Blogs are personal. Blogs are spontaneous. Blogs can be many things. They can be a way to let off steam, vent, or express frustration. They can also be the opposite. They can be a celebration, a way to express happiness and satisfaction.
For my first one ever, I think it’s best to start on lighthearted note, and talk about passion. Well, in this case ‘obsession’ might be a better word. Actually, let’s just cut right to the chase, and call it what it is: an addiction.
I am quite literally addicted to surfing. I’m not quite sure when exactly it happened, but like all addictions, it probably started slowly.
The story begins in Australia, when I was a hapless neophyte studying abroad at the University of Melbourne. As many will tell you, Melbourne is not a stereotypical Australian city. The beaches are far away, and St. Kilda has waves about on-par with my hometown of Vancouver. That is to say, none. Once you get beyond the urban sprawl though, the coasts surrounding Melbourne have some world-class waves. This is where I first started surfing. I’m not sure if I liked it or not. I personally hate the cold, and the one thing I can definitely remember about that surf is that it was COLD. I mean can’t-feel-your-hands-or-feet-when-you-get-out-of-the-water cold (interestingly, this loss of feeling in my extremities would turn out to be a common theme in my surfing)! Looking back at pictures of that day, I was smiling, but I’m not sure why. I was borderline hypothermic, I’m positive I didn’t catch a single wave, and our bus got a flat tire on the way to the beach.
Regardless of why I liked it, I definitely did like it. I know that I spent the rest of my year abroad in Melbourne leaving the city as much as I could for the beach, desperately bumming rides or borrowing cars.
Then, I returned to Canada. A full year without surfing. No big deal. Then, I moved to Japan, and more specifically Hamamatsu. Hamamatsu has waves, but they’re not very consistent. I would go the whole winter, and most of spring without touching the water. So, surfing is still a pastime, and has yet to reach its eventual status of full-blown addiction.
After Japan came Taiwan. Thanks mostly to the climate, I was able to surf consistently during the 2 years I lived there. I doubt that I ever went more than 1 week without surfing while I lived there, aside from trips to locations with no waves (they were rare!).
It must have been around this time that my addiction started, as nearly all the warning signs started popping up. I can clearly remember my girlfriend at the time remarking, ‘I really hope there are waves tomorrow. You need to go surfing. You are the WORST when you don’t surf.’
I couldn’t help but laugh. She was absolutely right. If I couldn’t, I was absolutely miserable, and became a pain to be around! When the waves were good though, I was like a different person! Suddenly, the air tasted sweeter, and everything was great.
Is there anything you can’t live without? What is your passion? Has it reached the same level that my surfing has? Does it affect your entire life? I know one thing for sure; I wouldn’t change anything, no matter what!
日本の小中学校で英語を教えるALT講師Nic先生は非常にユーモラスな先生です。台湾でも英語を教えていました。どこでも適応できるのがNic先生が自慢ができること。「肉先生」と読んで欲しいとたまに呼びかけられるかもしれません。こんなコミカルで愉快なNic先生から楽しく英語指導を受けませんか？
座右の名”The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.”
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