Blog 30

Blog 30: 08/11/08-10/11/08

Sorry, I havent been able to post for a while. I've been in Puerto Escondido this week, and the internet is pretty slow. Also with all the things I've been doing, posting everyday is near impossible. I will however, summarize my experiences for the week.

Our class took a charter bus from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido last Saturday (08/11/04). It was an 8 hour excursion, through twisty mountain roads, and amazing views. Luckily, I took Dramamine so I didn't get motion sickness in the bus. The mountain views are really nice; it's very similar driving to Lake Tahoe. Mexico has a beautiful countryside filled with mountain forests, lakes, waterfalls, and rivers.

We arrived at our hostel Casarmar, in Puerto, at about 5-6 p.m. My apartment is on the second floor, and I share it with Nick and Ricky; they're pretty cool guys. It has 2 bedrooms, a full bath, a livingroom, and a kitchen; luckily its REALLY clean. The beach is right out in front, but unfortunately the rip currents are too strong for us to swim in it. However, a beach we could swim at is only a 5-10 min walk along Zicatela. La Punta, Zicatela is the part of the city we're in. In Zicatela, there's a bunch of markets, with AMAZING sea food. I've had some excellent fish here, and the best thing of all is that it's cheap (60-80 pesos for fish, rice, and a salad). I think I've eaten fish here almost everyday this week. I can't get enough of it because it's just too tender and fresh. My favorite type of fish is called Pescado Empanizado, which is a fried and breaded fish filet; with spicy chipotle sauce is simply to die for.

This month in Puerto there's a huge surf competition, and there's surfers from around the world who come to participate. The waves here are pretty clean, and break well for surfing. Also, the water is really warm, being that Puerto is near the equator, which makes swimming and surfing really fun. The weather here is also amazing, due to the city's closeness to the equator.

Puerto is a bit more humid and warm than Oaxaca, however, not enough to cause annoyance. In the day it can get pretty hot...I would say 90s-100s. The evenings are about 72-78 degrees. The sunsets are amazing to watch because the sun, which emanates hues of orange and purple, drops over the horizon of the ocean. The evenings and nights are characterized by nice temperatures and ocean breezes; it's extremely pleasant, similar to Hawaii and other tropical locations. At around 6 p.m, during the sunset, I like to pull up a sunbathing chair, read a book, and surf the internet. I feel like I'm in paradise...which isn't good, lol, because I can't get any work done!!!

On monday, I took surf lessons in Playa La Punta (the beach near where I live). Me, Massud, and Ricky went to Oasis Surf Academy at around 12:30 p.m. to meet up with our surf instructor and get some boards. The lesson started off on the beach, with the instructor showing us how to position our bodies on the board, how to stand up on the board, and how to move our weight around. After that, we got into the water and hit some smaller waves. The smaller waves are harder to get up on, and it took me a while to even knee surf (stand up on my knees). Throughout the lesson the instructor would push our board as a wave came, so that we had enough momentum to catch it. I didn't like that thought, I wanted to do it on my own. After getting used to some smaller waves, we swam nearer to the rocks and further into the ocean. The rocks create perfect wave breaks for surfing. An important skill in surfing is to know what type of wave to catch because many waves aren't ideal to surf on; the way a wave breaks determines how good of a wave it is. I learned that the hard way because I would try to surf every wave, and I wasn't able to stand on any of them. You have to look for the wave that will start to break near your position in the ocean. A lot of surfing is about patience. It's about waiting and deciding to use the energy you invested in paddling out to catch the right wave that will allow you to stand and ride it. Also, it's important in surfing to be a strong swimmer because paddling takes a LOT of energy, especially because you have to do it for most waves you want to catch. Paddling against the ocean waves is NOT easy, water gets your face, and you're dead tired by the time you're out at sea (at least for me). However you realize all the effort and patience worth it when you're able to catch that one wave. The wave that allows you to stand proudly on top of it. The wave that makes you feel like a conquerer and a champion. The wave that is the culmination of all your hard work and willpower. The wave is your reward, and because you worked so hard for it, it tastes sweeter than anything else. Standing on top of a wave is unlike anything I've ever done. That surf lesson, made me fall in love with surfing and the ocean. It's a deep and spiritual experience, in which many life lessons can be learned.

In surfing, there are a lot of parallels to life. It takes hard work, and a LOT of willpower to receive a reward. I spent all day paddling and swimming to catch ONE wave, but that ONE wave made the entire experience meaningful and rewarding. Life is a lot like that. We spend years on end studying in school and working toward a goal, which for me is becoming a surgeon. The moment I become a surgeon, or even the moment I get into medical school, will be the culmination of all my effort and hard work; it will derive its meaning from the struggle I went through to get to that point. While struggling to surf, I learned a lot of skills I need in order to be a successful surfer. I learned that I have to watch for the right wave, and be patient. I have to perfect my balance and technique, in order to even stand on the board during that perfect wave. The struggle of surfing teaches one how to surf, this also applies to life. In life, it's the struggle that we mature from, and learn the essential lessons that will ultimately improve us as human beings, and ultimately help us to reach our goals. I came out of that surf lesson knowing more about myself and my relationship to the physical world, than I did coming into it. I learned that in the struggle for all goals, there's an internal component to this whole process, which will manifest itself in the physical world, and allow me to obtain success. However, the only way to develop yourself and your relationship to the world is to struggle and work hard; to put yourself in unique situations where lessons can be learned. I think the reason I learned so much can be attributed to my drive to learn lessons from everything I can do; which is the result of a realization I had last week. I realize that there really are life lessons and parallels in any experience one goes through.