From Day 1, I have been saying that one of the things I wanted to do more than anything else is to learn how to surf. Yesterday, that dream came true. We took a 30-minute bus ride into New Cadiz, put on matching neon yellow surf school shirts, grabbed our surfboards and headed towards the beach and the fulfillment of one item on my bucket list.
We started off on land, learning the 4 steps to standing up. After we had all mastered the motion, we headed into the water to become the next Bethany Hamilton. On my first try, I was able to stand but quickly found myself under the surface. After a few more practice runs, I finally stood up and “hung 10” all the way to the shore where the paparazzi (Kelly and our videographer) were waiting to catch my celebratory dance. I have never felt so elated in my life than when I made it all the way to the sand. I also have never felt so tranquil than when I was sitting on my board coasting over the soft waves that were rolling in. As far as I know, most people made it up, which means we may have a whole new generation of pros! Hopefully, there will be some fun pictures to come, so keep your eye out on Facebook!
After getting back from surfing, my friends and I, even though we still have a few days until we leave, decided to get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner. We found ourselves at “Malandro’s” and spent the evening celebrating our time here and mourning over the few days we have left.
Friday greeted us as a surprise when we found out that we might get to be able to talk to some kids from Italy who were here on an immersion program as well during the time allotted for electives. The kids in the culture and conversation elective began talking to them while Kelly taught us how to say different terms relating to photography in Spanish and some other technical stuff with the camera. Luckily, we got to join the C&C kids and their new Italian friends and spent the final hour of our elective enjoying the company of other kids our age. Of course, formalities were exchanged, such as hometown, age, and name, but as time went out, we got into deeper questions. My friends and I were asked by the girl that we were talking to if life in the U.S. is anything like that in the movies. If you think about it, it’s intriguing to consider how Americans and America itself are portrayed in TV shows and movies. It’s especially important to be conscious of it because many people, including our new Italian friend, have not had the chance to visit the U.S. and therefore her only perception of the United States was based on what she had seen in movies.
As always, many fun adventures to come over the weekend and a blog about it following on Monday! We’re off to a night of tapas, Hasta Luego!