Nicaragua 2009 - Vacation Week .. July 17, 2009
One of the things I really wanted to do is take more surf lessons. I found out about an all girls surf camp called Chica Brava, run by an American woman who has been living here for about 5 years. I originally intended to take private lessons but was invited to join the camp that they had scheduled this week. There were 5 girls including me, from LA to DC and all in their late 20s to early 30s. All were super mellow girls, very nice and happy to have me join in. Our instructors were Missy, from Florida and Maite, from Guadalajara, Mexico. The instructors were awesome; they were encouraging and pushed us, yet made sure to not push us outside our comfort zones. It was great being with all women too. I’d taken surf lessons before, but I don’t think, having had this experience, that I would choose again to take lessons from a male instructor. Anyway, the camp lasted 6 days but I only participated in 3 days’ sessions. The first 2 days we went to Remanzo, the beach I mentioned in an earlier post, known as a good beginner beach. By day 2 we were all paddling out, learning to turtle roll (on a long board you use the turtle roll when you’re paddling out and a big wave breaks right in front of you. If you can’t get up and over it, you will get pushed backwards or tossed so what you do is grab your board, flip over so you are under water and your board and the wave passes over you/your board and then once it passes you flip back over and climb up and keep paddling out), popping up (standing up on the board), and we started working on choosing and paddling for our own waves. When we needed their help, the instructors would push us into waves allowing us not to have to paddle and limiting the steps we had to think about.
Surfing is exhausting at first. When sets of waves are coming in towards shore and you are trying to get past them, it feels like a battle — and that’s before you’ve even tried to paddle for a wave! But it also feels incredibly satisfying to successfully stand up on the board and feel the wave underneath you.
The first 2 mornings we had to be up at 530am to be at the beach around the high tide. We generally surfed for a few hours, took a break and then would go out in the water for another 30 min. or so, before being ready to call it a day. On day two, I realized it was time to quit when I had ingested a gallon of salt water, I felt my shoulder sublux (a mini-dislocation) and sprained my foot on the ocean floor after getting tossed!!!
The 3rd day we went to another beach, called Hermosa. We took a boat there. The boat anchored off shore and we all got a bit nervous when the instructors told us that we would have to paddle IN to shore, behind the huge waves we saw crashing into the beach. It was a bit scary but we followed instructions and kept an eye out for each other and made it… The waves were a lot bigger at this beach and we all had a pretty frustrating morning, but it was good to see a different beach, different wave behavior etc. There were no subluxed shoulders but we all did get stung by jellyfish so that made the day exciting! Paddling back out to the boat after surfing for 2 hours was so tiring!! Overall, I was really pleased with my progress. I am excited to keep surfing (though a little bummed out that if I surf in the PNW it will most likely be in a wetsuit and not a bikini). Most of all though, having this experience with a group of awesome women, was empowering as well as fun.
Yesterday, I went on a horseback tour around the finca with the resident cowboy, Jonny. For about 2 hours he toured me around all the parts of the finca that aren’t accessible on foot. It was a beautiful ride; a windy but fairly clear day.. I was able to see some amazing views of the finca.. We also saw howler monkeys and a sloth!!My classmate and friend, Coby Jansen, arrived this week as well! It has really nice having her here! She is setting up a project related to water contamination and will either be working here in San Juan or in Leon with a University of North Carolina project. Alden, Coby and I met up in town yesterday to observe the Virgen del Carmen celebration. A statue of the virgen is sent out on a boat while other boats follow, people set off fireworks, and celebrate with food and drink. The ceremony is about the virgen blessing the fishermen for a good catch. The rainy season has really set in and we got caught in a serious downpour in town. It is amazing to watch the sky turn black and open up. And equally amazing to be warm while you are running through pouring, pounding rain!
Tomorrow Alden, Coby and I are heading to Isla de Ometepe, an island in Lake Nicaragua. I visited the island when I was traveling through Nicaragua in 2006 and am excited to return. We hope to visit a nature preserve, do some kayaking, and hike to a waterfall. We will return Sunday and then I’ll head to Managua on Monday to catch my flight back to the States.
This has been a wonderful week and a great way to end my trip to Nicaragua. I am going to be sad to leave the amazing finca, and my very gracious hosts, Alden and Federico, as well as many of the other people here on the farm, who have become friends. I am sure that I will be backNicaragua. I visited the island when I was traveling through Nicaragua in 2006 and am excited to return. We hope to visit a nature preserve, do some kayaking, and hike to a waterfall. We will return Sunday and then I’ll head to Managua on Monday to catch my flight back
Posted by jennie on July 17th, 2009