Have a Good Surf

Before I left for the airport in Chicago, the last thing I packed in my book bag was a red folder labeled "Australia." It held my life for the next four months in those two pockets: flight itineraries, contact information, passport copies, drivers license copies, schedules, checklists, visa grant numbers, the list goes on and on. But none of that mattered as much to me as did a singular piece of notebook paper in there: My Bucket List. It's something I started on January 16, 2009 (but have added to since). A junior in high school and with the daunting task of college near beginning, I felt like I owed it to myself to figure out what I wanted in this life--or more what I wanted out of this life. It has the routine and common events such as: get married, have kids, buy a new house, graduate from high school (check!), and graduate college. While those still hold value to me, it's the adventurous and traveling ones that I'm aiming at recently. And on Saturday, I got to do the instantly-gratifying crossing off of an event: GO SURFING!

I wish I could start off this post by saying that I'm a natural at it; that my many years of gymnastics when I was younger still stuck with me when it came to balance and swift movements. But, alas, I cannot. My pride was left somewhere between fall one and when I was told there was a jellyfish the size of a basketball behind me (I screamed a little too loudly and climbed up on my board and stayed there a little too long; I regret nothing). All 35 of us got schooled at the Cheyne Horan Surf School down at Surfer's Paradise--one of the best places to surf on the coast. We were split into three groups and I selfishly made my way into the first group because I just couldn't wait any longer. Cheyne Horan is a world champion of surfing and we had the pleasure of meeting him--it's a weird thing to know that people are so fascinated by this man and yet none of us had a clue who this guy even was prior to our lesson. People even name their kids after him!

Cheyne Horan himself! I bet he was honored to be a picture with a bunch of Americans :)

We shimmied into our wet suits, grabbed the boards and were ready to hang five. Our instructor gave us a quick tutorial on the basics of the board, in which I still remember all the parts: deck, rails, nose, tail, bottom, fins! Then it was time to get familiar with how to walk your board to the ocean, going over a wave with your board, pivoting the board around, and how to actually catch the wave. We then went out and I was able to allow the waves to bring me to shore a couple times! This was only the first stage of course, so I was still just lying on it. Then we came back in about a half hour later, and they taught us how you can tilt your board and make it turn more to the left or right. We went out for another half hour which I experienced more struggles because the strong undercurrent would catch me just at the last minute and I wouldn't make it on the board. It was actually a little scary because the ocean floor just dramatically drops at certain points and sometimes I found myself in those points. At one point, I was knee deep and I moved roughly a foot forward and I was suddenly waist deep. But then another two or three feet forward, I was knee deep again.

We came in for our last instruction, the anticipated one of learning how to actually ride and stand up! I struggled because in order to pop yourself up in standing position onto the board, your toes have to be right at the edge of the tail. That requires you to have perfect form when it comes to actually jumping out of the water onto the board when the wave comes. It was a lot of thinking involved! We practiced multiple times on dry land and then it was go time. I strutted to the water, board under my arm and butterflies in my stomach.

I saw the wave in the distance. I guided my board to a comfortable level in the water and prepared myself. Pivoting the board so that the tail was now in the back, I saw my opportunity ever present. With my hands on the rails, I glided onto the top of the board as the beginning of the wave pushed me forward as a warning it was here. My instinct kicked in and with my toes propped up right at the end like they're supposed to be, I was ready. I felt the rush of wave vigorously push me forward and it was time. 1, pop toes up. 2, picture it and look forward. 3, jump and pop your feet onto the top of the board--right leg perpendicular and left leg at a 45 degree angle.

Splash. Almost-drown. Inhale extreme amount of salty ocean water. Flop.

I told you I wasn't a natural at it. But I thought writing out my first wave experience like I had it played out in my head prior to the failure would lessen the blow. It helps a little. So the first try (I don't even know if you can call it a "try" because I never got passed number 2) was a flop but I didn't give up; I am persistent after all. I don't know how many tries it took but regardless, my success came when I sailed right into shore standing up on that board--arms thrown up and screaming "Yah Braaa." I am happy to report that I stood up multiple times after that, even if it was sometimes with the help of the instructor holding my board and telling me when to stand.

The lesson lasted two hours and boy did I feel it later. My arms were jello and my knees took quite a beating. My sinuses drained for a good three hours after, too. I'm lucky to have such fast reflexes though, otherwise I think I would have landed in the hospital considering how many surf boards and friends I had to dodge out of the way of. I can take liberty in that and say that I never was in any one's way and followed all the rules since it's my blog.

I want to do it again. And again after that. I liked how different it is to my normal routine of running, or spinning, or even my past time of basketball and volleyball. It made me feel more flexible in my shelter of life, expanded my horizons. It kept me busy for hours to the point where I didn't have a care in the world other than if I was judging a wave okay. Surfing allowed me to continue this validation process of reminding myself I know who I am after all. It says so on My Bucket List. Event #23: Go Surfing. Check.

P.S. Make a Bucket List if you don't have one. I don't care how young or how old you are, or who you are reading this--you owe it to yourself.

P.P.S. I wanted to wait to put this up because an employee of my program took some cool pictures but I don't know when we'll get to see them so I'll just post them in a separate post some other time.