| I started taking Spanish classes in Playa | | | | was not ready to pay for some much needed |
| Tamarindo, Costa Rica in August of 2006. I had | | | | lesions that would soon change. |
| taken a vacation to Costa Rica in 2005 and had | | | | One day I was out with a couple of my friends |
| spent a few days relaxing on the beach in | | | | from the Spanish school who knew what they |
| Tamarindo, so when I decided to learn Spanish in | | | | were doing. We had ventured out into a little |
| Costa Rica I thought Tamarindo would be a great | | | | deeper water just deep enough to be over your |
| place to start. It is located on the Pacific coast, in | | | | head. We had not been there long when a big |
| the province of Guanacaste. I knew it was | | | | wave started to form, we all started getting |
| famous as a surfing town and a destination for | | | | ready, and soon we were all paddling like our lives |
| sun worshipers from all over the world. | | | | deepened on it. I was hoping to catch the wave |
| After getting settled into my classes and learning | | | | my friends did, but I was not so lucky. As the |
| my way around the school and town I started | | | | wave was over taking me instead of setting back |
| meeting other students. I noticed most of them | | | | on my board and letting the wave go by I soon |
| were surfing every chance they got and having a | | | | found me flying over the board. This would be the |
| great time doing it. I could also be found most | | | | beginning of a wild ride, I felt like I was in a |
| days after class jogging, working out and just | | | | washing machine. After trying to get out of this |
| enjoying the beach although I had not yet tried | | | | precarious situation for what seemed like a life |
| surfing, but I had definitely been bitten by the | | | | time I soon realized I was out of air. The next |
| surfing bug. It wasn't long before I could wait no | | | | thing I knew it was over and thank God there |
| longer and had to see what everyone else was | | | | was not another wave behind me as is often the |
| enjoying so much. Next thing I knew I had rented | | | | case. |
| a long board from one of the local surf shops and | | | | After that I decided to spend some money on |
| was off to join the other great wave riders. I | | | | some much needed lessons, which I did. Wow |
| thought it would be easy. The locals and the other | | | | what a difference a few lesions can make. The |
| students made it look so easy although a lot of | | | | first thing I learned was about safety and how to |
| them were from California where surfing is in the | | | | set back on my board and let the wave go by |
| blood. One of the first things I noticed was how | | | | sometimes and if you get caught up in a big |
| far out into the ocean you could walk, there were | | | | wave just hold your breath and let it go by. Do |
| no step drop offs and the water was so warm | | | | not try and swim because you do not know |
| no need to suit up. It was very nice to surf in | | | | which way you're swimming when you're being |
| just my shorts. Some of the students gave me | | | | tossed around. The moral of this story is if you're |
| some pointers to get me started surfing, so I | | | | a beginner spend some money and get some |
| tried it on my own for a while and soon realized it | | | | instruction from a qualified surf school. |
| was a lot harder than it looked. At that point I still | | | | |