pleasant work environment and everyone is lovely, my thing ever since I started out as a nurse is the emergency department. So I quickly go introduce myself to the unit manager, Marie-Julie, who lets me know she’ll probably need me in the ER, since 3 nurses are leaving soon to head back to the mainland.

My weekend eventually gets extended to a week and a half, then renewed in an in/out format of a few weeks at a time for the rest of the year.

I’m now a travel nurse. I leave my Montréal apartment with one suitcase to go to work by plane, a few weeks at a time. The dream!

I alternate between the UMC and the ER for the rest of the winter, finally landing in the ER 100% of the time at the start of the summer.

I take advantage of my days off to explore the Islands; it’s quite impressive to see, and we have a nice snowy winter (which isn’t always the case on the Islands). I make the most of it to visit the beautiful landscapes, and I risk my hands taking out my camera while facing the icy cold of the seaside wind, but it’s worth it.

I’m living a vacation life on the Islands and off the Islands. I’m on vacation 100% of the time.

I plan a double trip during a boozy evening, Morocco - Philippines, with a few days in between to wash my clothes and repack my bag. No way to regret that!

Summer 2019

I live in a 7-bedroom shared house on the Îles de la Madeleine for my summer assignment. Luckily, there are at most 4 of us in the house at a time, taking turns.

Since I’m there for the whole summer and arrived first, I get a room upstairs with a private terrace! The dream, right!

It’s the summer of firsts:

First visit to Entry Island (Île d’Entrée)

First lobster fishing trip with Mathieu, the boyfriend of Sara, who is my colleague in the ER.

First palabre (the summer beers from the microbrewery)

First scooter ride on a rental at 40 km/h

First sunset from the top of a hill

First fire on the beach under the stars

First kitesurfing lesson with Yannick, Karène’s brother

I’m having a blast, and it feels like I’m not working a single second of my summer, even while being full-time day-evening-night, 37.5h a week at the hospital.

I also realize that I’m sparking more and more curiosity among my friends and former nurse colleagues in the city since the beginning of the year.

After a vacation in Mexico, I officially decide to launch Agence Nomade.

My mission is to give Nomads a vacation life like the one I’ve been living since the start of the year. I have to share this lifestyle with the other Nomads at heart.

A new adventure officially begins for me as an entrepreneur.

Writing these lines in 2024, I tell myself that my younger self in 2019 was pretty naive to think all of this was going to be a walk in the park!

End of 2019

I start convincing former colleagues and friends to join the Nomade adventure with me. I organize and coordinate the Nomads’ stays on the Islands, and I keep working in the ER at the same time. I take it step by step and learn day by day, without any major hiccups.

I also keep enjoying my “vacation life” on the Islands. My stays of 2-3 weeks at a time start becoming 4-5 weeks; I’m stretching out my work periods more and more.

I’m in my element on the Islands, nothing less.

My running distances keep getting longer too. I complete my first 60 km run, my first ultramarathon in Montréal in the fall with my roommate Hiroshi.

I discover a passion for endurance sports; I’m already dreaming of my first 160 km (100 miles), which is the “mythical” distance of ultramarathoning.

See you next week for the next chapter!